At its heart this well-paced book is a very sweet, very simple love story. But unlike most romance novels, this story revolves around the mutual love of three main characters, Devon, Ryan and Stella, as they develop a relationship that spans the world. Indeed the overarching theme of the book is about love in all its many guises, the tragic friendship of Stella and Lindsay, the long-distance romance between Devon and Stella (Will they? Won’t they?), the love of a family accepting a lost member back into its fold, the bittersweet decision to exchange an old, safe life for something unknown, the deep parental desire to do what’s best for a child. However, through Lindsay’s story the book also touches on the effects of withholding love and affection, how uncaring parents can scar a child for life and how even a short experience of true family warmth can act as a beacon of perfection decades later.Told from the adults’ points of view, we experience what it is like to be Devon, torn between the job he loves and the child he must care for.We get to experience Stella, lonely, frosty, unhappy with her friend’s decision, forced to trust a man she doesn’t know with a child she loves. We get to feel the wonder of exploring the Australian landscape: the bustle and landmarks of Sydney, the stunning beaches, the wild beauty of the outback and the Blue Mountains in particular. We get to live vicariously through Devon as he falls in love with Australian culture, wildlife (but not pet goldfish) and food (but definitely not Vegemite) and, of course, Stella. We watch the characters as they grow, playful Devon embracing his kind, caring, paternal nature as he learns to be a parent, and the wise-cracking, fact-loving Stella as she comes to realise that her friend Lindsay knew what she was doing after all.The book is not all sweetness, however; there are villains and threats, most particularly in the guise of the wicked and abusive Justin Wells, the one man who can destroy their new-found perfection. Of course, it is no spoiler to say that love conquers all in the end (after all, what would this book be without a happy ending?), but so great has our affection for the family grown that we are genuinely relieved when things work out the way they do – a clear testament to Rachael Renee Anderson’s warm-hearted writing style.A wholehearted recommendation from me for an uplifting book. I've been wanting to read this book since it came out! The cover and the description just grabbed me. It might be because I love the movie "Baby Boom", and it seemed like the basis was about the same.Having said that, the premise of both stories - a very focused businessperson being given a child from someone that they didn't know very well, was about the only similarity between them. I love that this story was set in Australia, a place that I really want to visit!I loved the characters! Cute Ryan would be able to steal anybody's heart, Stella was very tenacious and I loved all the trivia that she knew, and I enjoyed watching Devon's change of heart. Devon's parents and family dynamics really cracked me up. His dad was great! Justin was a perfect bad guy. I really did worry there at the end about where Ryan would end up. And, is there really a chance for Devon and Stella to have any type of a relationship with one being in the US and the other in Australia? HmmmI really enjoyed this book! I would give it 4.5 stars. Very clean content.I won this book in a blog giveaway. Rachael, herself, signed it before she sent in on to me!
Do You like book Minor Adjustments (2011)?
I loved this story! A career driven man receiving a gift he never knew we wanted... Great read!
—Memphis
fun, predictable, just what I needed for a distraction
—Dartris
