Where do I begin with this review? No words justify the amount of feels I felt with this book. It is absolutely an amazing read. From heartache and pain to smiles and hope, Ms. Slattery stitches together a novel that will not soon leave the reader's soul. You close the book and reflect on the story and the characters and their faith long into the night. It's forever in my heart, that's for sure!

I have never been on a mission trip but I know of people that have. They come home with stories that will leave you in tears, sometimes from happiness, sometimes from sadness. Ms. Slattery filled this book with such detail that you can't help but feel as if you, the reader,were right there in the center of the mission trip. Watching Brooke along side of Ubaldo really kept me hooked on the story. I loved both of their characters so much. I felt their emotions and their faith as if they were my own. When they came to terms with what God had in store for the two of them, together, I really felt it deep in my soul!

Ms. Slattery has taken on a wonderful theme for this book. Finding love in an unexpected place with an unexpected person, learning of that our plan isn't always His plans, and seeking redemption along the way, really makes for a fantabulous book! I can not simply give this incredibly moving novel a measly 5 star rating. It is beyond that. It is deserving of 5 thousand stars, if you want my opinion. This book, and all it has to offer, will suck you in, cacoon you into it's pages and leave you breathless and in awe of Ms. Slattery's work. Bravo, Jennifer Slattery! Bravo!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* ( )

Healing Love can be categorized as a contemporary romance since it has a love story that develops throughout the book. But its message is so much more than that. If anything it tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with God’s people. Inspired by a mission trip the author’s family participated in, this dual setting novel (California and El Salvador) explores the desperate needs of people and our response to it. I really liked this one, and if you have a heart for missions and love a happily-ever-after ending, you will too!

Brooke Endress is two years out of grad school and pursuing her dream of working in broadcast journalism. Reluctantly she agrees to accompany her teenaged sister on a mission trip to El Salvador. As Brooke is confronted with the realities of the desperate life of poverty in that country, her whole perspective is turned upside down. Translator Ubaldo Calla has his worldview challenged as well when discovers that the beautiful North American is not the spoiled woman he thought, but deeply caring with a love for his home country.

The contrast between American life and the crippling poverty of El Salvador is uncovered in Healing Love. This novel brought the struggle of survival to life for this reader. Slattery doesn’t shy away from sharing the problems of El Salvador — poverty, child labor, sexual abuse, poor education. The missions team that Brooke accompanies makes an impression, but it is really long term action that is required to truly make a difference. I really liked the spiritual growth that Brooke and Ubaldo undergo as they heal relationships and touch lives.

Full of heart, faith, and love, Healing Love is a great story. It is one that will leave you thinking long after the last page is turned. It is an especially good choice for a book club or missions group.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )