This book is about five different characters and the people they encounter. Every connection leads to a revelation of which they would not have come to on their own. You find something relatable in ever character’s personal journey, making you think about your own life.The author is an acclaimed Japanese writer so this book was translated into English, which was very well done and also gives you insight into Japanese culture.

This is my sixth Jackson novel. Four stars. Very different plot line. Characters not relatable but I liked them, in their own environment. I enjoyed how the author took Paula from her own childhood to adulthood and then backstoried same. Several interesting things along the way and a good ending.

A heart wrenching story about the nurses who served in Viet Nam told from the heroine who didn't know what she was getting into when she volunteered to serve. Harsh reality, death and destruction are mixed with stories of friendship, and reliance on one another. The story also tells about the struggles of coming home to a country who were ashamed of the war and therefore, treated the veterans poorly. I was lucky... by the time my friends were old enough to be drafted or serve; the war ended... I do remember all the protests and news... so this book hit home... Great book; I highly recommend it!

Justin has a curse. Every woman he goes out with finds her soul mate as soon as they break up with him.This is the 3rd book in the Part of Your World series. It can also be read as a stand-alone, but there are some characters from the first two books that come into the story.

I read this book because this author is coming to the end of summer program. It was "ok". I found some parts to be unbelievable, such as a character getting away with killing her father. And the main character was a comic author: I didn't totally understand her stories. I did, however, feel the need to finish the book in order to find out what happens!

47. Someone Else’s Love Story by Jocelyn Jackson. Shandi Pierce, a single mom, and is struggling to finish college is caught in a hold up of a store. She falls for William who steps between her child and the gunman. She imagines she is in love. William a geneticist on the spectrum is struggling with his own demons and loss of a child. When she learns the truth she says, “I’m sick of other people’s love stories!”

OK Interesting concept along with an enjoyable story. Went a long way to come up with a happy ending. A bit too many coincidences for me. Two stories overlap, In the past Soline was the owner of a bridal shop, making dresses that guarantee a happy marriage. She must leave Paris at the beginning of World War II. She is engaged but believes her future husband to have been killed in the War. In the present, Rory leases the property owned by Soline’s family and discovers a wedding dress preserved. Rory also has a fiancé who is missing during a goodwill mission. The two women become acquainted, and magic and mystery, heartache and finally joy are the end result.

3. Beyond that, the sea by Laura Spence Ash. At 11 years old, Beatrix was sent to live with a family in the US in order to be safe from the German bombs falling over London. The Gregory’s and their two sons, welcomes her into their lives. Soon, Beatrix grows up, and ends up with two families and struggles to maintain her loyalties to each.

4.5 stars.

This book is told with love, insights and humor. As a new father, the author is instructing his newborn about the world of a new parent. From buying the proper diapers, to assembling baby furniture on into toddlerhood and beyond. While reading, I laughed openly, feeling the love this man possesses.