This was an almost DNF, but I made it! Yay me!
I'll right a better review next time!

3.5 stars
Well, I preferred it to the first book! Contemporary fiction isn't my preferred genre to be honest. It was interesting though following the 3 sisters on their journeys. I did struggle with the different pov's though.
Parts of it I enjoyed, I will continue reading the series to see how it all ends for the 3 sisters. It is nice to have a change of genres now and again. I read this via KU.

Read via Scribd audiobook. 3 stars.

“But maybe . . . maybe faith wasn’t so much about believing enough. Being enough. Maybe faith was realizing that the truth of who God was, and what He promised, was enough for all her doubts.”

The Thatcher sisters—Jillian, Payton, and Johanna—each have their own struggles, pain, and disappointments. You’d think that would spur them to treat each other with gentleness. But not so much. They tend to push each other’s buttons and bring up old hurts before they finally get around to reacting with love.

Book #2, Moments We Forget, focuses on Jillian as she experiences one shocking life change after another. Her search for some kind of help or meaning leads to fledgling steps of faith. She experiences peace and hope—for the first time in a long, long time. We also catch up with what’s going on in Payton’s life as she weighs her doubts and fears against the possibility of a joyful future. And about half way through the story, Johanna’s problems get the best of her. As the story delves into what makes her tick, I found myself truly appreciating this character.

Thanks to Beth Vogt for bringing these characters to life. Now I’m invested in knowing—will the Thatcher sisters find redemption, learn to love each other unconditionally, and band together for strength and support? I’ll be lining up for book #3 to find out!


Quotes I liked . . .

“It’s not that I don’t believe in You, God. I do. I just don’t know why I believe in You.”

“Coffee is the gasoline of life.
All I need is coffee and mascara.
Behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee.
I drink coffee for your protection.”

“Chemo brain. I’d said the words out loud. Another label to live with. How many undesirable labels would I have to carry in my life? The words weighed on my heart like the breast form I wore. Awkward. Unwelcome.”

“Every noise beyond the walls was muffled. Footsteps. Ringing phones. Voices. If I closed my eyes, the silence in the room surrounded me. Separated me from anything waiting for me. I could just be here. There was something comforting about the clean scent of ammonia that lingered in the room. I didn’t have to think about the mistakes of the past week that left me unemployed. Or the unknowns that loomed ahead of me.”

“You’ve taught me to believe there is a God. I’m going to do my best to find my way all the way to Him . . . and hope He leads me back to you. But if . . . if He doesn’t, I’m going to believe it’s for the best.”

‘A single thread of hope is still a very powerful thing.’

Part of me wished that if I turned over all those slips of paper from the glass jar Harper had given me, if I pieced them together, I’d discover a map that led me closer to God . . . or offered me the ultimate words of comfort so I would be fine without Him.

“This is a hospital, Dr. Miller, not a sports arena. We are taking care of patients, not . . . not playing volleyball.” He laughed. Laughed. “That’s true. However, it turns out that team dynamics work on the court, in the boardroom, in the operating room . . . and in a pharmacy. Humans care about being valued and believing they are doing something important.”

“Soft winter sunshine streamed down through the windows, surrounding the piano and the player in a golden glow. Johanna escaped into a shadowed corner and closed her eyes, exhaling as the music found its mark. It was as if the woman offered her a cup of water, lifting the glass to her parched lips and whispering, ‘Drink . . . drink.’ How she longed to lean in, to accept what the woman offered. What she’d missed. To let each chord touch the dry fragments of her soul. There’d been no music in her life for so long.”

“It was like trying to translate something for him when I barely knew the language myself. I mixed up the words. Definitions eluded me. Had I ever understood what peace was—peace that reached deep into my heart? Or had I settled for something temporary, like the warmth of the hot chocolate as I sipped on it?”

~ Audiobook Review ~
This is the first book I’ve read in the series and I gained such a soft spot for the Thatcher Sisters. As someone on the recovery journey from a Chronic Illness I connected a lot with Jillian’s symptoms and journey. My Chronic Fatigue Symptoms has a lot in common with Jillians ‘Chemo Brain & fatigue’ but obviously our illnesses have major differences too that I liked learning about.

Most the books I read are about singles so I really enjoyed this married couple. I also found it refreshingly clean - There are a couple mature things but only briefly mentioned and kisses were also not detailed but just briefly referred to as well.

Series: This series is all about The Thatcher Sisters, they have a broken and distant relationship but are trying to connect more. Each book focuses on a different sister for say 50% of the chapters and then the other two sisters still each have about 25% of chapters focusing on their private lives from their P.O.V. which I liked.
I rarely do this but I decided to start with book 2 (because book 1 isn’t an audiobook) I followed really well but could also tell that I’d have more information on the ins & outs if I’d read book 1 first! I liked it as a stand alone but also look forward to book 3 focusing on Joanna. And I hope to eventually read more on Payton in book 1, to fill in the back story and learn more about the earlier stages of Jillians Cancer.

Content:

Spoiler

Breast Cancer; alludes to an unwed couple sleeping together; honoring marriage vows; cheating on a relationship; Non-Christian main Characters; Christian Witnessing; Kisses (brief & non-descript); Salvation; Clean

Audio Performance: 8/10
I liked Jeanine’s narration style. She gave what I think was a Semi-voiced performance (meaning the main sisters had distinct voices but I think the side-characters shared voices) it was enjoyable and relaxing to listen to. I found the way her characters asked questions with a strange inflection slightly distracting but otherwise enjoyed it.

Author: Beth K. Vogt
Narrator: Jeanine Bartel
Length: 9hrs 42min (Unabridged)
Released: 07-May-2019
Publisher: Recorded Books
Platform: Audible

These books end up being kind of “preachy”. I’m kind of surprised they aren’t categorized as inspirational. I’m assuming there will be a third book to marry off Johanna so this is my reminder to myself to skip it.

I wasn't ready for this to be over!!! That is the danger of kindle books. I'm not paying attention to the pages, and it ends before I'm emotionally prepared to say goodbye! Now I have to wait again.
I love this family! All the themes of Little Women get meshed with modern struggles, and it reinforces the timelessness of the original. I think my favorite part of the story is how you can put yourself in each character's shoes. Maybe you have never had breast cancer, but I don't know anyone who hasn't felt alone. Maybe you have never lost a sister, but at some point all of us face the reality of death. This was such a rewarding read!

Moments We Forget continues the story of the Thatcher sisters, which began in Things I Never Told You (and yes, you really should read the books in order, as much of what happens in this novel was set up in the first book). When this novel begins, middle sister Jillian has beaten breast cancer and is settling into married life ... but then circumstances arise that set her off balance and threaten all of her hopes and dreams. Youngest sister Payton finds herself open to faith for the first time in her life, but she doesn't know if she's believing for herself or because that's what her deceased twin Pepper wanted for her. And oldest sister Johanna unexpectedly finds herself at a crossroads in her personal and professional life. As the three Thatcher sisters cope with the unexpected twists of life, they also take baby steps toward each other.

After being a secondary character in Things I Never Told You, Jillian becomes the main character in Moments We Forget. After finishing her breast cancer treatment, she thought life would become easier ... but it didn't. Her story of coming to grips with her new reality and beginning a faith journey is beautiful to watch. Payton's relationship with God, which began in Things I Never Told You, continues to grow throughout this novel, and it was nice to see her more settled after the emotional roller coaster she was on in that first novel. And then there's Johanna ... I could. not. stand. her in book one, and I struggled to like her in this book, as well. She's a bossy know-it-all who can't ever say "I'm sorry." But we get to know her better in this book, and she slowly becomes more sympathetic. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how her story continues!

When this series begins, no one in the Thatcher family has any semblance of a relationship with Christ. The faith journeys in these first two books strike me as authentic—while "lightning bolt" moments do happen, I think that probably more often, there's a slow awakening to an interest in the Lord, and then the time comes when you have to make a decision about whether you believe and choose to follow Christ. That's what's depicted here, at least with Payton and Jillian. (Something tells me that, just based on personality, Johanna's conversion—if it comes—will look a bit different.)

Moments We Forget is a beautiful story of sisterhood, faith, and forgiveness. You'll definitely want to have a Kleenex box nearby as you read! 4-1/2 stars.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.

I devoured this book reading it whenever I could.

The Thatcher sisters are some of my favorites. You pick right off from the first book. There is so much emotion and heart in this book.

I won this book as a FirstRead.

Jillian Thatcher is on the road to recovery from her breast cancer and thinks life should pick up where it left off before the diagnosis. However, side effects from her treatments leave it hard to think and remember, and a shocking revelation from her husband leaves her with a different picture of the future than she imagined and wanted. Meanwhile, her little sister Payton is seeing where her questions about God are taking her and wondering if she is seeking a relationship with God for herself or for her dead twin Pepper and friend-maybe-more Zach. Their oldest sister Johanna has to reevaluate her career plans when she is passed over for the promotion she had been all but promised. Will the Thatcher sisters learn to open up to each other about their problems or keep trying to deal with things on their own?

I like the emphasis of this series on the sisters' relationship with each other. Two of the three sisters have found God by the end of this book, and none of their troubles are completely wrapped up, so it's obvious there will be at least one more book to resolve these problems. I did enjoy this book more than the first book in the series, but I recommend reading them in order to follow the plot.