"Room on the Porch Swing" by Amy Clipston

About this book:

  “When tragedy strikes, can two young Amish people find the hope that lies on the other side?

   Laura Riehl is no stranger to heartache. Less than a year after her mother’s death, Laura finds herself burying another loved one: her best friend, Savilla, who has died after a brief and sudden illness. Laura feels heartbroken and alone, but her pain is nothing compared to that of Allen, the husband Savilla has left behind. He now faces a life so different from the one he imagined—plus a baby to care for on his own.

   When Laura offers to help Allen with baby Mollie, he jumps at the opportunity until a permanent solution can be found. She’d do anything to lend a hand to Allen and to honor her best friend’s memory. Rudy, Laura’s boyfriend, is initially supportive of her plan, but the more time Laura spends with Allen, the more jealous and frustrated Rudy seems to become.

   As Laura and Allen face hardships together, their friendship takes a surprising yet comforting turn—and she discovers an attraction she’s never felt with Rudy. Would falling for Allen betray the people she cares about most, or would denying those feelings betray her heart? This latest installment in the Amish Homestead series returns us to Lancaster County, home of the beloved Riehls, where a family’s strength—and advice from a new friend—may help Laura find God’s direction.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Amish Homestead” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mention, quoted, & read; Prayers; Church going; Talks about God; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & His will; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of church, church going, services, sermons, hymns, ministers, & youth gatherings; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of singing Christian children’s song; Mentions of being blessed & blessings; Mentions of sins & being sinful; A couple mentions of Christian novels;A mention of praising God; A mention of a Christian man.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; A sudden death & seeing another throw up (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a sudden death, illnesses, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an accident & death; Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of lies/fibs & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of car accidents & injuries.

Sexual Content- a cheek kiss, a head kiss, a not-detailed kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, & Shivers (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Remembering touches (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Staring; Many mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends, girlfriends, break-ups, & jealousy; Mentions of reputations; A few mentions of cheating/affairs; A few mentions of touches; A couple mentions of a possible out-of-wedlock pregnancy; A couple mentions of kisses & kissing (not-detailed); A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a wedding night; Love, falling in love, trying to not be in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A couple mentions of unmentionables.

-Laura Riehl, age 22

-Allen Lambert
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        321 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

While this wasn’t my favorite Amy Clipston Amish book, it was a light four-star read that I enjoyed. Some readers might not like the back-and-forth of Laura and Allen’s emotions, but I thought that they were realistic. I think I would share nearly the same reactions as they did if I was in their shoes. Like other connected series, it was nice to see the couple from the first book and get hints about the third book. :)

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Zondervan) for this honest review.