All went well until early 2021, when I developed some troubling and mysterious health issues. From January through May, I was in and out of doctor’s offices and imaging centers in search of answers and solutions. Amid that, I returned to the story whenever I could, distracting myself in this playground I’d made. I can see now that my anxieties and intentions about making the most of life, about making meaning, got distilled into each of my characters’ journeys as well. Here’s a tip to carrying out the mission of God: you can’t do it on your own; we can’t do it on our own. We need Jesus. His authority as the Son of God and King of the Universe fuels the mission in us! Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audiobook for IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS and found the narration and the performance entertaining. In verse 18, it’s almost as if Jesus wants to clear up any doubt and confusion. He’s essentially saying, “I am Jesus, I have all authority, and I have a mission for you!” They worshiped and some doubted. I believe that after Jesus gave the commission, the “some” that doubted probably crossed over to the “they” that worshiped! Church, some of us need to move from the “some” to the “they.” We need to trust Jesus, be moved by the authority of Jesus, and be unleashed for the mission of Jesus! Not exactly what I anticipated when I read in a blurb that a mother's death is drawing a family together. But there are mentions of everything from some uh, less mainstream sexual acts, to prostitution, masturbation...and I won't say any more than that because I don't really need to relive it. I suppose in a sense some of this helped to make 'the plot' work, but trust me when I say the plot drags on and on for a book that isn't particularly long to begin with and had such a strange ending, I had no idea what the author was getting at in terms of character arcs. I don't consider myself a prude by any stretch, but this was not a romance novel, yet it kept attempting to be one and I just got tired of it.

Contrary to Fowler’s previous books, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a true slow-burn family drama. Though the action is limited, she keeps the plot moving by employing her keen eye for relationship dynamics in marriage, sisterhood and found family. There’s no doubt that the characters are beautifully rendered and smartly written, but the true tension comes from the dramatic irony she uses to tie each of their plotlines together. While every member of the Geller family --- and even some of the supporting characters --- has their own secrets, the reader is privy to all of them and can see when another character is coming too close to (or entirely missing) the truth. Although the action can be quite slow, it is this clever construction that makes the book subversive and smart in its approach to bigger themes like classism, feminism and sexuality. Each Geller woman handles these issues in different ways that set them apart while continuing to fill in the family lore and metaphorical photo album. However, when he arrives, he finds there are other house guests—Ms. Dierdre Callaghan (Joseph's aunt) and her eight-year-old grandson, Arlo. Not what he planned; however, soon they become friends, and he decides to extend his stay by helping her out. Sophie has a glamourous lifestyle and a multimillion following for SimplySophie! on social media. She wines and dines artists and prospective art buyers, but has a massive credit card debt and no permanent home. She is hovering on the edge of disaster. With a modern contemporary Jane Austen vibe infused with art and literary elements, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a splendid novel —engaging, moving, and witty. Rich in character, a perfect book club choice for further discussions. It All Comes Down to This: Unfortunately, this Book Was a Let Down for me. And I had VERY High Hopes.Topics of change, fear of the unknown, and family support are central and common themes for all three sisters while handled in three completely different ways. I loved how each sister's life played out and I loved this well-written story! This author knows how to create deeply complicated and complex characters and this story is absolutely loaded with them. I may have not liked all of them but each of them contributed meaning to the larger story. You’d be amazed at the volume of prison conversation that had centered on women’s breasts. On body parts generally. On sex in every possible form—incarceration made some men really creative. C.J. had chosen not to take part in those conversations. He’d chosen not to take part in most everything optional in the pen, a place he was not meant to be. And yet there he had been, and this made him wonder about meant to be and about fate in general. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Therese Anne Fowler for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 6.7!** This is an important coming of age novel. Sophie has a lot to come to terms with: who she is and wants to be, her changing family circumstances, her sister leaving home, and what it means to her be a person of colour. At the same time, it's sure to educate and open the eyes of readers as well.

Notice, that verse 17 says those present worshiped Jesus. They recognized that He had divine authority. They knew Him to be the Son of God. They knew Him to be Lord. If these Jewish people had worshiped Jesus, and He wasn’t really God the Son, what they were doing would have been an abomination; it would have been blasphemy. But He is God and He is worthy of our worship and obedience. The story begins with the family hiring a new housekeeper, Mrs Baylor. Sophie and Mrs Baylor don't hit it off. Sophie misses their previous housekeeper while Mrs Baylor assumes that Sophie thinks she is better than her because her skin is lighter. Karen English has created a brilliant cast of complex characters. They are fully realized, nuanced people, flaws and all. She manages to highlight their humanity, no matter what happens. I appreciate that Jennifer and her family try hard to not see skin color as an issue, but that we also understand how impossible this is. It's only in the past few years that I have come to see my own ignorance in claiming to not see this difference. This book seesaws between middle grades and YA in the most delicious of ways. Sometimes middle grades stories with dark and emotional content trot out unrealistically optimistic endings. I’m so thrilled that Karen English didn’t do that for the story or for the characters. She gives the reader reasons to be optimistic for Lily and for Sophie by the end of the story, but she by no means assumes that their issues are going to disappear. Meanwhile, a man has returned to the island seeking a home, staying at the home of an old friend. He wants to buy the sister’s family cabin. But he shares a history with one of them, and it won’t be working in his favor.After considering the mission, if you really are committed to the Bible and obedience to God, I believe you will realize the mission is for you. Rather than confess on her death bed, she is hoping the three daughters and grandchildren will stay away and let her die in peace with Delia, her hospice nurse by her side who knows the drill, and then make a video to confess her past and let her will speak for her. Therese Anne Fowler's It All Comes Down to This is a warm, keenly perceptive novel of sisterhood, heartbreak, home, and what it takes to remake a life at its halfway point, for fans of Ann Patchett and Emma Straub.

Jesus wants disciples. He wants those who are willing to be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those who will identify with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection through water baptism. Those who will identify with and unite with a local church filled with other disciples of Jesus. It All Comes Down to This, Therese Anne Fowler’s latest family drama, is the perfect example of my conundrum. It’s a story of three sisters who have recently lost their mother, all of whom are struggling to rearrange their lives after her death. The story is compelling enough. The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, did an adequate job of bringing the characters to life. Yet I found I was never fully engrossed in the story.So, I ask you to commit to the mission. Commit this week, as we conclude 2020, to be on mission for God going into the future. This is yet another book that I felt missed a golden opportunity to explore emotional connections on a deep level. And why was that? Marti Geller knows she will be dying soon. It’s only a matter of days. She has organized everything herself, including the directive to sell her summer cottage to lessen the burden on her daughters after she’s gone. There’s just one final secret that she’s ready to tell them. It is worth noting that the Greek word for doubt here refers more to a hesitation to believe rather than an unbelief. This may have been like the situation when Thomas needed to confirm that Jesus really did rise from the dead.