How does one go on, when you lose your husband to a tragic accident,, while he is performing missionary work in Africa? That would be enough but, raising three teenagers as a single parent through this tough time was made even more difficult when the youngest commits suicide, because he blamed himself for his Dad’s death. The oldest son is already on parole for frug issues and the daughter has suffered an unwanted teenage pregnancy and abortion. Could life get any harder? Somehow, Mara manage to hold on with the help of a dear friend, a newly found faith, and friends from church. As she soldiers on, Mara is amazed by the way God has arranged for people to come along side her, to help her and guide her. The story goes from tragic to hopeful as Mara becomes stronger and is able to face her own flaws in this uplifting story.

Mara is extremely relatable. Her thoughts about her husband and children could have been mine. Her struggle to keep her faith in face of tragedy is believable.
The novel shows how important good friends are. The only "strange" thing is the sudden change of her children. I'd wish change would come that easily.

Facing the Dawn was a difficult book to read... perhaps one of the hardest I've read in a long time. Or ever. And I spent many of my high school and early adult days reading Lurlene McDaniel and Nicholas Sparks, so believe me when I say I have read a LOT of sad books. But this one was absolutely heartbreaking. I expected this to some degree based on the description, it was honestly just a lot more (and a lot more raw) than I expected. While I don't want to give anything in the story away, it should be noted that it does deal with not only extreme grief, but also suicide and miscarriage as well. Those who struggle with either or both of these topics may want to consider looking elsewhere... or at least be prepared beforehand.

As I said, this book takes such a raw look at grief that it made it pretty easy to put myself in Mara's place... which I think made it that much harder to read... it's not a place we want to picture ourselves. In the midst of the worst of it, I must say that I nearly stopped reading but after reading other reviews, I decided to push on and am glad that I did. While it was never an easy read, there were great messages of hope and friendship that added a lot to the story. I appreciated following Mara's journey through the worst of her grief to a place that while not gone, more bearable at the very least.

If you're up for an emotional journey, this story is beautifully written and certainly worth a read... but be sure to have your tissues handy. You'll need them.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Really tough reading all the things facing one family. But so real about the cost of international mission. Reminder of all that people are still doing to change others lives and the cost involved.

Facing the Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti is a very emotional read. Mara Jacobs is a single parent because her husband is on a humanitarian mission bringing water to the people of Uganda. Her and the children are all feeling the effects of Liam being gone for so long. So when tragedy comes there is much grief to work through. Can they work together or will it separate them. An emotional story about trying to overcome self doubts and searching for hope.

This is the first book I have read by this author and she knows how to draw out your emotions and makes you feel as though these characters could be your friends. There are parts that will make you cry, want to be supportive and pray for them.

I received this e-book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Facing The Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti is the most beautiful Christian tale about love and loss and hope.
Cynthia Ruchti writes with care and compassion as the reader immerses themselves in her beautiful words. Facing The Dawn is like a hug from Jesus in a book.
The reader will not be able to read this book and remain unchanged. We ‘see’ and ‘feel’ the hope and love of Jesus. A character asks ‘what is the antidote to fear?’ The answer is ‘love’. Jesus is love.
The grief is raw and palpable. “I’m doing all I can to squeeze out ‘Jesus, help!’ from time to time. No offense, but I can’t read your Word right now.” We witness a character drowning in grief. Sometimes all we can do is cling on to Jesus and rest in His presence. He understands our pain. He understands our needs. “You do understand if I don’t have it in me to sit beside people who all want to put their arms around me.” Sometimes we just need to be alone. To deal with others is just too hard. Jesus understands. The reader ‘feels’ the desperate sadness of the character.
Cynthia Ruchti is masterful with her pen as she paints the raw emotions. “Hope… stripped away by the ravenous ravens of grief.” We can empathise with the character.
A grief journey is different for everyone. “Grief is just love with no place to go.” There is no right or wrong way to grieve. There is no time limit. Grief takes as long as it takes and it meanders at will.
Within the novel we witness a beautiful friendship. It is a friendship that says I am here for you. If you push me away I will return. I will be here for you when you want me. This can be seen as a motif for God who will never leave us. “God, you’re here aren’t you? The awfulest of all the awful days.” God walks beside us whatever we face. He is waiting for us to lean on Him. “You’ll get through the hard bits if you’re leaning on the Strength-Giver.”
Sometimes we need to be like Jacob and wrestle with Jesus in our grief. In the end we will receive blessing.
There is also guilt. “I’m sorry I laughed this afternoon. It wasn’t because I’d forgotten you.” We can ‘feel’ the pain and sense the emotions held in tension. We must not feel guilty when we begin to live and love and laugh again.
Cynthia Ruchti always writes powerful works of great beauty. Facing The Dawn is incredibly powerful. The loss and pain, the hope and love are all palpable.
Although the tale is about a journey through grief, it is not a gloomy read. It is a hope-filled read. It is a love-filled read. It is a beautiful read. It is this hope and love and great beauty that remain with the reader long after the last page is read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I decided I wanted to read this book. It is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. The story begins with Mara being called in to the principal's office of her youngest son's school, her daughter's profligate ways, and her oldest son's drug addiction and arrests. On the heels of all of that, she is being asked to work double shifts at the cheese factory sales room, the sump pump in the basement has quit working, the dishwasher needs some help, and her husband is in Africa working with a company to provide clean water for remote villages. Mara is not a very pleasant person to be around due to her reactions to her situation. When word comes that her husband has been killed due to a rather unfortunate accident, Mara's world falls apart at the seams. A month later, her youngest son dies of a drug overdose. The rest of the book is filled with Mara's dealing with her overwhelming grief and trying to hold body and soul together for her remaining two children.

Cynthia Ruchti writes about the hard things in life. I've read several of her books and truly enjoyed them, but this one left me cold. There are redeeming parts to the tale, Mara reconnects with her two oldest children and her forever friend, and she comes to resolve some of her issues--especially her issues with God. Three stars.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I had no idea what to expect, and this book was not at all what I expected. I could not put it down! It was so good, and difficult as the characters face some really hard things. In Facing the Dawn, author Cynthia Ruchti explores grief in a very real way. The readers have a close up view of devastation & hope, fear & faith, and beautiful forever friends.

I got a kick out of the snarky and funny mostly-in-her-head comments by Mara Jacobs.

"Was there such a thing as respite care for parents? And if so, where did she sign up?"
"Sometimes a parent is called upon to express a hopeful attitude not necessarily aligned with reality."
"The adventure of loving is like riding a bike on gravel and shorts and flip-flops. Pain is inevitable."
"What kind of mental/emotionally unstable/ early onset test was this? "
"I can't know the end of my story, God. And I have to be okay with that, don't I? "

The characters are so genuine, and the author has a beautiful way of elevating them out of their grief into something better. I appreciated both the humor and the "realness" of the story. I highly recommend Facing the Dawn.

Thank you to the author, publisher and net galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.

I am not sure even how to review this book. The subject matter was really tough and there was an extreme amount of loss in the book. But on the other hand there was so much grace and love that was displayed.

Mara is a mother of 3 children (Jeremy 12, Chelsea 18, and Dylan 19) Her husband is on a 4 year stint in Uganda creating wells for the people there. The family is in crisis in the beginning as the 2 older kids have had some problems. But then tragedies strike.

I particularly enjoyed the characters of Solomon and Ashlee. They came alongside of the family and poured life in to them. Mara is also a woman of snarkiness which was enjoyable.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

2 stars
Facing the Dawn was overhyped, cliche and completely ordinary. Unfortunately, I did not like this book but I do feel like there is a market for it.