I love being able to have a new experience every time I read a book, and when it comes to reading Amish fiction...well, that's a tad bit of a rarity. Most of the time, their culture is seen as difficult, closed off, and rigorous. But in Tricia Goyer's first Amish novel, those cultural boundaries are pushed to the edge, and seriously...it makes for an incredibly entertaining, yet beautiful, story that I won't soon forget.

What surprised me most about this story was the increased interaction between the Amish and the Englisch. Normally, the Amish are not known for this, but frankly, when you live in the wide open spaces of Montana, you don't have much choice about who your neighbors are. For Marianna and her father, this unusual arrangement with outsiders took some getting used to at first, but slowly, those self-imposed walls began to drop, and new relationships started to form. Not only were these new relationships with common people, but also, with God Himself.

Prior to reading Beside Still Waters, I had read only a handful of Tricia's novels, but truly, she has a gift with the Amish genre. Not that her other books aren't great in their own rights, but she has a different voice here that kept pulling on my heartstrings, and it just would...not...let...go. If you're like me and love a great Amish read, yet you long for something different, Beside Still Waters is one of the best. Period.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel in the Big Sky series. I found Marianna's struggles to be perfect, to fill the void her sisters left behind, compelling. How many of us strive for perfection, only to fail time and again? I do wonder if all of the questioning of the Amish ways that Marianna and her father do in the last half of the book will lead either of them into a faith crisis. It'll be interesting to see whether Marianna chooses Aaron or Ben as her spouse in the next book in the series.

Beside Still Waters is available at Amazon or Christianbook.

With thanks to NetGalley and B&H Publishing for my review copy.

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Based on a true story, Beside Still Waters is spectacular Amish fiction. Marianna is born directly after a buggy/semi accident that takes the life of two of her sisters. Sisters that she is also named after. In her mind, she has never lived up to the expectations of her two sisters, and so she strives for the best in everything she does.

She also finds herself really liking Aaron Zook, who also aims to make Marianna his wife. But Marianna's father decides to move the family to Montana. Even though Marianna doesn't want to go and give up her chance with Aaron, and she doesn't have to go, as she is nineteen, she does anyway. She has several younger siblings that her mom will need help with. Even though her brother has decided to live an English life, Marianna has always known she would join the church.

Her journey to Montana and what transpires helps Marianna with her journey of God's love and peacefulness within her heart. A captivating read with likable and compelling characters, Beside Still Waters is a fabulous read!

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