Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.
Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.
Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.
The Logistics:
Main Characters:
Fern Espinoza: The book is written in the first-person from Fern's point-of-view. She is a thirty-something woman at a crossroads in her life. Fern is in the book publishing industry and loves to write love letters to Jesus in her journal.
Lily Graden: Lily is Fern's bestie, an event planner, a wife and a mother of two teenage boys. She's also facing a time of possible upheaval.
One of My Favorite Scene(s):
The entire book was full of favorite scenes for me. I took longer to read it than I thought it would because I wanted to savor each and every chapter.
A Brief Excerpt:
"Looking up from my chair on the balcony, I put down my pen and surveyed the immense view once again. I could see for miles across the vast plain and spotted several giraffes and lots of zebras. Page 179
The Cover:
I wasn't totally in love with the cover until I read the scene that it portrays. At that point, the cover all came together for me right down to the scarves that Fern and Lily are wearing.
Other Notes:
~As noted above, this is the first book in the "Suitcase Sisters". The second book, "Gelato at the Villa" has already been released and I can't wait to get my hands on it!
~I also want to give a heads up that there are a few scenes that could be a bit disturbing to some due to the graphic nature of wild animals. I've seen some reviewers take issue with this, but being a country girl, it didn't bother me to that extent. The circle of life and all that, you know :)
Rating
5/5