Save the Date by Ellen Fannon {Book Review}

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

What if you were given the chance to rekindle the flame with your first love? What happened to all those girls who were mean to you in school? Should Hannah Jensen take the chance of attending her high school reunion to find out?

Hannah hasn’t been back to her hometown in more than twenty years. Now, a widow, raising a teenaged daughter, she has the opportunity to go home for her twenty-fifth high school reunion. The invitation to the reunion stirs up a lot of old memories at the same time she is dealing with loneliness, the challenges of single-parenting a teenager, people who want to “set her up” with eligible men, her own insecurities, and her eccentric family.

The story interweaves the present with scenes from Hannah’s past and her fantasy of “happily ever after” with her high school boyfriend in a humorous and entertaining manner. Her feelings from being “shunned” by the cool kids resurface as she reflects back on her time as a teenager. There are several roadblocks on Hannah’s journey from a teenager through her present. The growing pains and amusing situations in which she finds herself are ones to which we all can relate. As she walks the path of self-discovery, she also discovers the most important life lesson of all–her relationship to God.

Award winning author, Ellen Fannon, is a practicing veterinarian, former missionary, and church pianist/organist. She originated and wrote the Pet Peeves column for the Northwest Florida Daily News before taking a two-year assignment with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. She and her husband have been foster parents for more than 40 children, and the adoptive parents of two sons. Her articles appear regularly in One Christian Voice and she has a story published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Life Lessons From the Dog. In addition, she writes a weekly humor blog on her website https://ellenfannonauthor.com and online for the Northwest Florida Daily News https://nwfdailynews.com. Her first novel, Other People’s Children, the humorous account of the life of a foster parent, is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the trunk of her car. She lives in Valparaiso with her husband, son, and assorted pets

Have the tissues ready... one way or another you are going to want them for Save the Date! It'll have you both crying for the beautifully depicted struggles with loss... and laughing so hard you'll cry with the fantastic humorous elements. The author weaved these elements so beautifully together that it certainly felt quite authentic to life too! 

Heading back to your hometown after 20 years for a high school reunion is after all sure to bring up a ton of emotions--- bringing back memories of the good and the bad, and the perfect background for some comedy as well. I think this is a book that so many will relate to on various levels--- whether it's those insecurities we still are healing from from our high school days, being widowed, a single parent or just our sometimes crazy families... there's a little bit of something for everyone.

If you're looking for an enjoyable read that will have you laughing out loud, this is definitely one to check out!