First Line Fridays: All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

Happy Friday! 

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today, I'm sharing the first line from All That We Carried by Erin Bartels.

"Midwesterners do dumb things on the one nice day in March."

Have you read All That We Carried? It just released earlier this month and I thoroughly enjoyed this women's fiction novel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Check out the book blurb below and read my review. 

What are you reading this weekend? I'd love for you to share your book's first line!

Happy reading!

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About the Book:

The most treacherous terrain is found within.

Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. They haven't seen each other since the funeral. Olivia coped with the loss by plunging herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world--what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life coaching business around her DIY spirituality--a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

December Reading Recap & January TBR

My December 2020 Reads:

The first part of my December 2020 abounded with busyness. Then COVID hit our little family. 😷 My husband, myself, and our two daughters all came down with the illness. I spent many hours in bed and finished several books. 📚 Did I like having COVID? Absolutely not! 🙅 But I spent more time reading than I have in a long time.📖

In December, I finished:

1. To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


2. All That We Carried by Erin Bartels. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


3. A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


4. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - ⭐⭐⭐⭐


5. A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon!


6. Discipline Your Kids with Positive Parenting by Nicole Libin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


7. Make Life Beautiful by Syd & Shea McGee. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


8. A Tale of Two Hearts by Michelle Griep - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 


9. Almost a Bride by Jody Hedlund - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

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Expected January 2021 Reads:

In January, I hope to read:

1. The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fischer.


2. Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green. - This will be a reread for me. It's my local book club's January selection and we plan to tour Historic Spanish Point, Bertha Palmer's Florida residence. Read my original review here.


3. Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery. - I'm slowing making my way through this classic series!


4. The Hesitant Heiress by Dawn Crandall. - A new-to-me author.


5. What We Inherit by Jessica Pearce Rotondi - A step out of my normal genres, but it sounds so interesting to me!


6. Occasional Moments of Happiness by Shana Donyaei. - Currently reading!


7. The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark.


8. The Price of Valor by Susan May Warren. - This one has been on my TBR for a long time... I've enjoyed the other two in the series and hope I can get to this one in January.

What will you read this month?

Book Review: All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

 About the Book:

The most treacherous terrain is found within.

Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. They haven't seen each other since the funeral. Olivia coped with the loss by plunging herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world--what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life coaching business around her DIY spirituality--a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

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My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading All That We Carried by Erin Bartels. Between the beautiful imagery, flowing prose, and character development, the novel held my attention from beginning to end.

This story of two sisters wrestling with themselves and each other held plenty of emotional and relational drama. As the sisters struggle to relate to each another, both women undergo deep character development. Their mutually painful pasts and candid arguing prod them both to grapple individually with their own spirituality. Their spiritual issues, questions, and doubts are on full display throughout the novel. I liked that both characters asked hard, lingering questions. I’d say this is the most “Christian” of Erin Bartels’ books, but neither of the main characters are Christian, so perhaps I should describe it as an honest, candid story full of spiritual searching.

I recommend All That We Carried by Erin Bartels to readers who enjoy novels with deep character development, honest spiritual struggles, and intense examining of relationships. This novel falls solidly into the women’s fiction category. Five stars!

Read an excerpt from All That We Carried on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.