A beautiful story of love, grace and belief

I loved this sweet, heartwarming and healing Amish romance. It’s a story about the power of choice and accepting consequences. The story was well written and included engaging dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and a captivating storyline. It had me feeling all the big feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering with its perfect balance of humor, heartwarming love, real life issues, trust, mistakes, past pain, and faith. Andrew and Mary Andrew Petersheim is Amish and is proud to be a member of his community. His family farms and makes peanut butter but he does not want to make peanut butter. He would rather make beautiful furniture out of wood but does not want to disappoint his family. Mary Coblenz jumped the fence and left the Amish community two years previously. When she returns unmarried and pregnant, her parents slam the door in her face and refuse to speak to her but Bitsy Kiem, who owns Honeybee Farms, welcomes Mary into her life and home. Andrew is love struck at his first sighting of Mary but when he realizes she is pregnant and unmarried, his judgment prevents him from acting on his feelings. Mary is trying to give the community a chance to welcome her back into the fold despite her bad choices and sins before she decides she no longer fits in with the Amish. On their way to their happily ever after Andrew and Mary experience a number of missteps, Andrew has to find his way to grace, acceptance and courage, and Mary has to realize that guidelines and embracing beliefs do not really make a stifling cage. Andrew’s 8 year old twin brothers, Alfie and Benji, provide good natured comic relief as they try desperately with ever more crazy schemes to get Andrew and Mary to fall in love. The chapters from the twin’s points of view were a unique twist and added quite a bit of humor to the story. This was a beautiful story of second chances, grace, and love while trying to embrace and follow your beliefs. I love this series.

Andrew is a delightful Amish romance novel. This story had me chuckling from beginning to end. We get to return to The Honeybee Farm owned by Bitsy Kiem Weaver who still changes the color of her hair regularly, has her shotgun at the ready and talks out loud to God. She willingly takes in Mary Coblentz when she returns to town unwed and pregnant. Bitsy is a wonderful character who I wished lived was my neighbor (minus the bees). I loved it when Mary said, “Bitsy isn’t afraid to love people who don’t fit in”. Mary is a nineteen year old who left the community and regrets her decision. She is a brave young woman who is not going to be bullied or hide inside just so other people will be satisfied. Andrew is taken with Mary until he sees that she is pregnant. But, thanks to the twins, he keeps encountering Mary. Andrew’s idea of right and wrong are going to be put to the test. Alfie and Benji were hilarious with their antics. I loved their simplistic outlook of situations. There are judgmental members of the Amish community who need to learn Christian charity. I like the Christian values and life lessons presented in Andrew (faith, forgiveness, redemption, grace, patience, second chances, honesty). We are all sinners and make mistakes. Everyone deserves forgiveness and a second chance. I thought the book was well-written and it proceeded at a steady pace. It seems like I barely began the book when I finished it (with many smiles and giggles along the way). It was interesting to learn more about creating homemade peanut butter. It is cute that the Petersheim brothers are called The Peanut Butter Brothers by locals. I cannot wait to read the next two books in The Petersheim Brothers series. If you have not read The Honeybee Sisters (though you really should), you will not be at a disadvantage. Andrew is a heartwarming story with the colorful, shotgun toting Bitsy, yummy honey, impish twins, homemade peanut butter, and merry mishaps.

This was the cutest book I have read in a very long time. Those twins were so adorable! They made me laugh out loud. The romance was good and the spiritual lessons appropriate.

Okay so this is my first ever Jennifer Bekstrand book and also my first Amish romance book in general. This one was really good and a fun story. In fact, I actually now know Jennifer Beckstrand since she's my bishop's (pastor's) wife in a sort of new ward (congregation) I've been in since August of last year and found out around then she was an author and I was finally able to start one of her books. When I had a copy of the paperback from the library with me in a church bag of mine to remind myself to bring up how I found out she was an author, and I told her I already had a library copy of one of her books with me and she asked me which book it was a few months ago and I showed her this one. It was fun to see her light up and get all excited about this one and told me Andrew in this story has the cutest brothers and were hilarious, so it was fun to also see her love her own characters.

I have to agree Andrew's brothers were absolutely adorable and hilarious that's for sure! Alfie and Benji totally stole the story/show and yet overall, the story had a great moral to it about giving people second chances despite certain mistakes they've made when that person truly feels remorse and sorrowful for what they went through and is trying hard to become better like Mary in this story.

Mary did leave the Amish life for a few years and came back pregnant and when she arrived home, her mother slammed the door in her face and so it resulted in Mary to turn to another Amish member in the community who once left Amish country life to the real world and came back again because Mary knew this particular member would understand her predicament and so Mary was taken in by a good Samaritan.

As for Andrew meeting Mary and how that happens, well, you'll just have to read this for yourself and see why his 8-year-old twin brothers were playing matchmaker with Andrew and I have no doubt later with their other brother's Abraham and Austin I'm sure. In a nutshell, there's more to Andrew and Mary's story than meets the eye and one you'll just have to find out for yourself to see how that turns out because I absolutely enjoyed their story a lot. Now I'm excited to get to the next two books when I get a chance to listen to them and also to read and/or listen to more of Jennifer Beckstrand's books.

Oh my goodness. I absolutely loved this book! I laughed (a lot), I was sad.....I had all the emotions. My only suggestion to readers: read The Honeybee Sisters series first. It will provide some context. Not entirely necessary, but it helped me. I'm excited to read the next book in this series.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a new book from Jennifer Beckstrand is always an absolute delight. Getting to spend more time with Bitsy Weaver (from her Honeybee Sister series) is pure joy.

In addition, we are treated to two precocious boys Alfie and Benji, 8 year old twins with a penchant for matchmaking their older brother (so he’ll move out and they can have their own room instead of having to sleep in the scary cellar). Every time they were on the page, my face sported a huge grin. And sometimes their little boy earnest hearts made me tear up, too. (The scene with Dawdi & borrowing the binoculars. Oh be still my heart!)

Andrew and Mary are an unlikely pair at first glance. He, a straitlaced “good” Amish young man (who really wants to make furniture instead of peanut butter). She, an unwed pregnant young woman who left the Amish for the evils of the Englisch world and is now back to face the judgmental attitudes of the community with grace and bravery. And yet, their chemistry was palpable from the very first moment they shared the page. Their banter is grin-inducing and their inner thoughts toward the other person will leave you swooning.

Bottom Line: Prepare to laugh, swoon, cry and even be a little convicted by the time the story is over. Andrew – the book and the eponymous hero – is layered and fun and deliciously romantic. The message of Jesus’ mercy is tender and so important, and the truth of His grace is evident throughout. The young twins are the stars of this show, and I can’t wait to see what delightful mischief they get up to next!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)

first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower

What a cute story!!
Amazing what a little forgiveness and grace can do for us. Jennifer Beckstrand weaved a great story dealing with the subject of an unwed mother who is Amish (Which you don't hear of often, even though I am sure it happens). Armed with a pair of rambunctious twins and an older brother who feels responsible for them this story has no end of mischief and woe. Jennifer Beckstrand gave a good story with quite a few laughs throughout and expressed the reasons for needing to forgive and extend grace rather then shun very well. The only thing I couldn't believe was how a mom could be that slow to catch on (you'll understand when you read it) but it turned out quite well in the end.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars for the creative twins who somehow managed to steal the story.
I volunteered to read this book from Kingston Books (Zebra) in return for my honest feedback, the thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own,

Fantastic!! This story really wrestles with the issues of sin and faith and mercy. I loved it. Andrew's matchmaking twin brothers are a hoot. This series is now a must read for me. I have already requested book 2 (Abraham, November 2019) from the library.

Laugh out loud

Great read really enjoyed and alfie & benji will have you laughing out loud while you read. Those boys are up to no good.