REVIEW: This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof

This Quiet Sky (a novella)
by Joanne Bischof
Publisher: Joanne Bischof
Release Date: Nov 11, 2014
Genres: YA, Historical, Romance
Pages: 158
Buy at: Amazon, B&N
Add on: Goodreads
Find the author at: website, Facebook, Twitter
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)

There is nothing extraordinary about Tucker O’Shay’s dreams. Go to college. Become president. Fall in love. And pretend like he has enough years to get it all done.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Miller doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary when she begins her first day at the one-room-school house in her new hometown of Rocky Knob. But when she meets seventeen-year-old Tucker O’Shay–the boy with the fatal illness who volunteers to tutor her in math–she finds herself swept up in a friendship that changes the way she sees the world and a love that changes her life.

My Review:

It’s 1885, and sixteen-year-old Sarah Miller and her family have just moved to a small town in Virginia. On her first day at the new one-room schoolhouse, Sarah gets seated next to Tucker O’Shay. Warned by the neighbor girls to stay away from him and his fatal illness, Sarah doesn’t really know what to make of him. Then Tucker offers to tutor her in algebra, and thus begins a friendship that will forever change Sarah’s life.

“You just went with the first thing that made sense and sometimes life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes an entirely different equation than you expect is staring you in the face.”

Just reading the first chapter, I knew this book was going to break my heart. What I didn’t know was just how much I was going to love it. Sarah and Tucker’s story was beautifully romantic and achingly raw. They were wonderful characters who pulled my heartstrings- brave Tucker with his courage and goodness and spunky redhead Sarah with her faith and pure heart. Though the reader knows what the ending will be from the very beginning, it doesn’t take anything away from the story. In fact, it made every scene all the more precious. I loved the charming historical setting and all the supporting characters, like Sarah’s little sister and Tucker’s mom and brother. And who knew math could be so romantic? I had so many feelings reading this novella- it made me laugh and cry (but mostly cry). It’s one of those stories that will inspire you to live life to the fullest. There is literally nothing I didn’t love about this wonderful book! Seriously, go read it. *wink*

I have to say, I don’t often read novellas. Which is why I am especially grateful that I was presented the opportunity to read this one. This story touched me in ways that few ever have. Poignant and beautiful, This Quiet Sky is a story of true friendship and young love to be remembered. One that I know I’ll be revisiting again and again.

*A BIG thanks to the author for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Anyone else read this beautiful novella or any of Joanne Bischof’s books? You can check out fun extras for this book (like the above pinnable) on the author’s site here. What is one your summer TBR? Thank you for visiting Will Bake for Books!