This was a longer Macomber novel. I enjoyed it's message of change and redemption, trust and loyalty, commitment and courage.

Because Debbie Macomber's books are very predictable, one pretty much begins the book knowing the end in mind, just not how the characters arrive at the end. When I began this one, I'll say I was as skeptical as one of the main characters. An ex-con and a pastor? No way. I was thinking, how is Macomber going to do this? Well, she did.

At first, I had trouble connecting with some of the characters, but over the course of the novel, some of the actions endeared them to me. I do wish for more character development and depth. It seems Macomber sometimes skims the surface without delving as deep as she could. Some phrases and situations are redundantly explained, as if she needs to explain to the reader what is already apparent. Remember--we've been along for the ride.

Despite some flaws, the story is wholesome and gives hope for a better world. A world of charity and kindness and warmth. Of love and less casting of stones. A world of change for the better.

I'll end with a few quotes (not in order from the book) that I found meaningful:

"God takes each one of us exactly where we are and so do I. Instead of focusing on the past, I prefer to look at the potential God has given each of us."
(Wouldn't the world be a different place if we saw other like this?)

"She once told me that if I'd felt God was far away, then I was the only ever who'd moved."

"When we worry, . . . we take reality and move it into the realm of fiction. What is real is transferred into the land of monsters and dragons, which are far bigger and frightening than they really are."

"Even the most negative events in my life—prison, nearly landing on the streets of Seattle, homeless and lost—I had turned them all into something good."

“Nothing happens without a reason,” my friend assured me. “I know it’s hard to look at this mess and believe that God is in control, but He is.”

"I never confused God with the church. We're all human. We all make mistakes. The key is not allowing anyone to stand in the way of how we view our Lord."

"Any dream will do. Allow yourself to dream."

Debbie Macomber has done her part to make the world a better place with her books of hope and optimism.

Any Dream Will Do - Likewise Book Reviews

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