Marlo Schalesky's If Tomorrow Never Comes ~ Reviewed

If Tomorrow Never Comes
By Marlo Schalesky
Published by Multnomah
ISBN# 978-1-60142-024-4
339 Pages



Back Cover:

Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams – marriage, children, a house by the sea…everything they needed for “happily ever after.” What they didn’t plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes.

Now, all that’s left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until…

Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and the future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope, one final chance to follow not their dreams, but God’s plan.

Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it’s too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once build upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?


REVIEW:

This was one moving, unforgettable book filled with so many of God’s truths brought to life. You can tell this story was birthed from the depths of the author’s heart and pain. She too struggled with what Kinna and Jimmy Henley agonized over. One lesson learned by all, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8)

Marlo’s characters ask the tough questions, “If God asked you to give up your dreams for Him, would you? What are you willing to give up, suffer or sacrifice to do God’s will? Are you willing to follow His plan for your life and not your own?” These are just some of the great questions that Marlo brings up in this powerful, moving, and gut-wrenchingly honest story of two people chasing their dreams not thinking of what it cost in the end. These are people looking for that “happily ever after” here on earth, that God never promised us.

Which brings up another question, “Can we be happy in this life?” Answer, yes, if we CHOSE TO BE!! We always have a choice. It’s a choice of OUR will every time!

“Love wasn’t just a feeling. It wasn’t a kiss on a doorstep or a dance under the streetlights. It was a life lived together, facing the good and the bad. It was laying down your life for another. It was sacrifice. It was taking a risk. It meant doing right even when it was hard.”

Marlo has walked in the shoes of her characters. She tells it like it is and doesn’t hold back sharing the pain or the joys discovered in life’s journey. Marlo brings scripture to life and exposes a few lies some believe along the way. Scripture says the truth will set you “free.” The author has her main characters struggle to do the right thing against some incredible odds. You will definitely want to read this story. It’s one you will find yourself thinking about and later returning to it to review the powerful messages found in this book. Wow! You will just have to experience it for yourself. I highly recommend it!

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent – Book Club Servant Leader
Christian Fiction On-line Mag - Columnist