Beverly Mitch from the TV series “7th Heaven” said, “I think the hardest part about being a teenager is dealing with other teenagers–the criticism and the ridicule, the gossip and the rumors.” In After The Leaves Fall, Julia Bakker from rural Iowa spent her teenage years trying to escape the gossip of a small town. Julia became familiar with loss at an early age, her mother left at the age of 9 and her Dad died at the age of 16. The last thing Julia wanted was pity; Thomas who was a few years older than her, was the only person she formed a close relationship with.

Julia had a chance to reinvent herself when she moved away to attend college. She majored in Engineering and tried everything she knew to become the person she wished she was. After just one semester of college a wrong decision derails her dreams. She is left moving back in with her Grandmother and facing an uncertain future.

This is a powerful, emotional story of how God never lets you go, even if you walk away. This book touched me deeply. One of the many powerful scenes in the book is when Julia has returned from college to visit her Grandmother. Julia was avoiding the topic of not attending church in awhile, then her Grandmother said unexpectedly, “You don’t have to go to church with me Julia, God is seeking you out, and I am willing to trust His timing.”

This is not a book you read, but a book you feel. This book will touch your heart while sharing in Julia’s coming of age story. I strongly recommend this first time author, Nicole Baart. I can guarantee you, I will be in line for her second book.