Life After: A Novel

My Review:

As shocking as it may seem, life doesn't go back to normal after a huge tragedy in our lives. And on a side note everyone's definition of a tragedy is different. Autumn Manning has experienced a life altering tragedy that still holds her life in it's ugly grip and won't let go. Paul Elliot on the other hand it means moving on and letting go. He hasn't had too much trouble moving on and he wants everyone else to do the same.

I felt sorry for Autumn from the start. I have been through a death in my life that kept me in a very dark, desperate place for many years. It is such a suffocating place to be and to find peace in that place is near impossible. For many years I prayed that God would help me out of that place because I was ready to move on.

Paul and his stance sort of worried me from the beginning because I felt like he was trying to cover something up. This book is an amazing book with an eye catching story line. It is definitely NOT a boring read. It full of action and suspense. I loved it!

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.

This was an incredible story of people from different walks of life who experienced the same event of a train bombing. Told from the perspective of Autumn, the only survivor, it weaves the families of the survivors together in a beautiful and wondrous way. Even near the end of the story, the reader will say, "I know how this is going to end", but that's when the biggest surprise of all happens. God's plan was in action for all the families and the stories came out so that everyone could heal. The story touches a variety of "life situations" including those of the children and I will always think of survivors and casualties of a catastrophic event in a new way as each survivor and the family of those whose lives were taken struggle with what their future holds. You will really embrace Reese, who at 12 years old lost her mother, and her struggle to move forward with peace and joy. A definite must read. Smile, cry, and offer prayers of thanks and peace for the many people who really live this story.

"Life After" is a Christian romance, though the focus was more on the emotional healing of the main characters than the romance. Which I appreciate! The characters were complex and acted realistically, even the small-part characters. I loved Ina May.

Autumn survives a train bombing. She feels survivor's guilt, is afraid to use public transportation, and isn't sure how to deal with a God that would allow the bombing to happen. She doesn't know how to move on or overcome her fears. Paul's wife died on that train, and he has reasons why he just wants to forget and move on. But his eldest daughter writes Autumn secretly as a way to remember her mom. The daughter ends up bringing about a meeting and getting Autumn to help her create a video memorial to those who died. Autumn feels like this will help her move on. She learns how those who lost loved ones to the bombing have managed their grief and fears. Along the way, healing happens and a romance develops.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I' highly recommend this novel.

Life After was a great and fast read. My attention was drawn to this novel by the beautiful cover and an invitation from Waterbrook & Multnomah to be part of the Launch Team for Life After that, after reading the blurb, I simply could not decline. And the novel didn’t disappoint me!

What I really liked about the novel was that the bombing and the consequences weren’t just an excuse for a dramatic love story. Instead, the love story was just a part of the greater story about guilt, forgiveness and family. The love story seemed very natural to me and wasn’t too dominant. Also, the characters were relatable and amiable. The side characters didn’t just fulfil stereotypical roles, but were real and complex personalities.

And the story avoided the cliché of someone converting to Christianity, which I really appreciated. The protagonists’ faith was very authentic and inspiring.

All in all, Life After is a great Christian novel and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading Christian fiction. It’s probably the best Christian novel I’ve read so far!

Life After is a great read. Autumn finds herself the only sole survivor when a bomb explodes on a train she was riding on. A year later, she is still having the guilt of surviving, while the others can never be brought back. She does not want them to be forgotten. She, then, meets Paul, the husband of one of the victims who were killed. He, too, is having the guilt of the secrets he hopes will stay buried with his late wife. Can these two lost souls find hope, be able to let go, and put faith in God?

I found this book to be a heavy read. The emotions and struggles with Autumn and Paul are so well written and true to life. I felt like I knew these two and wanted to give them a hug and tell them it will be okay. This had to be a hard book to write for Katie Ganshert. So many heart wrenching scenes, but they were others that were oh so good for the soul. This is most definitely a must read!

100 stars

I received this book from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is of my own opinion.

A year following a horrible train bombing in which 22 people died, Autumn, the only survivor, is still trying to cope with why she was spared and others were not. She haunts the cemetery where the 22 are buried and obsesses about knowing each of their stories. A suggestion for a tribute to the fallen begins her journey to interview family members of the deceased and make a video to commemorate the year anniversary. "Of all the thousands of paths a person could take in life, at the end of the day, they traveled only one...there are so many twists and turns, it's impossible to guess where one decision will lead." In retrospect, we all wonder where the road not taken would have led. One thing is that God is not cruel and He knows all things.

This book is not "fluff" and is a challenging and emotionally deep read. It's hard to write a review without giving away some very important secrets that make this book very outstanding.

Katie Ganshert is an amazing novelist so having the opportunity to read one of her books early is a real treat. In Life After, she does NOT disappoint as her masterful talent shines through in a vibrantly detailed and heart wrenching novel. She really knows how to hit you in the emotional gut hard.

She yanks the emotional drive up to a ten as you feel the desperation and trauma from her characters and the scenes. Her writing is so real you start to question how you would act, what you would feel if you were the sole survivor of a bombing. So often the focus is on who committed the crime and those that died we overlook those who are still here physically but may have died or become permanently injured in some kind of psychological or spiritual way when going through such a traumatizing experience.

I feel like this is one of those books I’d return to because every time you read it you’ll learn something new or how you view this story and its characters will change depending on your viewpoint at the time.

Life After is a riveting book that really tugged on my emotions. From the first page, I was hooked, and I didn’t want to put it down. Now that I’ve finished, I’m struggling to put my emotions into words. Katie Ganshert has created a cast of complex, realistic characters against a backdrop of a horrific train bombing which killed twenty-two people. Autumn Manning was the sole survivor, and she has struggled with guilt and grief. Paul Elliott lost his wife in the bombing and just wants his family to be able to move beyond the tragedy. Many other characters are introduced in such a way that they add depth to the story but don’t overwhelm the reader.

Woven seamlessly throughout the story are threads of healing, hope, and faith, which give the story a lift, so it doesn’t get too dark and depressing. This book will definitely tug on your heartstrings but is ultimately satisfying and inspirational.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher and author. All opinions are my own.

Life After shares the stories, and ultimately the lessons, of those impacted by a traumatic experience. Looking through their eyes as they struggle opens a fresh perspective on another person's pain.

While I enjoyed the story, I was surprised to see two separate references to premarital cohabitation. I do not expect characters to be perfect (for then they would be unbelievable), but it did bother me that this behavior was included as if it was normal, acceptable behavior. It may be becoming "normal" in our culture, but that doesn't make it right, and in Christian fiction, I would expect that it would be addressed either as morally wrong or with remorse. It was not.

If you're looking for a novel that doesn't shy away from difficulty, though, Life After will challenge you as you walk alongside hurting people. Hopefully it will leave you with a whole new level of compassion.

(I received a complimentary copy of this novel. The thoughts expressed here are entirely my own.)

Life After was absolutely compelling! I loved the way the author opened up the story with the prologue. It gave the reader a peek into the events of the fateful day involving the fictional event that the story was woven around. It also provided some information that the main character of the story no longer remembered due to the trauma they experienced. It was a very interesting way to start the story.

Even though this book deals with a tragedy and some very serious subject matter, I felt very hopeful throughout the novel. The author did a great job of slowly revealing important pieces of information relevant to the characters in the book. I loved the the emotional and spiritual growth that the main characters gained by the end of the story. The one thing I would have loved to have seen in this book would have been an epilogue of perhaps a year later. But even without an epilogue, this was a fascinating novel.

In the novel, Life After, Katie Ganshert explores the impact of the bombing of a train on the people of Chicago, but especially the sole survivor, Autumn, who continues to struggle with guilt. As she comes into contact with the daughter of one of those killed on that fateful day, her life begins to change. She must deal with her emotions in relation to surviving the bombing along with the revelation of secrets, both of others and her own.

Ganshert's novel is complex and thoughtful, exploring a depth of emotion that is unusual in Christian fiction. She does not shy away from the darker sides of both life and faith. The characters are well developed, avoiding the typical stereotypes found in the characters of many novels, both Christian and otherwise. Any adult reader would enjoy this book, which will surely leave them with something to ponder after turning the final page.

I was given an advanced copy of the book as part of the author's launch team.

Survivor’s guilt is an intensely real condition that some people deal with and in Katie Ganshert’s novel Life After, she brings this tragic and terrifying reality to life. Ganshert has written a deep, powerful, and inspiring story of learning to deal with survivor’s guilt; of the struggle to not forget, but move forward with life; and of the hope, new life, and love that can be found after such a debilitating event. Life After is a powerful, real, intense, and inspiring story that readers will not want to put down and will not soon forget.

Genre: contemporary, Womens Fiction, Christian
Publisher: WaterBrook
Publication date: April 18, 2017
Number of pages: 354

An ARC review copy of this novel was provided by the author’s launch team. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

How could a good God allow tragedy? For what great purpose would one life be spared and not countless others? Katie Ganshert grapples with these significant questions in her latest book Life After. When a bomb explodes on a train in Chicago, killing twenty-two people, Autumn Manning is the only survivor. With short term memory loss and survivor’s guilt, Autumn struggles to put her life back together and to find the reason for her survival. My favorite part of the book is Katie’s handling of God’s nature in the midst of devastation and sorry. I love what Autumn’s dad says to her about God: “Circumstances don’t dictate who He is.” Resolution does not come quick or easy—Katie takes her time to explore these issues and it results in a book well worth reading. I highly recommend it. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I’m a first time Katie Ganshert reader but it is definitely not my last!

Katie Ganshert has once again brought a story to us that will touch your heart. The thought that you may be the only survivor of a terrible attack on a transit line starts this book. Where does Autumn go with all the emotions this brings to her life. Does she go forward or do the lives that were lost beside her that day haunt her. Autumn feels compelled to locate the families of those who were lost and understand the lives that were taken away so suddenly. All through the book, Autumn is confronted with the unknown. Paul Elliott is one of those whose wife was lost that day. What is his life like now? Paul's daughter, Reese, reaches out to Autumn writing letters to her. You see, in one of the many plot twists, Autumn was at first wrongly identified after the attack as Paul's wife. As Paul goes to her bedside, he realizes that this is not his wife. Reese continues to feel pulled toward Autumn.
As Autumn finds more of the families of the victims a plan develops to honor them. Paul and Autumn are pulled together again, this time to work toward honoring these lost people and their families. Katie pulls the reader into the ever-widening circle of events that connect all the characters you will meet in "Life after."
This is a timely novel touching on a subject that is clearly possible in today's world. How would you feel if you were the only survivor of such an horrific act. Would you ask - Why? Would you feel grief, guilt? How would your life change? This is a must read book and one of the author's best yet!
I received a copy to read prior to release date.
Barbara Honea

Life After is going straight to my all-time favorites shelf. My reader heart is completely smitten with this book.

Autumn Manning is the sole survivor of a highly publicized tragedy yet the weight of living through such heart crushing destruction leaves her overwhelmed with survivor’s guilt. Paul Elliott has a couple of the most endearing kids I think I’ve ever read and he is a stupendous daddy despite the family’s loss and circumstances.

Both Autumn and Paul have supportive (sometimes pushy) family and friends who are present and concerned for them and the Elliott children. All the characters are beautifully flawed and authentic while the story weaves through some of life’s toughest questions while pointing readers to the Comfort amid the chaos of this world.

I requested the opportunity to read and review this title through the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

Katie Gangshert in her novel, Life After, weaves a beautiful story embracing the battle between faith and fear. She not only wades into the murky waters of Why? Why me? she swims into the deep. She does so while giving us two lovely main characters, Autumn and Paul.
Autumn is a young, single woman who is a lone survivor of a bomb set off on a train. Paul, now a single dad of two, is a grieving husband whose wife died on the train. Both are on a journey to deal with life after such a tragedy.
Ganshert's storytelling is captivating as she begins to interwine Paul and Autumn's lives. She explores the hurts, pain, fear, and despair in depth for each character. Falling in love with her characters is easy as she shine the spotlight into their hearts.
Captivating, well paced storyline will keep you turning the pages.

IMHO, Katie Ganshert is pretty much queen of inspirational women's fiction. Her latest release, Life After, seriously left me starry heart-eyed--and that was just when I gazed at the cover!

It's gorgeous and detailed and just grabs you, as does the story.

Autumn and Paul are flawed, likeable, hurting people who come to life on the page. What Autumn has been through--and what Paul struggles with--make for a compelling read that mines the depths of human emotion and family relationships.

Katie's down to earth prose and emotionally-charged scenes always deliver, and I found this story to be her best yet. She tackles burning spiritual questions and tender relational issues with a skilled, gentle pen.

If you enjoy women's fiction with a touch of romance and filled with authenticity and emotion, author Katie Ganshert is a must-read.

In her latest novel, Katie Ganshert crafts an unforgettable tale that delves into humanity's response to tragedy, drawing you into the story with its poignant first line: "We rarely know when death will come." Life After is a heart wrenching look at the effects of tragedy and the beauty that can come from it. Autumn Manning is the sole survivor of a train bombing that took the lives of 22 others. One year after the tragedy that changed her life, she still is haunted by the lives that were lost and one burning question--why her? Why did she survive and not someone else? While trying to remember and honor the other victims, Autumn is forced to work alongside Paul Elliot, the man whose wife she was mistakenly identified as after the accident. Attempting to lay the past to rest and heal their broken hearts, they must both confront their shortcomings and overcome their need for answers, instead resting in the comfort of the God who controls everything. A powerful story told in Ganshert's poetic prose, Life After is a beautiful look at our response to tragedy and answers our all-consuming why with a who--a God who can shine the light of hope into the darkest night.

"But maybe she'd been asking the wrong question. Maybe comfort wasn't to be found in the 'why.' Maybe comfort was found in the 'who.' A God who wept."

Life After is another homerun by Katie Ganshert. It’s the story of Autumn Manning, a woman who is the lone survivor after a bomb goes off on a train. One year after the tragedy, Autumn is consumed with questions and guilt and wonders why she was saved when everyone else wasn’t. In her search for peace, she learns everything she can about the victims.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the tragedy. When he buried her, he buried their secrets as well…secrets he wants to keep hidden. When Autumn and Paul are forced to spend time together, Paul fears Autumn will bring more pain upon his two children.

This novel has twists and turns I didn’t expect and it kept me interested throughout. The characters are believable. It’s another great book by Katie Ganshert that you don’t want to miss.

Beautifully broken are the words that come to mind after reading Life After. This is such a touching, heart rending book of how a lone survivor from a train bombing learns to cope and starts to live again in baby steps. It is a picturesque story of heartbreak and Autumn Manning breaking out of a cocoon and learning to fly again. I love 12 year old Reese, who lost her mother in the bombing, and her interaction with Autumn. This is not a fluffy read but has substance and grit, something you can sink your teeth into and not forget when you reach the last page.
This is my first book by Katie Ganshert and I was blown away. I look forward to reading more. Highly recommend this.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

Katie Ganshert always writes page-turning books, but her newest, "Life After," is a new level of intense. It's not scary or upsetting, but I would lay awake trying to finish this book because I couldn't put it down!
Autumn Manning became an unintentional hero the day her life ended; she can't go back and yet she cannot move forward. Stuck in her own nightmares, she is encouraged to move on, but is that even possible? Then, a young girl enters her world and everyone fears this new relationship will only harm both of them. Pick up Ganshert's novel to see if Autumn ever finds life after the unimaginable!
I received "Life After" complimentary from WaterBrook Multnomah and I was happy to write a review.

The prologue had me immediately engaged, and from there it never let up. Autumn’s life has been changed dramatically, and no one around her can relate to what she has been through.

This book grapples with the weight of survival and the pressure to make your survival mean something

This story takes an honest look at how life can be turned upside down in one unimaginable moment. It is a story about grief, and how we grapple with it, try to understand it, and ultimately how we attempt to move forward.

Can Autumn learn to heal without forgetting?

This is a standout novel. My favorite read of the year so far.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.*

This novel had me hooked from the first pages. Katie Ganshert has an ability to set a scene and describe characters, even briefly, that caught my attention right away. The story progresses from there, full of twists that surprise not only the reader but also the main character, Autumn, who is dealing with survivor's guilt as well as the after-effects of memory loss, brought on by injuries suffered in a train bombing. I particularly like the way God and faith are a large part of the resolution of issues faced by the characters.

I recommend this book to all readers, but especially those who may be asking why things happen, and I think this is a good one for book club discussions.

Oh my goodness...Katie Ganshert is a new author to me-I am sold!
It was intense, emotional, and intriguing throughout every single page. It is a book that stays with you long after you turn the last page. I highly recommend this book to everyone that wants a "deeper" read.
Loved it! I will definitely be reading more of Ms. Ganshert's works!

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists,
and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive
reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

An incredibly moving story of a lone survivor of a train bombing, Life After by Katie Ganshert is an amazing reading experience. Ganshert's characters are multi-dimensional and endearing. Terror, romance, survivor's guilt, and many other very pertinent topics are carefully and realistically presented.

By the end of the book, the reader will be challenged in his/her thoughts about God's goodness and sovereignty in the light of tragedy. Personally, I would expect this book to be an award winner for the year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I have freely left my unbiased opinion, for which I alone am solely responsible.

February 7, 2017 – Started Reading
Review The first thing I want to say about this book is WOW. I loved it. I did not want to put this down because I had to finish. This really does show the different feelings people go through after a severe trauma. My favorite quote was "Wasn't it enough that death could snatch away life so quickly? Did it really have to do so without warning? Without any rhyme or reason? A thoughtless, avaricious grab at whoever happened to be standing in the way?"
That to me says a lot. I received this book from Katie Ganshert for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Katie's trademark is writing beautiful novels about broken people.

In Life After, Autumn Manning struggles to make sense of why she is the lone survivor of a train explosion. She is not at all at peace with herself and barely ekes out an existence.

It is a well written story with details unraveling throughout. Secondary characters added depth to the story. I especially enjoyed the "headlines" that Autumn interjected throughout.

My gratitude to Publisher Waterbrook for a complimentary copy of the novel. The opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to post a review.

I just had the privilege to read an advanced copy of LIFE AFTER by Katie Granshert. I imagine at sometime we have each asked the question "why".
A bomb has been placed in a train car. Twenty-three innocent people are in the car.Twenty-two lives are lost... one survives. The characters take you into the depth of their "whys".
There were many great nugget quotes. This quote is one of my favorites.
"But maybe she'd been asking the wrong question. Maybe comfort wasn't to be found in the why. Maybe comfort was to be found in the who. A God who wept."
I highly recommend this book...one that begs you to read it again...

KatieGanshert’s LIFE AFTER turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought. I would read another of this author's books. She is an excellent writer and the story line was intriguing. I found myself going through a rage of emotions and thoughts as I read through the book. The characters were real and I felt as if I was right there making decisions and processing what they were. I was part of the book review team and I highly recommend this book to all. Thank you WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and Katie Ganshert.

I have never read a Katie Ganshert book before but I will be now. This book is expresses resiliency and faith for myself I had began to reflect over my own life and how I had wasted many hours that I should have been enjoying. In the opening of the book is a quote from Romans 11: 34
What has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Ganshert writing to where a person can place themselves into the book as one of the characters that one can relate too.

Katie Ganshert has done it again! She immediately pulled me into her story and into the lives of everyone involved. Life After was such a believable story that I felt like I knew these characters and that I could have lived right there in their neighborhoods. This book really made me think about the "what ifs" throughout life and how we never really know what might happen from day to day. We must trust that we are where we are supposed to be and to listen to God's little nudges if we feel we are not.

I would highly recommend this book, as well as all of Katie's previous books because she can tell a story!

I, personally, have never read anything by Katie Ganshert. I have heard about a number of her books and love the covers but have never moved them up in priority to my read now pile. But when the chance came up to be on her Launch team, I jumped at the chance. Her newest book Life After looked really interesting. While the novel is labeled as a contemporary romance, I think it goes deeper than that. With rich characters and an interesting plot, I'm really glad I spent time with Autumn and Paul.

With any good book, the author has to write clearly enough for me to follow the story. Ganshert does a good job at this. Her writing is clear and concise. She doesn't head hop, and she allows the characters to speak what is really bothering their soul. The setting was described well that I could see the bus station or downtown Chicago, which I have been to a number of times since I only live three hours away.

Right away, Ganshert grabs my attention with the prologue and keeps my attention from then on. The story starts with nameless characters. (Don't worry. The characters will be revealed as you read the story!) These characters run into each other and then I feel the bomb go off. Chapter one starts with Autumn the only survivor of the story showing her existence in the world. The story really doesn't slow down at any time. Ganshert's completely original and unpredictable novel about how to move on after something tragic in life happens really spoke to my heart. I couldn't wait to uncover how Paul and Autumn were going to change.

Change . . . boy, did both characters change. A good novel has a transformation of its characters. Both Paul and Autumn were different people by the end of the book. At the beginning, Autumn is a shy, timid woman who completes numerous puzzles and avoids social interactions. Whereas, Paul is trying to handle being a single father to two kids and keeping the secret of his marriage in the dark. Unfortunately, Ganshert peels away their coverings and allows both of them to rely on each other and learn how to move on. One of my favorite things about Life After is Ganshert's abilities to reach inside each character and spill their inner turmoil on the pages. I completely empathized with Autumn and Paul, rooting for them to find happiness and peace in their struggles.

While the story held my attention, I did have one issue with the plot. What actually happened on the train? I see the bomb explode in the beginning, then I spend the rest of the story following Autumn and Paul on their path to happiness. I wanted to see what actually happened. Maybe Autumn could have Reese, Paul's daughter, read a newspaper article with images about the incident. Or have Autumn show an article when she is looking through her scrapbooks of the dead people. She probably has a number of the articles since she is so obsessed with the incident. Allow me, the reader, to see what happened. How destructive was the mess? Obviously, it was a huge mess if 21 people died from a bomb. This could be just me.

In conclusion, Life After by Katie Ganshert is a gut-wrenching story that buries deep into the human emotions after a horrible event. Maybe even having the reader nodding in agreement with why bad things happen to good people. Life After is a story that will stick with me long after I close the book.

I received a complimentary copy of Katie Ganshert's Life After from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishers, and the opinions stated are all my own.

The ominous prologue, the journal named Maud, the letters from Reese, the unlikely cast of supporting characters and their stories, and the sweet and subtle ending, are just a few of the elements that drew me in and kept me riveted until the last word. Each of Ganshert's novels have been masterfully crafted with a distinct voice, compelling characters, and deep subject matter. Life After, easily lives up to, and surpasses, it's predecessors, showing us yet another layer of the authors talents. This is a beautiful story that steps away from the typical faith novel structure in an endearing and enlightening way, a story so gripping it stays with you long after the last word has been read.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent book. This book is a bit difficult at first. It deals with some difficult situations but hang in there, it's worth it! I loved seeing the light begin to shine in not only Autumn's life but several other characters as well. Characters are realistic and multidimensional. This is the first book I've read by Katie Ganshert, it won't be the last.

I read a prerelease copy of this book.

Honestly, I have been waiting awhile to write a review. I read the book slower than I needed to...because I simply did not want to leave the book. I wanted to dwell with the characters for a long time, just sorta move in. I hesitated in writing a review because, all I keep thinking to tell you is just, "Read it." I will suggest this book to all my friends. I love it. I am not even using the words lightly. The characters are so honest and genuine and relate-able. The emotions explored are complex and beautiful and difficult. The book is so surprisingly and simply emotionally honest. And, truly...READ IT. You will love it.

Katie Ganshert does it again. This is an enjoyable read that compels you to go on until the end. It is a book about tragedy and faith. I recommend this book. I was given this book by blogging for books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh my goodness, I just finished this wonderfully thoughtful book, and I find myself wishing for an epilogue. I guess I just didn't want it to end. Katie Ganshert writes a deeply thought provoking story in "Life After". Highly recommend it.

Excellent book. This book is a bit difficult at first. It deals with some difficult situations but hang in there, it's worth it! I loved seeing the light begin to shine in not only Autumn's life but several other characters as well. Characters are realistic and multidimensional. This is the first book I've read by Katie Ganshert, it won't be the last.

I read a prerelease copy of this book.

Honestly, I have been waiting awhile to write a review. I read the book slower than I needed to...because I simply did not want to leave the book. I wanted to dwell with the characters for a long time, just sorta move in. I hesitated in writing a review because, all I keep thinking to tell you is just, "Read it." I will suggest this book to all my friends. I love it. I am not even using the words lightly. The characters are so honest and genuine and relate-able. The emotions explored are complex and beautiful and difficult. The book is so surprisingly and simply emotionally honest. And, truly...READ IT. You will love it.

Katie Ganshert does it again. This is an enjoyable read that compels you to go on until the end. It is a book about tragedy and faith. I recommend this book. I was given this book by blogging for books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh my goodness, I just finished this wonderfully thoughtful book, and I find myself wishing for an epilogue. I guess I just didn't want it to end. Katie Ganshert writes a deeply thought provoking story in "Life After". Highly recommend it.

This book is so beautifully written. You will be brought to tears on one page and chuckling on the next. Life After has you feeling everything the characters feel. It is a novel that will stay with you long after you are finished.

One of Ganshert's best novels yet. Autumn Manning is a survivor and instead of being grateful she's consumed with guilt. In a world where bombs and tragedy seems to strike random victims on a weekly basis, this book comes along to tackle some difficult questions. Ganshert does so with grace, complexity, and deep emotion. While the story is heavy at times, it allows the reader to wade through the main character's emotions as she does, desperately looking for hope. There are several twists along the way, making the story both powerful and compelling.

Another beautifully written story by Katie Ganshert. Her characters are authentic and struggle with real-life issues. I would highly recommend this!
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to review. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is a fabulous novel about a woman who is the sole survivor of a terrible train accident. It picks up a year after the accident as Autumn is struggling with "survivor 's quilt." Unable to work or ride the train , she questions why her life was spared and 22 others were lost.

"Life After" kept me reading for days, and when it was over I was extremely disappointed! And the plot twist at the end... this book is worth every moment of your time. I laughed, I cried, I was chilled. Best of all, I was emotionally attached to every last one of the characters and their story. Katie couldn't have done a better job!