Need You Now

February 13, 2012
Wiseman (Daughters of the Promise series) leaves the Amish category that she does successfully in this well-plotted but middling contemporary set in Texas. Darlene and Brad Henderson and their three children are new arrivals in the small town of Round Top, Tex., where they have fled to an old family farm seeking a psychologically better environment for the teens and preteen. Darlene feels isolated and takes her first job outside the home, working with special-needs children. The job causes Brad to wonder if Darlene is neglecting the family, especially when a crisis occurs with one of the children. Wiseman has written an edgy Christian novel: one of the characters gets drunk, and a powerful extramarital temptation drives action. Other premises are safe ones: some women readers will find Brad’s disapproving attitude toward Darlene’s job either quaint or offensive. Wiseman ambitiously tackles major contemporary issues, but her characters are a little too stereotypical to satisfy. Agent: Mary Sue Seymour.

March 15, 2012
Wiseman, best known for her series of Amish novels, branches out into a wider world in this story of family, dependence, faith, and small-town Texas, offering a character for every reader to relate to. Darlene Henderson convinces her husband, Brad, to move their family from Houston to Round Top, Texas, after some struggles with two of their children, Chad and Ansley. She hopes to get family life right in this different environment. But things stay busy, even in the country. Darlene gets a job and finds herself conflicted between what she has at home and new possibilities. Brad continues to work in Houston, too busy to see the cracks in his home life. The children face their own challenges, some entertaining, others dangerous. The whole family must learn to grow up and grow together. With an enjoyable cast of outside characters, Need You Now breaks the molds of small-town stereotypes. With issues ranging from special education and teen cutting to what makes a marriage strong, this is a compelling and worthy read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)