Book Review: You’re Gonna Love Me by Robin Lee Hatcher

Robin Lee Hatcher is well-known for her sweet, insightful and touching Christian romance and women’s fiction books. The first book of Robin’s that I read was The Forgiving Hour , a powerful tale about the difficulty and ultimate power of forgiveness. From that moment forward, I became a huge fan. Her latest book, You’re Gonna Love Me, touches on themes of second chances and overcoming fear.

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About the Book:

Samantha Winters moves to Thunder Creek, Idaho in order to care for her grandmother who is injured after a fall from a horse. She’s unhappy with her job, and wants to use the time to consider what her next steps should be. Samantha could not be more shocked when Nick Chastain walks into her grandmother’s hospital room.

Two years ago, Nick and Samantha dated and fell in love. They didn’t see eye-to-eye on certain topics, mostly Samantha did not agree with Nick’s recklessness and love for extreme adventure sports. Her father had been killed in a skiing accident, and she was not comfortable with the risks Nick took every time he participated in such activities. When push came to shove and Samantha gave him an ultimatum–choose between her or the whitewater trip he was going on–Nick chose to walk away from the relationship. Later, Samantha tried to contact him and mend fences, but he never replied.

Samantha discovers that Nick is working in Idaho now, he has left his University teaching position and is working with a company laying irrigation pipe. She’s rightfully surprised to see him again, and as they get re-acquainted, it seems as if maybe Nick has changed. What is different about him? Can they overcome their differences to find their way back to love again?

My Thoughts:

This is a sweetly told romance with many heartwarming elements. I have to honestly admit that I had a difficult time relating to Samantha. Her fears seemed really over the top, and the fact that she was a slave to them rather than letting them go and allowing herself fall in love was frustrating. I did like Nick and everything he had gone through and pushed past in order to come out stronger on the other side. His perseverance, as well as his developing relationship with God, elevated the novel and made it much stronger and more powerful than just a typical romance story.

The gorgeous Idaho setting shines on each page. I loved getting the feel for the land, for the people who make this area their home, and getting a sense of the wide open spaces. I live close to Idaho, but rarely get a chance to travel there and this book definitely made me want to visit again!

Samantha and Nick’s relationship rediscovery felt incredibly real to me. They were both tentative, unsure, insecure, and afraid of getting hurt (this is a different type of fear than Samantha’s above). Watching their newly re-formed friendship develop over the course of the pages is quite meaningful, because they seem more like authentic people rather than caricatures of people.

The faith message in this book is integral to the plot, but isn’t overwhelming or preachy. As a reader, you get a picture of God as wanting to heal our brokenness, and to help us to overcome the fears in our lives. I was genuinely moved by the journeys each character went through to find love, acceptance, and understanding. That isn’t to say that the book is without flaws. There is one part toward the end where Nick appears to be willing to change his nature/character in order to appease Samantha. This made me quite mad, because I don’t think that changing positive features of your personality to gain another’s love is ever acceptable. It all does work out in the end, which made me feel better and made me like the book for its strengths rather than its shortcomings.

This is the second book set in Thunder Creek, and some of the characters from the first book (You’ll Think of Me ) are featured as secondary characters. I didn’t read the first book and was not lost at all, so the books can easily stand alone. However, now that I was introduced to them, I want to go back and read their story!

Bottom Line:

Hatcher has created a heartwarming romance with a beautifully depicted faith story about healing from brokenness and learning to overcome fear.

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I was on Robin Lee Hatcher’s Street Team for this book. I voluntarily accepted a complimentary review copy, but was not required to give a positive review (or any review).