Book Review: The Lesson

About the Book:

Nineteen-year-old Mary Kate Lapp yearns for adventure, but all she seems to find is trouble. Her dreams of travel have taken a backseat to her assignment to teach school this year. And nothing ever seems to happen in her sleepy Amish community.

But when a sudden and unexplained death conveniently coincides with the arrival of a mysterious young man, M.K. is frustrated that no one takes it seriously. She's determined to take matters into her own hands and get to the bottom of it. Will she find more than she bargained for?

My Review:

How I have waited for the final book to the Stoney Ridge Seasons series! M.K. Lapp has been my favorite character since the beginning of the series and whose story I was most interested in reading. 

Suzanne Woods Fisher did an amazing job developing the character of Mary Kate Lapp. M.K. is  a spunky, restless soul who longs to travel and loves to use big words. The reader is immediately drawn in by M.K.'s written thoughts and her comical persona. I loved M.K.'s detective intuition. It made her stand out as a character. All of her positive, negative, and some-where-in-between attributes make M.K. a very relatable, likable and amusing character that I came to love from the first book in the series to the last page of this book. I also admired M.K.'s journey toward maturity, making decisions and paving her own way. Deep down, I can tell that M.K has a good heart and wants to help in anyway she can, despite her tendency to jump to conclusions. 

I think that the plot of The Lesson was the best by far. The first page immediately draws the reader into a murder scene that M.K is trying to solve. The addition of a secretive young man who, of course, is probed into answering questions, adds another layer of interest. Jimmy Fisher, witty, humorous and too handsome for his own good, keeps things interesting the whole way through. And lastly, the secret pasts of certain characters and the problems they are trying to hide add a mysterious element. All of the characters were well-developed and grew to be ones that the reader can relate to and love.

Suzanne ended the book appropriately and in a satisfying manner but I secretly hoped that M.K. would end up marrying a new and improved Jimmy Fisher. Chris Yoder was a more suitable spouse for M.K. He was loving, compassionate and extremely protective of those he loved. He was careful and always a step ahead, trying to fix the problems of his past and protect his sister.

Aside from being thoroughly entertained by this story, I also found inspiration, especially on page 6 with the quote, "Every now and then, life throws you something you'd never have chosen in a million years."

If you're looking for an amazing read, don't hesitate to pick up The Lesson. You'll laugh, cry and become emotionally attached to every character, even Fern. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for overall experience, plot, characters and lessons learned.

I received The Lesson from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.