The Ocean Between Us Book Review - By Susan Wiggs - And Special Giveaway With 3 Winners!

Reading books is hands down one of my favorite things to do. I find that I am easily able to escape into a world that is completely different than my own, and get involved with the characters and storyline. Back in November I had the opportunity to review a book from Author Susan Wiggs called Lakeshore Christmas. I loved her writing style and that book quickly became a favorite. Susan is an incredible author who captivates her readers with her honesty, emotion, and relatable characters. She is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, has sold millions of books worldwide, and published her first novel at an astonishing age of 8 years old!

The most recent novel from Susan Wiggs is called The Ocean Between Us. Here is a brief synopsis of the story:

"Steve Bennett is a perfect navy officer with a perfect navy family, and he's confident that his world is just the way it should be. But his son wants to be an artist instead of attending the U.S. Naval Academy, and his stalwart and capable wife of 20 years, Grace, is tired of being the perfect navy wife. She wants her own home, and she wants her own career. She's feeling altogether unsettled, but nothing is more unsettling than the secret her husband has hidden from her their entire marriage. Nothing, that is, until the accident on the carrier."

This story right away grabbed my attention because of our current situation with military serving overseas. I thought it would be an emotional look into the lives of Military families, and I was right. The story follows main character Grace, a Mom of three married to a Navy Pilot. She has spent her entire life playing the role of perfect Navy Wife, but along the way forgot about herself and her own wants, dreams, and potential. As her kids get older she realizes it is the perfect time to start acting on her dreams, but finds that her Husband isn't exactly on board with her plans. As Grace turns 40, she finds herself finally wanting something different in her life, but will she lose her Husband in the process?

Along the way you also get to follow some other character lines and point-of-views, which I really enjoy in a book. I like to know the main characters thoughts, but it's great when the book skips around and is told from other people's point of view. It really keeps it interesting and gives you a new take on the situation and story. I especially liked reading her Children's story lines, it brought back some of my teenage/high school memories and I found myself sympathizing with their struggles.

Grace also has some great friends that are also Navy Wives, and the book follows them and lets their struggles, triumphs, and heartaches be told as well. Starting a Family, dealing with loss, infertility, saying goodbye, feeling lost, and the strong love between a Husband and Wife are just some of the topics you'll be sharing with these characters. As a wife and Mom there were so many great Female characters that I became attached to as I read more and more of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Ocean Between Us...in fact I have the bags under my eyes as proof! I have been staying up way too late reading this book, unable to put it down. That's how I know a book is really good and worth reading. I will also admit that more than a few tears were shed while reading this book, it is definitely a story that will touch your heart. Military wives will probably find a common bond with these characters, and be able to relate well to their experiences. As a non-service family this book gave me an inside peek at what Family's go through when they are in the Military, and for that I appreciate this book even more.

This is my second opportunity to read a book by Susan Wiggs, and once again I was impressed. I will definitely be picking up more titles by her in the future! in fact, I just learned on her website that she will soon be releasing a short story introducing the main characters of this book, Grace and Charlie! I can't wait to read more about how this couple got their start!

The Ocean Between Us is available for Pre-Order on Amazon for approx $10! Retail locations have books for approx $14.95.

You can also visit Susan Wiggs' Website to learn more about this best selling author and to see a complete list of her titles.

I have a very special Giveaway for my readers!

*One Grand Prize Winner will receive a copy of this Book The Ocean Between Us and a $25 Visa Gift Card to get a little renewal in your life!

*Two additional winners will receive copies of this book!

That's 3 lucky winners who will all get a chance to enjoy Susan Wigg's latest book The Ocean Between Us!

Please leave a comment telling me the name of a favorite book, or the last book you read!

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Giveaway will end on May 4th at 10pm CST. Giveaway is open to US addresses only. Winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner will then be emailed & announced here on Ladybug Soup, and winner has 72 hours to reply to that email or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: NO monetary payments were received for this post. I received a complimentary copy of the mentioned book to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own & different people may have different experiences with product.