Review: A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

April 3, 2014

Title: A Broken by of Beautiful
Author: Katie Ganshert
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pages: 320
ISBN: 978-1-60142-590-4
Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Synopsis:
Sometimes everything you ever learned about yourself is wrong

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.

If only her tenuous future didn’t rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious new photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the façade she works so hard to maintain. He, along with a cast of other characters, challenges everything Ivy has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her—a woman stained and broken by the world—yet wants her still?
Review:
I have been hearing rave reviews about A Broken Kind of Beautiful from fellow blogging friends, so I was eager to dive into this book. What unfolded before my eyes had to be one of the most realistic works of fiction I've read in quite some time.

Ivy, when introduced to her, comes off as hardhearted, selfish, and cool, but as you get to know her, what you see is not what you get. Ivy is the daughter of an affair, her mother battled drugs and alcohol through her childhood, her father never cared for her. She was lost. When her uncle came into her life, she jumped at the chance to be a model. However, that life brought a whole knew type of hurt to her life. Now at twenty-four, Ivy is on her last leg of her modeling career. Younger girls are coming in every day, pushing her further aside. To keep the hurts at bay, Ivy focuses on the next man that crosses her path or alcohol to dull the pain. Ivy is broken.

Davis had been introduced to the world of fashion through the lens of his camera. He had built up a reputation as an up-and-comer to watch out for, but then, he stepped away and moved back to his small town to be with his family. When Ivy comes to town for a fashion shoot for her step-mothers boutique, she is intrigued by Davis' past, and wants to figure him out. Even though Davis has a better childhood than Ivy, he is just as broken with the secrets he holds on to.

These characters were so real and the hurts of their past just make you want to help, because you either dealt with that time of pain or you have known someone who has. Thankfully, there was help for them with Marilyn, Ivy's step-mother and Davis' aunt. Even though Marilyn has been injured, she offers such love and support, she is a wonderful example.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Christy Award finalist, Katie Ganshert is the author of Wildflowers from Winter and Wishing on Willows. She lives in Iowa with her handsome husband, their dinosaur-loving son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or snuggling, she is obsessing over the paperwork and the waiting that comes with adoption, which she and her husband hope to complete sometime before they are fifty.





Thank you to Blogging for Books, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.


2 comments

  1. Great review, Kate. I love that these characters are so real. Makes me glad to have discovered Katie's books and believe that this genuine type of fiction is still out there. We just have to look a little harder. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Rissi. The realistic-ness of these characters really made this story pop. It was a delight. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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