Just 18 Summers by Michelle Cox Review

About the Book:

After the tragic death of Butch Browning’s wife, Jenny, four families begin to realize how precious—and fleeting—their time together is. Each is at a different stage in life: Butch is facing single parenthood. The O’Reillys are expecting their first child. The Andersons are approaching an empty nest, and the Buckleys are so focused on providing their children with everything that they’ve forgotten what they truly need. With just eighteen summers before their children are grown, how do they make the most of that time when life so often gets in the way? 
As summer flies by, each of these parents must learn about guilt and grace . . . and when to hold on to their kids and when to let go.

About the Author:

Michelle Cox is a speaker, songwriter, scriptwriter, and the author of seven books ranging from inspirational nonfiction to cookbooks to humor books. Tyndale House Publishers will release her first fiction book (with co-author Rene Gutteridge) in spring of 2014.

Michelle is the features writer for Whoa Magazine for Women and the food blogger for Fox News Host Todd Starnes. She has published three cookbooks, Cooking with Family & Friends, Keepsake Recipes, and Kella’s Kitchen to welcome her daughters-in-law into the family. She has written for Focus on the Family Magazine, Early Stages, Discovery Years, Tween Ages, Teen Phases and Family Focus.

Michelle is the creator of the Just 18 Summers® brand which will include movies, music, books, and other products. Elevating Entertainment will produce a film based on Just 18 Summers® and Lamon Records will record the Just 18 Summers® song she wrote (with Larry Spears and Angela Walker). Her Just 18 Summers® script (with Marshal Younger and Torry Martin) was a semifinalist for the $50,000 Kairos Prize Competition.

Michelle has been a guest on The Harvest Show international television program, WATC television and the Sky Angel network, the USA Radio Network and Armed Forces Radio, Focus on the Family’s Weekend Magazine radio program, and on numerous other radio stations throughout the United States and Canada.

She is a member of the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association and the Writer’s View, and she speaks at women’s banquets, church events, and conferences. She serves on the advisory board for Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.

Michelle is on faculty for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Carolina Christian Writers Conference, the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival, and the Writing for the Soul Conference. She has also taught webinars for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

She has written scripts and designed book trailers as associate producer for Book Preview, a division of Tentmakers Entertainment. Whew, she’ll figure out what she wants to do eventually!

Most importantly, she and her husband, Paul, are the parents of three grown sons and grandparents to five perfect grandchildren—including twin grandbabies born earlier this year. Paul and Michelle have been the owners of Cox Masonry for the past 38 years, and have recently expanded into building houses. They have spent over 35 years working with teens and single young adults at Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina.

My Review:

This was a really interesting book. It captured women of different ages and how they adjust to their families. Each family is going through something different and they react differently. The chapters are named by characters and it is a little confusing to jump from family to family. Especially over the time span of 18 years. However the book is about parenthood, and is not meant to describe every aspect of these characters lives. It might have been easier to understand if there were 3 families discussed instead of 4. I did really like that I can read this book over and over in the future at all different ages and I will still be able to relate to the characters. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review from The Book Club Network Inc., however all opinions are my own.