Gathering the Threads {Review}

The third and final installment in the Amish of Summer Grove series, Gathering the Threads continues the story of Arianna Brenneman, caught between the English and Amish worlds.  After discovering she was switched at birth, Arianna is blackmailed into living with her English family for a year.  But when she convinces her English father to allow her to return to the Amish, Arianna discovers that she doesn't fit there like she used to.  Longing for the simple life that she knows, but conflicted by all she's learned, Arianna must discover who she is beyond all the labels.

Skyler Nash also finds herself struggling with the switch.  Now clean and sober, Skyler is afraid of what Arianna's return could mean for her.  Will the Brenneman family ask her to leave?  Will she be rejected again?  As she struggles to find her place in the family, Skyler continues to work the family business, but also look for her own path.

Can these two girls find their voice in a clash of cultures?  Or will the adjustment be too much?  And what about Quill, Rudy, and Jax?  Will Arianna's sister still work toward leaving the amish?  And will Celia continue to cope with her illness?  

With so many well developed characters, Gathering the Threads certainly doesn't lack for storylines.  While the majority of the book focuses on Skyler and Arianna, there are a variety of well-developed characters to keep the book going, showing the depth of this author.  This book in the series is particularly interesting because it brings up the conflicts between the two worlds and their way of thinking.  Woodsmall does this with such compassion for both sides that she's able to develop arguments without belittling either viewpoint.  

Gathering the Threads is a wonderful way to finish off the series.  I cannot recommend The Amish of Summer Grove series highly enough.  Very well done!

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy for this book for review.  All opinions are my own.