The Truth About The Sky by Katharine Grubb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Description

In The Truth About the Sky, Kim’s worked hard to get away from her family, the venerable Reverend and his perfect wife. But her plans backfire when she and her boyfriend break up, and she resigns from her job (owned by her ex’s father) to avoid seeing him. Her mother drags her home with the “perfect” solution: a temporary position as church secretary while their current one recovers.

Over in Boston, Kim’s sister-in-law Suzanne, wife to Quentin and mother of three gets some incredible news: her husband’s job is moving him home to Oklahoma, and she’s finally going to get that dream house she’s been hoping for.

It sounds like a great big family reunion, except for one thing, neither Kim nor Quentin want to move home and lose themselves in the overbearing perfection required of a preacher’s kid.

Literally everything falls apart. Suzanne gets pregnant and is unable to run her house in a way that would make her late mother proud. And Kim’s position as church secretary puts her in the line of fire of her overbearing mom, dismissive dad, and demanding congregants. Not to mention she’s being pursued by an old-time acquaintance, church member, and local mortician who thinks its God’s will they be together, there’s a cute new choir director and associate pastor. It’s a recipe for disaster.

The Review

The beginning was a little slow for me, and a little confusing as I got used to the dual points of view and blur of events. I also believe I got one of the copies that the author mistakenly put out that wasn’t as edited, so I’m not counting that against her.

Once I got past the beginning, though, I was sucked in. The drama, the misery, the hopes and shattered dreams. It was a story of broken individuals letting go, and the simple truths that make bearing our hurts a little easier. There’s romance and breakups, heartache and new life. It’s an emotional journey that in the end I found very satisfactory. The Christian setting is not overly preachy, despite being about a preacher’s family, and I believe it’s a valuable perspective into the difficulties that those types of families face.

My biggest criticism is the cover. It’s cute, but reads more young adult author thing, rather than adult or new adult church drama. I get it. The typewriter is Kim’s “computer” when she gets to the church, and it’s a point of endless misery, but it’s just not vibing for me. Oh well. The story worked.

View all my reviews

There were no sex scenes in this novel, and I don’t recall any outright swearing, though it’s referred to.