Becoming the Talbot Sisters by Rachel Linden

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 1, 2018)

Paperback: 336 pages

Purchase Links

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Amazon Summary

Twin sisters, Waverly and Charlie Talbot, have drifted far apart as they pursue opposite dreams of stardom and service to the poor. On an astonishing journey across Central Europe, they must come together to face their fears, find their courage, and fight for what they love.

Celebrity chef Waverly Ross has built a successful career with her home-entertaining show Simply Perfect. Yet she and her husband, Andrew, have never been able to realize the true desire of Waverly’s heart: to become a mother. Meanwhile Waverly’s twin sister, Charlie Talbot, buries her bitter disappointment and shattered idealism beneath a life spent serving others as an international aid worked in Budapest, Hungary.

When the beloved aunt who raised them passes away, Waverly and Charlie come together in their grief after living years on separate continents. Struck by a fierce desire to bridge the distance between them, Charlie offers Waverly and her husband the selfless gift of surrogacy.

But soon the sisters find they are each in danger of losing their jobs, seemingly putting their dreams on hold once again. When Waverly shows up unannounced in Budapest with a plan to rescue Simply Perfect, the sisters embark on an adventure across Central Europe that could save them both from occupational hazards. Though the twins haven’t had to rely on each other since childhood, an unforeseen dangerous turn in their journey across Europe forces them to stand together to save their careers, the baby, and each other.

My Perspective

I have a soft spot for sister relationships and narratives about those relationships...I'm raising three sisters who are all very different people despite the fact that they have the same mother and father and grew up together. Waverly and Charlie's lives are like night and day, but over miles and years, their connection is unbreakable. Their story ends a little "sunnier" and happier than I normally like, but I truly enjoyed this adventure with the sisters...even though there were a few things about their "detainment" that were a little unbelievable...I still believed it.

A fun read for sure...that left me with a smile and a warm heart.

The Author

Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures living and traveling in fifty countries around the world provide excellent grist for her stories. She holds an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College and a BA in Literature from Huntington University, and she studied creative writing at Oxford University during college. Currently, Rachel lives in beautiful Seattle, Washington with her husband and two young children. Rachel enjoys creating stories about hope and courage with a hint of romance and a touch of whimsy.