This collection includes books 1 to 3 that chronicle the adventures of Ginnie West, her brother Toran, and their best friend Tillie Taylor. The two girls scheme and plot throughout the books to get Tillie’s mom together with Ginnie and Toran’s dad.

I love the antics of the three along with their friends. Ginnie’s uncles add to the story. I also enjoy seeing how all the members interact. The more I read of these books, the more I continued reading to see how the story would turn out. Having read these books as standalone books, I have to say I prefer the idea of them being in a collection.

The stories read rather quickly and perfectly suit preteens. The author includes antics, friendship, family, faith, and more meaningful way. The plot lines maintained my interest. The books build on one another, so having the three books in one collection makes it easier to continue reading without having to get additional books. So if you have young adults in your life, check out these books for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own. ( )

The Secret Sister’s Club

This was a good book about two girls and their friendship. Can you remember who your best friend was growing up? I can still see me running across the street every afternoon to go to my best friends house. We would sit in her room, play records and talk for hours . She was a bright spot in my life and maybe someday I’ll get to tell her how much I appreciated her.

Ginny and Tillie are wonderful characters. I love their friendship and how much they stuck together through bad times and good times. They hatch a plan that reminded me a lot of The Parent Trap. Oh how I could feel both these young girls pain as one dealt with the death of their parent and the other one deals with a patent that deserts her. They yearn to be a family and have high hopes that their plan will work.

I really enjoyed reading about the horses and how much fun they had riding them. Do you remember when you were younger and wanted a horse? Funny I never did because they scared me. I liked looking at them, but to own one was out of the question. I really liked when Gennie finds her mother’s journals. I wondered if Gennie would be able to handle what her mother wrote. The emotions in the story were good as each girl deals with family issues, wanting to belong, letting go of the past and finding happiness.

I understood that the author was trying to portray the yearnings of a young girl who wanted both a mother and father. It was hard to read at times how much this girl hurt because she felt abandoned. The other girl is not so sure she wants to share her father and second thoughts pop in her head. The journals were the most intriguing to me because we witness the words that a mother wrote about her life and I had hopes that the journals would heal a broken heart.

Come join the fun as we mingle among the families in the story. Two young girls on the cusp of being teenagers find themselves in trouble at times but are surrounded by love. They laugh together and share their hurts with each other. There may be subjects in the book that parents may want to discuss with their children before they read the book. The author handles these subjects with care and understanding of the target age group for the book. It is a family story that will warm your heart. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Trouble Blows West

I am really enjoying reading this series and highly recommend this for middle school through adults. The first book introduced us to Ginnie, Toran and Tillie where we were able to see how close family and friends are. This story is a bit more in-depth and the subject is be that needs to addressed more. Bullying is something I went through growing up. It was horrible to go to school everyday where I was teased by a group of girls. I never told anyone because I didn’t think anyone would care.

The author does a very good job of showing what happens when bullying gets out of hand. I can understand why Toran was so upset with his sister for stepping in and protecting him from the bully. How embarrassing it was for a girl to fight his battle. Ginnie thought she was doing the right thing but she soon finds out there are consequences for her actions. I applauded her dad for handling it the way he did. He never backed down even when Ginnie gets an attitude with him.

There is always a reason why someone is a bully and in this story we see another side that we don’t often think about. The kids were so determined to get back at this boy that anger took over. I liked how the story focuses on working through problems instead of continuing the fight back and forth. I won’t tell what happens in the story but it was something we all need to be aware of. Sometimes when a child acts out, it could be a cry for help.

Simply West of Heaven

Warning!! If you haven’t read the first two books in this series it is a must. The books introduce you to the characters and allow you to get to know them. This book is by far my favorite. I have already fallen in love with Ginnie, Tillie and Toran. They have shared many ups and downs but each time their bond grows stronger. Tillie so wants to be part of Ginnie’s family and maybe someday her prayers will be answered.

Ginnie is starting to ask more questions about her mother and it won’t be long before secrets are revealed. The author does a great job of building this storyline up as each chapter draws us closer to what Ginnie’s mother wrote in her journals. I’m a big fan of journals and like to write scriptures down, thoughts that I have and personal things that only my journal knows. Maybe someday I will share them with my children but for now I continue to journal my life to leave to my future family members.

There is more conflict in this story and we see a jealous side of Ginnie as she starts to realize she may be sharing her dad’s attention with a new mom and sister. I liked being able to read how she struggles at times with anger at her dad. She is so determined to find out what is in the journals that it causes a conflict in the family. Parents sometimes keep things from their children to protect them. I think a few times Ginnie needed to be grounded more. She develops an ugly attitude that continues through most of the book. It is a good example of how a young person copes with loss, feeling left out and confused.

Get ready for a few big surprises that will shake the family. One of the things I really liked about the story was the emphasis on forgiveness. We all do things we regret, and at some point we need to go to those we have hurt and make things right. This is a bit more emotional story but one that allows the main characters to express their feelings so others can help them.

This is the kind of series I would have loved to read as a child. As an adult I can appreciate it more because I was able to think back on my childhood. It wasn’t a good childhood, but I was always able to escape into stories like these. Thank you for writing a series that shows the reality of death, divorce and unconditional love in a way that young people can relate to. I am eagerly awaiting the next in this series because the author has left a little cliffhanger at the end.

I have enjoyed reading this series. It would be a great addition to any library . The stories were fun to read and very easy to relate to. I hope the author writes more about this wonderful family I have come to love.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )