Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

Katie Ganshert’s newest book Wishing on Willows is available now via Amazon.  Amazing read.  Robin is a widowed mother of a three-year old rambunctious son with an amazing family. With her husband Micah, she visited cafes on their honeymoon and decided to eventually open one themselves.  Life came along and the cafe was pushed aside until after her husband died.  With the help of her family and friends, the Willow Tree Cafe became a reality.   The cafe has become a healing place for her and others– she makes every coffee and pastry with her heart.  Some nights, she plays her mother’s baby grand piano in the loft for the customers.  She looks at the cafe and the nearby outreach ministry as a helping hand to the community of Peaks.

Disclosure: I received Wishing on Willows for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Enter Ian.  A divorced developer with an eye on Peaks for the new condos he must build to redeem himself to his father.  Except… where he wants to build these condos is right where the Willows Tree Cafe sits.  Ian doesn’t give up. The town is divided– some want the condos, others don’t.  Ian and Robin must make a tough decision.

I LOVED Kate’s first book, Wildflowers From  Winter.  It is probably one of the best books I have read, and have reread it several times while waiting for her second book.  I seriously think I love Wishing on Willows more than the first.  The characters she writes are absolutely amazing.  You can see yourself tucked into a corner at the Willow Tree Cafe with a cup of coffee, a pastry, and a book.  You can see Robin’s son running through the cafe with his toy tractor.  You can hear the piano music wafting down from the loft while Robin plays.  You can feel the love and compassion Robin has for God, her family, her community, and for life.

You can smell the coffee brewing, hear the espresso machine churning, and smell the muffins and pastries baking… that is when the oven is working.

I laughed.  I cried.  I wanted to stand up with Robin at the town council meeting.  I wanted to fight for the Willow Tree Cafe.  I wanted to move to Peaks to be Robin’s friend.

A story of second chances.  Second chances at love.  Second chances at dreams.  Second chances at life.

Katie has an amazing gift with story-telling and characters.  The stories are heart-warming and healing and sweet.  Her characters are real and you want to get to know them better, to become their friends.  I am looking forward to reading everything Katie writes in the future.

Definitely a must-read.  Can’t wait for the next one!  I can only sit and wait and reread Wishing on Willows… meanwhile, if you haven’t already… check out Wildflowers From Winter!  And, learn more about Katie on her website and blog.

This momma gives Wishing on Willows TWO THUMBS UP.

Katie Ganshert graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her husband and their young son. She is the author of Wildflowers from Winter.