Blog Tour: Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes

Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes

Published: November 11, 2014

Format: Copy via Booksparks

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Rating: 4/5
Buy the book: Amazon Kindle / Amazon Paperback

Synopsis

After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte s husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be.

As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter’s mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte s relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship.

My Thoughts

Talk about a touching story that will grip your soul! Stillwater Rising is the story of a community trying to recover after a recent school shooting. I love how in this story we get the points of view of the aftermath from different residents and how it affected them all differently. We hear from Jenn who has lost her youngest child and how certain people want her to move on, like her husband as if nothing has happened. There’s Charlotte the mayor who is trying to help and heal her town while trying to deal with her husband the principal of the school all while being pulled into different directions from the citizens, some want closure while others are mad and can’t seem to forgive. Lastly there is the shooters mom whom it seems has taken the most hits from people in town.

This story hits home with all the sadness that has taken place with school shooting around the country. While we always feel sad and heartache from the family victims, we sometimes forget about the shooters family. While what he did was horrible and unforgettable why are these people sometimes forgotten. I’ll be honest I’m one of those people who doesn’t really think of them after the tragedies. Don’t these people grieve just like all others? We tend to blame and look down on the parents when in actuality can we really blame them? No one has control over anyone else; sadly putting the blame on others doesn’t help in what happened.

No matter how you feel about the subject there is no denying that this book will touch you no matter what. The bottom line isn’t blame or hate what I took away is forgiveness and compassion. Although it is easier said than done no hurt is greater than another. I’m a strong believer in forgiving not so much for others but for you.  You will never be able to move on without forgiving. I can’t say enough great things about this book even though it’s a tough subject matter it’s one that’s poignant in the world today.  

     About the author
With a passion for storytelling, Steena Holmes took her dream of being a full-time writer and made it a reality, writing her first novel while working as a receptionist. She won the National Indie Excellence Book Award in 2012 for her bestselling novel Finding Emma. Steena currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs. She likes to celebrate completing each new novel with chocolate.

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