Customer Reviews

Follow Your Heart

5 star:		(12)
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Follow Your Heart has told the story that every adoptee and birthparent wishes to have happen to them. I started reading this story, knowing full well that it was a novel about a very serious subject and found myself wishing and hoping that all the stories of adopted people the world over ended this way, with love and sunshine all around.

Finding out that you are adopted is one of the most intense bits of information that a person could possibly stumble upon, and to have to do it in the darkest of times as Sara did, well, that is one of the worst ways to have it happen. It ruins everything that you ever thought you were or would become. Unless you are strong willed and adaptable. Many of your pre-set ideas and conditions you placed on yourself have to become less rigid and a whole lot more flexible. I applaud Ms Paris in her well defined drawing of the life of Sara and the situations she faces. I also highly congratulate her on her understanding of her birthmother and birthfather characterizations. She has taken the walk and understands all the emotions and feelings that happen when a person suddenly is confronted with this. Even if they have known about being adopted all of their lives, the feelings and emotions are relevant. And the wishes for the ending that everyone wants to be so promising and full. Sara finds herself and unwittingly helps her birthparents to finally find themselves also.

Follow Your Heart is a most excellent read for anyone, but especially for those who have walked the walk. Read it, give it to someone you love, give it to someone you know who may need it. It is a wonderful book.

Sara Martin was orphaned at the age of 8 and lovingly raised thereafter by her Aunt Reni. Shocked to her core by Reni's sudden death shortly after her college graduation, Sara has yet another, potentially more monumental shock to come. A letter in Reni's safety deposit box addressed to Sara reveals the devastating news that she was adopted as an infant.

With a copy of her original birth certificate her only clue to her origins, Sara hires charismatic private investigator Dennis Miller to search for her birth parents.

As the novel unfolds, Sara eventually meets her entire birth family, including her taciturn and enigmatic father and his young son.

This is a charming, upbeat story about what COULD happen in these types of searches and the fantastic results Sara achieves, results which will enrich her life even as she herself breathes fresh new life into the lives of those she meets.

Lori Paris's characters, including the 4-legged ones, are warm and 3-dimensional, and I guarantee you will fall in love with them as you read this well crafted, uplifting story.

A Story That Will Touch Your Heart!

Lori Paris is a talented and gifted writer with the unique ability to capture your attention-and your heart- from the first page of her novel! "Follow Your Heart" tells the story of Sara Martin who suffers the loss of her parents when she is only eight years old. She is raised by her beloved Aunt Reni, until an aneurysm takes her life, and Sara must face the death of another loved one.

She is just out of college, with her whole life ahead of her, yet Sara feels that her world has collapsed. She has lost her parents and her aunt, and with no other family, Sara is totally alone. As if Sara doesn't have enough sorrow, she discovers she was adopted as an infant. Now she thinks her whole life has been a lie and believes she belongs to no one. My heart went out to this young woman who was devastated when she learned about the adoption. But, Lori Paris weaves a beautiful and believable story about how life can beat you down, then lift you back up, and smother you with gifts of love and blessings.

This is a must read for anyone who has been adopted, wants to adopt a child, or may give a child up for adoption. For those of us that have not been personally exposed to the adoption world, it teaches a very valuable lesson about family, love, commitment and sacrifice. "Follow Your Heart" is a wonderful, uplifting story that leaves you believing all is right with the world. I wanted to keep reading more, but closed the book with a smile on my face and a feeling of calm contentment. I look forward to the next book by Lori Paris!

Susan Kay
Author of "Letters For Sarah"
Idaho
3-28-04

Thank you, Lori Paris, for weaving such a sentimental and enriching read. The reader is literally swept away and becomes a part of Sara Martin's heartfelt search for her birth parents -- people she only just found out about at the age of 21, on the sad occasion of her last remaining relative's death. Lori Paris does such an excellent job with rich detail that for the timeframe that you are reading the book, you morph into Sara's close friend, cheering for her to find her happy ending. And she does find a doozy of one -- not without her share of struggle and conflict, but the author wraps everything up very well at the rewarding and satisfying end.

Follow Your Heart is not only suspenseful, but also heartbreaking and hope-filled at the same time. Lori Paris is at a place where many dare not go, and through writing this book, the blessing that she received was to reveal the secret of the human heart, and that love fills our emptiness and loneliness. She took on a difficult subject in a sensitive manner. Because of its uncalculated emotions, she explored the fragility of not only adoptees but also their families with tender care. And in a gentle, loving manner, she brought out the hidden message of her book; that is, to teach the reader to take a chance on the feelings of their heart. She walks the reader down the path of pain, and in the process, discovers love and being loved by a new family, and encourages the reader to take a leap of faith and go on to a hope-filled future.

Paris has written a sweet and fictional love story about adoption. But this is not just a sappy love story. It is about loving and losing, loving again, and loving forever. This is also a must read for any Late Discovery Adoptee (LDA). There are very few books out there that touch on LDA's and their unique circumstances of finding out their adoption status as adults. Paris has a great command of the language and she carries you along. You feel like you are there with her and I had trouble putting it down. It has an incredibly beutiful ending that makes one hope for a better life. "Follow Your Heart" reminds us to do just that...follow our hearts!

Kasey Hamner, M.S., adoptee and author of "Whose Child?" and for LDA's, "Adoption Forum"

Follow Your Heart is a beautifully written novel. Sara has been living with her aunt since she was eight years old. When her aunt dies, Sara discovers the family secret. She was adopted. Lori Paris draws you into Sara's search for her birth parents. This is an inspirational and compelling story. A must read.

Lori Paris' first novel, "FOLLOW YOUR HEART" is sure to become a favorite. Persons needing to have a guide or a gentle nudge in finding birth parents will surely be captured in heart, mind and spirit with Lori's book. While reading Lori's book, I kept thinking how "in depth" and emotionally turbocharged the characters appeared. It was one day after I completed the book, that I found out Lori's book was fiction based on truth. A truth, so undeniably real, it was almost as though the characters were alive in my mind. Sara Martin, the heroine of the story is catapulted into a nightmare-a nightmare of uncertainty. As a small child, Sara's parents were viciously murdered. Her only living relative, Aunt Irene, fondly called Reni, takes on the task of raising Sara and teaching her the skills Sara will need as an adult. With Reni's help, Sara becomes a warm, loving soul whose only aim in life is to please her aunt, who has instilled in her, the will to succeed. The story begins with college graduation, a time of excitement and realizing she would soon have the opportunity to fulfill her dreams. Sam Evans, the love her life, although Sara wouldn't admit it, became thrust together in solid friendship and love with the sudden death of Reni. Sara, disheveled and alone turns to Sam for support. Fear grips Sara when she finds out, through papers locked in a safe deposit box, that she had been adopted. What would Sara do? Would she hire a detective to search for her birth parents? Would she be welcomed with open arms or suffer the unknown? How will she react to learning the in-depth reason for being given up for adoption? What were the circumstances surrounding her birth parents and the decision that would unravel the very essence of time-urgent time for patience and understanding? What is the meaning and symbol for the title, "FOLLOW YOUR HEART?" It's all revealed in Lori's book-a book of warmth, love, compassion and truth. "FOLLOW YOUR HEART" and read Lori's book. 5 stars, Lori!

Lori Paris reveals the complexities and challenges of the ability to search for a new identity through FOLLOW YOUR HEART. Lori understands and conveys courage and daring in this unfolding journey where nothing is guaranteed. Her work demands insight and balance of emotions with integrity and clarity of processing. She gains both and enables the reader to share a new perspective as the journey is traveled together. The reader can only gain from this work.

With her flair for detail, Lori Paris takes you right where she wants you to be--right into the thoughts and life of Sara Martin. You will feel Sara's grief in losing those she loves and with the loss of identity when she discovers that she is adopted. You will feel her joy when she realizes her strengths and 'will not quit' character which helps her move forward into romance, meaningful relationships and determination to find her birth parents. This story will touch your heart and inspire you to move forward.