Customer Reviews

Scrapping Plans (Scrapbookers, Book 3)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just happened to come by this book while researching infertility topics at our local library. When I saw that it was a fiction novel dealing with the topic, I thought "Great something to take my mind off the medical aspects of infertility."

The book was ok, not one of the most compelling ones I have ever read. My big problem with it was the author's lack of research into infertility treatments. You would think that if she was going to write a book about a woman's struggle with something as personal as infertility she would have done even the smallest amount of research. At least talked with some women dealing with it. Or perhaps find out the correct treatment steps. It's evident she did not.

Bottom line - if you are struggling with infertility, don't get suckered into reading this book. It just leaves you feeling annoyed!

The 4th book in the Sisters, Ink series by Rebeca Seitz. This one centers on the youngest sister, Joy, who was adopted as an infant from China. She is the quiet sister, the Martha Stewart wannabe with control issues. Joy desperately wants to have a baby, but fertility issues put a stress on her marriage.

The side plots include her sister Kendra's pending wedding and their widowed father's new romance with a woman very much unlike their mother. The sisters are close, sharing all aspects of their lives and having their traditional scrapping nights where they talk and conspire. Kendra and Tandy plot to run off their father's potential new wife and they all conspire to find out why Joy is withdrawn.

I really struggled with the writing and the lack of editing. The back cover blurb wasn't proofread either. The first sentence had an error in it and the remainder was made up of short, incomplete sentences. Blatant proofing errors really detract from the story.

Like the other books, this one is a light chick-lit story. However, it has some sober overtones as Joy and Scott work through their fertility struggles. The book alternates with first-person journal style chapters from Joy's point of view and third-person narratives. I found Joy's insights interesting, but somewhat melodramatic.

Like the other books in this series, it's predictable, with Christian faith-based lessons to be learned. I liked it. I didn't love it. I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could.

Scrapping Plans by Rebeca Seitz is the fourth book in the third book in the Scrapbooking series about a quartet of sisters making a life for themselves in their small Southern hometown. Kendra is engaged and planning her wedding. Tandy is a newlywed and reveling in married life. Meg is enjoying a busy life as a mother to three with husband who loves her. Joy's marriage is crumbling under the pressure of her inability to conceive and her husband's refusal to seek help. Toss into the mix their new scrapbooking business and their father's return to dating and the Sinclair sisters are busy again. This third volume in the series follows Joy through the ups and downs of trying to become a mother and visiting China to see the orphanage from which she was adopted. While I really enjoyed the story about Joy, her resolution seemed a bit easy, I didn't feel like the reader was able to really walk through her struggles with her. Also, the plotline about Daddy Sinclair dating seemed a bit immature. Tandy and Kendra acted more like teenagers in trying to foul their father's romance then adult women, and again their change of heart was a bit rapid. Also a subplot about Meg having headaches was emphasized throughout the first half of the book and completely dropped in the last half. I'm sure it will be picked up in the last book which will feature Meg. This wasn't the best book in the series, but it's a necessary read for fans of the the Sinclair sisters.

I have enjoyed each of the books in this series; can't wait for the last one with Meg. This book focuses on Joy and her struggle to get pregnant. It is a good read with all sorts of emotions - happiness, sorrow, excitement, etc. If you liked the first two, you will like this one too.

I love this author, she writes wonderfully. I'm looking forward to her next book in the series.

A little over a year ago (whenever it came out), I read Printz Charming by Rebeca Seitz. For reasons I can't even remember anymore, I wasn't all that impressed. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading Scrapping Plans - I definitely didn't expect to love it, especially since I jumped into the middle of the series without knowing what was going on. But I do love it! There's something about these four women that really caught and pulled me into their circle. I admired their family unity despite problems that might arise, and loved that they were completely frank with each other.

I wasn't able to fully relate to Joy's problems when it came to infertility and depression, but I really really felt for her and with her as I read her thoughts. The way the author shows Joy's heart is truly superb. I feel the book was worth it just for this peek into Joy's life and and her travels in China as she got to know the country she was born in. But the glimpses we see of the sisters' lives made me want to read the rest of the series - and I fully intend to! Someday. When I don't have a pile of books to be reviewed haunting my every thought. ;-)

You don't have to be a scrapbooking queen to enjoy Scrapping Plans, but if you are it'll only be that much more enjoyable for you! Happy reading!

I have really enjoyed the Sister's Ink series by Rebeca Seitz and was thrilled when the 3rd book arrived at my house. In the first book we met Tandy, and then in book two we got to know Kendra, now in book three we are getting inside Joy's head. Now in each situation you must remember that these gals are sisters by adoption. They are all from different backgrounds but with a common adopted mom and dad. Their mom has now passed away and they are all living in the little town of Stars Hill where their dad still lives and the room that they used to go to with their mom to scrapbook in is still where they converge when any of them is dealing with a dilema in life that they need each other's support in. In the first book Tandy finds love, in the second book Kendra finds love, in the third book we have Joy (who is already married) wanting to have a child so badly that she can't think about anything else - literally. Who's "fault" is it that she and her husband can't get pregnant? Will her marriage withstand getting pregnant? Will she go visit her homeland of China? What about the families there adopting Chinese babies? And in the middle of all these issues, her sisters lives aren't perfect either... Oh and what about dad dating Zelda??? And that ring he bought??? Hold up!
This book is a wonderful addition to the Stars Hill saga - and if you like scrapbooking then it will be a bonus to you that scrapbooking is what the sisters use to bond and resolve issues... I can't wait to really get to know Megan in book 4!

Scrapping Plans is a novel about four sisters, each of which have been adopted by Marilyn and Jack Sinclair. Their mother has passed away and as adults they still meet in their late mother's attic to work on scrapbook projects and work through life together.

Joy is the youngest sister. She was adopted from China and was always known as the quiet one. Her husband is struggling with infertility and when she needs support from her sisters they are busy planning a wedding, learning about dad's new romance, and a sister that may be pregnant.

In fact, the sisters are so busy they do not even notice Joy is in trouble. With a trip planned to China, Joy wonders if she will understand why her birth mother abandoned her. She faces the question of whether she should adopt a child from her homeland.

This novel, Scrapping Plans, shows the greatest truth comes from realizing God's plan for her life. Great Fun Read!

This is one in a series, and although it can be read without having read the previous books, it's best appreciated by reading in order. Joy is the protagonist in this novel. She is a contemplative perfectionist and much of the book is written showing her stream-of-consciousness thinking. Joy struggles with glum, unhappy thoughts and this makes for some rough reading. There are moments of glee, but there are not many.

The theme is infertility, adoption, and In Vitro Fertilization.

However, the Sinclair family is a tight-knit, loving bunch. That keeps a positive theme going that saves the novel from becoming mired in Joy's depression. In addition, there are pregnancies, scrapping, weddings, and trips to exotic places.

Unfortunately, there are some loose ends. Zelda and Jack obviously have some rough spots ahead in their marriage. Meg has those nagging headaches. What could be the cause of them? I guess these things will be settled in the next book. Fans of Sisters, Ink, will enjoy this. Clearly, it is not my favorite.

I love the play on words with this title, because it really means many different things. At least it did to me. One thing with this book that I would preface, is that I would definitely say it is for an older audience, college age and married. I would not give this one to a teen girl, because I feel the "marital bliss" although wonderful and fully appreciated would be out of place for a young reader.

Earnestly, I could hardly put the book down even in the sad parts. This is the third book in the Sisters, Ink Series. Reading the back cover or description blurb you know that it is about Joy Sinclair. She is the sister with Chinese ancestry. From the previous books you know that she is married and shy. Reading the pictures and description you know that she is having a bit of an issue with infertility, you know one of her sisters gets pregnant, and you know that she debates a trip to her "home land".



What you do not know is all of the twists and turns and amazing depths and insights that the author takes you on. Bits of the book are written in a journey or thought like entry from Joy's deepest thoughts. Going with her on this journey is incredibly moving and educational. As a reader, you think one thing is going to happen, and then something entirely different occurs. At first I was unsure if I was happy with the change, but Rebeca's writing guides you to a point without manipulation or controversy of your thoughts.



It is a fabulous story. I recommend it for a read, but I do recommend that you read the series in order, to fully appreciate what occurs in the lives of the Sinclair sisters.



As a person who has dealt with infertility and some of the almost same issues of the heart that occur in this book with sisters and other things this book was an incredible piece to open into my heart, and I feel extremely blessed that God brought it to me at this point in my life. Go read it, read them all! I cannot wait for the next one later this year!