Customer Reviews

The Someday List (Jubilant Soul Series #1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Someday" I want to give Stacy Hawkins Adams a big hug for writing this awesome story. While I acknowledge that the Lord inspires Christian Fiction authors, the artist is one who actually toils to bring the work to the pages of a book. Stacy Hawkins Adams efforts were not in vain. The characters of Rachelle and Gabe Covington, Aunt Irene and Melba, Uncle Charles and Troy all reminded me of people in my own life. They were real family and friends that I loved and rooted for as I turned each and every page. The small, quaint, city of Jubilant was a refreshing change, as so many African-American novels are set in urban cities. I can see why Rachelle made the journey there. It made me want to sell my house and move to place where life felt simpler. Now that's good writing.

As a symbol of purpose and destiny, the "someday list" itself, served the story well. I have a list of goals and I have timelines to complete them. I check my schedule a few times a year to see if I'm on task. Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not, but I am the quintessential list person. However, there was something different about the "someday list" in this novel, even for a planner like myself. Something I describe as the spiritual fiber that may always exist in our list of to do's and to accomplish.

The Someday List made me think about myself and my life. The life lessons were hard to miss. I'm hard pressed to believe anyone would close its pages and not feel the same way. So I give this book the highest review I can assign, because not only did I enjoy it, I was challenged. In my opinion that's the role of literature, to shape our conscious thinking and inspire our actions in a way that also entertains us. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who feels the same.

Please see my interview with the author at [...]

What do you want to accomplish in life? What are your goals? These questions, asked by a childhood friend who is now dying of cancer, along with other things going on in her life, cause Rachelle, the beautiful wife of a wealthy cardiac surgeon and mother of two beautiful children, to take a hard look at her life. She doesn't like what she sees. Her husband, though a good provider materially, isn't meeting her emotional needs. Her life is a round of tennis games, manicures, workouts, parties and volunteering at the "right" jobs. When her husband is in Uganda on a mission trip with his partner and her children are at her parents', she visits her aunt and uncle in her college town, and runs into an old flame, who was more than just a flame. Does she return to her past, or stick with the present? You'll have to read the book to know.

Both Rachelle and her husband appear to have everything; yet both are empty inside. Other people suggest to them that finding Jesus will solve their problems, putting this book squarely in the "find Jesus and solve your problems" type of Christian literature Both have religious discussions with other people and both wonder if they can accept Christianity.

I enjoyed the book, but there is nothing subtle about the religious messages in it.

SYNOPSIS: Rachelle Covington has it all. Will she give up everything to recover the past? Or will she find a reason to plan for the future?

INSPIRATIONAL FICTION |4| Shawneda Marks

REVIEW: Most people daydream about the life they believe Rachelle Covington lives. Successful husband, beautiful children and a lavish lifestyle as a stay at home mother. Her mother and sister remind her constantly that she is blessed beyond measure with the trappings of the American dream. Behind the scenes she is battling with the consequences of living her life by other people's rules instead of following her heart.


Gabe Covington has a beautiful loving supportive wife. He is adored by the two well mannered adorable children his wife left her career to raise. His status as one of the nation's brightest and best cardiac surgeon's is well established. Gabe Covington has it all, so why is he oblivious to the fact he may lose it?


THE SOMEDAY LIST is a riveting story. Stacy Hawkins Adams also takes you behind the scenes to the life of a woman who by all superficial standards should be happy. From the initial introduction the main characters develop and become real with each scene. The plot has several quirky twists and unexpected believable points. The scenery and description balanced and crisp enabling readers to step into the world the characters live in. Dialogue and character interaction present biblical principle and spark introspection. With THE SOMEDAY LIST, Ms. Hawkins reaches down into the soul of readers and makes them examine the life they have come to live and who they thought they would be.

This is my first time reading a title by Stacy Hawkins Adams but it will not be my last. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thought provoking entertaining read.

The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams is an inspiring and empowering read. I enjoyed this novel because it was not your traditional Christian fiction read. Adams has her own unique and distinctive voice, one that is fresh and has shown growth and maturity with each book. In the Someday List, Adams dealt with issues realistically without being preachy. She creatively crafted and balanced secular and non-secular topics. Also, I liked that she kept things believable and did not feel compelled to wrap up everything in a neat box. Someday List characters were well-developed including the secondary characters. True to real life, there were characters I loved, I liked, I laughed out loud with, I cried with and others I loved to hate. But, all of the characters were memorable and while flawed each of them still had some redeeming qualities.

The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams is an entertaining and engaging read, and a page-turner which held my attention from page one until the end. It is an honest and refreshing look at life, faith, relationships, marriage and family. It so captured me that I wanted to and was able to read it in one sitting. It is a novel that I recommend to Christian fiction fans, as well as, those who just enjoy a good storyline and a good book. APOOO Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars

Reviewed by Yasmin Coleman
APOOO BookClub

Rachelle Covington is living a life most of us can only dream about. But not even the dream home, fancy car and wealthy husband can stave off the feelings of emptiness. These feelings really begin to overwhelm her after she receives a call from a childhood friend with news that makes her push pause on her own life and do some deep self-examination.

Determined not to let her life be more than a shallow, superficial existence that is based mainly on appearance and material possessions, Rachelle returns to her hometown with hopes to gain a clear perspective on every aspect of her life. What she doesn't expect is to come face to face with an unresolved issue from her past that, if allowed, could jeopardize everything.

The Someday List is a magnificent literary offering that even the staunchest critic of Christian fiction would enjoy. It is well written, with characters one can easily identify with, a plot that is real and has affected people of every race, creed, color and nationality. And while this novel is Christian fiction, it is in no way "preachy." Instead, it speaks to you softly and subtly, just like the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Simply put, The Someday List is a book that greatly benefits everyone who reads it.

Renee Williams
All the Buzz

Great read! This book really gets you to evaluating your life and the things that you want to accomplish out of life. Definitely a page turner. The author grabs your attention at the very beginning and keeps you wondering until the very end! I am awaiting the second novel in this series.

I love books about hope, redemption, and healing. This story is all that, and more. The Someday List moved me to tears on more than one occasion, but they were not sorrowful tears. They were the kind of tears that make you want to hug your family and show more love. The kind that make you want to ask for forgiveness and offer it to others. Everything about this story was done right. It was hard to put down and I kept wanting to pick it up at every opportunity to read it. I loved the themes, the spiritual lessons and the insight. This story went beyond the warm fuzzies and dug deep into the heart, but yet it made my heart sing, too.

Without giving away any spoilers I just have to say that I really appreciated the author's unique approach to forgiveness in a novel. Like having the characters look each other in the eyes and say what they really think so they can put the past behind them and truly love who they are with. I loved that. This story is honest, heartfelt, and contains flawed characters that make them seem all the more real. I was pulled into the story from the very beginning and could totally relate to the heroine's journey every step of the way.

I highly recommend this book and can't say enough good things about it! I just don't want to give away any pivotal points in my review so you have to check it out for yourself to see what I mean.

If you are going through marriage issues and struggling with faith, this is for you. This book couldn't have had better timing for me. I know this is fiction but the facts are still there. God is always there, even for heathens like me.

Before the Someday List, I hadn't read any books by Stacy Hawkins Adams, but the blurb on this book intrigued me. Rachelle Covington is ten years into her marriage. After a call from a childhood friend, her life is thrust into unexpected turmoil when she wonders who she is. She's lived so long to meet others' demands, that she's unsure what she wants and was created to do.

This book wasn't easy to read. Not because of any writing issues, but the subject. Who hasn't had times that they've struggled with purpose and discontentment. Rachelle's questions and her desperation to come up with even one goal for the next 15 years of her life can strike chords.

And the marital issues are all too real. It felt like I'd crawled into her skin and went through each question and choice with her. The book has a definite message, but I would have loved to see another chapter or two that fleshed out the hard work in front of Rachelle and Gabe. This book would be a great one to give to a friend who is struggling with an early mid-life crisis or marriage issues.

That said, don't think it's a preachy book or one you shouldn't read for fun. No, instead you need to realize that it's a book that might make you think as you enjoy it.

I truly enjoyed The Someday List. I think that the main character, Rachelle Covington, is someone that many people could relate to. She has everything: beautiful children, handsome husband, wealth, and societal status. However, she feels trapped in an unhappy marriage. Throughout the novel, we see her struggle with maintaining her current marriage or giving in to feelings for her first husband. I enjoyed seeing the spiritual changes in the main characters, but the ending was sort of a let down. I wanting more resolution. Overall, the book was a fast read, and I would definitely recommend to others.