Customer Reviews

If Tomorrow Never Comes

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES is a poignant love story between a woman longing for a baby and the man who once adored her as their marriage disintegrates like a sandcastle in the tide of their pain. What a riveting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Marlo's vivid descriptions and believable, likeable, and intricately-developed characters immediately drew me in to her story world. This book is reminiscent of a Nicholas Sparks or Karen Kingsbury novel in its powerful portrayal of real-life struggles and the discovery that only love can overcome shattered dreams and broken relationships.

I also loved Marlo's novel BEYOND THE NIGHT. If you like well-written, emotionally gripping fiction, read both of these books!

I believe in dreams--God-given dreams. Kinna's problem in "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is she has decided what her dreams are, and she has decided how to get there. She has believed the prideful and sometimes misguided notion of "you can do anything you put your mind to." Her struggle? Infertility. And she can't force the hand of God. Even if you've never faced infertility or chased a dream, you'll find yourself in these pages. The author tackles issues of father-son relationships, healing from a painful childhood, letting go, forgiveness, trusting God--all weighty issues. She also delves into issues within marriage as the married hero and heroine of her story face their weaknesses, their history, their love, and their hopes in the course of the story.

The book is listed as general contemporary fiction, but I'd call this a married couple romance. For those of us how enjoy that type of read, this is a rare find. But "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is so much more than a simple, or formulaic, read. Without preaching, Marlo drew me to Jesus, glorifying Him. And just when you think the story is about to wind down, it really winds up.

This is definitely one of the best books I've read in a while. She hooked me from the very beginning, and through her use of universal themes (see above) kept me turning pages through the end.

Highly recommended!

If Tomorrow Never Comes is part of a series with unrelated characters called Love Stories With a Twist. The author describes them as Nicolas Sparks meets M. Night Shymalan. I read this book in one afternoon. I read the first one Beyond the Night the same way. Both were excellent! The pace is slower but perfect for the story. It unfolds as you read and I found myself holding my breath in parts. The story is well written and the story at times poignant and painful. I felt like I was in the story and cared about what happened to Kinna and Jimmy and their marriage. And the ending comes with a surprising breathless twist. I can't wait for the next love story with a twist. I highly recommend this book and the first Beyond the Night. :)

If you like books with strong characters, this is one Christian fiction you cannot miss reading. Kenna and Jimmy are beautifully written. They think like I have thought. They argue like my husband and I have argued. Marriage experts say that communication is all important, and yet spouses continually guess at the other's motivations rather than ask about it. Communication may be Kenna and Jimmy's weak point. Characters like these are not found in most books.

On the other hand, if you prefer a plot-driven novel, here's your book! Schalesky writes a tapestry of a tale with clever interweaving of childhood memories. At one point, I actually said aloud, "Ahhh" as I figured out one twist. This plot moves along smoothly, with plenty of surprises. There's a locket, something about tulips, and games of "Let's Pretend" to figure out.

Thea's thoughts are written in first-person, while the other characters are written in third-person narrative. This helps separate her from the crowd. She's a confusing, crazy old lady who plays with everyone's minds, including the reader's. Because of her, the story seems a bit confusing at first, but hang on because like a roller coaster, it's about to take off!

A Reader's Guide is included. This is a perfect book club book because once finished, you will want to have someone around to discuss it.

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Angie's Take:</span> I love this book. I love the author's ability to give distinct voice and cadence to each character. The personalities have flavor and quirks. I can believe they inhabit my world. Marlo Schalesky has an easy grace that echoes in our own experience so that we can see, hear and think like the Kinna and not even realize how closely we relate. Kinna is easily every person who can be tempted to solve their own deepest desire and Jimmy is everyone of us that feels unworthy. A very worthy book.

http://GodUsesBrokenVessels.blogspot.com

Kinna Henley wants to be a mother. She wants it so badly it has become an obsession with her, coming ahead of everything else, but she can't seem to get pregnant. She has reached the point where she will do anything to achieve her goal. But Jimmy, her husband, is tired of her constant nagging. He feels like a failure and he's ready to walk away from Kinna, away from their marriage. Jimmy's father was an abusive drunk. He has always known he wasn't good enough for Kinna, knew he couldn't measure up. He has problems at home, problems at work, and he's reached the breaking point. Then Kinna saves an old woman from drowning, and she appears to know too much about Jimmy and Kinna. She gives good advice, but can she get Kinna to listen?
A heart-gripping story about a man and woman who come close to losing the one thing they love most. Likable characters with very real problems the reader can identify with. A real page turner. This one is full of surprises.

If Tomorrow Never Comes by Marlo Schalesky is an intriguing forward thinking novel that is sure to surprise its readers. Kinna and Jimmy Henley have loved each other since childhood, but for Kinna, her perfect life always included children. That dream lies unfulfilled, and their marriage is dying along with it. The events of one day will change everything for them, but only if they believe.Schalesky does a terrific job of showing both sides of a floundering marriage. Both husband and wife think they are completely in the right and can't see the pain they each are inflicting. Kinna has set her mind on having the perfect family, and that includes a child, so when she can't have one, she blames God, Jimmy, and everyone around her, leaving her bitter and lashing out. Jimmy has always tried to be everything to Kinna, but when he can't provide the only thing she wants, he feels like a complete failure and that colors every aspect of his life.Schalesky doesn't sugarcoat this couple, and the book thrives because of it. I love the unexpected twist that brings the book full circle.Schalesky just gets better and better.

If Tomorrow Never Comes is another beautiful, outside-the-box story from Marlo Schalesky. At turns painful and joyful, it was inspiring to see God work in the lives of two people who are so in love and yet so broken by infertility and the shadows of the past. Highly recommended!

My mom actually got to read this book before I did and the plot twists left her a bit unsettled at first. I, on the other hand, was enthralled from the first chapter. When I pointed out to my mom how Marlo's writing style is much like the surprising, and sometimes challenging, story telling of Angela Hunt, she started looking at the story through new eyes. In the end, we both fell in love with this artfully crafted tale, made all the more personal to me because of my own journey through infertility.

While a previous reviewer stated that the plot line of Kinna's desperation over childlessness reminded her of the immaturity of a teenager or that the story could have just as easily been about any other addiction that separates us from God, I have to argue that the emotions processed through If Tomorrow Never Comes are a very real reflection of my own struggles with God through a decade of infertility:
- Desperation? Yes.
- Spiritual immaturity? Yes, but hopefully one that refines the main character, along with the reader, toward a deeper relationship with God.
- Realistic portrayal of such shattering grief? Absolutely so, from my perspective!

This is a work of fiction, and as such, the author is free to take artistic license with her perspectives on time and space. But to anyone questioning Marlo's liberties with temporal and spatial laws, I offer this simple challenge; How big is your God? If He is big enough to create this universe, is He not big enough to work outside of the very laws of nature as well?
Be it through the message He births within the heart of an author, or in the realities of our daily lives, my God is a God of wonders who cannot be held within the confines of my limited imagination. This book led me on a wonderful journey that reminded me, once again, that we serve an amazing Lord!

Jennifer Saake
author, Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage & Adoption Loss

I loved this book. Kinna is a nurse who suffers from infertility. She is married to Jimmy, her childhood sweetheart. One day she is in a position to steal some pergonal and does. Unfortunately when the time is right, instead of going to bed with her, Jimmy walks out. He accuses her of wanting a baby more than she wants him. Things go downhill from there.

I am fortunate that infertility is not a cross I've had to bear. Margo Schalesky is a wonderful writer and really made me feel both Kinna's pain and the pain of her husband, who feels like he can never to things right. I'm not one who usually describes books as "poignant" or writing as "lyrical" but both those words crossed my mind in reading this book. Mixed into the story of Kinna and Jimmy is the story of Thea, an old woman Kinna rescues from drowning and Joe, and old man who turns out to be more than that.