Book Review

Braided Love

Author Jo Elizabeth Pinto © 2023

Genre: Contemporary/YA fiction

Available in print and eBook formats from Amazon/Kindel/D2D and other eBook sellers

 

By Ann Chiappetta

 

From the book jacket

 

Summer on the ranch seems safe and predictable for Brenda. All she has on her mind are trips into town with Nick Haynes and the horsehair rope she’s braiding so she can start training her Morgan colt, Tenacity. Then Cathy arrives from the city with a troubled past and an uncertain future. As Cathy adjusts to life in the country, both girls begin to figure out what family bonds really mean to them in a world that isn’t as simple as it appears.

 

Jo Elizabeth Pinto is the kind of writer who knows her craft. Her stories and characters grab you and don’t let go. You will be thinking about this story months after reading it.

 

I am fortunate to have interviewed Jo; her soft-spoken voice and humble attitude are charming qualities but it is her passion about telling a good story and showing readers what it means to be human I find most intriguing.

 

Jo writes characters who aren’t perfect. Most are broken and scarred yet jo E. Pinto weaves in hope and healing.

 

Let’s not forget about the conflicts presented in this family story.

 

Brenda and Cathy’s instant dislike of one another might seem typical girl drama but when one goes deeper into the story, the onion is peeled and the reader is drawn into situations and emotions much deeper than superficial girl stuff. The adults presented in this book are also facing conflict and I found the author’s skills in introducing them into the story masterful. The family’s constellation of surviving pain is balanced by love. Romantic love, filial love. Binding friendships are woven into this wonderful, memorable story of keeping what is important and cherished within a family and among friends.

 

I would recommend this book to young adults and general readers and anyone interested in family-related subjects involving adoption and foster care and children with disabilities.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars