Julia Monroe Begins Again

I cannot express enough how much this book made me smile. It's been a hard month, and Rebekah Millet delivered with the comedic relief, mixed with the sweetest romance, I needed. 

Julia Monroe Begins Again is the debut novel by Rebekah Millet, and it does not disappoint. From the very first line, 

“In hindsight, scheduling my first routine mammogram on my fortieth birthday may not have been a wise choice."

to the last page, this novel is filled with humor, second chances, faith-building moments, and oh-so-sweet romantic gestures. 

Samuel is a former Green Beret. Julia is a 40-something that cleans houses for a living. Each have dreams and a different view of their past. 

Samuel is determined to win Julia's heart back. Julia is determined to stay the heck away from Samuel. 🤣 

I really liked the perspective of Julia being in her 40s, an empty-nester, and not quite having her career path figured out. She did what she needed to do and focused on raising her children. But now, she is caught between a dream and doubt. I think many of us can relate, and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. 

Samuel and Julia both are dreaming new dreams, and it reminded me of this quote by C.S. Lewis. 

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

The character development of Samuel was by far my favorite. It really showed that God can change a person and make them a new creation. This story line was convicting and encouraging. How often do I judge someone based on their past instead of their present? It's important to get to know someone in the now of what God has done in their lives.

I loved the side characters! Best friends, cranky parents, and Julia's sons! 

Overall, I laughed. I gasped in shock. I cried. I laughed some more. And I swooned. Any story that can take me on a range of emotions is a 5+star in my book!   

                                                                                         

About the Book:

Title: Julia Monroe Begins Again

Author: Rebekah Millet

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Publication Date: October 24, 2023

Julia Monroe has just turned forty and has high hopes for a fresh start after the last decade of her life abruptly left her a young widow and a single mom. With both her boys off to college, she can finally focus on expanding her New Orleans-based cleaning business. Julia is ready for new beginnings--but God has other plans. Samuel Reed, the ruggedly handsome Green Beret who shattered her heart over twenty years ago, has returned to town and is the kind of distraction she never saw coming.

After their first interaction in years leaves her mind spinning and her emotions out of control, Julia knows she needs to avoid him if she wants any chance of preventing history from repeating itself, but her meddling best friend keeps throwing them together. And now it seems inevitable that the man who was hard to forget might just be impossible to resist.