Loving Jenna by Amy Lillard

I am alway so excited when I get a book in a favorite series.  I get to go back to one of the places I wish I lived, Wells Landing.  

From the back: In this new novel set in the beloved Oklahoma Amish community of Wells Landing, three generations of women challenge themselves and each other to make a fresh start in faith, family--and love.

Jenna Burkhart is tired of being "special" and hearing about what she can't do. Even though she suffered a head injury in a childhood swimming accident, she wants a life of her own just like any Amish woman. But now that she, her mamm, and her mammi have moved to Wells Landing, she's having a hard time fitting in. . . . Until she meets Buddy Miller, a boy just like her, who gives her the confidence to reach for the impossible . . .

Like Jenna, Buddy is used to being the boy no one expects much from, the one people see as "different." Still, being around Jenna's lively, kind-hearted ways makes him strive ever-harder to become the self-sufficient Amish man she deserves. But in the face of family disapproval and their own fears, will Jenna and Buddy's courage be enough to give them a forever happiness together?

So not only is this book set in my favorite corner of the fiction world it also touches on topics near and dear to my heart.  INCLUSION and REPRESENTATION.  There are not a lot of stories that represent people of the disabilities community.  People like my children.  

This book shows that people with disabilities want what everyone else wants.  A normal life.  The main characters, Jenna and Buddy, don't want to be seen as "special".  They want to work, fall in love, and get married.  But just like real life, things don't always run smoothly.  Jenna and Buddy's mamms are having a hard time letting go.  

Overall this book touched a really special place in my heart.  Amy Lillard really did an excellent job with the characters and representing and including characters with disabilities.  It was so awesome to see them take the main stage as well.  I really hope she writes more about Jenna and Buddy.  

So take a trip back to Wells Landing and pick up Loving Jenna.  Happy Reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*