The Restarting Point

A truly emotional but light and uplifting story. I felt for Jade and everything she had gone through and now having to decide what to do to continue her life forward. I love the women and new friends she makes and even the light flirting with Liam. The story spoke to me in so many ways but it's also the way the author writes that makes you feel everything.

The Restarting Point is the debut book of the series of Chammont Point. It talks about Jade Kelly, a cancer survivor with a new lease on life, and is trying to start to take things slow and savor everything that comes her way. One of these is to take a family vacation to Chammont Point at a cabin by the lake to relive fond family memories. The book starts when Jade is at the cabin assessing everything and alone. This book is my first encounter with the author, and I am pleased with the plot, writing, and characters. I could not put it down once I got all my emotions out as I read it! The story is from the first-person POV - Jade's. This type of narrative provides an intimacy between the main character and the reader. Although readers will develop deeper connections with Jade as she shows readers everything inside her head, this technique limits readers' empathizing with the other characters like her family and her new friends in Chammont Point. Jade's new outlook and a second chance in life pushed her to reconnect with her husband and sons and then find a set of unlikely yet beautiful friends in the process. Good thing she did the latter because the secrets and revelations that come out will knock Jade's world off its axis again. (Hint: this is has nothing to do with her illness.) Crushing news will send Jade further to the brink of "breakdown levels" that will spout the most curious of partnership to two special women who helped her sort things out. I liked how believable Jade's character is. She is flawed and broken but tries her best to start picking up her life after a traumatic ordeal. Jade never believed she was without fault with what ultimately happened, but she learns and starts seeing others' dichotomy - balancing the good and the bad - in their decisions, enabling her to accept how things turned out in the end. Readers may find the book's pace slow with its primary focus on Jade's story and struggles. The story does not leave much room for more character development for the supporting characters. But fear not! Two more books are coming in the series that I believe the rest of the characters will get more "page time" and round out the whole series in the end. I love the comedic elements injected from the crazy 50s-inspired neighbor, a "chip-off-her-shoulders" woman contractor to a flirtatious outdoor sports rental owner. These characters' moral support and advice were invaluable in shaping and directing the story to an ending that shows growth and maturity. In summary, I recommend The Restarting Point to readers who like second chance themes, exciting and thought-provoking characters, and a slow-build storyline. I "ugly-cried" so often (not less than three times) in the book, mostly during her and her husband's interactions. This book will make readers look forward to the next of the book series to find out the rest of Jade's new adventures, including the other quirky characters of Chammont Point.

I'm a big fan of Marci Bolden's writing and knowing she was starting a new series made me super happy! The Restarting Point showcases friendship, heartbreak and starting again and it was a wonderfully told story. Jade Kelly has spent the past year fighting cancer and she was lucky enough to beat it. Knowing that she wasn't able to spend time with her family as she would have liked, she is looking forward to the vacation they are all to take together. She is upset when her two sons cancel and her husband tells her that he has to work and is unable to go as well. She forges ahead and what she finds when she gets to her rental in Chammont Point isn't exactly what she was expecting, but she's going to make the most of it! What she does do is meet two very different women who she becomes quick friends with. Friends it turns out she's going to need more than she knows. When Jade heads home to get her life underway again with her family, she has a curve ball thrown at her. With the help of her new friends, Taylor and Darby, Jade begins to plot what the next phase of her life is going to look like. The three women are very different, yet they have all been through their share of challenging times. They are there for one another even when they may not agree and the friendships continue to grow and strengthen as the book moves along. Plus, a good dose of humor is thrown in for much needed levity! I was hooked from the very outset of this story. I needed to know what happened with Jade and her new friends. I'm very interested to see how things continue to unfold as the series continues! I'd highly recommend picking this one up!