The Best Is Yet To Come

Shirley J.      Adult Fiction Romance      New beginnings for a girl, a guy and a dog in Washington State

The Best Is Yet To Come by Debbie Macomber    456 pages

Excellent story about a young highschool teacher, Hope Godwin, who is reeling from the death of her twin brother.   Her landlord convinces her to volunteer at the local animal shelter he runs.  Unsure if this is for her she ends up becoming the only person able to reach a shell-shocked dog named Shadow that no one else can get near, but with her loving ways, patience and her unwillingness to see Shadow as anything but a sweet dog who just needs love, attention and the security of someone willing to believe he is redeemable in his corner, she not only reaches Shadow's heart and receives affection, trust and loyalty from him but her tenacity is also noticed by a damaged soldier working at the shelter.  The soldier, Cade Lincoln saw his best friends killed in Afghanistan and cannot get past his PTSD to function well among people.  He wishes he had been killed along with his friends and turns inward with his mentally destructive tendencies.  He sees Hope as a savior to the dog and as he relates to being onery and unloveable like Shadow, he sees maybe there is hope for his redemption, too.  A beautiful story of love, loss, redemption, renewal and love again for all involved.   There are issues with some of Hope's students that add to the plot and make this one of Debbie Macomber's best told stories.   I recommend this one to grade-schoolers on up.   It will touch the hearts of all who read it.