Cloud Nine

LuAnne Rice is probably my favorite author. I've read several books this winter and by far, this was my favorite. You feel like Sarah is the girl next door that you've known all your life. It's such a sweet story with amazing content. The last twenty pages, I had to put down because I got so upset. Haven't read a book like this one in a long time. You will remember this one for sure. A great beach read!!!

Romances aren't really my favorite type of book but this is exceptionally good because it's very believable and very real. This story isn't dripping with unrealistic doting devotion. This story is so "real life".The characters are so easy to identify with as well as the jobs they have and the businesses they own. Life and love aren't always fair or easy to deal with, and this book touches on all of those things as well as the wonderful way the author describes the landscape and surroundings. I enjoyed this book a lot. Buy or borrow this book, you'll devour it and feel like you actually know these characters.

I just finished reading Cloud Nine and could not stop crying, nor could I put the book down until it was finished. Be sure to keep plenty of Kleenex handy, as you will need them for this book!This was one of the most beautiful love stories I have read and Luann Rice is quickly becoming another favorite author of mine. I just finished reading Home Fires by her the night before and now Cloud Nine - what an emotional ride!!Rice writes stories that grip your heart and soul and she does not let go until the story is over. Her character portrayal, especially of teen-agers, is so realistic, that you feel that they are your next-door neighbors and closest friends! Cloud Nine embraces all the nuances of family life, which has experienced death and familial loss, and the heartache that that causes. It embodies tragedy in multiple scenarios consisting of divorce, remarriage, cancer, and several deaths, yet, contained within all of these facts, there is a ray of faith and hope that life can and will get better. There is hope of reconciliation and the miracle of love working its magic. The character's live are not portrayed here as "perfect", but are wrought with dysfunction and pain, due to real-life experiences.I found this story's ending to be bittersweet and wish that it did end differently, but once again, I am reminded that life is not perfect and life sometimes does not play out as we want it to - it is just fe being life. Rice expertly captures that feeling with Cloud Nine and conveys it so beautifully to her readers. You are swept up into the emotions of the drama and you cannot help it.I absolutely loved this book and once again Rice demonstrates to us that love has a powerful and healing effect, on both the young and the old. Her message is of embracing life each and every day as a gift to yourself and to your loved ones, as one never knows what the next day will bring.

This is the first book I've read by Luanne Rice, but it won't be the last. I'm now online to find others by her. This was an impulse buy, after reading the story description on the back of the book. This book truly shows you the meaning of "love" and how precious it is, especially with our children. Anyone wanting to find a "feel good" book should read this, but have your kleenex box handy.

How did I miss this book in hardcover? It's exactly the kind of story I love--full of emotion, beautifully but simply written, totally romantic, and so TRUE in feeling that every single character comes fully alive. This isn't a pretentious story and, yes, it's a tearjerker but of the best possible sort. I felt so good when I finished reading it--despite the fact that I wished it would never end. So, for anyone who loves good women's fiction, who loves a good love story, who loves to read about families and their complex relationships, this is the PERFECT choice. I can't wait to read more by this author.