5th Avenue Story Society Book Review

Does this book have merit?!

Yes, unwaveringly so. I try to read books that have merit. Many books have hard topics to deal with, life is hard after all, and it can be very freeing to read about others and how they deal with the hard situations in their lives. Some people deal with them better than others!

Book Summary:

Author Rachel Hauck crafts an amazing story with a plot that I’ve never read before.

An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories: Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed. Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud. Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids. Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage. Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement to a prince and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire. When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to bare their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers. Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls.  (less)

Spiritual Aspects

Not much is mentioned until, Coral the makeup heiress, is sharing finally about why she ‘left her prince at the altar’. She shares with the group that she met ‘Jesus’ and wanting to follow Him. Her prince didn’t want her life to revolve around her conversion. He wasn’t supportive and he didn’t want anyone but himself in charge of his life. It was difficult to back out of the wedding after millions were spent on wedding preparations/guests, etc.

Several of the other characters had some sort of ‘God epiphany’.

Profanity/Violence

There were several scenes where one of the characters got very angry and fought and then had to ask forgiveness.

There was no profanity.

Sexual Content

There were a few descriptions of kissing and loving words, a few descriptions of feelings of love and flirting/sexual desire in an appropriate way.

Adult Themes/Topics

Suicide: There are 2 instances of side characters committing suicide and the main characters have to deal with grief, guilt and mental anguish.

Divorce: There were 2 of the characters who were dealing with divorce: one was dealing with an ex-wife, a Temporary Restraining Order and wanting to see his kids even though his ex wouldn’t let him. The other had his brother’s death to deal with and was lamenting his lost marriage.

Peer Pressure: Another character has to deal with pressure at work to hide the truth about a serious situation so the organization can get more money, etc.

How is this book edifying and uplifting?

The characters were very genuine and dealing with challenging situations of various kinds. The situations did not all get resolved, so it is very realistic.

However, one of the main characters found a relationship with God, not religion, and she was able to move on with a couple of difficult situations in her business and personal life.

The camaraderie of the group as they choose to be honest with each other, once they got over the pride of not wanting to be the person who doesn’t have it all together, was freeing to their souls. The love in the group, in spite of tense conversations at times, and sharp words at times, kept them all coming back for the real friendship!

Each person was in a different place in their spiritual journey, and all the characters did not profess faith in Jesus Christ. But they all grew in their journey!

--Happy learning, Lisa