Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother’s Journey to Adoption in China by Beth Nonte Russell

Stars: *****

I received a copy of this for review through Bostick Communications.

Summary: Beth’s friend Alex is going to China to adopt a baby girl and asked Beth to go with her. Even though they aren’t close friends, she agrees to go as she loves travelling and is interested in learning more about the international adoption process. Soon after being presented with the baby, Alex panics and distances herself away from the child. Beth ends up doing most of the caring for the baby and finds herself bonding with the child. Amidst all this she is having many dreams about Imperial China and they seem so real, as if she lived them once. When Alex says she can’t go through with the adoption, Beth offers to take the child if she still has doubts later, to try to give her time to calm down. However it soon becomes apparent that Alex will never warm to the idea of bringing the child home and Beth is confronted with the offer she made. She quickly finds though that she would be more than happy to bring the baby home as she has grown to love her. Just as plans are being made for that to happen however, Alex changes her mind again, and again, and again, causing major heartache for Beth. Her dreams just keep going and going and it starts to seem as if they carry a message that is related to her situation. Adoption, Love and China, all mixed into one amazing book.

Normally I just put something from the back cover or website in the summary section but this time I decided to write it myself as this book really intrigued me and I wanted to make sure the important points were in there.

I am glad I received this book for review; it was shocking, heartbreaking and amazing all in one. I believe that Beth’s dreams were of a past life and that destiny played a big part in her story but even if you don’t believe in past lives and destiny, this book will still amaze you.

I wish I were better at reviewing fiction as I know my review won’t do the book justice. Beth is amazing at storytelling and you would think she had written many stories before. This is actually her first book, although she writes for herself a lot in journals and notebooks. This is the first time she’s written for an audience though.

Her descriptions of her dreams are amazing and make me feel like I’m there too:

“I inhaled her words. They came to me like a fragrance, the bracing scent of juniper, the sweet smell of lilies, the glory of truth revealed, which has no form. I closed my eyes and envisioned those souls, and for a moment I was hovering above them in a robe of fiery red and gold, on the back of a dragon breathing fire. They reached up their arms to me; they reached up their arms….” – pg 58

It is one of the best adoption stories I've read. It makes me wonder if the problem has ever happened before (going to China to adopt and changing your mind.) I'm not sure what else to say other than go read the book!

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