A Baxter Family series novel, this one focus most on Ashley's son, Cole, and a teen, Elise, whom he befriends after she moves from Louisiana to his high school mid-year during their senior year.
I read this one after reading another Karen Kingsbury, Forgiving Paris, which had some similar themes about unexpected pregnancy. It was interesting comparing Ashley and Elise and the choices they made.
It it heavy on faith and has themes/parallel stories of adoption, foster care, pregnancy loss and pro-choice.
I found Cole a bit irritatingly sweet/naive and with a savior complex too much for his young years.
There is a shocking tragedy in the story which I could have done without. I wish this portion of the story could have gotten its point across without the tragedy. ( )

I am doing this for my "Sad Book Category" of Extreme Book Nerd.

So. I'm a sucker for Kingsbury. Even though I struggle with her novels these days, I still have to read every new one that comes out. I think this is in large part due to my love of the Baxter family. Coming home to Bloomington, Illinois truly feels like coming home.

Two weeks centers around the story of Elise, an unwed and pregnant senior who falls in love with Cole Blake (Ashley's son. Because, as we know, most books revolve around Ashley Baxter Blake. LOL) It's the story of Lucy and Aaron who long to adopt a child. And Theo and Alma who suffer a tragic loss. ALL of these paths converge into a beautiful story of adoption.

I love adoption stories. Adoption is something that I believe passionately in (maybe one day, I will adopt). Having characters go through real life scenarios (giving up a child because they need two parents.....people changing their minds.....) did make this book feel real and alive. I bawled in several parts because of the beauty and rawness depicted. I honestly hadn't felt that realness from Karen in awhile.

This book is also the story of leaving and lasts. Cole is a senior (which is crazy because I remember the book in which he was born!!). I never do goodbye scenes so I BAWLED like a baby. Again, I have read every. single. book with these characters. I felt Cole going off to college. It was a beautiful story of familial love.

There were the typical things I hate in Karen's writings nowadays
1.) Every story revolves around Ashley. It was nice to see Brooke get more mention but still.
2.) ENOUGH WITH THE LIBERTY UNIVERSITY REFERENCES!! It's like she is paid by LU to write their school into the books. I mean, I know her kids go there, she teaches a class every once in a while, and that she has drunk the Kool-aid. Still. It annoys me.
3.) The Christianity aspects feel very name it and claim it. Redemption stories happen in the span of a chapter. Prayers seem to get answered almost instantaneously. I want more substance.

In the end, I give this book 3.5 stars. This is largely because I love the adoption angle. And I did cry ;) ( )

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Review: Two Weeks by Karen Kingsbury 4* 11/25/2022

This is an interesting story a bit stretched in places but it was entertaining. I have always liked Kingsbury's books. This one is about a senior teenage girl who finds herself pregnant by a guy who just used her. The sad part is she is in love with someone else, Cole Blake. This story is entwined with two other couples based on similar issues. Lucy and Aaron have had three miscarriages and still trying to have a child for a very long time so they decided to try adopting a baby. Then there is a third couple that had fostered children for years and did have one teenage daughter themselves and who are now grieving the loss of that daughter who was in an accident.
Kingsbury based her story on adoption which these couples were part of that subject matter. She did a great job entwining the lives of these people without confusing the reader. I enjoyed her development of these characters to fit the roles they played. ( )

I always love a good visit with the Baxter family. As someone who has read the entire series from the very beginning, I would recommend starting there even though this one could be read a standalone. Reading the whole series allows you to get to know the entire family so you can appreciate the visits and updates from the rest of the family in each new book.

This particular book centers around Cole, Ashley's oldest son. Cole is a senior in high school and falls for Elise, a girl he meets at school who is pregnant. This particular book focuses on the issues of unplanned pregnancy, infertility, and adoption.

As I have come to expect from a Karen Kingsbury novel, she has great characters and definitely tugs on the heart strings. Although I do love the Baxter series, I felt like this one was a bit more predictable than the others have been.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own ( )