Molly (2020)

About the Book

Book: Molly

Author: Sarah Monzon

Series: A Sewing in So-Cal novel, #1

Release Date: July 2, 2020

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Lit

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I absolutely refuse to tell a lie no matter the consequences. So don’t ask me a direct question unless you’re prepared for a direct answer—that’s something my SoCal sewing girlfriends have learned the hard way.

But who would have thought my honesty policy would get me fired from my job at the preschool? Or that a desperate—and not to mention devastatingly handsome—single father of one of my (now-former) students would hire me that same day as a nanny for his daughter?

I’m an education professional. How hard can taking care of a four-year-old and her over-stressed, over-worked father be?

Click HERE to purchase your copy today!

My Thoughts

I adore Sarah Monzon’s novels. When I pick one up to read, I know I’m going to get a story filled with realism, hilarity, and sweetness. I’m guaranteed a reading experience that is fun, contemplative, and wholly unique. Molly, book one in the Sewing in So-Cal series, may be Ms. Monzon’s best story yet! I enjoyed this book so much I devoured it in two sittings. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. I cheered for Molly and Ben and Chloe. What fantastic characters! I was wholly engaged in the plot, and may have stayed up well past my bedtime finishing this story. This is one of those books where the pages fly by! I also appreciate the sweet romance that blossoms between Molly and Ben. The romantic tension is so well written and so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Wowzers! Are there some seriously steamy “almost” moments! I may have screamed, “Kiss already!” a time or two! And, yes, this novel also includes some excellent contemplative moments. Molly is an excellent story, and the start to what I am sure will be an outstanding series by Monzon.

I recently heard this amazing parable:

One day, a man walks through a forest. Ahead of him is a deep hole that he cannot see. The man falls into the hole. He cries out to God, “Please, help me out of this hole, Lord!” A couple hours pass by when a man walking down the path hears the man in the hole crying. He goes to the hole and cries out, “I will help you!” The man in the hole says, “No need to help. God will help me.” The man on the path looks at him credulously and asks, “Are you sure?” The man in the hole is adamant; his help will come from the Lord. So the man walks away. A few more hours pass, another man walks down the path and hears this same man crying out. He stops at the hole and declares, “Don’t worry! I will get you out.” The man in the hole says, “No! God will do it!” So this man leaves too. More hours go by and the man in the hole finally dies. He goes to heaven. The first thing he asks God is, “Why didn’t you save me?!” God says, “I did! I sent two men to help, but you turned my help away.”

Why am I telling you this parable? Because as I read Ben’s side of the story, this parable kept marching through my brain. Ben is a man in need of help. He is a resident working on finishing his MD degree requirements. He lost his beloved wife four years ago. And, he is the single father to the most adorable fictional daughter ever, Chloe. He believes he has been able to do everything on his own since the loss of his wife, but things really are beginning to slip through the cracks. He struggles a lot to get to work on time, he struggles a lot to pick his daughter up from preschool on time, and, once home, he struggles a lot to be the dad he wants to be because he is just too tired. Ben needs help. Ben asks for help. But Ben is incapable of seeing just how much help has been available to him the whole time. You see, Ben has been living under a fog for the past four years and he can’t see clearly. Isn’t that just like us, humans? Life hits us hard and our vision becomes foggy. We cry out to God for help, He sends us help, but it doesn’t look like what we expect, so we assume God isn’t there for us. I’ve been there. I’ve been there many times. And, in those times, it wasn’t until I could look back that I could see God’s footsteps near mine the whole time. Ben’s story and his revelations serve as an excellent reminder to us readers that we need to be less concerned with what we physically see and more in tuned to what our spiritual eyes are showing us. We need to stop being the man in the hole! We need to stop thinking we know all the answers. Instead, we need to clean off the lenses of our spiritual glasses and see all the ways God daily provides. And sometimes, we need to ask for help and accept the help in the form God sends even if it doesn’t appear to be the help we think we need. What a seriously fantastic and timely message for us readers today!

Coming in just under 200 pages, Molly by Sarah Monzon sure does pack an awesome punch! This story is super fun and has made quite an impact on me. I’m sad my time with Molly and Ben and Chloe is over. If you are looking for a well-written, excellently told contemporary romance, then I highly recommend Molly. You will love it!

I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from the author, Sarah Monzon, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.