Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com
Steven Kerner and his wife live the good life, but things sometimes get edgy, and one night his anger explodes. His wife, Lindsey, kicks him out, and he retreats to a hotel. Then Andy Monroe extends a hand of friendship, but Steven is not trusting of that friendship, and carries a massive chip on his shoulder.
Lindsey does not accept Steven's apology. She just doesn't feel that he will be able to change on a deep enough level without outside help. Help that Steven is reluctant to seek.
Andy introduces Steven to a group that meets at Bo's Cafe who try to steer Steven to an acceptance of God's grace, and to allow himself to trust. They each have a story to tell in their conversations with each other, much like an Alcoholic's Anonymous group.
Steven does eventually begin to unravel his pent-up feelings, and learn to cope with life without temper blow-ups.
Windblown Media published THE SHACK, which turned into a publishing phenomenon, and this is their follow-up inspirational book, designed to encourage and challenge readers who struggle with problems in their personal life.
It is a message that we can all profit from. It teaches you to give, receive, and to trust, opening yourself up to self-realization, and helping you to experience God's grace.
From the outside Steven Kerner has it all: big house, beautiful wife and daughter, and prestigious career. From the inside, however, it's an entirely different story. Steven's world is falling apart: he's living in a hotel; his wife is contemplating divorce; and his career requires constant jockeying for position. The harder Steven tries to control his world with his anger the quicker things disintegrate. In the midst of this turmoil, Steven meets Andy Munroe. Andy is an old friend family who once was an important financial executive, but now works in a marina. Through Andy's friendship Steven is introduced to an assorted cast of characters who meet for lunch at Bo's Café. These regulars along with Andy offer Steven true friendship and teach him how to accept God's grace.
Bo's Café follows Steven's journey from anger to grace. Through following Steven's journey the reader learns what living in grace looks like and how to be a real friend. Bo's Café is an entertaining story with a message that just might change your life.
Fans of The Shack will love this new offering from Windblown Media--Bo's Cafe. It's crammed with just as much depth as The Shack, but just with a much better story, in my opinion.
You'd be hard-pressed not to find yourself doing a lot of self-examining after reading this. This book will step on your toes, get under your skin, and cause you to realize that not everything in life can be fixed by just putting a Band-aid on it. Some things simply take longer to understand and resolve, and after reading Bo's Cafe, you realize that that's okay.
The characters are fabulous, too. Each one is so real, and any one of them could easily be part of your own circle of friends. Also, the description of the cafe itself is very real. You can practically smell the aroma of fish and shrimp, and it makes you want to drive your nearest favorite seafood restaurant for a great meal.
Bo's Cafe will leave you saying "Wow" after you finish the final page. It's a book that should be passed around and talked about just as much as The Shack has been. No doubt about it....this is a book that everyone needs to read. It's just that good.
This book was reviewed positively by the author of The Shack, one of my very favorite novels dealing with spirituality. Unfortunately, this does not match The Shack's power, but it does deliver a good message re: our need to be vulnerable to others and to rely on grace, not our own good intentions. It does not contain as much theology as The Shack and would probably be an easier read.
