Really interesting read, great characters, significant issues. ( )

Yesterday's Tomorrow is a hauntingly poignant story that transports the reader to the Vietnam War with an emotional tale of love, loss, faith, hope, family and friendship. In her debut novel, author Catherine West weaves a powerful and spellbinding tale written in the third person narrative that follows the journey of journalist Kristin Taylor, when she travels to Vietnam in 1967 to cover the war in the field, following in the footsteps of her beloved father, while also keeping an eye on her younger brother Teddy, who is serving in the Army. While there Kristin is partnered with photographer Luke Maddox, and together they go into the war zones and capture the real truth of what the soldiers are experiencing during the war.

Rich in vivid details and descriptions, the reader is transported to Saigon and to the outlying villages where the crack of gunfire and explosions of landmines is gritty and raw, it simply takes your breath away. Amidst the chaos, confusion and violence, Kristin and Luke find each other, their banter is a welcome relief from the tension and harsh reality of war. The development of their love story is tender, yet also has suspenseful twists and turns that keeps the pages turning. The complexity of their spiritual and emotional journey brings pieces of Vietnam home with them, their lives will never be the same.

Yesterday's Tomorrow is a beautifully crafted novel that easily draws the reader in, captivating them as they get lost in the story while experiencing the sights, sounds, smells and turmoil of Vietnam, coupled with complex characters who faced heart-wrenching decisions, while finding hope, faith and love during a very emotional and traumatic time in history.

Yesterday's Tomorrow is a compelling and thought-provoking story that is a must read, it is a story that will resonate with you for a very long time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Litfuse Publicity.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/yesterdays-tomorrow-by-catheri... ( )

Wow! I loved Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Catherine West. Billed as a romance novel, it is so much more — an eye-opening look at the U. S. involvement in Vietnam, a study of the emotional toll of love and loss and a triumph of God’s redemptive love. This is a novel you don’t want to miss.

Kristin Taylor goes to Vietnam to finish the journalistic work that her father started. Determined to find and tell the truth, Kristin discovers a country that will not let her go. The detachment from the men and women serving in Vietnam and the children left orphaned by the war gives way to a deep emotional attachment. And Kristin puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to bring the real Vietnam to her readers back home. In her travels she is paired with photographer Luke Maddox who she suspects in an agency man. But what begins as a strained relationship develops into love as they share helicopters and jeeps and terror and heartbreak.

West brings the Vietnam War to life. Her descriptions of the country and the battles are richly detailed, but never gory. She focuses on the individuals that served there so that her commentary is not political, but personal. She also tells a tale of love that deepens and withstands loss, separation and betrayal. The characters are complex — flawed, frustrating, lovable, and realistic. They portray an honest struggle with faith and the place of God in the world and in their lives. Yesterday’s Tomorrow felt like a real story, and I think that is where its appeal lies. If you want a story that becomes a part of you, choose Yesterday’s Tomorrow.

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

(Thank you to LitFuse for my copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

A heartwrenching story of love amidst the agony of the Vietnam war. I don't often give out 5 stars to books, but this book is one that will stick in my mind for awhile. This story brought out alot of different emotions as I was reading it and near the end there were a few tears shed. I believe this is the first book I have read that took place during the Vietnam War and was written in a way that didn't really take sides with whether there should or shouldn't have been a war, but rather what those who were over there had to endure. This was a very well written story by Catherine West.

Kristin Taylor finds herself in Vietnam looking for work as a overseas war correspondent, and also trying to find her brother, Teddy, who is somewhere in Vietnam as a medic. She winds up (in a very humorous way) meeting Luke Maddox, a brooding, hard to get close to photographer, who has alot of mystery to him. Together they are thrown together and although they can't stand each other at first, that quickly turns around into a very well done tender love story. The people and places you will meet along the way in this story will keep you intent upon this story; not wanting to put in down until the very end. I wasn't sure by the cover of this book, whether or not I would enjoy the story, but I must say the book captivated me from the very beginning and didn't disappoint me in any way (and after having read the story, I fully understand the cover). This is a story I highly recommend. ( )

When I read a book I want to get lost in the story. This book did that for me. When I read a book I want to care about the characters. This book did that for me, too. I loved the people and the relationships between them. I loved the emotion and the fact that the author wasn't afraid to let her characters deal with some difficult challenges. I got tearful a number of times and had to refrain from crying in the airport (I didn't want people to wonder why I had tears rolling down my cheeks.) All I wanted to do was read the book until I finished it, but I had to go out of town, so when I got a chance to finish the story I picked it up again and stayed up until I read THE END.

I am definitely going to read another book by this author. Not only is the author's prose beautiful, but her pacing is perfect and her romantic tension is written exactly the way I like it. A very satisfying read, and just edgy enough to be compelling without being overly done. In fact, though I really hate to part with this book, I told my aunt she MUST read it because I can guarantee she will not only love it, but will spread the word about the story, too. This book is worthy of that kind of buzz. ( )