Katie and Hannah may have been twins, but they couldn’t have been more different. Though raised Amish, Hannah chose to become English and moved to New York City where she became a nanny. Katie remained Amish and was baptized. When Katie goes to visit Hannah in New York, it’s a very foreign place to her, but Eric, a friend of Hannah’s boyfriend, meets Katie and escorts her around the city. They have much to teach each other, as it turns out, but what the outcome will be, only time will tell. A lot happens in this tale to keep readers interested and peak their curiosity. Well written and peopled with delightful characters, there are no villains in this tale to thwart the protagonists, but life-changing decisions must be made. ( )

Portrait of a Sister by Laura Bradford is set in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania in the heart of Lancaster County. Katie Beiler feels a deep loss when her mother passes away. Katie is now responsible for caring for her father, siblings and the related chores until (in the future) her sister, Margaret takes over when Katie marries her beau, Abram Zook. At night, though, when everyone else is asleep, Katie brings out her sketchpad. Katie enjoys drawing people, but she must keep her art a secret since it goes against their beliefs (Exodus 20:4). If it was discovered, it could get her shunned. Her twin sister, Hannah returns for their mamm’s funeral. While Katie was baptized into the Amish faith, Hannah left their community and lives in New York. After Hannah returns to New York, she sends a letter to Katie asking her to visit. When she left, Hannah “borrowed” two of Katie’s sketches and showed them to an art gallery owner. He would like to see more of Katie’s work. Katie finds herself in New York and spends her days exploring the city with Hannah’s friend, Eric. Katie’s artwork is a hit with the gallery owner and she is given the opportunity of a lifetime. Katie finds herself at a juncture where she needs to choose between the life she expected to lead, or one filled with artistic freedom.

Portrait of a Sister is a book about choices and the internal struggle we go through in trying to decide. It is particularly difficult when it involves a twin. Katie misses her twin, but she made a commitment to the Amish faith when she joined the church. It is hard to decide especially when one option involves artistic freedom along with a new, unexplored world with her twin sister. Katie needs to figure out which path God wishes her to take. Portrait of a Sister is nicely written, and it is wholesome. There is no foul language or intimate situations. However, I found the pace to be slower than I would prefer and there was repetition of information. It was hard to like Katie. She seemed to be on a pity party. Katie compared herself to Hannah and found herself lacking (has issues with self-confidence). Hannah, on the other hand, is determined to enjoy life to the fullest. She wants the items and lifestyle she saw in magazines. There are good life lessons contained in Portrait of a Sister. We need to have faith, pray and God will provide answers in his own timing. I could understand and feel Katie’s struggle regarding her art. My rating for Portrait of a Sister is 3 out of 5 stars. Portrait of a Sister is a sweet story of faith, family and finding your place in the world. ( )

The author kept me guess throughout the read as to whether our Amish girl Katie will stay in her community and give up her heart’s desire. Her twin has already left the home and you wonder if she will join her, especially when she is given a taste of living English.
I love how we are shown what is really important and are we ready to grasp ahold and cling to what we think we want.
There are some surprises here some very sad happenings, and I loved how the family seems to pull together when needed.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Please see my review on Amazon.com under C. Wong, Thank you!