My Bookshelf: The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

            The day before a teenage Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other and buried them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later, dig the box up, and read the letters. But now, as that date approaches, much has changed. Ellie has abandoned the faith she grew up with, her days consumed with loving her little girl and trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches TV to catch a glimpse of her old friend Nolan, now an NBA star, whose faith is known by the entire nation. But few know that Nolan’s own personal tragedies have fueled both his faith and athletic drive. Despite his success, Nolan is isolated and lonely, plagued by a void in his heart that has remained since that night beneath the old oak tree with Ellie. For both Ellie and Nolan, the coming date is more than just a childhood promise. It’s the chance to make sense of it all—the chance to find out if it’s ever too late to find love again.

            Today on our journey through my bookshelf, I’m sharing a book that I finished over a year ago, but is still one of my favorites. And, the best part about it is, my copy is signed! I found a really great deal for The Chance and Fifteen Minutes, both signed copies, not long after Fifteen Minutes came out, and I had to snap them up. Now I’m so glad I did!

            Ellie Tucker is a hardworking mom, one who devotes all her time to creating a life for herself and her daughter Kinzie. She tries her hardest to give Kinzie the life she deserves and to show her that everything is alright, but after Kinzie goes to sleep, Ellie cries as she remembers all that she once had and all that she wishes life could be. As the eleven years come to an end, Ellie wonders what would happen if she went back, if she saw Nolan, if they dug up their letters.

            Nolan Cook has achieved his dreams of being a basketball player in the NBA, but there’s something missing. Ever since his father died, Nolan has suffered from a loneliness he cannot describe, nor get rid of. As each day passes he wonders where Ellie is, what her life is like, if she misses him. The answer he wants most, however, is how to get her back.

            The Chance is a book of lost love, regrets, redemption, and happy endings. I give it five bookshelves out of five for being absolutely amazing, one of Karen Kingsbury’s best novels (though I have thoroughly enjoyed EVERYTHING she has written), and a story I would recommend to anyone and everyone.

            Happy reading!

You can pick up this book here.

All credit for the above italicized synopsis and wonderful story go to Karen Kingsbury and her publishers.