Review of Amber’s Way

[Jen Cowhig]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Amber’s Way" by Gloria Galloway.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Amber’s Way by Gloria Galloway is a fiction novel that tells a very real story. The novel focuses on the strong bond between a single mother and her daughter. It is a story about love and loss. It has moments of levity, but there are also moments that will stab you in the heart. It is rare for a book to make me cry, but this book made me feel everything.

While this book tells the story of Amber from conception to cremation, it is also the story of her mother, Jessica Langston. Jess is a family lawyer who was looking forward to a life with her husband and a boatload of kids, but Jess wasn’t blessed with her fairytale ending. Jess loses her husband shortly before the birth of their daughter Amber. From there, Jess’s story doesn’t get any easier. When Amber is four years old, she is diagnosed with cancer. At that time she was able to undergo aggressive treatment that allowed her to live a few more years cancer-free. When Amber turns thirteen, the cancer returns. Unfortunately, this time there is nothing the doctors can do except keep her comfortable. This is the story of a dying girl who is determined to live her life despite the numbered days. Amber’s Way is about the fragility of life and all the little moments that make life worth living in the face of death. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found nothing to dislike. The characters are well-developed, and I felt like I was experiencing all the ups and downs alongside Jess. I love it when fiction feels real, and with this story, I easily forgot that this wasn’t a real story written by a mom to commemorate her daughter. This is extremely well written and brilliantly edited. I did not find one error in spelling or grammar, which is extremely rare. 

There were a lot of things I loved about this story. Parts of the love story that Jess shared with her husband, Daniel, felt like they belonged in a Hallmark movie. I would love to see this book turn into a movie someday, but things here were so beautifully written and well described that I could picture everything clearly in my head. 

One of my favorite things about this story is the magical relationship between Amber and Jane Doe. Sometimes it is easier to open up to animals, and Amber’s relationship with that deer is something special. I also loved how relatable this book was. My brother lived with cerebral palsy, alongside a whole host of health issues, and I knew that he was here for a good time, not a long time. However, knowing that his death was inevitable, just like Jess knew that Amber was dying, didn’t make the fact that he died any easier. June marks four years since my brother died in his sleep at age 22, and I can see my mother in Jess. I could see reflections of myself and my grief in Roger, Kevin, and Amber herself. It is clear to me that Galloway spent a lot of time researching this novel, and I think it paid off. 

This is a story that I would recommend to a wide variety of people. The copyright page says that this book is intended for ages 12 to 14, and I would agree that a young adult audience is appropriate. The language in the book is easily digestible, and kissing is as far as sexual content goes. This book easily explains topics, and I think it would be something that people of Amber’s age would understand.

I also feel like it would be easy to use this book to talk to kids about death and what they think of the afterlife. These are big questions, and they are also usually religious questions. However, while there are some Christian undertones, I wouldn’t only recommend this book to a religious audience. The book doesn’t use religion to preach. It doesn’t quote scripture. While the characters believe in a Christian God, I don’t think that the mentions of religion are off-putting at all. This isn’t a story that requires you to know religion, and the themes in the book are not necessarily religious themes. 

While the audience of this novel is young adults, it is one that I would recommend to anyone who has loved and lost. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green but wanted the mother’s perspective. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a well-researched fiction book that takes place in a modern setting and feels extremely real. I finally recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book to feel something because I had a lot of feelings while reading this book.

This is a book that I highly recommend people buy, as it deserves more than five stars. To top it off, this book is also trying to do some good in the world, as a percentage of the book sales are donated to the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. 

I give Amber’s Way a full five out of five stars! This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. I cannot recommend this book enough! This book reminded me that loving is hard, but we do it anyway because love is worth it. If any of this review interests you, please check out Amber’s Way by Gloria Galloway.

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Amber’s Way
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[Gerry Steen]

I am happy that this story resonated with you. The grieving process that you went through for your brother was similar to what Jessica went through with Amber. Although this story is fictional, it must be based on real events. One cannot just dream this stuff up. Your review has piqued my interest in this story. I am adding it to my bookshelves.