Official Review: No Accidents by Sonja Wells

[Joy Boudreau]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "No Accidents" by Sonja Wells.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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No Accidents by Sonja Wells is written as a Christian romance. Dayla, a 47-year old widow, holds a life-long philosophy that nothing happens by chance. Every person met, every situation encountered is part of a larger plan. As such, she is content with her life, even though she has suffered great tragedies. Her son died in combat, and her husband died of cancer. However, Dayla's strong faith in God allows her to be happy in spite of the circumstances. One of her greatest joys is teaching and interacting with deaf children. She has been teaching for 25 years, and it is obvious that she has a passion for her job.

Through a mutual friend, Dayla meets Kent. Although Dayla has no intention of starting a relationship, the two of them strike an easy friendship and soon discover a mutual love of mountain hiking. Dayla and Kent begin to plan a backpacking trip together in the Great Smokies of North Carolina. Through a series of events, Dayla finds herself backpacking alone when the unthinkable happens. Will Dayla's faith continue to help her through even this? Will Kent and Dayla find a future together?

The plot in No Accidents is simple, as are the characters. Although much insight is given into what both Kent and Dayla are thinking, little other character development is evident. I would have liked the characters to be more deeply drawn. The pace is somewhat slow as well as unsteady, at times hindered by large sections explaining Dayla's life philosophy. There was so much of this that I felt like skipping some of it. Also, the book felt a smidge preachy at times. With the philosophy of the book being that nothing happens by chance, I found it interesting that "coincidences" played a major part in the plot line.

On the positive side, it is obvious that the author loves the outdoors and has spent time in the mountains. Even though I have been hiking only a few times and backpacking even less, the author's descriptions of the outdoors brought back all the sights, sounds, and emotions of any decent hike. I felt both the exertion as well as the exhilaration of being in the mountains. The Great Smokies certainly are a worthy setting.

The editing is very clean. I found only two very small mistakes, one a misspelling, "sshe" and one extra quotation mark. I personally would give this book 2 out of 4 stars, largely due to the flat characters and simplistic plot. For me, the lack of racy scenes is a positive. A reader looking for a sweet romance without intimate details might enjoy this book.

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No Accidents
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[chahat1919]

good one..

[kandscreeley]

I do enjoy a clean romance, but it does sound like this one needs a bit more work before I delve into it. It does sound like the author can do a little re-work and make this one that much better. Glad you found a few things to enjoy!

[Joy Boudreau]

I do enjoy a clean romance, but it does sound like this one needs a bit more work before I delve into it. It does sound like the author can do a little re-work and make this one that much better. Glad you found a few things to enjoy!

Yes, it has a good idea, but I was somewhat disappointed in the execution. Thanks for stopping by

[CNWaweru]

Nice review on the book.

[Hildah Mose]

The story seems like a nice one. Too bad it sounds like it might be boring at times with the slow pace and the such. I hope the writer gets to correct the issues you have mentioned. Thanks for the review, really nice.

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your thorough review. Lots of good, constructive criticism about character development and a too-simplistic plot. The story seems like it has potential since the premise sounds interesting.

[Joy Boudreau]

I enjoyed reading your thorough review. Lots of good, constructive criticism about character development and a too-simplistic plot. The story seems like it has potential since the premise sounds interesting.

Thank you for your kind comments! I also thought the story had potential - I hope the author takes the time to tighten her writing.

[KalmKit]

This sounds like a good book to read while waiting between doctor appointments and pharmacy lines. Can put down and pick up easily, and wish you were in the Smoky Mountains instead of getting poked and prodded. Thank you for your review. This is my first day in forum. So glad I found this site of book readers as myself.

[Joy Boudreau]

This sounds like a good book to read while waiting between doctor appointments and pharmacy lines. Can put down and pick up easily, and wish you were in the Smoky Mountains instead of getting poked and prodded. Thank you for your review. This is my first day in forum. So glad I found this site of book readers as myself.

Welcome to the forum, KalmKit! Yes, the Smokies are indeed beautiful!!

[Maggie G]

It’s a shame when the characters in a romance are flat—it seems like a missed opportunity since so much of what drives the plot is what’s going on internally with the characters. Your review is great—I especially enjoyed the observation about the inconsistencies between the book’s philosophy and the plot being driven by coincidences.

[KamalK]

I too believe in the philosophy that nothing happens without a reason. And that thinking draws me towards this book. I look forward to exploring the author's perspective on this subject.