6 STARS!!! 
 I'm going to try to write this without giving away too much of the book - it's really the best way to experience this one. Seriously. 
 Fighting Redemption sent me on a roller coaster that left me dizzy (and with red, scratchy eyes). I ached from the very beginning. As in, reading the epigraph on the first page caused me to feel tears behind my lids. At that point I knew this was going to be a doozy and would hit me hard. What I didn't know was just what twists and turns Kate would send me on before the end. Something you should maybe know about me before I continue, I am both a very emotional reader (it doesn't take much to make me tear up while reading) and I am a military spouse. Those two factors made this a very, VERY emotional read for me. I had to have encouragement to keep reading. I paused midway to get a hug from my preschooler (who was concerned because Mommy was crying so hard), but am so glad I powered through and made it to the end. 
 Normally I finish a book and sit down to at least outline my review right away. This one? Once I had finished reading "The End" I still had to wipe away the tears. And step away from my e-reader. And take my son to play outside. I. Was. Wrecked. But in the best sense of the word. (Hours later I can still only write short sentences. I'll be feeling this one for days.) 
 These are fictional characters, but the way they are written, they could absolutely be real. And in those hours I was reading this, they were. Fin could be my best friend. Funny, a little nerdy, a little klutzy, she is an all around sweet girl. Ryan? Well, let's just say he was made for his military role, and I could love him in real life too. I was rooting for them to work through all their challenges, for Ryan to make it through deployments, for both characters to open their eyes and see what they had. 
 The storyline is one that is so honest and real for those who live lives closely tied to the military during heavy deployment periods. Much of what Fin, Ryan, Jake, and their friends experience parallels the experiences of so many military families. That's one of the things that just kept pulling me further in to this story. It is as much a work of truth as it is a work of fiction. There is no shortage of so many very real emotions throughout. 
 As many tears as I shed for the characters, I loved every minute of this book. This was not one of those books that I wanted to go on and on. It was perfect length, and I raced through it, hoping and praying for Ryan and Fin the whole way. I haven't read a book in a long time that has affected me like this. This will definitely be at the top of my 2013 favorites list. 
 Thanks to Kate McCarthy for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.