Nothing I say here will do justice to this wonderful story! This book both broke my heart and filled it with such joy and hope that I was exhausted when I finished reading it...turning off my kindle and staring straight ahead, emotionally drained. I fell in love with these characters immediately and felt at one with them through the happy and difficult times. Their world seemed so real on every page. I think what made it such a great read was the writing. It was simple and straight-forward. There was nothing there to distract you from the story...no unnecessary words, not embellishment, nothing to remove your focus from these characters and their experiences. I felt like I couldn't read fast enough. And I felt like there weren't enough tissues in the world. Yes, it made me cry...quite simply because I was so invested in what happened to these characters that I was living this story with them. I'm writing this review several days after finishing the book and I still feel that I don't have the appropriate words to describe how much I enjoyed it...how much it touched my heart. So, I'll just say, do yourself a favor and read it...you won't regret it!!!