Review: "Martin Hospitality" by Abigayle Claire

Guys! I'm back! And so, so happy to be here. I haven't actually taken my finals yet, but I had so much lovely time to study last week, and I'm feeling very prepared. We'll see if I actually am...

Today, I'm going to review a book I had been wanting to read for a while--I mean, the premise sounds intriguing, it's indie published and I want to explore indie a bit more, and the author is left-handed! I mean, what more can one ask for? So, when I recently found out that Martin Hospitality was available on Kindle Lending Library, I was ecstatic, because I am...a bit of a cheapskate. But then the joke was on me, because I can only get one book from the Lending Library each month...and book two was more expensive as an ebook. But I bought it anyway. I regret nothing.  So, so, so. Here are my thoughts! 

Gemma Ebworthy is eighteen, pregnant, and alone. Now that she's been evicted, she finds herself sleeping in a barn, never dreaming that tomorrow could bring kindness of a life-changing magnitude. The Martins aren't a typical family—even for rural Kansas. With more kids than can be counted on one hand and a full-time farm, Gemma must make a lot of adjustments to fit in. But despite their many differences, Gemma finds herself drawn to this family and their radical Christian faith. When Gemma's past collides with her yet again, she must begin revealing her colorful history. With every detail Gemma concedes, she fears she will lose the Martins' trust and the stable environment she desires for herself and her unborn child. Just how far can the Martins' love and God's forgiveness go?

Worldbuilding/Writing Style
It's...really not worldbuilding if it's a Kansas farm, but I loved the setting, and how well it was described! I've never been to a large corn farm in Kansas, but from what I know of farming, it seems very authentic. Also, the large family dynamics. So realistic! I've never been to a country Baptist church (and...sorry guys...don't really have any desire to), but those parts seemed realistic as well. The one setting that didn't seem super realistic was the law office...it seemed a bit like the author didn't quite do all her research. I did also have a couple of quibbles with two of the conversations/events: Firstly, seriously what Josiah starts with when having a faith conversation is denying the Big Bang? This seems ineffective, and as a Catholic, I have no need to deny the Big Bang Theory (in fact, it was proposed by a Catholic priest), so I found that jarring and unnecessary. I do understand that that particular irritation is simply a function of not being of quite the same faith as Josiah, though. XD Also *spoiler* they have been playing with a rabid calf, and not only does no one freak out, they actually go to the farmer's market? Because yeah, let's potentially expose a ton MORE people to rabies *facepalm*. This probably struck home mostly because of COVID, but seriously guys, rabies is nothing to joke around with. *end spoiler*
As far as the writing style, it was quite good, although in a very few places, there was some telling rather than showing. But really not a lot to find fault with as far as that goes! 

Plot
I enjoyed the slice-of-life plot, and the way there were several separate threads that eventually wove together. The plot was not the *fastest* plot ever, but it did make me want to read in bed, especially at the end! My one note about the plot is that it didn't really seem like it quite followed the usual plot pattern...it had kind of...a few small climaxes rather than one big one, almost? And also, some things that I thought would be made a bigger deal of (i.e. the baby's birth) were...not a huge deal. So that was slightly strange. 

Characters
I thought the characters in general were well done. Gemma was understandable and easy to empathize with, Josiah was sweet, Mrs. Martin was sweet and fun, Mr. Martin is a bit of a grump, but I kind of love him for it. As for the children other than Josiah...at first, they were hard to keep track of, but Claire does a good job of giving each of them a "thing"--one thing they do well, or that's a characteristic. So while they're not all super fleshed out (but I mean--there's a lot of them!) they're definitely distinguishable, and have their own quirks. (I especially like Emmaline--she reminds me of myself. :D). 

Romance
The romance was well done, and a nice slow burn! Very sweet. 

Content
Obviously, based on the plot, there's some heavy material about how the MC got in this situation (pregnant) but it's not graphic. There's also brief mention of abuse, drug abuse, suicide, and abortion. 

Overall Rating
Three stars! While there were some issues, I did enjoy the book, and picked up the sequel as well. 

Reminds me of...
Kind of reminds me of the Roadside Assistance trilogy by Amy Clipston--young Christians trying to figure out what they're doing in life. Martin Hospitality tackles harder themes, but Roadside Assistance is a wee bit more polished as far as plot goes. Clipston also has some Amish novels that MH also reminds me of, a bit. XD

Have you read this one? Do you have any indie recommendations? Do you like slice-of-life plots?