Everyone in and around the small town of Sugarcreek, Ohio, located in the heart of Amish country, seemed to know each other. The shops in town full of homemade furniture, crafts, homespun ideas, and home-baked goods never failed to attract visitors from miles around. When the tragic fire that destroyed Faith Community Church took two lives, the loss seemed unbearable to this quiet community.

Jessica’s aunt had been central to her life, but when she died in the church fire her shop, Rose’s Knit One Quilt Two Cottage, fell to Jessica to manage. Jessica loved the shop, but knew little about the knitting and quilting world it represented. Trying to sort out how to keep the shop open, answer questions from the clients, and make a profit so she and her son, Cole, could survive felt impossible even though her aunt’s close friend, Liz, offered to help.

Liz had known Jessica’s Aunt Rose well and introduced Jessica to the Secret Stitches Society Liz and Aunt Rose had originated. Then on one of their secret missions of the society they sought to comfort the Amish widow, Lydia, whose husband was also killed in the fire. Nothing turned out as they had hoped on that mission, but through a curious turn of events they get acquainted with Lydia and discover she may be exactly who Jessica needs to turn things around in the shop.

As The Sisters of Sugarcreek by Cindy Liggett unfolds page-by-page, the losses and trials facing Jessica, Liz, and Lydia bind them together in powerful and delightful ways. Their different personalities and life stories leave the reader eager for the next page as each of them come face-to-face with unresolved relationships and the testing of their faith in God.

When you follow along in the story, your heart becomes knit into the life of each of the three women as you join their prayers and hope for answers that aren’t clearly seen.

You also come to understand what Liz recognizes as the story nears the end,

“the real depth in life—as in knitting—came in being brave and trying out new colors and patterns. Being open and accepting of the new situations and new people God had brought into her life.”

 This beautiful fiction story by Cindy Liggett filled with the interweaving of life, loss, and love will pull you into the story and the sisterhood of the Secret Stitches Society. You might also find yourself yearning for the sense of community that resides in Sugarcreek.

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To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review.