4 stars
The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law
I have never read anything by author Jennifer Beckstrand before. I definitely will be again as this is just such a good story. I have read a number of Amish fiction but never quite this story with a bad boy Amish man trying to fit in.
I do believe this is part of a series but is easily read alone. The characters are real and deep and are so easy to connect to and identify with even as a non-Amish person.
I highly recommend this book.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

Another great read by Jennifer Beckstrand! Full review here: https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-amish-quiltmakers-unruly-in-laws.html

The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law by Jennifer Beckstrand is an entertaining Amish novel. It is the second book in The Amish Quiltmaker’s series. While The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law can be read as a standalone, I suggest reading The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unexpected Baby first. It will introduce you to Edith and Levi (explain their story) and provide you with hours of entertainment. I am glad Edith and Levi plus Winnie are included in The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law. I just love them, and Esther is a delight (she is still putting items behind her ear). Ben Kiem, Levi’s younger brother, is known for his misbehavior and pranks. He has two friends who drag him into trouble. Ben suffers an injury and needs his new sister-in-law’s help. Esther agrees to assist him and to not mention it to his parents, in exchange for Ben asking Linda Eicher home from the next youth gathering. It is the last thing Ben wants to do, and he goes out of his way to ensure Linda says no. Ben soon finds himself spending time with Linda who tries to change Ben’s errant ways. I loved the humor in this story. I laughed often while reading. Linda is such an upbeat, friendly character. Her laughter and joy are contagious. Ben is a charmer who is also a bad boy. You can soon see why Linda is attracted to him. I thought The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law was well-written with delightful characters. Cathy Larsen is a hoot. I also loved Ben’s grandmother and sweet Winnie. There are good life lessons in the story including the importance of being yourself. I like how the point-of-view alternated between Ben and Linda. We get to see things from each person’s perspective. I liked seeing the Amish youth do so many outdoor activities like canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing, and hiking. I love it that the older set gets together to play pickleball. There are two lines from the book that I wanted to share with you. The first is, “A merry heart does gute like a medicine.” The second one comes from Cathy who said, “Golfing is the most boring sport in the entire world, except for maybe football. I mean, what’s the point?”. The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law was over far too soon. I knew I could count on Jennifer Beckstrand to provide a diverting Amish tale. It was just what I needed. Laughter is indeed the best medicine. The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law is an amusing Amish tale with snowshoe sprints, melting marshmallows, the winsome Winnie, a brazen bad boy, restorative essential oils, an ornery octogenarian, and a scheming sister-in-law.

I knew what I was getting into when I borrowed this book. I was mostly interested in this entire sub genre of Amish romance and why there were so many. The things I didn’t like about it, are things you should just expect from reading the genre. But I thought it was very cute, and Cathy was my favorite.

THE AMISH QUILTMAKER'S UNRULY IN-LAW by Jennifer Beckstrand

First off, the title doesn't seem to fit the story. The Amish Quiltmaker is Esther, but she isn't much in the story. The book is original, reads well.

Ben is a young 22-year-old Amish man in Rumspringa who has a habit of doing all of the wrong things, since an incident when he was in his last year of school. One of the two boys he hangs out with is very destructive, going against all of the traditional Amish values and respect. All three of the boys smoke and listen to a boom-box and commit petty crimes wherever they go. They also hang out with several Englischer people and go to unruly parties.

Esther is the wife of Ben's brother Levi, she only wants to help Ben and convince him that Amish life is the best thing for him. She gives Ben's relationship with a young Amish woman Linda a slight nudge and hopes that it will be the thing that straightens him out once and for all.

Linda is unsure about Ben in the beginning. She's sure Ben doesn't like her but she's sure that both of them are misunderstanding each other. Linda is a happy person, she laughs at most things, she always tells Ben she isn't laughing at him, but with him. She finds that Ben doesn't like to be called silly. Linda and Ben have a lot of growing up to do before they can progress with their future.

The book is enjoyable, I confess, I stayed up 1/2 of the night, so I could finish it.

Thank you for the complimentary copy of #theamishquiltmakersunrulyinlaw from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review.