Love and A Little White Lie: A Tale of Hope

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *infinite stars* 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Go. Read. This. Book. NOWWWW!!!👇I am so serious. NO DOUBTING, just running to get this book!! 🏃‍♀️There really aren’t words to describe this book. You need to see for yourself. 🤩

But I will try and put it into words.✍️

⭐️🙌🏻Tammy L. Gray is one of the best writers I have ever encountered. “Love and a Little White Lie” had the funniest, most relatable humor I have ever read. I promise you, you will be cracking up. It also got my attention from the first page. 

‼️And I don’t say that lightly‼️

She literally made it impossible for me to put this book down. I have not been this eager to read all day straight for a long time. 

⭐️💓I was immediately hooked on the main men characters as well. (BY THE WAY: there were no characters I didn’t love😍). And that is a key aspect of why I was so interested, you literally had no idea what was going to happen. And it wasn’t a love triangle, it was so. Much. Better. 💃🏼🕺

You just have to read it to find out. you shall become SO EXCITED as i was 😇

⭐️🥹The subplots Tammy L. Gray adds are just adorable, heartfelt, and worthy of attention! 

1. Ralph and Victoria. ❤️ I was jumping up and down with joy between the two of them, and how beautiful their story is. Just wait 😉

2. Mrs. Cox. Such a wonderful thing for January, she definitely needed that godly wisdom and gentle guidance. I loved their relationship. Also a heartwarming turn of events!🫶

3. Darcy and Doreen. Two beautiful ladies who helped in different ways. The little told of Darcy’s story leaves me excited for the next book, “Love and the Silver Lining”! 🥹 And Doreen, the sweet aunt, and the reconciling stories between both her and January’s pasts and how they walk that path of forgiveness together. I literally cried. In joy. And just pure excitement for them. 🙌🏻

4. January’s relationship with her mom. This is tough, but the story is still meaningful. And it adds so much to the end result of this gorgeous book. So beautiful!!

⭐️✝️On the Christian note, I absolutely adored how Tammy did this. It was not cringy, cliche, cheesy, or overly spiritual. It was biblically correct, praiseworthy, and so moving I left wanting to worship the LORD for all my days. And it is HARD to write a Christian book and avoid alllll of the assumptions, cliches and still not offend people. 

CHARACTERS⬇️ (for fun). Disclaimer: I picked emojis for my enjoyment, i do not actually remember their hair colors…😇😎

👩🏻January — I really, really like her. She’s hilarious, relatable, and even inspiring. She has flaws, but everyone does. She buries things, convinces herself lying is okay because she believes it’ll result in good things instead of telling the truth and “hurting” someone. But she learns, and she adapts, and she falls in love with a new world, a new life. 

🧑🏼Cameron — Great guy. Really like him. He is certainly checking all the Christian-dating boxes. I admire him, enjoyed reading about him, and appreciated seeing a man who really seeks after God, even in his frustration and impatience. I do think, however, that he should not have assumed so much, but i see how one can fall into that. 

🧑🏻Dillion — i lovingly say… gimme gimme MINE PLEASE! HE IS AMAZING. Loved him from his very first annoyingly honest introduction. But if a man like him exists in the real world, why have I still not met him? This is a true man of God, who struggles, who feels defeated with loss, but remains a solid person. He’s no-nonsense, stinking hilarious when he doesn’t intend to be, and addictively infuriating. You’ll understand if you read it😁 GO READ IT. I would reread and reread this book (which i will, btw) just for him. 🥹

Love everyone else too!!! ❤️

✨FAV QUOTES✨ (without spoilers) *using all my willpower not to quote the whole book because i literally loved the WHOLE BOOK* 🤷🏼‍♀️

“I stuck in a breath, pull the clasp of my jeans until it connects, and drape my shirt to hide the muffin top. No more Ramen noodles. Just salad and celery and… never mind. The minute I think about dieting, I immediately crave a cheeseburger.“ 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“My inner Tom Cruise wins, and I do a slide to the fridge.”

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“You can’t truly know someone from a distance, January. Every one of us has our own set of secrets and demons and quirks. You just have to decide if it’s worth taking the time to learn them. And if you’re willing to let someone close enough to learn yours.” 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Do I look like I’ve been skipping butter lately?” 

“Is there a safe answer to that question?”

“No, probably not.” 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“I said I was talking, not praying.“

“Same thing.“

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“God isn’t an imaginary thing used to make everyone feel judged and kept in line. He is real. As real as the wind and stars and the tears falling from my eyes.”

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

✨There is my all-time favorite quote of the book, but I loved it too much to share it here, since it is a monumental moment, and I don’t want to give spoilers. I hope you enjoy it as AMAZINGLY as I did!✨

Just another reason for you to go pick up your copy. 

⛔️Content: whatddya expect? There is none. Just kissing. Bodies are entangled during kissing in two instances, but no innuendo and NO implied explicit content. 

⚠️Trigger warnings: at the end of the book January implies to Dillion briefly that she was SA’d as a child when her mom’s boyfriend came home drunk and “handsy”, pretending January was her mom. Another of her mom’s boyfriends also backhanded her after beating her mom. That is all that is said. No more detail than what I just wrote. And none of this comes up anywhere else in the book. 

OKIE DOKEY!! Off to buy the next two! 💃🏼📚

*moment for the drop-dead GORGEOUS covers of all three State of Grace novels*🤩😍 

Until next time! Please don’t hesitate to comment on this review! Thanks so much! 

Happy Reading!!✝️📚☕️❤️

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  ~Psalm 118:24~