Stand Alone is the fourth book in Ruth E. Meyer’s Sola series, and while you won’t be lost if you read this as a stand-alone (no pun intended!) I suspect it would be more engaging for readers who have been following the ups and downs of this family’s story from the first book. (I haven’t.) I say this because, rather than following the more traditional plot structure where there is a particular goal or conflict driving the story to its conclusion, this plot unfolded more like a series of “what happened next” episodes in the lives of the Neunaber family—more interesting to those already acquainted with the family than those just meeting them for the first time.

As I sit back now and think about the story, I think there are two main reasons I found it difficult to become fully invested in this story. The first was a lack of overall direction to the plot. I didn’t get a sense of where these characters wanted or needed to be by the end of the book, so the obstacles that arose were inconveniences rather than crisis points that gave the story meaningful momentum. I also felt that the inclusion of Faith’s (Jackson’s sister’s) point of view diluted the story rather than enhancing it. The second thing that affected my engagement was the narrative style, which distanced me from the characters’ thoughts and emotions rather than immersing me in them.

That being said, readers who are looking for fiction that features a family dealing with the ups and downs of life from a Christian perspective may find this is exactly what they’re looking for. Over the course of the series, this family has worked through or encountered a wide range of issues from organ transplants to unwed pregnancy to reconciliation and more. If this is what you’re looking for, I do recommend beginning with the first book in this series.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.