Everything Is Just Beginning

Bartels (The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water) transports readers to the early 1990s in this heartfelt tale of love and loss. On the night of Dec. 31, 1989, aspiring rock star Michael Sullivan shows up uninvited to a New Year’s Eve party hoping to meet (and pass his demo to) music producer Dusty Wheeler. Instead, Michael befriends Dusty’s wife, Deb, a former singer who is dying of cancer, and their daughter Natalie, a blind musician. As Michael spends more time with the Wheelers, he discovers a fulfilling family life and a sense of faith like nothing he’s ever known. At Natalie’s insistence, she and Michael form a band and book a show for June, racing to write and perform the music before Deb’s death. Along the way, Michael falls in love with Natalie and learns valuable lessons about family, forgiveness, and the power of faith. Bartels’s spirited writing enlivens the earnest tale, and though it follows a predictable course, readers will root for these characters as they chase their dreams. QR codes at the end of the book provide access to musical extras. This checks all the boxes inspirational readers will expect. (Jan.)