Loving Jenna

The lovely ninth installment of Lillard’s Wells Landing series (after Marrying Jonah) set in the Amish community of Wells Landing, Okla., centers on the budding romance between two unlikely heroes. Jenna and Buddy are both seen as “less than” by their community due to their cognitive slowness. Jenna’s mother and grandmother have just arrived in town wanting a fresh start after the death of Jenna’s father. Jenna longs to make friends, but because she suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child, her mother forbids any act of independence. Twenty-year-old Jenna meets Buddy at church and learns that he has Down’s syndrome. The two quickly form a friendship and connect over their shared challenges. When their relationship takes a romantic turn, their families try to keep them apart, but their courage in pursuing love and independence changes what their families think they are capable of. Lillard does an excellent job of depicting with accuracy and compassion the difficulties faced by those with mental disabilities. This affecting tale will surely inspire. (Mar.)