Looking Into You

by Chris Fabry

2017 Christy Award winner! (Short Form category)
From the best-selling author of War Room. . .

Every day, Paige Redwine is haunted by a choice she made when she was only seventeen. Now, just past forty, still single, she lives a tidy, controlled life as a well-respected English professor at a college in Nashville. Nothing could prepare her for the day Treha Langsam—the daughter she secretly placed for adoption—walks into her classroom as a student, unknowingly confronting Paige with both her greatest longing and her greatest fear.

As Treha sets aside the search for her birth mother to concentrate on her education, Paige summons the courage to reach out to her daughter, never dreaming her actions will transform them both as she faces a past she thought she’d laid to rest.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Contemporary, Inspirational, Book Club, Family

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris' novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, Not in the Heart, Borders of the Heart, Every Waking Moment, The Promise of Jesse Woods, Looking into You, Under a Cloudless Sky, and A Piece of the Moon, have won five Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and two Christianity Today Book Awards of Merit, but it's his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more.

Chris has also published more than 70 other books, ranging from nonfiction and film novelizations, including the Kendrick brothers' War Room and Overcomer, to novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and The Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. RPM is his latest series for kids and explores the exciting world of NASCAR.

Visit Chris' website at www.chrisfabry.com.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about a mother who finds her daughter, that she gave up for adoption many years ago. Thank you Chris for another inspirational read!!!

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking Into You is the continuation of Treha's story that began in Every Waking Moment (2014). The story picks up with Treha beginning college and still longing to find her mother. It was a sweet journey.

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell into this book and never looked up until I read the very last page.

I loved Every Waking Moment so to get to read the conclusion to Treha's story was a dream come true.

A story of love, forgiveness, and letting go of the past. Super message you don't want to miss this book!

I soaked up every word of this book. I won't give anything away. I will just say that this is a 5 star must read book.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher. A favorable review was not required and all reviews expressed are our own.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Chris Fabry is always good for a solid read. The concept of this one grabbed me, and I dove in. I hadn't read the book to which this is a sequel, but I didn't feel like I had to as Fabry wove in any necessary info, and I never felt lost. Mother/daughter relationships are so complex. Paige and Treha's is no different. What would it be like to meet your birth mother after twenty plus years? These are the sort of scenarios I adore reading about. Looking Into You didn't shy from delving into tough subjects and showing us that no story is ever one-sided. There's hurt and pain and joy and longing in all of us. By switching back and forth between Paige and Treha that becomes abundantly clear. I did feel that sometimes the dialogue seemed a little too perfect (maybe overly edited?), and some of the drama and conflict could've been expounded upon more. Overall though Looking Into You is a book any contemporary fiction fan can read and enjoy.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paige Redwine struggles with a choice she was forced to make at seventeen. Twenty-two years later she's confronted with that when Treha Langsam walks into her classroom Paige had made up that name herself and asked that the adoptive family keep it. This is the story of them meeting as well as things from their past. I hadn't realized it was a sequel for Treha. Even though I peeked at the ending so I could go to bed and finish today, I stayed up late to finish this because I kept wanting to know what happened next. (Technically, it was today when I finished it!)

Fabry has yielded inconsistent results for me in the past, but I like this the best of the several novels I've read by him and wish I hadn't taken so long to read this after the last disappointment.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, though it was definitely hard to read in parts. A lot of emotion comes with adoption stories, even if they play out in the best possible way. Treha and Paige's story definitely came with some unexpected ups and downs, but I appreciated the reminders of grace and forgiveness that were woven through the narrative.
4.5 stars

[The Reading Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

Even though this book is a stand alone, you should read Every Waking Moment before Looking Into You. Treha is one of the most complex, deep, heartbreaking yet fiercely lovable characters I have encountered in fiction. When you read EveryWaking Moment, you will understand her turbulent childhood, the injustices committed against her, and why the various characters, and you as well, fall in love her. Only reading Looking Into You will not do Treha justice because you are supposed to already know why she is so special.

Chris Fabry can be depended on for an engaging and solid read. This book is no different. Paige wants to build a relationship with Treha, her daughter, after giving her up for adoption and being absent for 22 years. The whole book revolves around Treha's difficulties acclimating to college life and Paige's trepidation regarding revealing herself to her daughter. That is it. I felt that it was an extended epilogue for Every Waking Moment. It was enjoyable because I had the opportunity to see how Treha faced college and how she forged a relationship with her mother. I did not feel it was a great book in its own right.

[Ian Mcnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very powerful story, the characters were very easy to engage with and there stories were interesting to follow. Page has been struggling with a choice she made at 17 however when her adopted daughter appears in her evening writing class she decides to reach out and explore a past she's kept hidden.

Treha has put the search for her birth mother on hold to continue her education. As the two of them go on there journey you see god's guidance as they explore there past and begin to connect. This is a story of love and redemption and shows that god is good and provides what we need when we need it.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Didn't expect to like it that much because I usually like reading christian mystery or suspence series. Mostly books with action, but the author made this extremely interesting and told the story without dragging it out. I don't like reading a book that goes on and on about non important details.

"I think failure is the exit ramp just before the highway to success"

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars.

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I owe it to the author to explain my low rating, especially when it is someone like Fabry who wrote the exquisite book one, “Every Waking Moment”. I have made some of my notes public, I admittedly struggled throughout the entire story.

1. As a whole this story felt rushed, it was probably a publishing deadline thing and is definitely a placeholder for book three.

2. Treha is very much like we met her in book one at the beginning, Fabry goes to great length creating a plot line to remind us of her disability, and suddenly there is no more real mention of it.

3. Too much drama!!! Treha’s roommate, Treha’s crush, Treha’s birthmother, Treha’s grandparents, all of them so over the top which made for an inauthentic storyline.

4. Without spoilers I can only say that Treha’s birthmother is emotionally damaged, unwise, and sadly, she does not grow or seek professional help. Yes she was forced to give up Treha but the reader has to buy into the assumption that Treha’s life would have been so much better if she had remained with her birthmother. Trust me, that was never going to happen. It is such a discouraging picture of adoption. I can understand Treha’s struggle and her questions but her “Pollyanna” birthmother is just unbelievably naive and weak. Ugh!

5. The bright spot is Fabry’s treatment of the “big secret” (that you will figure out very quickly) he does not turn this into a fairytale. There is redemption albeit short lived for book three will need to be written.

[Gea]

An intriguing book about a mother who seeks to quell the inner thoughts about her abandonment of her infant and adoption of this child to an unknown couple. Some twenty-three years later this child shows up in her classroom at college and the emotions run high. The adoption was not the best. The father supposedly was killed but in reality, he is alive and well. The grandmother has kept secret the details of this child and now she must come to grips that what she thought was best was totally wrong. The chapters are set up to listen to "Paige" the mother and then to "Treha" the child as they come face to face. Just when Paige is ready to confront her past, her father who has Alzheimer's goes into a downward spiral.
In many ways this story mimics the story of Joseph. Paige and God come to face the reality of a child abandoned and she is like Joseph. The grandmother finally accepts the reality of her bad decisions much like Joesph's brothers.
It is a tragedy that can only be overcome by God's intervention, the gift of forgiveness and the healing that accomanies it
The book concludes abruptly with Treha leaving college and we are left to wonder what becomes of her and Paige and the new relationship.
Fabry keeps you reading hoping to find closure but you are left with an unsettling pit in your stomach because you have lived through her life and we want to know if "all ends well." We will never know.

[Marlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several of Chris Fabry's books, and I appreciate his worldview as I am a Christian as well. I love to read faith-affirming books, and this qualifies. However, it just fell a little short to me. I would have liked to have the characters developed more, and the ending not so rushed. It was a quick, easy read, but it just wasn't his best to me.

[Paige Redwine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to my attention when a friend pointed out that the main character's name is the same as mine. The first and last name match mine! I did feel a little odd to see my name in print in a fictional story, but the book was great. I found it hard to put down! I'll read more by this author.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

Very good story, about a birth mother and her daughter meeting when the daughter is a college student. The only reasoni did not give this book 5 stars is because I felt The ending was a little rushed.

[Christy Carmean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot and story line - but it fell short for me. I just couldn't quite connect to the characters in a way that made their actions seem justified and real. I have read others that are better.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but too short.

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Number of pages: 271

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Series: N/A

Age recommendation: 16+ (but would be more appreciated by adults)

Summary: When Paige Redwine made the choice to give up her daughter about twenty years ago, she thought everything was a done deal. Not that she wanted to lose all contact with her daughter, but she thought that was for the best. Only now, just over twenty years later, her daughter walks into her life, as a student in a class she is teaching. What will Paige do; how should she react to this situation?

My thoughts: I did not have high expectations coming into this book and honestly it wasn’t that great.
What I don’t like: the topics discussed. I don’t think they were all necessary. Like I really don’t get the fascination with writing Christian romance books about sex outside of marriage. I mean, it’s not like the book tries to say that it’s good or anything, but why would you want to fill your head with that kind of stuff? You don’t have to go through all the wrong things you can do to know what is right.
One thing I did appreciate is that one of the themes was everyone is human and we all mess up. Even missionaries and missionary kids like Paige can mess up big. No one is immune, and missionaries aren’t any saintlier than anyone else. I think that it was a good reminder (however I don’t think this book used the best way to get this point across).On the other hand, I really liked Mrs. Elsie Pratt. She was a lovely woman. I liked Paige’s dad too. I think he could have voiced his opinions more strongly before he lost his ability to. I also loved this quote from page 190: “Yes, she needs our love,” Beverly said. “But love sometimes looks like a kick in the pants.” Funny, but true.
There are mentions of God and praying for wisdom and strength in situations, but it wasn’t super important to the plot line and could have mostly (if not entirely) been taken out without changing the story.
The actual writing itself was pretty good, but I didn’t like that Paige’s chapters were written in the first person while Treha’s chapters are all third person. It was kind of confusing and also annoying.
Overall, a kind of depressing yet realistic portrayal of how people can make really bad choices. I’m still not a fan of this book. To be fair, this book was written for adults, not teens so I’m not exactly the intended audience of this book.

My personal rating: 1.5/5 stars.

Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...

[Barbara Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Looking Into You by Chris Fabry, Paige Redwine is an English professor at a college in Nashville. Only her parents know her secret: some twenty years before, she became pregnant and placed her baby for adoption at the insistence of her parents. Told that the father of her baby died, Paige had no choice but to go on with her life. But she feels stuck: she’s supposed to be finishing her dissertation on a mother’s love in literature, but she can’t seem to make progress. She also feels stuck in a relationship with a nice man who wants to be more than friends, but she can’t seem to move forward.

Then one day a coworker tells her about a documentary she saw about a nursing home’s residents and workers (told in Every Waking Moment). Among the nursing home staff was a girl in her twenties who had been placed for adoption but ended up being passed through the system. The girl had nystagmus, which caused her eyes to move rapidly, and when overwhelmed she made a typing motion with her hands. She wasn’t very expressive, but she had an unusual way with the residents, especially those who couldn’t or didn’t communicate. Paige is jolted when she learns the girl’s name: Treha, the unusual name she had purposefully given the baby she had placed for adoption.

Shaken, Paige finds and watches the documentary. But even now, knowing where her daughter is and what she has been through, Paige is hesitant to reach out. But then, “indecision made the decision” for her: suddenly Treha shows up as a student in one of Paige’s classes, unaware that Paige is her mother.

The point of view switches back and forth between Paige and Treha, and also occasionally to Miriam, Treha’s boss at the nursing home. I enjoyed seeing both sides as mother and daughter learn to overcome their fears to reach out and have a crash course in mother-daughter relationships. I’m glad Fabry didn’t paint this too rosy: every relationship has its rough spots, and both women had a lot to learn in relating to one another. “Grace allows you to see yourself in light of the past, not in the shadow of it.”

This book drew me in right away, and the ordeals of both women touched my heart. I think this book could be read as a stand-alone – I had forgotten much of Every Waking Moment when I started this book. But I’d recommend them both.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another time I wish I could do a half star rating-- 3 "liked it" is probably too low but I didn't 4 "really like it". I don't re-tell stories in my reviews, I simply make a general comment about why I rated it what I did and point out things I loved or found lacking...

Chris Fabry is a great writer and always creates a unique story that makes you think. I overall was sucked into this story-line, into both Paige's and Treha's stories; however, I felt that the backstory and depth of their storylines was lacking and it was hard to fully root for either one of them-- I also couldn't follow at all what Treha's supposed disability was-- as the parent of a special needs child knowing that stuff is important to me.

I also, don't like the 'assumption' that Treha's life would have been so great with her birthmom-- so it was hard to read that-- adoption is beautiful and I feel it's a discredit to adoptive parents. BUT that said, in reading a few other reviews, I guess this is a sequel, which I didn't realize. So I'll be reading that one soon and I'm sure it will help me understand the parts of their stories I was missing.

[Kaitlyn S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The long awaited sequel to 'Every Waking Moment' that I was finally able to read. It took me a year or so, but, finally, I found a copy, and oh my heart. This was SO well written, and I cried through the last 30ish pages or so. But, big surprise on that one, right? Everyone knows that I can be an extremely emotional reader, right? But this -- this was just so sad, and so sweet, and so . . . I don't even know.

Mr. Redwine, Treha's grandfather, was what really did me in, emotion-wise. I mean, the love and longing he had for his granddaughter, from the time he had first heard of her conception, was amazingly sweet and cry-worthy.

The emotions of Paige Redwine, everything that comes from an unwed pregnancy (no details given, just facts stated!), giving up your child for adoption, and later having her stumble into your classroom . . . it was all so well done! I could put myself into Paige's place, I had such empathy for her and what she would have been going through for all those years.

Definitely another excellent book from this author!

[Jeramy L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really liked this book and was a quick easy listen. I withheld a star because it didn't go quite deep enough for me. The central theme of the book explores the relationship between mothers & daughters. Treha was given up for adoption just after she was born by teen mom with pressure of her mom. Her adoption wasn't a happy ending after the ink dried on the paperwork and the author starts to explore this several times but doesn't. It's like he dipped his toes in the water of her past, waded out ankle deep and then couldn't commit. I'm not wanting him to go in depth on with specifics, but to really share the emotional struggles that Treha faced, how did it shape her as a person? For some reason, Treha's experience was unique enough that a documentary was made about her. Other than knowing it was made and the mom saw it, the whole thing was skipped over. You gets hints here and there, enough to know a little bit, but I really wanted Treha to be a deeper character.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually listened to this audiobook a few years ago or more but never got around to a review. I plan to relisten to it sometime as I really liked this story despite not having read or listened to any other Chris Fabry books before.

The story was an emotional rollercoaster for me and made it very captivating. To actually feel what each main character is feeling is in my opinion a sign of great writing. I won't spoil anything but will say that I wish it was a bit longer of a story and went into the different conflicts more.

In a nutshell, as previously stated, it was good enough that I want to read again - and also read the first book this goes to!

[Olivia Jovellanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book! It was fun to read, and most importantly, had a very valuable lesson about the grace of God and the importance about being open about our sins and failures <3

The reason for the four stars is that the plot and execution did seem a little bit lacking to me. There were some minor conflicts and characters that I felt the author built up but then just left hanging. There were certain parts of the story that I thought would be expanded on a lot more but then just felt forgotten. That doesn't mean I don't recommend the book though <3

[Crishelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read one of Chris Fabry’s other books years ago and remembered really liking it so when I saw this on display at the library I picked it up. I hadn’t realized he was a Christian author until getting into this particular story of his. (I found it refreshing to read a book that had no curse words in it TBH!) I liked the premise and the characters but it fell a little flat for me overall and some of the drama seemed a little over the top. It was a quick and easy read though.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, didn't see that coming. I seldom write reviews, just list stars. But this novel deserves a proper one. What a great read. This book could have been me except I kept my daughter. If I hadn't, I don't think I could have read this book. It tugs at one's heartstrings. I only have one complaint. The grandmother, Paige's mother, after all the sharp barbs and guilt she handed out. Her reversal doesn't ring true. But other than that, an amazing story of God's grace, love and forgiveness.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read. I like Chris Fabry's writing and usually will read a book of his if I see his name on it. He is a Christian and the writing is clean. He does not shy away from hard topics though. This book deals with a woman and her daughter who she gave up at birth so it is a challenging topic, but handled well.
I actually have read the other book that goes with this, but forgot I had (3 years ago).

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does a mother do when the child she gave up suddenly appears at the college where Mom teaches? What family secrets start unraveling? I loved this book and how Chris Fabry unlocked each secret. The emotions he depicted drew me into these two women's stories. I surely will read more of his stories. Thank you, Chris.

[Janice Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had already read this book, until I realized it was a continuation of Treha's story from Every Waking Moment. What an emotional ride, with the characters discovering hidden secrets and tripping over misdirection, trying to come to terms with the past as well as the present. It's such a compelling read I couldn't put it down until the last page.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Makes you think. It is a sequel and although I had read the original, it had been some years and I didn't realize it so it just keep seeming familiar. Close to the end I realized it - it would have made a lot more sense if I had brushed up on the first book before reading this one. But I still enjoyed the book.