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A Holland and a Fighter
Holland.
It wasn’t the name I was born with, but it was a gift that was given to me at the age of four. On that birthday, I didn’t know what it meant to be a Holland, but over the next thirty-something years, there would be many lessons taught by a generous and adoring family. To be a Holland means to accept differences. To compromise. To listen, but to also speak your mind. To appreciate the world around you. To give back.
To be a Holland means to love.
Fighter.
I was never the fighter in my family. If there was a pacifist among the brothers, it would be me. I was the peacekeeper. The unifier. The one who was charged with keeping the family together; but in that very challenge, was it not a fight? The struggle may not often be a brawl, but there’s always hardship. This I know too well. To be a fighter means to face adversity. To do the unexpected. To stand alone. To have courage and strength of character. To prove everyone wrong.
To be a fighter means to live.
This is a story of love, life and the unexpected events that force us to fight for both.
It wasn’t the name I was born with, but it was a gift that was given to me at the age of four. On that birthday, I didn’t know what it meant to be a Holland, but over the next thirty-something years, there would be many lessons taught by a generous and adoring family. To be a Holland means to accept differences. To compromise. To listen, but to also speak your mind. To appreciate the world around you. To give back.
To be a Holland means to love.
Fighter.
I was never the fighter in my family. If there was a pacifist among the brothers, it would be me. I was the peacekeeper. The unifier. The one who was charged with keeping the family together; but in that very challenge, was it not a fight? The struggle may not often be a brawl, but there’s always hardship. This I know too well. To be a fighter means to face adversity. To do the unexpected. To stand alone. To have courage and strength of character. To prove everyone wrong.
To be a fighter means to live.
This is a story of love, life and the unexpected events that force us to fight for both.
Published July 15, 2019
About the author
Lori L. Otto
25 books749 followersComing in 2019:
Make Waves - May 1
A Holland and a Fighter - July 15
Coming in 2020:
Leaving New York
Make Waves - May 1
A Holland and a Fighter - July 15
Coming in 2020:
Leaving New York
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 29, 2019
Fair warning. This is an emotional read. If you love these characters as much as I do, there are many highs and lows in this book that you will live through with them. You also get numerous points of view - aside from the main ones of Livvy and Jon - and this really heightens the poignant experience that is this book.
A Holland and a Fighter takes place a little while after Make Waves, and we do check in with Max and find out how he's doing. As the name suggests, this is a book about a Holland, the Holland family and their extended family. We check in with all the characters we've come to know and love. There are weddings and babies and swear jars and tears and laughter and doubts and affirmations and decisions. This the story of family. And as one of my favourite TV shows tells us, "family don't end with blood." Or start there either. The Hollands have created an amazing family and it's always good to spend time with them through happiness and hurt.
A Holland and a Fighter feels a little like a full-circle book. This universe began with Emi and it continues because of Emi and Jack and of course the talented woman who created them. But this book is not the end! And even though there is sadness, the book ends in warmth and happiness. The final chapter is a dose of pure joy. If you know this world, you will love this book.
A Holland and a Fighter takes place a little while after Make Waves, and we do check in with Max and find out how he's doing. As the name suggests, this is a book about a Holland, the Holland family and their extended family. We check in with all the characters we've come to know and love. There are weddings and babies and swear jars and tears and laughter and doubts and affirmations and decisions. This the story of family. And as one of my favourite TV shows tells us, "family don't end with blood." Or start there either. The Hollands have created an amazing family and it's always good to spend time with them through happiness and hurt.
A Holland and a Fighter feels a little like a full-circle book. This universe began with Emi and it continues because of Emi and Jack and of course the talented woman who created them. But this book is not the end! And even though there is sadness, the book ends in warmth and happiness. The final chapter is a dose of pure joy. If you know this world, you will love this book.
June 18, 2019
To me, this book is the culmination of the Emi Lost and Found series and the Choise series combined. Lori Otto has written an emotionally charged story that will shake you to your core. It was soooo good.
June 19, 2019
Heartbreakingly beautiful. Read it in one day. Cannot stop thinking about it. Loved it all and especially loved peeking in on all of the Hollands and Scotts. Grab your tissues. First tears for me at 7%.
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June 25, 2019
I'll be honest, this book is very hard to rate. And not because it isn't well-written. It is. In fact, I love the way Lori Otto crafts a story, clearly putting her heart and soul into every word. I have loved the Holland/Scott crew from the very start and thoroughly enjoyed Livvy Holland's 4 book series, which is truly some of Otto's best work to date. And now with A Holland and a Fighter, I was anxious to get back into the world of Livvy and her Jon and the life they are building together. But what I didn't expect was to have my own heart shaken up as their seemingly well-protected world gets thrown off its axis.
If you know Lori Otto's work at all, you'll know she doesn't hesitate to write the most difficult of life's events. I admire that about her, making the Holland world seem just a bit more realistic. And boy does she get realistic with this latest book of hers. I was a bit flabbergasted that she took the course that she did and it took me a while to come to grips with what transpired from the 34% mark on. But I continued to read and in the end what I felt was a strange kind of satisfaction that the entire Holland crew, and of course they are all present and accounted for, will always feel the love from and for each other. Whether near or far, that kind of commitment can never really go away no matter the circumstance.
There is great sadness but there is also great joy. There is the affectionate ribbing that only siblings and extended family can dish out but there is also a connection that each and every character has for the others that can only be labeled as special. I am still in awe of this family dynamic and know that whatever is put in their path, they will be able to handle it as long as they have each other.
The continuing story-line of Max and Callen is a big part of this book and I look forward to their 'conclusion' in the next offering that Otto gives us. In fact, their bumps in the road took some of the 'heat' off of the Scotts and the whirlwind of unrest that surrounded them.
I warn you that many tissues will be needed as you read this lengthy book. I felt a myriad of emotions and I will admit that at times I didn't know if I wanted to finish. But I did and I'm glad of that. In the end, I wouldn't miss a chance to be around all things Holland since every single character will always hold a special place in my heart.
4 stars.
If you know Lori Otto's work at all, you'll know she doesn't hesitate to write the most difficult of life's events. I admire that about her, making the Holland world seem just a bit more realistic. And boy does she get realistic with this latest book of hers. I was a bit flabbergasted that she took the course that she did and it took me a while to come to grips with what transpired from the 34% mark on. But I continued to read and in the end what I felt was a strange kind of satisfaction that the entire Holland crew, and of course they are all present and accounted for, will always feel the love from and for each other. Whether near or far, that kind of commitment can never really go away no matter the circumstance.
There is great sadness but there is also great joy. There is the affectionate ribbing that only siblings and extended family can dish out but there is also a connection that each and every character has for the others that can only be labeled as special. I am still in awe of this family dynamic and know that whatever is put in their path, they will be able to handle it as long as they have each other.
The continuing story-line of Max and Callen is a big part of this book and I look forward to their 'conclusion' in the next offering that Otto gives us. In fact, their bumps in the road took some of the 'heat' off of the Scotts and the whirlwind of unrest that surrounded them.
I warn you that many tissues will be needed as you read this lengthy book. I felt a myriad of emotions and I will admit that at times I didn't know if I wanted to finish. But I did and I'm glad of that. In the end, I wouldn't miss a chance to be around all things Holland since every single character will always hold a special place in my heart.
4 stars.
August 5, 2019
Beautifully written...
For me, this is Lori's best novel yet... "A Holland and a Fighter" is an incredibly well-written story; at times it hurt to read. It brings back all of our favorite Hollands and Scotts from Lori's previous novels.
This is one of many poignant sentences that made me pause and read again: “I look down to face him, noticing the blur in my eyes brought on by heavy tears that aren’t brave enough to drop yet.”
Don't make us wait to long for the next one, Lori! Simply beautiful.
For me, this is Lori's best novel yet... "A Holland and a Fighter" is an incredibly well-written story; at times it hurt to read. It brings back all of our favorite Hollands and Scotts from Lori's previous novels.
This is one of many poignant sentences that made me pause and read again: “I look down to face him, noticing the blur in my eyes brought on by heavy tears that aren’t brave enough to drop yet.”
Don't make us wait to long for the next one, Lori! Simply beautiful.
June 20, 2019
Buckle up. This one is quite the ride. This is absolutely not a stand alone book – do not rob yourself of the experience that is the Holland / Scott clan.
I do typically read the author’s books within a day or two of their release, but this one required a bit more time. Not to sound cliché but I laughed, I cried and I may have sworn at the author once or twice (sorry Lori!). The book was so rich in content and since it was shared from a few different view points, it helped to provide a more robust view of the story and really helped to tie it all together. My emotions were running so high I had to take a few breathers so as to not rush through but rather truly experience the whole story.
I do have to agree with the other reviews here that this story very much felt like a full circle. Although there are sufficient pieces to introduce new tangents as well. Little hints (and larger ones) were left throughout of what’s next in the life of this family. I don’t feel I can say a whole lot about the book without risking spoilers. So, I suppose this becomes more of a review of the author and her ability to bring together, over so many books, the lives of these characters into such an intricately woven narrative that I really don’t see any book about one character more than another anymore. They’ve all contributed to the story leading up to this book … and the next (and next?).
I’ve suggested in previous reviews that the Holland (and Scott!) bubble is like a welcomed Sunday family dinner – and Lori did not disappoint with this one! 5+ stars with kudos for her successfully taking on such an emotionally charged story.
I do typically read the author’s books within a day or two of their release, but this one required a bit more time. Not to sound cliché but I laughed, I cried and I may have sworn at the author once or twice (sorry Lori!). The book was so rich in content and since it was shared from a few different view points, it helped to provide a more robust view of the story and really helped to tie it all together. My emotions were running so high I had to take a few breathers so as to not rush through but rather truly experience the whole story.
I do have to agree with the other reviews here that this story very much felt like a full circle. Although there are sufficient pieces to introduce new tangents as well. Little hints (and larger ones) were left throughout of what’s next in the life of this family. I don’t feel I can say a whole lot about the book without risking spoilers. So, I suppose this becomes more of a review of the author and her ability to bring together, over so many books, the lives of these characters into such an intricately woven narrative that I really don’t see any book about one character more than another anymore. They’ve all contributed to the story leading up to this book … and the next (and next?).
I’ve suggested in previous reviews that the Holland (and Scott!) bubble is like a welcomed Sunday family dinner – and Lori did not disappoint with this one! 5+ stars with kudos for her successfully taking on such an emotionally charged story.
June 29, 2019
I honestly feel like the Hollands and the Scotts are family to me. I don't even need to read the blurb from . Lori Otto book anymore. I just know I will love it because she is simply that kind of author to me. A brilliant story teller who have given me some of my favorite fictional family and characters. I have to say this was the most difficult book from hers I've read. The pain encountered was shocking and totally unexpected. I honestly did not know if I could continue but I did and I'm so glad I did. It is very hard to review this book without going into spoilers. This book is about life, love, family, friendship and I'm pretty sure I will never forget it.
June 24, 2019
I’ve struggled with how to review this book because it explores the depths of just about every human emotion. Example- It’s so well written that I was sobbing while getting a pedicure and my nail technician asked me to stop reading so I could enjoy my pedicure. It will grab your heart, twist it, break it, and ultimately soothe it. Be prepared for a beautifully written story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.
June 20, 2019
What an amazing journey from start to finish! I am just in love with this family’s strength. If you’ll excuse, I now have to take a couple days break from reading to recover and process this whole story.
June 19, 2019
Another emotional book from Lori Otto. I have absolutely loved each and every book she has ever written.
June 22, 2019
How could you do this to me. Love the series and you have to make me cry again.
July 9, 2019
A wonderful journey! The author made me happy, sad - yes have a box of tissues ready, and angry. She always leaves me wanting more books from her 💕
September 18, 2019
This story was totally unexpected.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews