BOOK REVIEW: To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle

To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle
Series: The Shell Collector #2
Published by PRH Christian Publishing on April 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Romance / Clean & Wholesome, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: Audiobook
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads

A novel of overcoming deep loss, taking risks, and learning that life—and love—often surprises you when you least expect it, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Shell Collector.

“Bringing to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Nancy Naigle goes straight to the heart with this story of tragedy turned to triumph. A poignant reminder to never give up hope.”—Sheila Roberts, author of The Best Life Book Club

Feeling adrift after the loss of her husband, Rosemary sets out to visit an old friend on Whelk’s Island, undeterred by the threat of a hurricane. Before the storm hits, she finds herself at Tug’s Diner where she quickly connects with the owner, Tug.

But the storm destroys the diner, compounding Tug’s grief from losing his love the previous year. The longer Rosemary stays, the more she sees Tug’s deep sadness and resolves to help him. Together with Tug and friends Amanda and Paul, they all pitch in to help the close-knit community recover and rebuild.

As Amanda and Paul reconnect after losing touch during the storm, their plans to take things slow seem increasingly impractical. While Rosemary and Tug help the young couple navigate their relationship, they also find themselves building a friendship that begins to restore them both. But can that friendship convince them that love is possible for anyone who’s willing to take a risk—even those who never hoped they’d find it again?

I loved getting back to Whelk’s Island, despite the fact that it started with a hurricane.  Amanda, Tug, Paul, the entire community minus Maeve (sad face goes here).  If you missed my review of the first book in the series, check it out at The Shell Collector.  I switched to audio book for this one, and I am partly convinced that it was not the best choice, honestly.  Don’t get me wrong, the narrator was great, but . . . I really feel like it changed my perception of the folks, and not always for the better.

The one word that comes to mind for me, again, is insta.  Insta friendship, insta community, to some degree, insta attraction.  While I appreciate that we didn’t get insta love, it somewhat felt like it with the attraction.  But I digress.  Much like with Maeve in The Shell Collector, Amber seems to just insta friends with any older lady she finds.  Maybe I’m just too ancient dark hearted but it just doesn’t resonate with me.  And let’s talk about that older lady, Rosemary.  Maybe this is the narrator’s influence, but she felt so very immature.  I almost feel like her daughter has a valid reason to worry about her.  There was something about her I found just a bit much, but my brain continues to settle on immature for the word.  Not sure it’s what I want it to be, but it’s where I am.

But Tug, I love Tug.  I did appreciate the hint at his grief over losing Maeve that carried through.  I feel like I would have liked a little deeper exploration of that, but I get it . . . doesn’t fit with the general vibe of the story.  While Tug says he’s 80, he doesn’t really come across that way.  He feels more vibrant, active, and open to possibilities than most folks I know that age group.  I loved the progression of Amanda and Paul as well.  I wish we’d had the chance to see more about her relationship with her parents while she was there for the hurricane, but I get it, this is about Whelks, not just Amanda.  Overall, while it’s a bit insta all over the place, this community, these folks, and these stories have me on edge to start Home no Matter Where, but also the creeping sadness that it will be my last chance to hang with them for a couple of days.

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Posted By: Fizzy Pop · In: book review, Nancy Naigle, The Shell Collector, To Light the Way Forward