I was gifted a copy of One Yes At A Time to read and review on Just to Claireify. All opinions expressed are my own.

Did you have a reading goal for this year? Mine was a rather ambitious 25 books. But I actually just finished book 25 this week! Today I’m sharing a review of one of my favorite reads of 2024: One Yes At A Time: How Open Adoption Transformed Our Family, by local author Susan Strong.

Whilst I’m usually a nonfiction reader, I don’t normally reach for autobiographies or memoirs. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received One Yes At A Time in the mail. Adoption is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as my childhood best friend and all of her siblings are adopted. Their house was my second home growing up, especially during difficult seasons of life for my own family (my parents’ lengthy divorce process). Their family was and is an incredible testament to the beauty of building a family through adoption. However, all of their adoptions were closed—by necessity, not by choice. As such, I didn’t know much about what an open adoption looks like before reading One Yes At A Time.… Read More »

I was gifted a copy of Secret Sky: The Young Universe to read and review on Just to Claireify. All opinions expressed are my own.

Billions of years ago on another planet, Skylar is your average 10-year-old living in a medieval village. His family are farmers, far from the opulence and politics of their kingdom’s city. When he comes of age, however, Skylar discovers that his people have a secret, sacred connection to the stars and universe–and loses everyone and everything he cares about that same fateful night.… Read More »