Call of the Camino: a deeply emotional and moving story about the transformative journey along the Camino de Santiago

Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn is a deeply emotional and moving novel about the transformative journey along the legendary route of the Camino de Santiago. In 2024, twenty-five year old Reina Watkins lost her father when she was eight, even seventeen years later, the grief is still heavy on her heart. When an opportunity comes up that would boost her budding journalism career, Reina finds herself on the ancient five-hundred-mile path, the same route that her father took many years ago.  Armed with his journal, Reina takes the journey with her father at her side, little does she know that she will learn much more about her father, their family and the past. In 1997, seventeen year old Isabelle Vidal is a teenager on the run, after she flees from her boarding school. Hearing that the Camino will provide, she heads for the Way of Saint James, and comes in the form of new friends and a handsome young American who brings the promise of a new life. 

I have loved Suzanne Redfearn’s books for years and I was excited to read Call of the Camino. It is a powerful story of faith, self-discovery that involves learning the past to help shape your future. It is a story of two women who find courage, strength and love on the hallowed trail. Ms. Redfearn’s description of the trail and the experiences of those who walk it reminds me of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT), 2,650 miles from the US-Mexico border through California, Oregon and Washington to the Canadian border. Although not as long as the Camino, I have heard the same types of life-changing, transformative journeys. From the opening chapter to the closing page, I was hooked on Reina’s and Isabelle’s story. I felt as if I was on the path with them and I could not put the book down. I read on the edge of my seat as Reina’s and Isabelle’s story intertwine. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I highly, highly recommend Call of the Camino. 

Call of the Camino is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Moment in Time: one night can change the course of one's life and friendships

Moment in Time by Suzanne Redfearn is a follow-up to In An Instant (2020). It’s been eight years since the tragic events which changed Maureen “Mo” Kaminski and Chloe Miller’s lives. Now in their mid-twenties, they share an apartment in San Francisco with their roommate, Hazel. Life seems to be relatively normal as they both work through the challenges of adulthood and career. Suddenly, one night when Hazel ends up in the hospital after being raped, their lives are again turned upside down. When the suspected perpetrator turns up drugged and beaten and Hazel has disappeared, the mystery of what happened that night becomes the forefront of their lives. Mo and Chloe are desperate to find out what happened to their friend and bring her home. Despite being familiar with tragedy, Mo and Chloe will find themselves tested personally as well as their friendship. Will their commitment to their friend, finding the truth and seeking justice bring them closer together? Will they be driven apart for good? 

I read In An Instant a couple years ago and loved it. When Moment in Time was suggested for me, I grabbed it and couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, something felt off about the story. I’m not sure what it was but I was bored and confused. While the subject matter needs to be taken seriously, I found myself not caring about Mo and Chloe as they searched for their friend and discovered what happened that night. At one point, one of the characters decides to get revenge on a cop for not taking the rape report seriously and then is shocked when she is arrested for it. Seriously?!?!? There were also too many plot holes and inconsistencies that just didn’t add up. Moment in Time just doesn’t have the same emotional impact that In An Instant did. It wasn’t as gripping and emotional as I expected. Overall, I did not enjoy Moment in Time. Despite my enjoyment and recommendation for In An Instant, I cannot recommend Moment in Time. 

Moment in Time is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

In An Instant: love, family and the strength to carry on

In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn is a story of love, family and carrying on even when you don’t want to. In the blink of an eye, life is over for sixteen year old Finn Miller. A devastating car accident causes the family camper to tumble down the side of a mountain as her family spends the weekend with friends. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as her loved ones struggle to survive in the cold and snow. In order to survive, impossible choices were made, decisions that leave the survivors with tormenting guilt, immense grief and regret. Finn keeps vigil as her family and friends struggle to rebuild their lives. Her father, Jack, seeks vengeance. Her best friend, Mo, searches for the truth about the events after the accident. Her mother, Ann, is haunted by her decisions. And her sister, Chloe, lacks the will to continue to live. Can Finn move on? Can her family be able to pick up the pieces? 

In An Instant is a gripping, heartbreaking story of survival and the aftermath of one’s decisions. Finn is a typical teenager who is looking to ask her crush to the school dance and trying to avoid getting caught up in her oldest sister’s wedding frenzy. The family weekend in the mountains was supposed to help bring them closer together. That weekend becomes fateful in ways they never expected. Be prepared. It is a hard read about a difficult situation with difficult life altering choices. It is definitely a story that shows that in life or death situations, some decisions will be selfless while others will be selfish. It asks the questions which one would be each of us in that moment? In that situation? The author’s note at the end of the book is definitely worth reading too and only adds to the heartache from the story's events. Despite the hard subject matter, I enjoyed this story and I highly recommend In An Instant. 

In An Instant is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook