I'll Stand by You

By: Sharon Sala

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Dori Grant is no stranger to hardship. As a young single mother in the gossip-fueled town of Blessings, Georgia, she's weathered the storm of small-town disapproval most of her life. But when Dori loses everything within the span of an evening, she realizes she has no choice but to turn to her neighbors.

Everyone says the Pine boys are no good, but Johnny Pine has been proving the gossips wrong ever since his mother died and he took over raising his brothers. His heart goes out to the young mother and child abandoned by the good people of Blessings. Maybe he can be the one to change all that....

©2015 Sharon Sala (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Characterization is one of Sala's strengths." ( Publishers Weekly)

Best in Series

Loved this one!
This review was originally for the ebook borrowed through my library’s Libby app. I was then happy to buy the audiobook on sale in audible.
Possible Spoilers:
After having read through the whole series, I choose this story as my favorite. The life punches offset by the sweetness makes for a very emotional experience.
Johnny Pine is only 20 but has cared for his 10 & 7 year old brothers since their mother died 2 years ago. When the youngest is beaten at school, they get first-hand experience of prejudices predicated by who your parents are and where you live. But there are also good people determined to see that justice is done.

Adorable Grant, aka Dori, is a 17 year old unwed mother living with her grandfather. Her parents died when she was 9, then her grandmother passed. She’s working as a dishwasher at Granny’s Country Kitchen while Grandpa Meeker Webb babysits during the day. Although she had to drop out of high school, Dori completed her G.E.D. and is taking college classes online. She is learning how to design websites so she can work from at home. They’re getting along well enough until their house burns down and the stress brings on a heart attack and her grandfather dies. There she stands barefoot, with a crying baby and no one offering help or shelter. Johnny and his brothers drove over to check if their sitter’s house was burning, and they see the two abandoned. The brothers offer to let her stay with them until she can get back on her feet. Dori’s impressed with Johnny’s care of his brothers. Johnny is impressed with her care of her son, her gentleness, and her determination to work for more. Their attraction is almost fated. The good news is grandpa provided for her financially, but they have to weather vindictive gossips and the gold digging father of her son who sexually assaulted her.
Rubinate does a decent enough job of narration.

Another Excellent book by Sharon Sala

What did you love best about I'll Stand by You?

I loved the fact that it was a sweet, heartwarming story of two young people who have faced tough times and found love when they least expected it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I'll Stand by You?

So many memorable moments in this book, hard to pick just one. Instead I will pick one of my favorite characters Johnny's youngest brother Beep. He is sweet and says so many funny and cute things.

What about Amy Rubinate’s performance did you like?

I thought she did a great job narrating the book, and I look forward to hearing other books read by her.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I got caught up in Johnny and Dori's story - it made me smile, it made me laugh and it did make me cry a little bit.

Any additional comments?

I LOVE Sharon Sala's books, she is an amazing writer. IMO if you love to read heartwarming stories set in a small, friendly town, full of Southern Gals, "gossip" and interesting characters then this book is for you!

Great Read

I’ll Stand By You (Blessings, Georgia #2) was another great read by Sharon Sala. Dori is a young sing mother and has had her share of hardships. She lives in a small-town and has felt the disapproval of many of the gossip filled people in town. She winds up losing everything in one night and must turn to those same gossip filled people. Ever since Johnny’s mother died, he has been raising his brothers. He and his brothers take care of Dori and her child, when the rest of the small town seemed to abandon them. I loved Dori and Johnny’s story and can’t wait to read more by Sharon Sala.

oh wow

I'm gonna have to put my words together. This was perfect. I'm in book hangover heaven.

Wonderfully addictive story

This story was amazing I laughed and cried. There were times I wanted to strangle some of the characters. Johnnie and Dori have lived through a life time of pain in such a short amount of time, and yet they have found each other it was a beautiful story. Would love to see a spin off series of the boys grown up and what became of them and whether or not they had more babies.