Why the Mountains Stand by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm

Why the Mountains Stand Reviews

• 
  theliterateleprechaun

  This is a beautiful conclusion to Addisyn and Avery Miles’s journey!
  
  When Darius’s uncle offers Addisyn a job as an assistant coach at the Bearstooth Athletic Center in the Callaghan Valley in Whistler, she eagerly accepts the opportunity. Despite leaving the protection of her sister, Addisyn knows that “the compass of her soul had always pulled her farther north” and she’s ready to soar and channel her expertise into helping others. She’s soon disappointed when she discovers that she’s been assigned to coach Darius’s troubled cousin, Kenzie Howard.
  
  Working with Kenzie is just what Addisyn needs because it stretches her in ways she could never have imagined, allowing Addisyn to realize that “her darkest story might just be her greatest strength.”
  
  My heart ached as these two beautiful souls, both scarred by their past, have the opportunity to help walk each other through their struggles, realize their purpose, and experience the freedom of a burden lifted. Addisyn realizes that the men in her life only prompted her to learn survival skills, not learn to love and give from the heart. She’s now in a unique position to see how Darius is influencing her in comparison to her father and Brian. Will she take what she’s been forced to learn on her own and use it as a tool to help others succeed? Even though she doesn’t have the best coaching style to rely on? Can she “be for Kenzie what Avery had unfailingly been for her? A north star?”
  
  I loved the dueling definitions of success as it gave me pause. Addisyn believes that success is “making a life doing what you love” whereas Darius’s uncle believes that it’s “found in persistence” and in “decisions that produce results and make a lasting impact.”
  
  This redemption and restoration story is the best of the trilogy, has all the feels, and the most touching of messages.
  
  I was gifted this copy by Words from the Wilderness and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
• 
  Caitlin Miller

  4.5 ⭐️
  
  Endorsement:
  
  “Why the Mountains Stand is a poignant reminder that even when we fall, we can still rise. No failure, struggle, or hardship can keep us from rebounding as long as we dare to try again. With themes of healing, second chances, and overcoming fears, Why the Mountains Stand is the perfect conclusion to a beautiful series!”
• 
  Valerie Cotnoir

  Endorsement: "In this tale full of dreams, speaking to themes of shame and redemption, Ohm reminds us that not only can we overcome our past, we can build a brighter future. On their journeys to seek this outcome for themselves, Ohm's characters search inside their hearts for peace while simultaneously extending a hand of hope to someone else in great need of it." - Valerie Cotnoir, author of YOUR HOME IS HERE and THE WAR WITHIN
• 
  Lauri Gentry

  Beautiful ending to this three book series. The book really took off and soared to greater heights starting in chapter 21. I highly recommend all three books, please start with the first for greater understanding of the characters.
• 
  Morgan Giesbrecht

  Endorsement:
  
  “Why the Mountains Stand is an introspective journey of redemption, brimming with hard-won hope! Amid the hidden truths and the gritty essence of strained familial relationships, Ohm lavishly captures the wild heart of the Canadian Coast Mountains and the brave outdoor enthusiasts who love them. As the lives of four struggling souls overlap, they discover healing for the past, courage to face their fears, and sheer determination to rise up after falling, time and time again.”
  ~Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht, author of The Lies We Live
• 
  Jeanette Durkin

  This is a wonderful book! It's about relationships, sacrifice, failures, and accomplishments! There are some difficult issues addressed: bad memories of childhood, an eating disorder, and unrealized dreams. Then there's the amazing realization of His love, His healing!
  
  The characters are extremely relatable and easy to become attached to. Each one touched my heart in some way. I genuinely wanted to see each one's hopes and dreams become reality!
  
  This is the first book that I've read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last!
  
  I was provided a copy of the book from Victory Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
• 
  Gretchen Garrison

  "The lights of Whistler were in view. He took a deep breath and let the glow from the city dispel the dusk settling in the car. Yes, he's made a mistake years ago. But this was his time of redemption. And nothing could stand in his way."
  
  Darius finally feels ready to move on from his parents' tragic death but perhaps he has more to let go of than he realized. Addisyn thought that coaching skating could solve all of her problems - she would have a meaningful job and get to live close to her boyfriend. But the situation proved to be challenging beyond what she anticipated. Letting her sister go was harder than Avery anticipated. But she likes her stable life - at least she thinks she does. Add troubled Kenzie to the mix along with unkind relatives and there is plenty of drama in this book. Thankfully there is growth and resolution.
  
  The author's books are about relationships. While romance is one element, it never takes over the storyline. I like how the primary emphasis is on the sisters learning how to have an adult relationship.
  
  Setting a book in the mountains certainly adds a wonderful element. Now I want to go to Canada to see all of the places talked about in the book. I hope the author continues to set her books in such beautiful settings.
  
  At times, I wanted to shake one particular character. She was holding on to a past role and not willing to see a way forward. But as I read on, I realized that all of the characters were stuck in certain patterns. None of them were recognizing that they need to break free of falsehood and confusion. Seeing them all break free made me cry at the end of the book. I loved the fact that faith played a strong role in the process.
  
  Nature always plays an important role in the author's books. While she always mentions the Creator, one character in particular seems to have some Native American beliefs that influence her faith. That was true again in this book. The part that bothered me was the emphasis on the spirit bear. While I liked the fact that the author did bring it around to the Maker designing bears to survive hardship, it still felt a big New Agey to me. That is why my final rating is a 4.5, rounded to 5 stars.
  
  I did receive an advanced copy of this book. I wanted to read and review it as I have read the rest of the series and have really enjoyed these books. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Vicki F

  A contemporary Christian fiction, Why the Mountains Stand by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm has scarred characters, healing, and redemption. Characters that grab you by the hand and take you along their journeys. I wanted to skip ahead to find how their stories resolved but wanted to relish each step along the journey. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
• 
  Erin

  A wonderful conclusion to the author's Climbing Higher series. Learn more about Darius's family background and follow Addisyn's first steps as a competitive figure skating coach. As always, a beautiful sense of setting and strong faith thread.
• 
  Emily Hoisington

  RTC!! Beautiful conclusion for both Avery and Addisyn’s stories.
• 
  Kelly Zeit

  We all have a past, mistakes, failures....what we do with those in our future is what matters. This is a story of redemption through the eyes of more than one character. Kenzie is stuck in her ice skating career after being brutally inured by her peers. Addisyn is living in the shadow of poor choices that damaged her ice skating career and that threaten to do the same to her current job opportunity. Darius has cowered in the presence of familial pressures and legacies. Meanwhile, Avery has lost sight of who she is now that her job of raising her sister has brought her to adulthood and an empty nest.
  
  The author takes you on a journey through hurt, healing, and finally flourishing in the calling God has given each of these characters. Powerful story of how we were never meant to do this life on our own strength, and how pain is not without purpose. While this is the conclusion of a series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone as I did.
• 
  Lois

  Awesome!
  
  Having read the first two books, I knew the back story. Seeing Addison learning that she had more to give to help others was wonderful.