Time to Begin eBook

I received the Time to Begin: Family Life Novel by Vered Schanbel ebook through a promotion.

Book Description:

The moment she and Rani get divorced, Amalya finds out she’s pregnant again. With Rani’s baby. The last pregnancy ended badly and destroyed their relationship. It takes her a very long time to tell her news to Yona, her mother, and Anna, her best friend. And Yiftach, her old-new guy. And Rani.
Time to Begin is a beautiful and versatile novel about people who are forced to choose new paths, because the old ones have disappeared beneath their feet. 

Why was she thinking of Yona right now? That’s what was making her feel sick. Amalya sat on the stairs and put her head between her knees. Rani leaned down and put a hand on her forehead. 

“Stop, I’m fine.” She pushed his hand away. She tried to get up but stumbled and when she grabbed the railing she bent her fingernail and it hurt so much that she accidentally bit her tongue. 

“Ouch,” she blurted. Tears filled her eyes. 

Rani grabbed her for support. “That’s it, I’m driving you, I don’t care. Where’s your bike?” he asked, not letting go. 

“Over there.” She motioned with her head. 

He helped her down the stairs. “I don’t understand who rides a bike to their own divorce ceremony,” he said again. 

Don’t worry about it, you don’t have to understand me anymore. You have no further obligations. No children, no dogs, only two small goldfish in a round bowl. 

He unlocked the chain with his typical care as Amalya leaned on a nearby fence. He loaded the bike onto his shoulder with such precision that it never even touched his clean shirt. With his free hand he held onto Amalya and they walked away from the rabbinate together, legally and religiously divorced.

Review:
For me, this story was hard to get into. The beginning didn't catch my attention or keep it. It wasn't until further into the story that I started to really enjoy it.

I found it confusing at times when it came to some of the characters. There wasn't much of an introduction to them. Most of the time, names were mentioned and you got to know the characters and who they were and how they related throughout the book.

Many of the characters had different personalities that stood out and made it easier to remember who was who.

Amalya and Rani are the two main, main characters. They're getting a divorce after six years of trying to overcome struggles in their relationship. Rani seems like a good, supportive guy, but I wish he fought for Amalya more. Although, Amalya seemed like she could be very stubborn, like her father.

After the divorce, Amalya found out she was pregnant with Rani's baby. After previous troubles with pregnancies or trying to get pregnant, Amalya had her fears regarding this pregnancy. She tried to keep it to herself for as long as she could. Rani, of course, had found the ultra sound picture. He had more faith that this pregnancy could work out. He seemed to be more of the planner or the person who looked for the good in a situation.

I kept finding myself wanting to know what would happen between Amalya and her old high school guy, Yiftach. I wish there was more with him in the story.

Many of the other characters in the story also had their own issues to deal with, such as: a death/car accident, trying to find one's self, adopting a child, finding time between their personal life and their professional life, dealing with a failing relationship, etc.

Check out the ebook on amazon.