First Line Friday #82

Posted October 11, 2019 by thebeccafiles in First Line Friday / 15 Comments

first line friday

Happy Friday!

This week I’m featuring:

The Bright Unknown

Amazon | Goodreads

I’m not sure who I should thank–or blame–for the chance to become an old woman.

Y’all… WOW! Okay so admittedly I’m not that far into this one yet BUT it’s already somehow managed to grip my heart. Elizabeth Byler Younts has a way of writing that makes it an experience and not merely words on a page. The setting is so tangible it’s as if I’m standing right in the middle of it. From what I’ve read so far I can already tell this is one that’s going to stay with me. I happen to have an early copy but the official release is coming up very soon on Oct 22, 2019. Go pre-order it!

About the Book:

This poignant and heartbreaking novel explores the power of resilience, the gift of friendship, and the divine beauty to be found in the big, bright world—if only we’re willing to look.

Pennsylvania, 1940s. The only life Brighton Friedrich has ever known is the one she has endured within the dreary walls of Riverside Home—the rural asylum where she was born. A nurse, Joann, has educated and raised Brighton, whose mother is a patient at the hospital. But Joann has also kept vital information from Brighton—secrets that if ever revealed would illuminate Brighton’s troubling past and the circumstances that confine her to Riverside. Brighton’s best friend is a boy she calls Angel, and as they grow up together and face the bleak future that awaits them, they determine to make a daring escape.

Nothing can prepare Brighton and Angel for life beyond Riverside’s walls. They have no legal identities, very little money, and only a few leads toward a safe place to land. As they struggle to survive in a world they’ve never seen before, they must rely on each other and the kindness of strangers—some of whom may prove more dangerous than the asylum they’ve fled.

Narrated in Elizabeth Byler Yount’s gorgeous style, The Bright Unknown is a sparkling search for answers, family, and a place to call home.

About the Author:Elizabeth Byler Younts

Go to www.elizabethbyleryounts.com to subscribe to the newsletter and receive the audio of the first chapter of her new release THE SOLACE OF WATER as a thank you gift.

Elizabeth Byler Younts is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She gained a worldwide audience through her first book Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl and is a RITA nominated writer. She is also the author of The Promise of Sunrise series. She has consulted on Amish lifestyle and the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect two award-winning television shows. Elizabeth lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, two daughters, and a cockapoo named Fable.


Now it’s your turn!

Grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. To see what First Lines others are sharing this week head over to Hoarding Books.

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

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15 responses to “First Line Friday #82

  1. Great first line!

    I will be starting Dark Ambitions by Irene Hannon this weekend. Here’s the first line — “He got away!”

    Have a wonderful weekend!

  2. Kay Garrett

    March weather in Wharton County, Pennsylvania was as unpredictable as a cutting jeer from Nana D. Although bound to happen, the actual impact boasted an infinite range unlike any missile I’d ever seen launched.
    BROKEN HEART ATTACK by James J. Cudney
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

  3. Amy

    Intriguing concept for a story! Hmm, the only book within arm’s reach right now is Perpetua (Amy Rachel Peterson). First line:

    “I remember three years ago looking into the entrance pool of Julia’s stately domus and finding I was beautiful.”

  4. lelandandbecky

    Happy Friday! My first line is from “Sara’s Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series Book 4) by Kimberly Rose Johnson:

    “I have no idea who or what should get Charity’s fifteen hundred dollars.”

  5. Paula Shreckhise

    My first line is from Aiming For Love by Mary Connealy:
    October 1873
    Hope Mountain
    Near Bucksnort, Colorado, Near Grizzly Peak, Colorado
    Josephine Nordegren floated through the woodland silent as a ghost.

  6. Such a good first line. Happy Friday! I’m sharing from two Carrie Anne Noble books on my blog this week. Here is the second line from The Gold-Son:

    “The forest was a forbidden place, spoken of only in warnings and whispers.”

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