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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Ashley McMillon

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was definitely a page turner! I found myself full of emotions reading every page just rooting for Peggy to regain her confidence. Your heart strings will be tugged on as you understand her space as a struggling widow, overweight, teenage twins, and all of the cares of life, including being a stay at home mom! I love that she makes friends, even though she is nervous of them, and regains her self esteem and begins to believe in herself when she listens to her daughters sound advice. This story is very relatable, and I enjoyed every page!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review By Heather Bass

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have read from this author and wow I am hooked. I love a good woman’s fiction book but this story exceeded all my expectations. I was glued to my seat until the last page. You will fall in love with all of the characters. It truly made me cry tears of joy. It only took me a few hours to devour this amazing story. I can’t wait to see what this amazing author is going to write about next.

Peggy Moriarty lived for her twins after her husband died in a horrible accident. She didn’t realize that she was not taking care of herself and now she is way over weight. Peggy doesn’t know what to do when her two babies are now going to college. She is given a bootcamp program to help her find herself and to lose some weight. Peggy never expected to make friendships as well. Will Peggy find her old self or will it be too late?

Review @heatherbass

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Lorralei Hoerner

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fantastic book…I loved this story so much and it felt so real, the struggle and trying to move on.

Peggy is a mother of twins, whom are ready to leave and go away to college. Peggy struggles with the reality of becoming an empty-nester and also still mourning her husbands untimely death. When Peggy’s children, Greg and Grace give Peggy a gift of a “boot camp style” gym …… to work on herself … at first Peggy wanted nothing to do with it. Once Peggy joins and meets new friends in Carmen and Roni..this friendship is what Peggy needed. When Peggy meets Henry..she discovers that there can be a new life to discover after losing her husband….just takes some time to realize. Can Peggy truly move on?

This story is truly a must read…the story flowed so easily and the book was hard to put down. I wanted to keep turning the pages on what is going to happen next for Peggy… fantastic fantastic fantastic read!!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Christine Baranek

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More Than
By: Diane Barnes

I LOVED this book. This is definitely the type of book with a main character that is so relatable. I think that most women can relate to that feeling of losing themselves. Peggy lost herself in raising her children, who no longer need her. Now its time for her to reinvent herself, or find herself again. She is obsessed with a television show with a medium who can talk to the dead. This makes sense, since she lost her husband years ago. She is always starting a new diet – tomorrow – especially since the dr is harping on her. However, as her kids are leaving for college, they give her a gift one that might just be the key to finding herself.
I do not have any children, yet, I found myself really relating to the character of Peggy. I could relate to the not knowing who you are anymore. The always thinking that the next diet starts tomorrow. The longing for something else, something different, something for her.
This book was amazing and is definitely something that I didn’t want to end. I can not recommend this enough!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Jennifer Ramos

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story focuses on Peggy’s transition from being a stay-at-home mom to her twins, daughter and son, as they leave for college and she embarks on her new way of life. With her husband passing away when the twins were away from a tragic accident, her sole focus has been on her children and making sure they are on the right path towards independence and making the right choices. Now she must find her own way and take better care of herself. She meets some unexpected people that help her in ways she didn’t think they ever could. As a result, she starts developing habits and goals to strive for a better self.
So many mothers and fathers can relate to this story. We as parents heavily focus on the children’s successes and activities that we tend to leave ourselves in last place. I myself have fallen into this spectrum and even though each of us are on different paths and phases in our own journeys, we can use stories like these as motivators for our own goals and dreams. This story is so relatable and an easy read. Very much taking a close look at Peggy’s side of her story.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Jules Herbert

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since losing her husband 14 years ago Peggy has devoted herself to raising her twins Grace and Greg, They have been her entire life focus and in many ways she has neglected herself to always be there for them. As they leave for college they gift her a boot camp class which upsets her greatly but eventually becomes a turning point in her life. This was an a very relatable story filled with emotion and heart.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Shannen Kern

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very heartwarming, funny, and emotional read for me. I haven’t read anything from this author before, but I will be picking up other books from her because this was uplifting. Peggy has spent her whole life devoted to others. Once her husband passed, she focused on being a single mother to her twins. She finds herself alone more and more as the twins get older, and after they move out, she begins discovering herself again. Will the new changes push her back into her shell, or will she realize that she is more than her duty as a mother and widow?

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Jennifer Gordon

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An enjoyable and engaging story which had me hooked from start to finish. Following the death of her husband, Peggy Moriarty’s life has revolved around her twins, Grace and Greg, but now they are teenagers and don’t need Peggy as much. Having been a single Mum, she’s at a loss of what to fill her time with and her only hobby is watching a show about a Medium who connects bereaved people with their deceased loved ones, ‘Messages from Beyond’. Grace and Greg give their Mum a gift certificate for an exercise class when they leave for college, and having got over feeling insulted, Peggy throws herself into getting in shape and eating healthily. However, her aim is to gain enough confidence to go on ‘Messages from Beyond’, and talk to her late husband one last time.
Having made friends at the gym, they along with her daughters boyfriend’s mother, Carmen help Peggy to emerge from her shell and spread her wings. Before long Peggy discovers that she’s not just a mother, and a widow, and that her body issues don’t define her either. This was such a touching and emotional read, Peggy is such a likeable and relatable character that I felt instantly engaged with her. The storyline took me on an emotional rollercoaster and it deals with difficult subjects such as, bereavement, grief, and body and weight issues, sensitively and realistically. All the characters are well defined and add to the overall all storyline, and the plot kept me happily turning the pages. Both the story and the characters stayed with me long after I had finished the last page.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Kerry Carr

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very emotional story for me to read because I related to Peggy in so many ways. I have struggled with weight and self confidence and also becoming a mother and losing my identity. This story covers an issue which isn’t really discussed which leaves women feeling alone and like it’s just them going through it.

Since losing her husband Peggy has been working hard to raise her twins and carry on with her life. As the time has gone on Peggy has lost herself. All she sees herself as is a widow and a mother. Everything about her such as her confidence has gone and over time her weight has increased making her more unhappy.
With her children leaving for college she now had the task of readjusting her life. Maybe now is time to think about herself.

We follow Peggy on her journey from a unconfident mother who has lost her identity to a beautiful person who is a mother but also so much more than that.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Lauren West

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved every moment of this book. Peggy was Very real, raw, and flawed as any and all human beings can be. Losing her husband and raising her kids alone truly isolated and put her into a place where she felt she had no one and her survival mode was food, her children, and her home. She proved to be was an amazing character! Even though she got to a place in her life that made her unaware and complacent just trying to live….when she was given the opportunity to spread her wings again she did. She transformed that fear and place of sadness and became the remarkable woman she once was. Her goals were her own, and when she found a man who saw her and appreciated her that was the icing on the cake. Anyone can end up where Peggy did, but how many can rise again?
Peggy was Very real, raw, and flawed as any and all human beings can be. Losing her husband and raising her kids alone truly isolated and put her into a place where she felt she had no one and her survival mode was food, her children, and her home.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Carlie Del Gallo

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to say that this book had me at a loss for words, it was amazing! I have not read a book by this author before and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed reading this. I found myself not able to put it down when I was working and found myself wanting to be off of work so I could keep reading and find out what happened. I cannot wait to read more books by this author. I cannot wait to tell my friends about this book!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by M Policicchio

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book surprised me for several reasons, some good, some bad. This book has a heartwarming story with a fantastic ending. The author is right that it is not the amount of weight you lose when starting a weight loss journey, but about how you feel about yourself during and at the end of the journey. The weight is just a number.

Peggy is fighting more battles than she knows. Fourteen years ago, her husband was tragically taken from her. Luckily, he provided enough for her to be able to stay at home and raise their twins. Now the twins are graduating high school and headed off to college, trying to start their own lives. Peggy has really not paid attention to herself since her husband died. She saw herself as the twins’ mom. Peggy has gained some weight. Peggy has also developed a small obsession with a tv show about a medium that speaks to folks that have passed away. Peggy feels that if she went on the show, she would finally get validation from her husband that she raised their twins right. Peggy’s daughter said that her father would not recognize Peggy from all the weight she has gained. So Peggy’s daughter and son give Peggy an exercise program. Peggy struggles with the decision to go.

Peggy finally goes and meets some new people, developing friendships. This is something Peggy hasn’t had since her husband died and she started identifying herself as “the twins’ mom”. As Peggy learns to manage the new friendships, the changing relationships with her children, the desire to hear from her husband, and life in general, Peggy is gaining more than she is losing.

Although I don’t agree with how the author presents Peggy’s weight, the delightful story about Peggy finding herself is a fantastic read. As a lifelong bonus-sized individual, I have learned that it is not about the number on scale, it is about who you are as a person. I was so happy to read about the picture Peggy’s son texted her, finally getting everything she needed.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Brandy Vaughn

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is struggle with extended grief and depression mixed with humor. Barnes captures the reality of depression and issues with self-image through the main character Peggy. Penny is such a relatable character and brings humor to the story. I was pleasantly surprised the way Peggy’s struggle with her weight was told in the story. It was entertaining, positive, and kept the pages turning late into the night. This is a wonderful read!
Review by @bilberrysweet

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book More Than! It was a light hearted book but also pretty inspirational and creative approach to dieting. Peggy is a widowed stay at home mom, who has spent years eating her feelings. Her kids are off to college and she has to find a way to cope with her empty nest. She has focused on being a mom for so long, she lost her own identity and realizes she is alone in the world with her kids gone. As a gift, they gave her a prepaid boot camp (diet gym camp). She dreads the idea but finds good reason for wanting to get back in shape. I loved seeing Peggy make friends and rediscover herself. It’s hard to start over and re enter the dating world… it’s even harder as a middle aged widow who is overweight and has no self esteem. I loved the book and will be reading more by this author.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Jerricka Brown

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a very heartfelt book. I felt a connection to the main character. There were times I found myself drifting into the story while reading this. The author really drew me in and kept me hooked. I will be reading more from this author.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Michelle Troyer

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Peggy is a mom of twins who are fast approaching adulthood. She has been a stay-at-home mom and has raised them alone since they were babies, as her husband died in a plane crash. Now that they are heading off to college several hours away from home, what is she to do with herself? The book is a story of how Peggy consumes her time while the kids are at college. She enrolls in a boot camp and meets what becomes her best friends. It is an entertaining story of how they meet and get along and hang out all together. It’s an easy read and kept me wanting more. I highly recommend this book.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Rosanna Ingram

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Peggy has spent so much effort on being a single-mom to her twins, that she has lost herself in the process. As the twins are getting ready to leave for college, she has to find out how to spend her days. Currently, those days are spent watching a show about a woman connecting with deceased loved ones while eating Pop-Tarts. When her children give her a gift certificate to a boot camp, she is hurt and angry…but, with the motivation of being part of the studio audience of her favorite show (and maybe connecting with her late husband) and all the free-time she has since she doesn’t have to be a mom all day long, she starts going to the classes. What happens during these classes is not only a transformation of her strength and body…but also of her own identity.

I enjoyed all the characters in this story. I could feel the resentment between her and Carmen…and how that evolved throughout the book. As she bettered her health, she also bettered her relationships and outlook. While she may have lost her sense of self, she is slowly finding it through her bootcamp classes (and the relationships she is building along the way). It was a good story of how your life can change when you start putting yourself first.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Mandy Ott

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More Than was much more than I was expecting! This book was so beautifully written, with a touch of humor, lots of emotions, and a will to push yourself. The characters are so realistic that I found myself rooting for Peggy as she started her journey through boot camp workouts, and continued rooting for her throughout the book. Her inner dialogs with herself are too close to reality (I found myself wondering if someone had tapped into my own thoughts). Peggy constantly questions whether she is raising her twins well, carrying guilt over the death of her husband, all while being ridiculed for her weight. Diane Barnes does a wonderful job creating a realistic setting for the reader; I could feel the heat in boot camp room, heat the labored breathing of the other “campers.” A well-written, powerful story of a woman’s journey to find herself again. I can’t wait to read more by Diane Barnes.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by La Toya Lewis

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More Than by Diane Barnes is a very relatable story about a mother who finds herself as her children leave home. Peggy is the stay-at-home mom of twins. She is still grieving the loss of her husband 14 years later. As her twins prepare to leave home for college, they give her a gift certificate for a 12-week boot camp. We go along with Peggy as she goes on the journey to lose weight and rediscover herself. While Peggy can come off as selfish and judgemental at times you can see that it’s all about her insecurities. It is a good look at what happens when you allow yourself to wallow in self-pity. Peggy was incredibly relatable and you want to see her win. I greatly enjoyed rooting for this character. I highly recommend this book!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Devon Pulliam

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a good feel good, read in one sitting book!

Peggy raised her twins on her own for 14 years after losing her husband in a plane crash. She was consumed by taking care of the kids and like many moms neglected to take care of herself. That changed when her kids left for college and got her a gym membership.

Peggy was consumed with this TV medium, and wanted to re-connect with her late husband. Her and 2 of her new gym friends were able to get tickets. However she had many doubts during the show. Which the truth is later revealed to her in the most unsuspecting way.

The best part wasn’t Peggy finding herself and transforming, it was finding a new happy ever after!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Trista Priest

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an amazing well written book. This one sucked me in more than most, because it was so relatable. I’m a mom of two kids, whose father was killed in a work accident. I’ve struggled with many of the obstacles Peggy does throughout the book. Diane did a fantastic job with developing everyone of her characters and truly making this an amazing story of a woman’s transformation.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Maisie Dickinson

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Diane Barnes’ ‘More Than’ follows Peggy Moriarty, a middle-aged single mother of two twin teenagers. The kids leave for school, she’s left alone, she’s unhappy and unhealthy. She joins a weight-loss boot-camp, which is the last thing she ever wanted to do. The best part about this is that the weight-loss story doesn’t encourage fat phobia or eating disorder behaviours, but encourages healthy living and self-confidence. Peggy not only develops her confidence but grows as a character. I liked the book from the beginning, even though I didn’t like Peggy at first. She starts off quite pretentious, judgemental, rude, and controlling, but the support of her new friends helps her come out of her shell. The story explores complicated feelings around grief as well as mental health and body image issues. The ending is so perfect that I cried. I couldn’t recommend this more.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Rachel Moss

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good book! It was a little difficult to get into at the beginning, but I’m glad I persisted and stuck it out because it was a really good story. It is inspiring, and is pretty motivating as well. I wish there wouldn’t have been such a big focus on weight but I guess if there wasn’t then this wouldn’t be a book! This is my first book from this author and I’m excited to read more in the future!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Tori Mitton

<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48499524-more-than” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”More Than” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571438511l/48499524._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48499524-more-than”>More Than</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13525865.Diane_Barnes”>Diane Barnes</a><br/>
My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5079869861″>5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Peggy is a single mom of her twins Grace and Greg. Her husband Patrick passed away leaving her to raise the kids alone. Peggy is supposed to be on a diet to help with her blood pressure but she can’t resist those delicious brown sugar poptarts. Grace is upset that her mom isn’t sticking to the diet and is trying to get her to eat healthy. Peggy isn’t fond of Grace’s boyfriend Julian. He always pulls up to get the twins blaring his stereo through the neighborhood. Julian’s mom Carmen, sends a friend request to Peggy and asks if they can meet up and talk since the kids are together all the time. Carmen has invited grace to go skiing with her family for the weekend and tries to convince Peggy to let her go. Peggy won’t let up and refuses to let Grace go with her boyfriend for the weekend. Peggy doesn’t like that Carmen has been buying Grace clothes that are too revealing and asks her to stop.<br />Peggy isn’t wanting her kids to leave her to go to college. When the school letters arrives she thinks of destroying them but she doesn’t. Peggy puts the letters on the counter, Greg grabs his-he has been accepted to St Mike’s, where his father went to college. He calls for Grace to come open her letter-she also has been accepted to St Mikes. Peggy gets upset that her kids are leaving her in six months.<br />It’s graduation time, Peggy makes the twins their favorite dinner and desert, Grace and Greg give Peggy a picture of the family when they were younger and also hand her a card for a weight loss boot camp. They are scared to loose their mom because of her health. Peggy does end up becoming best friends with Carmen. Peggy, Carmen, and Roni are able to get live seats to Messages From Beyond, Peggy’s favorite show. Peggy is hoping she will connect to Patrick at the show but she’s terrified to get on the plane. Carmen is be her side the whole way to keep her calm and steady. They get to the show, Lynda “connects” to Patrick and tells Peggy a bunch of nonsense. Peggy leaves the show upset and distraught. Her favorite person is a fake. Carmen and Roni console Peggy and they talk about what happened. Peggy does wind up going on her first date in 14 years. Peggy ends up seeing Henry almost everyday and has been sticking to the weight loss boot camp.
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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Tausha Treadway

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More Than by Diane Barnes. This was such an emotional book. It was full of love, self discovery and laughter. Its the story of Peggy who is a single mom to twin’s that are on their way to college. Leaving Peggy feeling out of sorts she doesn’t really know what to do. Peggy’s husband and the twins dad was killed in a plan crash and ever since then she has focused solely on raising the twins. Peggy has no job, no friends and really no life outside of the twins. She is lightly friends with Carmen her daughter’s boyfriend mom but mostly Peggy is jealous of her. Peggy used to be skinny and have it together but now all she has is her tv with the one show she watches and food. The show she watches is about a medium connecting with those passed. When the twins leave for college they leave Peggy a gift of a boot camp workout gift certificate. Torn between being hurt and mad she decides she will just join that boot camp and find her old self. Maybe she can even go on that tv show to reconnect with her husband on the other side. This is a emotional roller coaster of a read but so very good!

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Stephanie Robb

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved the journey and transformation of Peggy from beginning to end. This felt like a book written about a real person and I really appreciated the writing style and character development through the book.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Donya Pedigo

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed watching the main character grow as she tried to figure out what to do with herself after her kids left for school and she was on her own. Who doesn’t want to root for a widow who tries to reconnect with herself and find out what and who she is. It was refreshing to watch Peggy gain confidence and start to thrive. This is a fun light hearted, hopeful read that I’m definitely glad I picked up. If you want to be uplifted and see how someone deals with questions and doubts that most of us face then I really think you will enjoy this book as well.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Kerry Baker

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such a heart warming and emotional story. It is a story all about second chances and new beginnings. I loved the main character and how relatable she is. You can feel he journey she goes on through each and every page of this book and, as the reader, it felt like you were with her every step of the way.
I really enjoyed the fact that the book wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. The author has created a lasting and touching story that I really felt I connected with. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Ashley Johnson

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was real. Many parents find themselves struggling when their kids leave home. Your kids are your reason for doing everything. This book is about finding yourself and the struggles that come with it. The growth Peggy goes through is inspirational and shows how strong women are.

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More Than by Diane Barnes – Review by Angelina Frazzini

More ThanMore Than by Diane Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it was a good read.

Peggy is approaching a new season of her life. Her kids are leaving home and she’s finding that she doesn’t really know what to do with herself. She decided to use the gym membership her kids got her, regardless of how she felt when they gifted it to her. Peggy begins to embrace her new season and realize she is more than any of the little boxes she’s placed herself into over the last several years.

I enjoyed this book. This book really captured Peggy’s emotions as she learns to embrace the changes she’s experiencing in herself and she is learning where to go from here. Truly an inspiration for anyone stuck and not sure how to move forward.

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