Pitying looks from her small town neighbours have been a way of life for Julia DeSmit, a life she hopes to leave behind to forge her own destiny. Deserted by her disengaged mother at aged 9 and losing her beloved dad during her teen years to illness leaves an indelible mark on her psyche that will haunt her in the years to come.

College represents a chance to escape the confines of her small town life and the heartache of a love lost when her childhood soul mate, Thomas falls for another girl. Having created a persona of aloofness during her high school years, Julia finds it difficult to relate to her college contemporaries but makes an uneasy friendship with her engineering teacher's assistant, Parker.

At a vulnerable time she is reminded again of all the losses in her life and makes a decision that will forever shape her future by sending her back to her past.

Nicole Baart's debut novel is a stirring portrayal of a young woman desperately seeking her place in a world which has dealt her one heartache after another. Julia's journey will resonate with anyone who has experienced tragedy and open the eyes of those who haven't. Pleasingly pat answers to Julia's dilemmas are nowhere to be seen and yet the beauty of a faithful heart is clearly shown through Julia's grandmother. Brimming with engaging and authentic characters After the Leaves Fall is beautifully written and a stunning tribute to Nicole's talent as a writer. I eagerly anticipate the continuation of Julia's story in the sequel, Summer Snow, releasing in mid 2008.

The following section contains one of the most beautiful concepts I've read in a Christian novel.

It seemed like a strange thing to say, but with every repetition she drove a tiny seed of hope further into my heart. I almost didn't want it there--hope is not a promise, merely a wish, a yearning for something that may never materialize--but it sank down deep where I could not extract it and began, even in that moment, to put down fragile roots.

It was the hope that scared me most of all, and only when I had felt it tremble inside me did I begin to cry.

My review:

That section from the story (above) spoke most deeply to my heart. It's what we all need when the world seems to be caving in on us. We need hope. We need someone to gift us with it so we will see things from a different perspective. We don't need judgment or condemnation. This fallen world dishes out plenty of that, and what the world doesn't dump on us we heap on ourselves. After the Leaves Fall is about hope.

There were so many beautiful and profound discoveries that Julia made about herself in the story, which is more like a coming-of-age journey, that I don't know where to begin. I don't want to spoil any of the precious treasures the reader will discover along with Julia. My heart broke for her and yet it also understood her. There is a little piece of Julia in all of us. Children need affirmation from a mother, and without it they spend their lives second-guessing themselves. This came out in so many of her internal thoughts and her impulsive decisions. Often as she contemplated her life I found myself doing the same.

After the Leaves Fall is so impressively introspective with it's gorgeous prose that words are inadequate to describe it. And on some deep level, every wounded child wants to do what their parent did, but do it right this time. No one wants to duplicate mistakes, but the deep need to be loved often drives our behavior. It's truly amazing how that works, but it's how God created us...to need love. Anyway, this is one of the most emotional and wonderful books I've ever read and it has impacted my heart deeply. I can't recommend it highly enough. If all authors were as gifted as this debut author, I would never get anything done.

I loved this book. From page one, Baart's distinctive style engrossed me. After the Leaves Fall is a beautiful portrait of a young girl struggling with life, love and decisions. Julia wants to be someone else, or at least not who she is. Life hasn't been kind to her. She grew up with a mother who didn't want to be a mother. She preferred Julia call her by her first name instead of mom. The only bright spot in her life was her father, who loved her unconditionally.

Julia wasn't bothered much when her mother left one day and never returned, but when her father dies, she's devastated. Baart skillfully and beautifully exposes Julia's grief, raw and multi-layered. She's left with wounds so deep, she doesn't like to talk about her parents to anyone.

I don't often read such complex emotions written with such credibility. I believed every word. After the Leaves Fall is the kind of book that leaves you wanting more. I'm glad there's a sequel, and Baart is an author to watch. Her debut novel is highly recommended by this reviewer.

I wish Nicole Baart's books were available on Kindle! What a fabulous author! This book was mezmorizing. I created opportunities to read it at any chance! I can hardly wait to read the sequel, which I had to order in hard copy, since it's not available on Kindle, but did so because the first book was great!

Reading this book was a study in introspection. When have I felt the way Julia has felt? What did I do with those feelings? What changes did my life incur because of the events that make me who I am? And what does my faith have to do with it?
Nicole Baart has a gift of words and description. Her prose is so precise, the reader can completely grasp the whole emotion Julia feels.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has loved and lost and lived to tell the tale.

This debut novel by author Nicole Baart is the story of Julia DeSmit, a young girl who has lost both her mother and her father. She is searching for herself, and although she won't admit it, for the God she used to know. The story of her journey is touchingly expressed and gently intriguing.

The first half of the book moves rather slowly, although its events are necessary to set up the second half, which is both gripping and sensitive. The entire novel is, as advertised on the cover, "beautifully written." As I have mentioned with other superb novels I've read recently, this novel also avoids the most common pitfall of Christian fiction - cliches. It manages to express Christian truth without inserting sermons at various points in the text. Rather, it illuminates reality. And it avoids other cliches, too, that could be all too easily lapsed into with some of the subject matter later in the novel.

This novel is an excellent addition to any bookshelf, and well-written enough to hold its own among stellar works both secular and Christian.

Nicole's novel meets the four criteria I use to assess a novel.

1) Her characters and situations are believable. Readers are not left wondering "How could this have happened? Did I miss a twist in the plot?" The story moves and develops in a very credible fashion, even though an unexpected one.

2) Her characters are real. They have a real-life feel about them that you may like or dislike. Unlike some novels where the characters never come alive and you don't care what happens to them, Nicole's characters draw you into their personal dramas and crises.

3) Her book beckons you to keep reading. When you are not reading it you are thinking of the characters and wondering how the plot will unfold.

4) The story line of After The Leaves Fall is bigger than the book itself. It addresses the pressures and tensions that teenagers and their families face. Teenagers will enjoy the story and parents will appreciate the door Nicole opens for them to discuss pertinent issues together.

I highly recommend the After The Leaves Fall. WB

I loved this book. Many young adults will be able to relate to the main character Julia the struggles she goes through. This book truly is the best book I have read in a long time. As soon as I finished it I had to order the sequel.

I was really looking forward to reading this book after I read a recommendation by a blogger. Baart is indeed a superb writer, but I did not connect to the main character, Julia, at all. While her character was purposely aloof, we never get a glimpse into her heart and soul. Julia's motives for her most critical life decisions are never shared and yet, there were plenty of intimate moments when the reader could have ~ in fact longed for ~ a more personal insight.

I really loved this book. Nicole Baart is a wonderful beginning author. Her story was beautiful and gives insight on true real life second chances! If I ever encounter someone lost, I would give them this book to find their way again. It is a book that a lot of girls should read to face all kinds of realities and I really recommend it to absolutely anyone.