Seven Days

Seven Days by Ryan D. Patterson Sr. is the love story of a young couple, Daniel and Diane, who are preparing for their wedding day. On the day of the wedding, amid final plans and jitters, Diane leaves the house to oversee the final preparations for the wedding but doesn’t return. Upon watching the news, Daniel learns of a truck that overturned in a tunnel, and there have been several fatalities, but the police can’t release any names. Daniel gets a call to go to the hospital and learns that Diane died in the accident. When Diane makes it to the Pearly Gates and meets God, she is inconsolable. God gives her only seven days to return to the world and spend the time with Daniel. Upon returning to Daniel, Diane feels torn between the past and the future, and it’s unclear whether she will make the best of the allotted time or whether returning was even a good idea.

Seven Days by Ryan D. Patterson Sr. is a beautiful and moving love story. It made me reflect on what I would do when facing an opportunity like Diane’s. Would you return or take your place behind the Pearly Gates? Seven Days makes you introspective about your relationships, how much time you spend living in the past and future, and how living in the present is the only space in time worth being. Patterson has produced a deeply thoughtful and emotionally resonant book that is well-written and easy to read, which allows you to become truly engrossed in the story’s meaning.

- Reviewed by Jennie More for Readers’ Favorite