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Life Goes On by Philip Gulley brings more (mild and entertaining) drama to Harmony! Book #5 in the Philip Gulley’s “Harmony” series finds Sam on the ropes. Some in the congregation (ahem, Dale!) are questioning Sam’s “blasphemous” preaching. Never mind that Sam might actually save Dale’s marriage. Oh yeah, and the scandal of the century: the Sausage Queen is a vegetarian (gasp!)
My Life Goes On by Philip Gulley Book Review
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Life Goes On by Philip Gulley Book Summary
Life Goes On is Harmony’s latest dose of church drama meets small-town soap opera. Pastor Sam’s doing his best to hold onto the pulpit while cranky parishioner Dale (because of course it’s Dale) accuses him of preaching heresy. Meanwhile, Dale is fighting for his own marraige. (Well, not so much fighting as complaining, and relying on Sam to fix.)
Meanwhile, the town’s beloved Sausage Queen drops the bombshell of the century: she’s actually a vegetarian. Yes, you read that right. Add to the mix lice infestations, an Easter rant that somehow leaves out the Resurrection, and a funeral where the “deceased” isn’t quite dead yet. Just a typical day in the life of Harmony’s most charmingly chaotic church.
On the romantic front, the town’s most eligible bachelorette, Deena Morrison, might finally be off the market thanks to a little help from some unexpected circumstances (ringworm, no less). Sam does some soul-searching about whether to stick around or get out before the church drama consumes him (not directly related to lice nor ringworm.)
Life Goes On delivers a warm, funny, and occasionally ridiculous slice-of-life story that perfectly captures the quirky spirit of small-town Indiana.
Now onto the rating! Life Goes On Book Review:
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 5/5
Of course it’s wholesome. No swearing, adult content, violence or any other unwholesome stuff. There’s always a bit of drama in Gulley’s “Harmony” books. But the drama is mild, cozy, and entertaining.
Hilarity Score: 4/5
My type of humor. Dry, subtle, snarky. It’s not a joke-fest or riddled with one-liners. But Sam Gardner and the Harmony crew continue to find new whacky situations that at least make me giggle.
“And that chippy little daughter of his, runnin’ off to Hollywood and dancin’ in that underwear commercial. She oughta be ashamed of herself.”
“She brought a green-bean casserole for the funeral dinner,” Jessie Peacock said. “She must not be all that bad”.
– judgemental congregant, Fern Hampton
“A few people mentioned my hair. Dale Hinshaw was positively gleeful. He thought my burr haircut signaled a theological shift, that I was giving up my liberal ways and getting serious about obeying the Word, specifically 1 Corinthians 11:14: “Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is degrading to him.” Dale was so please with my conversion, I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was head lice.”
-Sam, describing his fresh burr haircut due to lice
“Oh, one more thing. You have to be careful what you feed them. They’re prone to diarrhea. Other than that, they’re real low maintenance.”
– Frank, on his gift to Sam: a ferret
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 5/5
Because it does exactly what it sets out to do: It’s funny without trying too hard. Thoughtful without being preachy. Plus, any book that combines church politics, head lice, and a vegetarian Sausage Queen deserves my maximum Awesomeness score.
Things I liked:
- Sam’s progressive Christian views: He’s not out here fire-and-brimstoning anyone. Instead, he preaches grace, humility, and common sense—which, shockingly, ruffles a few feathers. Especially Dale’s.
- Church politics: Sam gets accused of blasphemy while somehow being the only adult in the room.
- Cozy, gentle humor: Nothing mean-spirited here. Just warm, witty, and quietly funny storytelling.
Things I didn’t like:
- This book from the Harmony series switches to Pastor Sam’s first-person narration, which felt a bit weird at times. I prefer the third-person narration, but I’m just being a bit nit-picky.
Want more Harmony?
Check out my COMPLETE Harmony series guide with reviews and details about all 8 books by Philip Gulley!
Click here to dive into the full series
Conclusion: Philip Gulley’s Life Goes On Book Review
If you’ve made it this far in the Harmony series, you already know what you’re getting into: laughs, small-town quirks, and Sam trying to keep it together while everyone around him loses their minds. Life Goes On delivers more of the same in the best possible way. It’s cozy, funny, and thoughtful, with just enough scandal (vegetarian Sausage Queen!) to keep things interesting. Harmony may not be perfect, but it’s always worth a visit.
Who’s your favorite character in the Harmony series? Let me know in the comments!
Scott Johnson is a Midwestern humorist, author of Essays Out of Left Field, and the mind behind scottjohnsonauthor.com. He’s also a husband, dad of three, and Data Systems Administrator (whatever that is). Scott is on a mission to find and read all the funny books. He shares his thoughts on those books, author life, and other delightful randomness with his readers on his website.
