Starring Me by Krista McGee

Starring Me by Krista McGee is a Christian YA novel. The titular "me" is Kara McKormick, a spunky New Yorker and aspiring actress who recently had her big break on a dating reality show. After making it to the final auditions for an exciting new SNL-type sketch comedy, Kara goes to Orlando to live with the other finalists and be filmed during the elimination process. Around the same time, through friends, she meets Chad Beacon - teenage heartthrob and reigning American Idol America's Next Star. Although sparks fly, their busy careers and faith differences prevent a relationship from developing.

Unbeknownst to Kara, if she wins the role on the comedy show, Chad will be her costar. Chad's parents won't allow him to work closely with a non-Christian girl, so they've set up the finalist competition in order to weed out "God's choice" for him. They install their longtime housekeeper, Flora, to serve as housemother and make the final selection. Kara quickly emerges as Flora's frontrunner, but what about the fact that she's not a Christian? Will other events in Kara's life bring her to faith and lead to a storybook ending?

Starring Me is written fairly well, with some enjoyable characters (especially Kara's family) and decent pacing. But I have to be honest: it consistently made me cringe. If you're part of the homeschooling and/or patriarchy movement, you'll like it. But as a thirtysomething woman who's bothered by fundie I Kissed Dating Goodbye philosophies, I had to walk away from it several times. In general, the whole book is about as subtle and nuanced as a ton of bricks, with an unrealistic ABC Family Original Movie quality. There are definitely worse things out there for Christian teenagers to be reading, but I think I would have raised an eyebrow at this book even as a teenager.

I did bump my rating up to three stars after discovering that Starring Me is a sequel. The first book, First Date, is about the reality show where Kara met her best friend Addy. To me, the overall context of the story makes more sense and is better fleshed out if it's not a standalone.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Isn't this cover pretty?

Several years ago, Brielle left her small Oregon hometown and her widowed dad to pursue ballet stardom. Now, after the murder of her best friend, she's come home to await the murderer's trial. Although she feels disengaged from most of her old friends, a newcomer, Jake, makes her feel inexplicably safe again. Then a late-night encounter in the woods proves that Jake is more than he appears. Before long, Brielle learns the true natures of Jake and his guardian, and her eyes are (literally) opened to the Celestial, a spiritual realm that she never knew existed. The more she learns, the closer she gets to the truth of what happened to her friend – and the discovery of her own gifts and purpose in life.

Boiled down to its elements, this novel is Twilight meets Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness (which I read multiple times as a teenager). But it has its own interesting complexities, as well as a sense of humor (Dittemore throws in a few winks at Twilight to show you she's in on it). This novel successfully conveys a faith message without being mega-cheesy or pushy. Like Peretti's novel, it reminded me of the invisible spiritual battles that are probably happening all around us. It's a good addition to the growing Christian YA genre. I enjoyed it and will look for the sequels. 3.5 stars!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

God Loves Broken People

Half a decade ago, I read Sheila Walsh's excellent book on depression, The Heartache No One Sees. I had never heard of Sheila before (despite her fame as a singer, speaker, and writer), but I was quickly taken in by her transparency, hard-knocks wisdom, and obvious heart for encouragement. Her words were a lifeline to me, and I've admired her ever since. So when her latest book, God Loves Broken People, became available on Booksneeze, I snatched it up.

God Loves Broken People isn't exactly revolutionary, but it's sound and reassuring advice to people who are suffering, enduring trials or disappointments, or are still recovering from past difficulties. The crux of the message is one I've sought out and preached to myself for years now: that the hard things God allows into our lives are never meaningless or arbitrary. Suffering doesn't mean that He doesn't love us, or has abandoned us. He uses our pain to show us His love and provision, help us to grow, and make us more fit for service. Sheila Walsh elaborates on this theme through Scripture, true-life stories, and her own experience.

I often feel that my own emotional and spiritual scars are a liability, or grounds for rejection, but I've already seen proof of what He can do with those scars. I've also learned that pain holds great potential for spiritual growth if we're willing to tap into it. This book reinforced those lessons and provided comfort. I hope it does the same for you!



I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

Surprised by Oxford, a memoir by Carolyn Weber, is a relatable and inspiring account of a journey to faith. A Canadian academic, Carolyn comes to Oxford for a graduate degree in Romantic-era literature, dragging heavy baggage both literal and metaphorical. She grew up poverty-stricken, with an erratic and usually absent dad, and this scholarship to Oxford is her big break. As soon as she arrives in England, she falls in with a new group of friends, several of whom are Christians. Her old perceptions of Christianity as an antiquated, intellect-killing belief system are shattered by these fun, brilliant, vibrant people – especially a man she refers to as TDH (Tall, Dark, and Handsome). As the year goes on (the memoir is structured around the term calendar), Carolyn's mind and heart are further opened by discussions with friends and respected teachers. She teeters on the edge of faith, afraid to fully commit. Finally, she becomes a Christian, but of course, that's not the end of the story. Even as she finds deep joy and fulfillment in her new faith, she continues to struggle with the Big Questions of life and how God fits into her personal past and future.

My favorite thing about this memoir is that it doesn't pull any punches. It's raw and honest, deeply thoughtful, asks hard questions, and doesn't provide easy answers. I appreciated the emphasis that becoming a Christian has consequences and might cost you things, and relationships, that you hold dear. That's not a message you'll hear often. At the same time, this is a personal story – I enjoyed Carolyn and her friends, and to be honest, I wasn't totally hooked until I started wondering where this thing with TDH was going. :) Her descriptions of Oxford are also beautiful. I was already interested in the town and campus because of Lewis and Tolkien, but now I really want to see it for myself!

I felt that this book got bogged down by exposition at a few points. Some of the conversations were so heavy and fact-laden that they seemed made up, and I even got a little bored – I was like, Who talks like this? But if anyone does, I believe these people would. My academic friends can probably back that up.

Overall, I highly recommend this memoir. I stayed up way too late last night to finish it!

***

This is my first review for BookSneeze! I received this free e-book in exchange for a review. If you like to write about books, join up. They have a lot of interesting new titles available.