Book Synopsis:
Bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn packs each one with enough action, romance, and drama to keep you reading and wanting more. It all starts the summer Christy vacations on a California beach and meets two friends who change her life forever. But after moving across the country with her family, Christy must begin her sophomore year of high school uncertain where she'll fit in. A red-headed new best friend, a try at cheerleading, a job at a pet store, and expectations for the prom fill Christy's high school years with a string of laughter-and-tears moments. Fireball Katie keeps everyone guessing what she'll do next, and surfer Todd keeps showing up while popular Rick has determined to get her full attention! As these memorable years unfold, Christy and her God-loving friends find out what it means to be a "peculiar treasure." Follow Christy Miller as she stays true to her identity in Christ, drawing closer to God for help in realizing her dreams and dealing with her disappointments.
This book is a volume of the first three books in the Christy Miller series. Because of that, I'm going to review each book individually. This is a series my friend loves and recommended to me. She let me borrow the first volume from her. I'm happy there's a whole big series of YA books that are Christian, because it's rare to find those two genres combined. As a Christian teen who's an avid reader, this is frustrating sometimes. When my friend told me about this series, I was interested.
Book 1: Summer Promise
Book Synopsis:
Fourteen-year-old Christy Miller has the dream summer ahead of her in sun-kissed California, staying with her aunt and uncle at their beachfront home. Aunt Marti loves to shop, and those surfers are cute--especially Todd. Christy promised her parents she wouldn't do anything she'd regret later, and some of her beach friends are a little wild. But Todd and his "God-Lover" friends are giving Christy a new image of all things eternal. Can this summer live up to its promise?
My Review:
4.5/5 stars. This was a cute book! It was a super quick read because it was less than 200 pages. I loved the messages in it about God and what becoming a Christian really means. I liked most of the characters, though some got on my nerves. The plot was pretty simple, but that's just because it's the first in a long series.
The main character, Christy, is likeable and relatable, but I was annoyed by her in the first couple chapters by how much she was hating herself. She also felt very young and immature for her age. She's almost fifteen in the beginning of the story but has never even been exposed to people talking about drugs. You'd think for a person who goes to a public school, she would at least know about stuff like that.
I love Christy's growth throughout the book as she goes from a girl who goes to church but still feels her life is missing something, to learning more about God and becoming a Christian. I like how it talks about the fact that you can't just go to church and be a good person to go to Heaven, because that's true. I loved how it was Todd and his friends who invited her to a Christian concert and talked to her about God. They had fellowship with her and witnessed to her, which is something I try to do with Christians and non-Christians. I liked how it showed a group of teens standing strong in their faith, because that's something that's very important in today's world.
Speaking of Todd and his friends, I liked them, too. They aren't very fleshed out characters in this book, but I don't think that's a flaw because this is a short book and the first in a long series, so I know they'll become complex characters and I'll learn more about them throughout the series. I like Todd, Doug, and Tracy. I'm curious about the relationship between Todd and Tracy, what the nature of it is and what drama that will cause in the series. I didn't like Alissa at first, I thought she was rude and snobby, but then her family life was revealed and I could empathize with her more and understood why she behaved the way she did.
Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob were fine. I liked Uncle Bob more, because Aunt Marti annoyed me a lot. I didn't like how she was constantly criticizing Christy whenever she ate junk food or pointed out that her outfit didn't match or didn't fit the occasion. She was passive aggressive about Christy's fashion choices or how she acted in different situations. I thought that her and Uncle Bob's view of God was realistic. They were lukewarm Christians who believed in God but hadn't actually accepted Jesus and didn't really have an accurate view of God and His love. A line that really showed this was when Aunt Marti said "God helps those who help themselves." because that's not true.
One thing I thought was a little unrealistic was how instantly Christy fell in love with Todd. She met him, thought he was cute, and then was constantly thinking about him. I know that she's a young teenager and it's her first crush, I relate to that, but I think it would've been better and more realistic if they got to know each other better before she fell in love with him.
Overall, this was a good first book and I'm curious to know what happens in the other two. I will most likely continue the whole series, and probably read the future series and the series with her friends, too.
Book #2: A Whisper and a Wish
Book Synopsis:
Christy's family has moved to California just in time for her sophomore year of high school. But they're not in Newport Beach, where she spent the summer. Instead they're an hour and a half away and Christy has to start all over making friends. Despite an embarrassing escapade at a slumber party, things are going pretty well...until some midnight fun leads to a trip to the police station. Does God really hear every whisper? Does He know our every wish? Then why is it so hard to know who your friends really are?
My Review:
4.5/5 stars. I couldn't decide what to rate this. On the one hand, there were things about this book that I liked a lot better than the first one, but on the other hand, I thought some things were done better in the first book. Because there were better things and worse things, I figured they balance each other out and gave it the same rating as the first book.
I didn't really like some of the drama with friendships and relationships, but I don't really know how to explain why I didn't like it. I got annoyed with how quick Christy was to assume the worst of her friends. They didn't sit with her at lunch one day and she thought they abandoned her and didn't want to be her friend anymore. I also thought it wasn't great that the characters who are supposed to be Christians, Janelle, Katie, and Rick, were always talking about who was dating who. You shouldn't be dating around, you should be with someone with the intention to marry them, so that kind of bothered me. It also bothered me that Christy was suddenly interested in a new guy just because Todd wasn't there. Seeing as how she was super in love with him in the first book, it doesn't make sense that she would now be crushing on a new guy.
Going to the things I like, I feel like this book covers realer, more important issues than the first one. Two big themes in this book are being friends with people who won't be a bad influence on you, and also healthy body image. Brittany is a very realistic character. Eating disorders are a big problem that people have. There were times in the story when I didn't like her actions, but you can also understand why she feels she needs to do them. I'm glad she got help at the end of the book.
The other main theme, choosing who you surround yourself with. I'm glad that Christy was able to make friends who were also Christian, but that it also showed it's okay to be friends with non-Christians, as long as you don't let their behavior influence you negatively. Christy learned that lesson when she saw what lengths Brittany went through to do things and how much she was trying to get her to go along with it. Going along with choosing your friends, I like that the book talked about "missionary dating" and how you shouldn't be with a non-Christian expecting to influence them. I liked the way that the youth pastor at Christy's friends' church showed it.
The climax of the book, the moment at the drugstore, was definitely the best part of this book. I knew it was a bad idea from the beginning, I was mad at Brittany for taking the pills and laxatives, shocked when they ended up in Christy's bag, and mad when Brittany and Janelle ditched her.
Book #3: Yours Forever
Book Synopsis:
Christy is back at Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob's house on the beach for the entire week between Christmas and New Year's...and Todd is in town, too! The cute surfer completely captured Christy's heart last summer, and she's eager to spend every possible minute with him. But soon Christy and her aunt are barely speaking, and it seems like all her friends are mad at her, too--including Todd! Is he hers or isn't he? And why would God let things get so tangled?
My Review:
5/5 stars. This was definitely my favorite of the three books. The conflicts felt the most relatable, there were big, shocking reveals, and I just overall enjoyed it the most.
At the very beginning of the book, I thought Rick and Christy had great banter. But that gift exchange was really awkward, and their kiss was even more awkward. I liked their playful back-and-forth, and Rick seems like a nice enough guy, but he's not very romantic and doesn't seem to pair that well with Christy.
I liked that we got to see a lot more of Christy's family in this book, even compared to the last one. David seems like the classic annoying yet endearing little brother, and I liked him. Christy's mom and dad didn't have too much depth, but that's understandable because they're not really central to the story.
I really like Doug, maybe more than Todd. He seems way more straightforward than Todd. Todd was frustrating me a little bit when he was being icy and giving one word answers. I can relate to Christy's annoyance with him during those moments.
On a similar note, the main internal conflict in the book is the most relatable to me so far, out of the first three books. Being the same age as Christy is in this book, I can relate to the confusion, frustration, and anxiety of having a crush on a friend and not knowing where you stand with them. I don't relate to everything with the characters trying to make each other jealous, but I know how it feels to not want to ruin a good friendship.
This book had two very big reveals that I liked. First, the fact the Alissa's pregnant. I thought there might be a teen pregnancy plotline in the series at some point, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I thought it would be when Christy is a little older and it would happen to someone in her grade or one of her friends or something. I loved when Alissa tells Christy that she considered getting an abortion, but knew someone who did that and regretted it years later, so she's going to give the baby up for adoption instead. I'm also glad that she followed Christy's advice and made friends with a Christian at the crisis pregnancy center who is helping her. The fact that it's Shawn's baby, like Todd said, is also crazy. I'm curious to find out what happens with her in the later books.
The other reveal that I was not expecting at all is that Aunt Marti had a daughter. She still annoys me with how much she tries to change and control what Christy does with her appearance and with her life, but now I can understand why she wants to mother her.
The faith aspect of this book in particular is so good. It's all about second chances, and how God gives us so many chances that we don't deserve in the slightest. God never gives up on us, even when we give up on him. The scene at dinner on New Years where Todd is answering all the tough questions about God and salvation that Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob had was amazing. I really admire that ability to tell people the tough stuff they don't want to hear but need to. I wish I could be as willing to tell people things like that without worrying about what they'll think of me.
The moment between Todd and Christy at midnight at the intersection was super cheesy but also really cute. Some parts were a little mushy, mostly just the way Christy's internal monologue was describing it, but that kiss was adorable.
I am definitely going to read the rest of the series now, I'm attached to and invested in the characters and their stories.
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