It's time for the fourth and final volume in the Sierra Jensen series. Three books in one, three reviews in one.
Book 10: Hold On Tight
Book Synopsis:
Decisions, decisions. That’s all Sierra’s life is lately. Eager to escape the stress, she can’t wait to join her brother and a few friends on a road trip as they visit a university in Southern California and tack on a day at an amusement park. It’ll be great! But right from the start, things go wrong. And suddenly Sierra’s trip is full of more twists and turns than any roller coaster. There’s only one way to handle a wild ride like this: hold on tight, trust God to keep her safe—and scream for all she’s worth.
My Review:
5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this one. I don't think it's my favorite that I've read so far, but it's one of the best. I don't know exactly why I liked this book so much, but I just had a lot of fun reading about Sierra and co. on their trip. There was a good mix of humor and heart, and I'm attached to these characters so I can relate to them and care about them.
Speaking of caring about characters, a character I didn't care about was Warner. He annoyed me just as much as he annoyed the other characters in the book. I feel like he was a realistic character - I know some people that would act like him - but that didn't make him any less irritating. I felt the same as the characters when he broke his arm and didn't join them for the rest of the trip.
I loved reading about them being at the amusement park. I love rollercoasters, so the descriptions of the rides they went on - the feeling of anticipation as you go up, the pure thrill going down, and wanting to go again immediately after - made me wish I was there with them.
Another thing I liked reading about were the college tours. It felt very relatable to me because I have gone on a couple college visits to Christian colleges. Hearing about all the different locations like the "caf" and the student center reminded me of the tours I've been on. I also related to Sierra when she noted the differences in size/quality of dorms between the two colleges, because that's something I've had to take into consideration about colleges as well.
It was great to see Katie again! I wasn't expecting her to be in this book so it was a nice surprise to see her and to hear mentions of Christy and Todd from her. There was also an Alissa cameo mention in this book that I was definitely not expecting. It's kind of cool when previous characters are mentioned because it shows that it's all connected.
There wasn't really much conflict - at least not external - or suspenseful plots, but I still enjoyed it. Some people would call this book "boring" but I thought it was nice.
Book 11: Closer Than Ever
Book Synopsis:
Paul is coming home! What’s more, he’s coming to Sierra’s graduation party. She spends every spare moment planning—after all, his visit has to be perfect. Then, more good news! Sierra and Randy are accepted into Rancho Corona University . Sierra couldn’t be happier—until she hears Vicki hasn’t received an acceptance letter. Does that mean Sierra and her friends won’t be in college together? But the worst news of all comes on graduation night. There’s been a terrible accident. With limited information, Sierra fears the worst. Can she let go and trust her dreams to God?
My Review:
5/5 stars. That's now two books in a row in this volume that have been five-star books. This one definitely had the most drama out of the recent books. I also liked the dynamic of Sierra's friends and family all hanging out, and reading about Sierra's excitement and nerves of graduating and becoming an adult in the real world.
One thing I was still annoyed by in this book was Sierra's continual obsession with Paul. There were a lot of lines with Sierra's thoughts about seeing him that were laughable because there's really nothing between them. I just wanted Sierra to get over it and just be his friend throughout the whole book. He's too old for her and he doesn't like her romantically, so Sierra's thoughts about him were irritating to read.
Onto the positives. I loved Amy's arc in this book. It was very realistic - a person who grew up Christian, then started having doubts when she was going through hard times in her life, but comes back to God in the wake of a tragedy. I really felt for and related to Sierra caring about her friend so much that she wants her to be a Christian and go to Heaven.
The plane crash was definitely the most high-stakes, intense thing that's happened in any of the books. Even though we aren't actually there for it, just hearing all the news and not knowing all the information was a lot. Even though I knew that Paul was fine - and I don't even like him that much - I was on the edge of my seat, feeling all the confusion and worry along with the characters. It's a very realistic feeling, not having all the information and not knowing if someone you care about is okay or not.
If I like the next and final book as much, this volume will be a full 5/5 stars.
Book 12: Take My Hand
Book Synopsis:
What a year! Not only is Sierra starting college, but her older sister, Tawni, is engaged—to Paul’s older brother, Jeremy! As the two families prepare for the wedding, Sierra’s excitement grows. At last, she and Paul will be together—face-to-face! But their longed-for reunion is marred by a costly misunderstanding that turns Paul away and sends Sierra off to college hurt and confused. Only the gentle wisdom of Sierra’s good friend, Christy Miller, helps her face a difficult decision. But is it too late for Sierra and Paul?
My Review:
4/5 stars. I loved the previous two books, so I was hopeful that the series would end with another 5-star book. This book, however, was not as good as the previous ones. I liked it, but the big plot of this one - Sierra seeing Paul again - was what made me not enjoy it as much. I didn't like the way Sierra and Paul's series-long "relationship" concluded.
I'll start with the negatives. Paul as a whole is kind of a negative for me. I don't know why exactly, but I don't like him that much. I get so annoyed with Sierra's feelings about him and the fact that he seemed to have a drastic personality change from the first half of the series to the second half. He went from kind of a jerk to acting like he's the perfect, romantic guy. I thought that this book would finally have Sierra getting over her feelings for Paul and moving on, but instead it left it very opened-ended with the possibility of a future romance. The whole ending of this book - and therefore the ending of the series - was very un-satisfying
If it wasn't for all the stuff with Paul, I would've liked this book more. I loved reading about Sierra moving away and getting settled into her dorm. A big thing I liked was Sierra realizing what it's like to be grown up and live without her parents. I'm not in college yet, but I will be in a year and a half, so this book was kind of a preview of what I could experience.
Tawni getting engaged is another way that Sierra felt more grown up in this book. A sibling getting married is a realistic thing that happens in life as people get older. Tawni and Jeremy seemed cute together, and I wonder if they will have any cameos in later books.
Another positive in this book was seeing Christy, Katie, and Todd. Todd was barely in it, but I liked that he made an appearance. The next books in the Christy Miller Literary Universe, as I like to call it, that I'm going to read are the Christy and Todd College Years, so this book was kind of a prequel to that series.
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