"Riley + Sam" by Ashley Schaller

About this book:

  “Riley Anderson swears she will never fall in love with Sammy Hong.
    After all, every girl on earth already has.
    But when Sam shows up next door with a scandal on his heels, their childhood friendship is rekindled and Riley feels the pull toward something more. But Sam is only here until the end of the summer and then he's leaving to face the consequences of his actions and return to the world of pop stardom.
    The pair, accompanied with Riley's rambunctious younger cousin, make a list of all the things they want to do while Sam's in town, but as they work through the activities and dodge rabid fangirls, letting Sam go may be harder than Riley ever imagined.”


Series: No, seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- Many Prayers & Thanking God; A couple Scripture are mentioned; Some talks about God, praying, & having a faith; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Sam confesses to Riley about faith when growing up was easy because of it being his family’s thing and going to church, youth group, and Bible studies, but now that he is on his own, he isn’t sure he is saved (Riley tells him that he can be by believing that Christ died for his sins, repent, and ask Him into his heart); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Sam tells Riley that he has “gotten right with God” and feels like God can use him in the music industry *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of singing hymns & songs that point to the Savior; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of church going, youth group, & Bible studies; A couple mentions of faiths & sharing daily Scriptures on social media; A mention of blessings; A mention of a cross necklace; 
             *Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A few mentions of ghost stories; A couple mentions of aliens (regarding to someone’s appearance when getting his hair dyed); A couple mentions of fate; A mention of the tooth fairy; A mention of a cavewoman.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, a ‘shoot’, an ‘oh my word’, two ‘wimp’s, three ‘dumb’s, five ‘duh’s, and six forms of ‘stupid’; Riley exclaims “cheese and crackers!” seventeen times; A mention of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Riley avoids lying; Some grief (Riley for her mom); Riley wonders about Sam’s relationship with his parents (including her wondering if they moved on from him once he bought them a mansion); Mentions of the death of a parent (from an unnamed illness) & grief (Riley and her family for their mom/wife); Mentions of death threats; Mentions of possible a serial killer or axe murderer, crimes, criminals, arrests, break-ins, kidnappings, & ransoms; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of parties & partying (which is not Riley’s idea of fun); A few mentions of car accidents; A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of vomiting; A mention of a tattoo; 
             *Note: Riley struggles with the idea of her father dating. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of staring at lips, two fingers-to-lips touches, a cheek kiss, a forehead kiss, two almost kisses/wondering if a kiss will happen (barely-above-not-detailed), and one border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, warmth, shivers/tingles, butterflies, & nearness; Noticing & Blushes; In a song, someone is called ‘baby’ a few times; Riley vowed a long time ago that she wouldn’t fall for Sam; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; Mentions of blushes; Mentions of crushes; A few mentions of broken hearts; A couple mentions of cute guys; A mention of a summer fling; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of a dog shoving his nose up a woman’s dress.
 
-Riley Anderson, age 17
                               1^st person P.O.V. of Riley
                                                        323 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

So this was pure enjoyment for me. 10/10, no notes on that detail. This was so much fun to read and I think I had a smile on my face for the large majority of the book. At some points, it reminded me of “Sketchy Behavior” by Erynn Mangum even though the plots are completely different. (This is a very high compliment if you know me!) Maybe it was the artist main character or just the humor throughout the book, but I enjoyed this one even more because of it. 

 

I loved the family element of this with Riley, her sister, dad, and younger cousin. Even though there was the grief of missing their mom/wife/aunt, they were such a happily realistic family and made me laugh often. Lou-Lou is a mess, but she was fantastic and really made the book even better. I think I highlighted over fifty parts that made me laugh out loud and most were because of her. 

 

This story almost reminded me a bit of a teen movie—maybe Starstruck? But instead of the love interest being arrogant, they’re childhood-best-friends-to-more. That’s an easy “sign me up” to say because I love that trope with every fiber of my being. Riley and Sam were truly best friends despite the years apart and were able to go right back to how it was. I had a couple questions at the very end of the book that weren’t answered and would have liked the end to go longer, but overall I greatly enjoyed “Riley + Sam” with the summer setting, friends-to-more trope, the sassy cousin, and the perfect YA feel!

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

 

"Katie Sue: Heading West" by Eleanor Clark

About this book:

  “Set in the mid 1800's when Americans were heading west.
    Nine-year-old Chelsea Marie isn't happy about the fact that her family is getting ready to move all the way across the country. Why does she have to start all over again, making new Friends? When Grand Doll shares the story of Katie Sue – a young relative who traveled by wagon train with her family from Tennessee to Texas in 1850 – Chelsea learns that she can truly trust the Lord with all of the changes in her life, even the really big ones.”


Series: Book #2 in “The Eleanor” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Proverbs 3:5-6 at the beginning & also quoted many times throughout the book; Other Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, mentioned, discussed, & thought over; Many Prayers, Praising God, & Thanking God; Church going, singing hymns, & sermons; Many talks about God, God being trustworthy, trusting Him, & witnessing to others; Most ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Katie’s parents feel lead to go west to start churches and make disciples (her father will be a pastor); When a tragedy strikes a family, Katie Sue asks her mother what that family will do and her mother responds that “They will go on living, sweetheart. That’s what you do when tragedy strikes—you go on. And somehow in the midst of it, you remember that God is for you, not against you. You keep on trusting Him, even when things are really, really hard.” (Katie Sue asks if God could have healed the family, but her mother tells her that while yes, He could have, trusting God makes the most sense during times like this); Katie witnesses to a friend and leads her to accepting Christ; Many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, trusting Him, being called by Him, & having peace; Many mentions of prayers, praying, praising God, & thanking God; Many mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, & preachers; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events from the Bible; Mentions of God healing someone’s heart (a physical heart problem); A few mentions of different Christian churches/denominations (Baptist, Methodist, & Catholic; This is brought up by Katie Sue’s father and she remarks that the people on the wagon train “were from different kinds of Christian churches, but they all seemed to love the Lord just the same!”); A few mentions of Heaven (and how going there as nothing to do with good deeds); A mention of being Blessed; At the end of the book, in bonus content, there is a devotional-like lesson about trust with many Scriptures and Biblical events shared.
 

Negative Content- Both Chelsea Marie and Katie Sue do not want to move, but neither of them share with their parents about their feelings (Chelsea Marie shares with her grandmother and says it’s not fair she has to move; Katie Sue is very sad and her heart hurts just thinking about it); Mentions of wars/battles & deaths; Mentions of illnesses (yellow fever), injuries, deaths (including a pregnant woman and her baby), & grief; A few mentions of a raid & kidnappings (Fort Parker in 1836); A couple mentions of a mule having to be shot after a broken leg (which Katie Sue overhears two men talking about it); A couple mentions of a grandfather who recently moved to a nursing home; A couple mentions of cigar smoke & tobacco; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of hunting & a deer; A mention of the possibility of a wagon catching on fire; A mention of a bank robber; 
             *Note: Katie Sue is frightened to hear stories about Indians and freezes when she meets a group of them (they are afraid of her as well, but the meeting goes well); Mentions of historical figures (Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, Francis Scott Key, & Corrie ten Boom). 
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A; 
             *Note: A woman comments about Katie Sue’s dress making her wish she was “young and slender again” and pats her own hips. 
 
-Chelsea Marie, age 9
-Katie Sue Herod, age 11
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1851
                                                        220 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was another sweet story with great lessons in it! A major part of this book is that Katie Sue has to learn to trust & fully rely on God during her family’s travels. She was a sweet girl with a good heart and attitude, which made me like this book more. 

 

The events of this book (like the prior books in the series) do have a slight rose-tint to them. I would compare them to the “American Girl” books in that way, but I appreciate and enjoy them better than the “Sisters in Time” series. The emphasis on Christian morals, lessons, and good attitudes is definitely making the “Eleanor” series stand out in my mind.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Final Approach" by Lynette Eason

About this book:

  “Air Marshal Kristine Duncan is not on duty when a hijacker attempts to seize control of the plane she and her friends are on as they head out on a much-needed vacation. Jumping into action and aided by FBI Special Agent Andrew Ross, Kristine thwarts the attack and the plane lands safely. But as the investigation into the incident gets underway, Kristine and Andrew are confused at every step. Nothing about the investigation goes as it should, and each layer they peel back just reveals another layer of perplexity.
    As the two work together to navigate a web of deception, blame, and personal reckoning, they find there's more to this story than meets the eye--and more to love and admire about each other. They'll have to put their skills to the test--and their hearts on the line--to unravel the truth and ensure that justice prevails.”


Series: Book #4 in the “Lake City Heroes” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here! (Also connected to the novella “In The Dark” by this author.)


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is remembered; Prayers, Thanking God, & Talking to Him; Talks about God; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Kristine knows she should honor her father and mother, but wonders where the line is (because of her father’s behavior); Kristine isn’t sure that her father could change, but still prays for a miracle about him; Kristine talks to her brother about their mother being the spiritual head of their family rather than their father, adding that she gets it because “it’s what a lot of women have to do these days if they want to raise kids who love the Lord.”; Andrew says to Kristine that it feels like his prayers are hitting a brick wall and she tells him that they are not (which he knows that in his head, but it’s hard to convince his heart); Mention of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of godly role models; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of a Bible & Bible reading; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a Christian Fiction Suspense author (Kate Angelo); 
             *Note: Kristine has a conversation with her mother at her grave and asks Andrew to not think of it being weird; A teenager thinks the people at his church are all hypocrites.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘screwup’, a ‘what in blazes’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, three ‘stinking’, four ‘idiot’s, four forms of ‘shut up’, six ‘stupid’s, and seven ‘dumb’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Some lying (due to work & to avoid telling another about feelings); Eavesdropping; Dealing with a plane hijacking & hostage situation (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Gunfire, Shooting, Being shot/shot at (x3), Being held at gun-point, Being stabbed, Car crashes (x2), An explosion, Being kidnapped & tied-up (x2), Being drugged (x2), Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (semi-detailed); Seeing someone killed, fights/fighting, someone who overdosed, someone stabbed, a bad car accident, held at knife-point, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); All about & many mentions of plane hijackings, deaths and almost deaths, hostages, weapons, & threats of killing loved ones and harm; Many mentions of gangs, criminal bosses, deaths, identifying gang tattoos, & a sting; Many mentions of gunfire, being shot, being shot at, & the shooters; Many mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including of loved ones), grief, & guilt; Mentions of a terminal cancer diagnosis & death; Mentions of slit throats, a snapped neck, & brain matter showing after someone was shot in the head (all bluntly said and/or written); Mentions/hints of suicides, possible and planned suicides, suicide attempts, & an accidental overdose; Mentions of terrorism & terrorists; Mentions of car accidents, deliberate car crashes, major injuries, & a death; Mentions of crime scenes; Mentions of break-ins, robberies, stealing, a mugging, & thieves; Mentions of arrests & prison; Mentions of gas leaks & an explosion; Mentions of nightmares (of seeing deaths of others and other pas events); Mentions of blackmail; Mentions of parental abuse (emotional & manipulation); Mentions of DUIs & drunks; Mentions of drugs, drug use, & drug dealing; Mentions of gambling & addicts; Mentions of a teen running away; Mentions of divorces; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred & a teen daughter telling her mother she hates her; A few mentions of a drive-by shooting & deaths; A few mentions of a killer & events in Book 3; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of bullying/bullies; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of torture; A mention of arson; A mention of rumors; 
             *Note: Kristine feels guilt over her mother’s death; Kristine and her siblings have very strained relationships with their father due to his controlling behavior and manipulation (this is a big part of the book and is shown in different ways: Kristine notes about her father wholeheartedly believing in the “spare the rod, spoil the child” philosophy and they would earn the belt for the littlest thing; Because of his controlling, Kristine and her siblings had sparks of defiance and rebellion from growing up to now (which is mentioned a few times); Kristine prepares to defend herself (verbally and physically, if needed) against her father when he is angry; Kristine talks to her brother about their father’s emotional abuse they faced growing up; *Major Spoilers* Towards the end, Kristine finds a letter from her mother to her father about her plan to divorce him if he wouldn’t go to counseling; Because of her saying this, Kristine’s father organized a hijacking to make her mother realize that she needs to stay home with their family, but it went farther than he wanted and ended in her death (he blames her mother for everyone dying, not himself); Kristine wonders if her father is a psychopath or has antisocial personality disorder; He shoots Kristine with a drugged dart and kidnaps her with the intent for their family to live in an island together; He was a cop and Kristine points out what he is doing is criminal, but he says he is protecting his kids from the world *End of Major Spoilers*); A teen says her mother doesn’t abuse her, but is controlling and doesn’t let her do what she wants, Mentions of brand names & items (Canon, SIG, Glock, Airbnb, iPad, FaceTime, Narcan, Percocet, Motrin, Keurig, Coke, Jell-O, Band-Aids, Xbox, & FedEx); A few mentions of mental health (when referring to Kristine’s father); A few mentions of car brands; A few mentions of Uber; A few mentions of superheroes (Iron Man & Captain America); A couple mentions of a sports team; A mention of a movie (The Maltese Falcon); A mention of Thomas Edison; A mention of McDonald’s; A mention of the Weather Channel; A mention of Google Earth.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, an almost kiss, two not-detailed kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of affairs & cheating; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, & exes; A couple mentions of an ex-boyfriend of Kristine’s wanting to sleep with her before they were married (which she wouldn’t do); A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
- Kristine Duncan, age 32
-Andrew Ross, age 31/32 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        320 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

The bittersweet end to another Lynette Eason series is here! As a reading suggestion, I think this series would be best to read close to together as the friend group is quite large and some of the later couples first meetings happen in the first books. 

 

I did like some elements of this book, but some elements also fell a bit flat to me. I think it was mainly because at the beginning, both Kristine & Andrew harped on their baggage a bit too much and how they couldn’t ask someone else to deal with it for my tastes. Besides that, it was more of a slow-burn romance and I liked the two of them together. 

 

While I don’t think I actually have too many thoughts on this book, I think it would be fair to say that I did overall enjoy it. It’s not a new favorite by this author or in this series, but I really liked seeing the friend group again and seeing all the different ties of the mysteries in this book come together. It was also a nice change of pace of some classic suspense tropes being turned on its head and not the normal layout—I have to be vague for spoilers, but it made the book feel different. Like normal, however, I guessed the culprit halfway through. This fourth book had some similarities to the prior book in the series because of both Kristine & Jesslyn’s family background, though, which made me think I was reading Jesslyn’s story in a different font. Which brings me to wondering, again, how much trauma is too much trauma for main characters to go through? Both Kristine & Andrew have gone through a lot personally and also through their careers. It’s not graphic, but would be a book I would only suggest to older teens who have read and enjoyed other suspense books.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"Earth’s Epic Start" by Costi & Christyne Hinn

About this book:

  “This entertaining and engaging study of Genesis 1-3 helps middle-grade readers gain a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s amazing creation.
     Where do you begin to know the greatness of God? At the very start, of course! God created EVERYTHING, including your one-of-a-kind kid. Earth’s Epic Start is a fun way for your child to explore the Bible and build a foundation for a future spent studying God’s Word.
    In addition to reading the verses from each day’s study, kids will encounter fun facts, definitions of key terms, questions that reinforce the daily reading, and a memory verse.
     This in-depth study of humankind’s creation and fall will equip your child to… 
-       know God in a deeper way
-       grow in knowledge of how God created everything
-       meet ordinary people who God used in extraordinary ways
-       stand strong in the truth and never be fooled by lies
-       be able to share with others about how amazing God is
Your child’s faith will grow as they learn about Earth’s epic start!”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book. 


Spiritual Content- This Bible study covers Genesis 1-3, but also references many other Scriptures to read and look-up as well; 'H's are capital when referring to God in the study, but most of the Scriptures written out are in ESV which does not capitalize them; In the final week, sin is discussed and explained; In the final pages, repenting from our sin & having salvation though Jesus Christ is shared; 
             *Note: When referring to the closest star to earth (Proxima Centauri), it’s noted that it would take 950 million years to walk to it from earth; One ‘Did you know?’ fact shared is that plants can’t survive millions of years without the sun and adds that plants were created on day 3 and the sun was created on day 4; A fun fact shares that the earth is about 6,000-10,000 years old (Week 7), but there is a multiple choice question that has the options of “A. 1-2 million years old  B. 4-10 billion years old  C. 6,000-10,000 years old  D. 120,000-150,000” to test the reader (with the correct answer being C).
 

Negative Content- A reference to divorce in Week 8 with the introduction of the week’s reading saying, “God cares so much about marriage—it is a reflection of His love for us. He also made marriage so important, that a male and female who get married are called to stay together as one team, just as Mark 10:9 states, “that therefore God has joined together, let man not separate.””; 
             *Note: Mentions of the painting the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci & Michelangelo’s paintings on the Sistine Chapel; A mention of Legos.
 
 
Sexual Content- It’s noted that God “made two genders, causing some to be born boys (male), and some to be born girls (female). The creation account details how God always intended for there to be just two genders. No matter what anyone might tell you, God’s way is the best way. He wants girls to be girls, and boys to be boys. Both are created equal and special in their own way!” in Week 6.
                                                        96 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I rarely review non-fiction—let alone Bible studies, but when I saw about this one, I became curious about it. There were a few questions throughout it that I thought might be confusing to younger readers, so I would suggest a parent or adult be nearby to answer any questions from the kiddo. Perhaps even doing it together would be the best case for some families. Many of the question blanks will be filled in not with a direct quote from the corresponding Scripture, but require the kiddo to answer it in his or her own way. For example in Week 3, there is one that goes “Genesis 1:2  What did God use to create everything?” and the answer would be nothing, because the world was formless and void according to Scripture. In Week 8, one question says “Genesis 2:25  Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed. Why were they unashamed and innocent?” That particular Scripture doesn’t share the why, just the fact that they were, so the answer to this question requires a little more thought and discussion with an adult. 

 

Some of the days were heavier with work like answering a few questions, but then other days that only had one question and a drawing exercise or multiple-choice question. From a technical standpoint, it felt a little uneven in that way, particular because there was a lot of handwriting and answering questions during the entire week. 

 

There were a couple of the fun facts or ‘did you know?s’ that I had to research because they were worded in ways I wasn’t familiar with. 

 

I appreciated that when discussing Genesis 1:24-31 in Week 6, the authors share: “Nothing else is said to be made in the image of God except mankind. God loves all His creation, but only humans had God breathe life into them. He made two genders, causing some to be born boys (male), and some to be born girls (female). The creation account details how God always intended for there to be just two genders. No matter what anyone might tell you, God’s way is the best way. He wants girls to be girls, and boys to be boys. Both are created equal and special in their own way! God wants us to know our identity and the Bible teaches that we are unique among all living things because we are made in God’s image.”Some children who have not been exposed to the opposite thought of this might have questions about why someone would think there’s more than two genders, but I think it was worded in a way that probably wouldn’t stand out to the reader unless there were already questions about this topic. 

 

I think this Bible study would be best for those who already have at least a light understanding of the accounts of creation and the Fall as some activities or fun acts shared get a bit ahead of the Scriptures being read. Overall, it was a pretty fun book; I would think it could be done in homeschooling families or expanded with more activities and fun projects for Sunday School lessons. 

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Harvest Kids) for this honest review.