"These Moments Between Us" by Grace Schlabach

About this book:

  “Stay-at-home wife, homeschool mom and gardening enthusiast, Franny Ancrumb finds herself embarking on new life adventures. Not only is she dealing with her new identity of entering her middle age years, but she is also trying her best to keep her coming-of-age daughter, Lindsey, from flying the coop too soon. Surprised with a very energetic border collie puppy on her birthday, she thinks she has found the perfect solution to help her daughter see that summers are for fun, not studies.
    Lindsey Ancrumb just wants her mom to understand she is ready to make something of herself. She knows God has given her the dream of becoming a doctor like her father for a reason. Meanwhile she is dealing with the competition of both a know-it-all younger sister, and a best friend who is graduating a year early to start her college career. To make matters worse, a trouble-making puppy has entered the equation and is taking up a lot of the family’s time, making Lindsey feel invisible and causing further strife between mother and daughter.
    Can this mother-daughter duo find common ground and remember that these moments between them are to be cherished as a gift from God?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Moments in Maplecreek” series.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, mentioned, & referenced; At the end of the book, the author’s husband asks the reader if they will be in Heaven someday and how to get there (with many Scriptures referenced and quoted); Many prayers, thanking God, and blessings over food; Church going & church events; Witnessing to someone; Talks about God, Jesus, trusting His leading, & His plans; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Set during Easter & Christmas; Many mentions of God, His creation, His timing, Him leading others, & having peace; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies, & devotionals; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of witnessing to others; Mentions of churches, church going, church groups and events, pastors, sermons, services, & hymns; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of Easter & Christmas; Mentions of VBS; A few mentions of mission work; A couple mentions of Christian role models; A mention of Christian novels; 
             *Note: A woman shares with Lindsey that she grew up in church, but came to believe that church was full of hypocrites (including one who said she was “bound for hell” due to not going to church) and that God didn’t come looking for her (a main character witnesses to this woman and invites her to the family’s church; *Spoiler* The woman comes to their church and later accepts Jesus as her Lord and Savior *End of Spoiler*).
 

Negative Content- Some eye rolling and sarcasm; A bit of sibling bickering/jealousy between Lindsey and her little sister (but Lindsey prays to do better); Lindsey feels competitive with her best friend at times & aims to make her jealous (regarding school plans, but later realizes that while their competition has made Lindsey excel past her own goals in an effort to top the best friend’s actions, she feels bad for thinking like this and prays about her pride while also thanking God for her best friend); A scene of an injury with pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of sick pets, concerned owners, & treatments (including antibiotics); A few mentions of someone abandoning a pet rabbit in the forest; A couple mentions of children being chased and bitten by loose dogs; A couple mentions of bullies; A mention of the possibility of a dog being hit by a car; A mention of rumors; 
             *Note: Franny struggles with the idea of Lindsey growing up and leaving home for college (this includes hoping to convince her not to take her school plans so seriously and enjoy the summer; Franny starts to pray about it after realizing she’s been selfish regarding all of it); Lindsey feels like she’s drifting apart from her mom and feels like Franny is holding her back from her goals (this causes Lindsey to be smug a couple times when she gets to start working on her goals with her dad because it bothers her mom); Lindsey resents the puppy for stealing her mom’s attention from her; Lindsey finds some things about her family embarrassing (such as having to dress in color-coordinating outfits for Easter, but *Spoilers* by the end of the book, she plans doing it because she knows it makes her mom happy *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of actors, movies, and books (Roy Roger, ‘Lone Ranger’, ‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’, & ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of brand names (Cool Whip, Benadryl, & Airbnb); A mention of a public figure (Annie Oakley).
 
 
Sexual Content- Three forehead kisses, four not-detailed kisses, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses (all kisses except one are done by a married couple);  Some embraces (between a married couple, barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; A bit of noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Two ‘hot’s; One of Lindsey’s friends is boy-crazy & she talks about a hot guy a couple of times and flirts with him (Lindsey does not have an interest in dating or boys right now as she’s focused on her schooling and does not feel mature enough to pursue a real relationship); *Spoilers, but about a light romance* Towards the end, Lindsey meets a new guy at church and blushes around him; They become very good friends and in the epilogue, he proposes to her after they’ve been dating for some time *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of dating & boyfriends/girlfriends; Mentions of blushes; A few mentions of crushes; A mention of flirting; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of Franny’s figure (when referencing how she dresses age appropriate and modest).
 
-Franny Ancrumb, age 39-40
-Lindsey Ancrumb, age 15-16
                                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- 

In all my years of reading and reviewing, I think I’ve only seen a main character with my name (and the correct spelling of it) twice before this book—so I’m up to three times now, which is more than keychains I’ve ever found with my name on it, haha! The Lindsey in this book is fifteen and wanting to plan for her future, but her mother (Franny) is having a hard time with her oldest growing up. We see both of their perspectives and it’s a very “slice-of-life” style plot-line with the book really being about their lives, interests, and just them going through their day-to-day busyness. 

 

There was a lot of information about characters and side characters shared that while didn’t feel like info dumping as I read, there were quite a few parts that I didn’t find relevant to know all the details about a side character’s life. It definitely wasn’t info dumping, though, as it was written more like a friend was catching me up on the life of another friend’s family…but I’ll admit that I wasn’t super interested in those moments, so the book’s plot felt a little slow. That works great if you want a slower paced book that isn’t highly plot-driven, but is about the characters and their lives. The title is actually a great nod to this as it really is the moments between Franny and Lindsey, our main characters and a mother and her daughter. Because there wasn’t much happening in the book besides their daily lives, I did find myself a bit bored. I think this was more of a me thing than the book’s fault. There were also a lot of “I’m proud of you” speeches or just conversations that went on for a while plus a lot of saying a character’s name often in conversations, which felt a little awkward at times. 

 

It felt a bit like a Guidepost mystery, but without the mystery, if that makes sense? A very small town, cozy, lots of details kind of plot. Plus strong Christian faith content throughout the book that felt natural for the main characters—which was lovely to see! I think those wanting a calmer book featuring a mother and daughter and their relationship would enjoy this book. I personally really enjoyed how clean it was and all the faith content. :)

 

 

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 Author for this honest review.

"The Royal Code" by Beth Adams

About this book:

  “When Sarah Morgan’s brother, David, brings her a beautiful desk rumored to have belonged to a European archduchess, Sarah is fascinated. But as excited as she is about the antique, she can’t help feeling skeptical about its origin story…until she finds a cache of coded messages inside a hidden compartment in the desk. The messages concern the Austrian royal family and a mystery that has puzzled historians since the end of World War I. Could the secret she’s stumbled upon really lead to the location of the Florentine Diamond, missing from the Austrian crown jewels?
    As Sarah tries to piece together the clues and uncover how this priceless desk ended up in Port Huron, she traces the history of her small Michigan town, leading her to a mysterious local mansion and surprising connections to people and places she never could have anticipated.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Gift Shop Mysteries” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Luke 12:2 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, thought over; Bible reading & Devotional/Quiet time; Church going (including once where Sarah has difficultly focusing on the sermon because of the mystery); 'H’s are capital when referring to God; Sarah is concerned over her brother skipping/missing church and discusses it with him and their family (There isn’t anything at church that is exciting for him unlike others who have group activities, but says he isn’t in danger of waking away from his faith and is just taking a break for a while; Sarah doesn’t want to sound like she is meddling or being judgmental, but is worried about him; Some family members aren’t concerned and tell her that faith is more than church attendance and that he is in God’s hands; *Spoiler* Towards the end, he joins the church’s men’s softball team and tells her that he knows it’s important to be with other Christians *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of God & being in His hands; Mentions of those and events in the Bible, Bibles, & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, sermons, hymns, & groups/activities; A couple mentions of a historical figure that is said to be a “devout Christian” and also later said to be a “devout Catholic”; A mention of a cross necklace; 
             *Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of a man’s family business being almost like a religion to him.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘stupid’, and a ‘my word’; Some eye rolling; A break-in & fear over it happening (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including a woman for her son); Mentions of wars, deaths, injuries, & illnesses, & Nazis; Mentions of break-ins, crimes, thieves, thefts, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of a man bullying others to get his way; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of suicide & assassinations (historical figures); A few mentions of smuggling rings and gangs; A couple mentions of graffiti; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a divorce; 
             *Note: When researching consumption (tuberculosis), Sarah notes that she’s never met anyone who had it which seems to be because of the vaccine that makes it “largely preventable”; Many mentions of historical figures (such as Archduchess Marie Valerie, Empress Sisi, Emperor Franz Joseph I, and those connected to them; Also Princess Diana, Mozart, Queen Elizabeth I, Blackbeard, Harry Truman, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, & Shakespeare); Mentions of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen and fictional characters from it; Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of sports teams; A mention of a poem (‘The Wasteland’ by T.S. Eliot); A mention of an actor (Walter Brennan); A mention of Zumba classes.
 
 
Sexual Content- Some noticing (not detailed); Sarah is disappointed when she thinks a cute guy has a girlfriend; A guy flirts with Sarah a couple times & she blushes; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a relationship not sounding like a fling; A mention of a wife kissing her husband; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of historical figures marrying their cousins (which makes a modern-day person say “eww”).
 
-Sarah Morgan
                                P.O.V. of Sarah 
                                                        262 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This is the second book in Guideposts’ newest cozy mystery series following Sarah who has recently opened a gift shop. This one shared about Archduchess Marie Valerie from Austria, who I knew absolutely nothing about and honestly wasn’t super interested to learn about, but I tried my best to keep up with the mystery. I was a little bored at the beginning personally because of this, however, once the mystery of a gemstone came into play, my attention was kept a little better as I like mysteries about sparkly jewels, haha!

 

 

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.

"Don't Upstage the Body" by Naomi Stephens

About this book:

  “Hippolyta Halfpenny and her family of professional mourners have perfected the theatrical art of grief. When the reclusive Lord Basil Monfort engages her family's services for his own funeral, she vows it will be her last performance as she's tired of the disguise. Then she discovers the undertaker's body in the library and finds herself cast as an amateur sleuth in an undercover investigation. 
     Rain washes away the roads, trapping the funeral party at Lord Monfort's estate--with an unidentified killer in their midst. Bound by her father's wishes to maintain their charade, Hippolyta must navigate a web of secrets spanning decades. But sorting truth from deception proves even more difficult when Lord Montfort's charming yet perceptive heir suspects Hippolyta is not all she appears to be. 
     Concealing her family's true identities while unraveling secrets might be the role of Hippolyta's life, but with a murderer among them, she must unmask the truth before the final curtain falls.”


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


Spiritual Content- Colossians 1:18 at the beginning; A Scripture is mentioned; Prayers & a blessing over food; Prayers from ‘The Book of Common Prayer’ are read at a funeral; Going to a chapel & seeing crosses and a stained-glass window; Talks about God, Jesus, & grief; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus Christ; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches/chapels, vicars and other clergymen, & services; Mentions of confessions & repenting; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of church fathers & saints; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of someone crossing himself at the end of a prayer; A mention of a young boy trying to see if he could walk on water; A mention of a guardian angel; 
             *Note: Religious exclamations such as a ‘for heaven’s sake’, a ‘for Pete’s sake’, a ‘heavens to Betsy’, a ‘the devil’ (instead of ‘the heck’ or stronger), two ‘merciful heavens’, three ‘heavens’, three ‘thank heavens’, and three forms of ‘what/how the devil’ are all said; Hippolyta imagines a swirling lake being stirred by three witches (a reference to Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’); A scene is described as if everyone at the dinner table was congregated for a “midnight séance” and waiting for a “ghoulish figure” to rise; The love interest is described as having a “devil’s grin” when teasing Hippolyta; He tells another man to tell someone to “go to the devil”; Mentions of a superstitious man & his many superstitions about death (despite being a devout Christian); Mentions of luck & bad luck; A few mentions of ghosts (said as a phrase or examples, not seriously meant); A couple mentions of things being called “unholy” (such as bad weather); A mention of someone being hell-bent on finding out the murderer; A mention of jinxing something.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blazes’, a ‘bloody’, a ‘dash it’, a ‘how in thunder’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘what the blazes’, two ‘blimey’s, two forms of ‘darn’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘stupid’s, and three forms of ‘blast/blasted’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Hippolyta and her family lie often due to their roles (which she feels bad about); Hippolyta also eavesdrops (mostly while snooping to figure out the murderer); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Finding a dying body & seeing the person pass away (from poison; also remembering seeing the body; all up to semi-detailed); Being held at gun-point, Being Threatened, Almost drowning, Gunshots, & Fainting (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Seeing others grieve (up to semi-detailed); Hippolyta and the love interest trick a police officer to be able to search the house without him bothering them; Many mentions of funerals, grief, & deaths (including Hippolyta for her mother & her father’s major grief over the death of his wife, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murder, poison, someone being poisoned and killed, & the murderer; Many mentions of robberies/burglaries, thieves, pickpockets, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of a car crash, injuries, & death (Hippolyta’s mother); Mentions of a physically abusive brother; Mentions of wars, bombings, & injuries; Mentions of gunshots & pistols being aimed and used to threaten others; Mentions of arrests & prisons/jails; Mentions of a woman who disappeared; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & hangovers; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of gambling & gamblers; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of fights & fighting; A few mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of a man stabbing another; A mention of wild parties; A mention of a vampire; A mention of a dog running away; 
             *Note: Mentions of actors/actresses, movies, plays, authors, & fictional characters (Vincent Price, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Hitchcock films, Sherlock Holmes, ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘The Winter’s Tale’, ‘Othello’, ‘The Prince of the Pagodas’, &‘Frankenstein’; Some are also quoted as well); Mentions of brand names (Coca-Cola, Guerlain Shalimar perfume, Zenith player, & Pond’s Cold Cream); Mentions of songs & singers (‘A Pocketful of Dreams’, ‘Jambalaya’ by Hank Williams, ‘Dance to the Duke!’ by Duke Ellington, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, & Big Bill Broonzy); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of BBC & a newscaster (Richard Baker); A few mentions of artists (Rembrandt, Edward Hopper, & Vermeer); A few mentions of Socrates; A couple mentions of authors & books (Oscar Wilde & Aldo Nadi); A mention of a TV show (Picture Parade).
 
 
Sexual Content- a hand kiss, an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed), and a semi-detailed kiss; Staring at lips; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); When investigating the murder, Hippolyta and the love interest are alone in his bedroom (nothing sexual happens); A couple implications of an unmarried man and woman sharing a room and bed (they do not get married, though the man wanted to marry her); Mentions of possible illegitimate children & affairs; A few mentions of a man wanting his sister to become a mistress to a rich man & her accusing him of turning his own sister into a prostitute; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man probably being used to being caught in “embarrassing situations” with young ladies; A mention of a man possibly having ill intentions when around a maid; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Hippolyta Halfpenny
                                P.O.V. of Hippolyta 
                                         Set in 1957
                                                        304 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Well, that was a very interesting murder mystery! I haven’t read a lot of murder mysteries lately because they can often feel dark, depressing, and just overall sad, but I was curious about this one due to it being set in 1950s. It was very reminiscent of Clue with the people being trapped in a house after a funeral and then a murder happens. Just the concept of Hippolyta and her family being professional mourners was an interesting element to the book, but I was curious about how everything was connected and would end in regards to the mystery.

 

I didn’t love the love interest as he was rude and demanding for most of the book—he very much had a “devil may care” kind of attitude that didn’t endear him to me. That said, by the end, he had grown on me at least a little bit and even made me laugh with the unexpected humor throughout the book. They definitely aren’t my favorite couple—and I would have preferred to see some faith discussions between the two of them besides a comment about him confessing to the vicar, so I could believe they were a little more equally yoked.

 

I don’t recall this in the author’s previous book, but there were many times that dialogue wasn’t written as dialogue. Instead, it was written in a paragraph with actions or other comments. I had to pay close attention because the dialogue wasn’t always easily noticeable and could be missed when reading. 

 

Overall, I personally enjoyed this book more than “The Burning of Rosemont Abbey” by Naomi Stephens (though that one was hard to read personally because of the topic of sibling loss). I would suggest Older High School teens and above due to the murder content and romance threads.

 

 

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.

"Seichō Summer" by Bethany Faulk

About this book:

  “Sarah had plans for her summer.
    They didn’t include being in Japan.
    Visiting her grandparents and spending two months at a lakeside camp with an international community might suit her brother and her friend Melanie just fine, but all Sarah Jones can think about are the friends she’s leaving behind—and the lost revenue from the job she’s supposed to be working. She’s resigned herself to a solitary summer of reading and writing, but an unexpected encounter with a boy who loves books, being persuaded to join the cast of Brigadoon, and meeting families from all over the world begin to stretch Sarah in new ways. Maybe the lake is not such a bad place to be after all.
    Sarah discovers that growing up means learning about herself, friendships, and the world around her—all during her seichō summer.”


Series: As of now, no. It seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- Singing hymns; Mentions of churches/chapels, pastors, church services, & singing hymns; Mentions of missionaries (including Gladys Aylward); A couple mentions of God & praising Him; A couple mentions of blessings over food; A mention of a stained glass of Jesus; A mention of a family Bible; A mention of Bible retreats; A mention of a mission trip; 
             *Note: Sarah writes that she’s not afraid of demons because she believes in a higher power; Seeing a shrine dedicated to a god of mountains, sea, and war; Mentions of shrines & idols of Shinto gods; A few mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of hero-worship.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘idiot’, and a ‘sucker’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; A bit of eavesdropping (accidentally); Playing games that feature murder (called ‘murder-wink’ and ‘mafia’); Mentions of War World II, suicide pilots, bombings, & internment camps; Mentions of crimes, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of kidnappings (in the story of the Pied Piper); Mentions of lies, lying, & deception; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of possible vandalism & thugs; A few mentions of wine & drinking (a flight attendant accidentally offers a teenager wine, not realizing the girl is a minor; The girl does not except the offer); A couple mentions of concern about plane crashes; A couple mentions of graffiti; A couple mentions of a bartender in a play; A mention of murder, kidnapping, & theft in mystery novels; 
             *Note: Sarah comments about it being hard to be fourteen because she’s not a kid who relies on her parents to make all her plans (as she has a job and people she wants to see), but doesn’t have a say when the adults make plans to go overseas for the summer (*Spoiler* At the end, Sarah realizes she’s not a adult or a child and understands now that it’s okay as all changes take time *End of Spoiler*); Sarah worries about others back home forgetting about her while she’s gone for the summer, but quickly realizes that it’s a silly and childish thought; Sarah’s mother tells her about the time she hitchhiked through the country and camped at night (which Sarah says she would never let her do that and her mother completely agrees, adding that it was a different time then and Japan had low crime rate); At a gathering, Sarah is uncomfortable with the direction of a conversation between some adults and older teens (not written, but implied to be crass/crude) so she gets up and goes to another part of the house (noting that one of the difficulties of getting older is to know what conversations to participate in and which ones to walk away from; She is proud of herself for discovering she can walk away from a social situation that makes her uncomfortable); Sarah isn’t allowed to wear makeup normally, but does for the play and is impressed by her appearance with it on (one guy says she looks “kind of pretty” with makeup on); A side character (older teen boy) has a realistic looking gun that shoots BBs and darts; Going to & mentions of Tokyo Disneyland; Being part of a play of the movie ‘Brigadoon’ & many mentions of it, different scenes, the characters, & songs; Many mentions of and references to authors, books, & fictional characters (such as ‘Magnificent Obsession’ by Lloyd Douglas and other books by him, ‘Quo Vadis’, Agatha Christie and a handful of her books, ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Frank Peretti, Robert Browning, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘Little Women’, ‘Little Men’, Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere, Professor Higgins and Eliza, & a quote from ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder is shared at the end of the book in the author’s note); Mentions of movies, Broadway musicals, actors, actresses, & fictional characters (‘Brigadoon’, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, ‘Wallace & Gromit’, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Deep Impact’, ‘Pirates of Penzance’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, Gene Kelly, & Cyd Cherisse); Mentions of pop culture & brand names (Barbie, Wonder Woman, Cleopatra, SkyMall, Encyclopedia Britannica, Yahoo! News, McDonald’s, Signo pens, Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, Sesame Street and Big Bird, Walkman, Pocky, Kit Kat, Boggle, Costco, Dr. Pepper, Star Wars, & Mickey Mouse); A couple mentions of other songs (‘My Heart Will Go On’ & ‘Oh Shenandoah’); A mention of a pimple; 
 
 
Sexual Content- Sarah thinks it would be gross to be an actor and have to kiss random people; Sarah and her friend flush when an older boy make eye contact and compliment them (Sarah writes that eye contact with a boy like him is like “chocolate cake—too rich for more than one serving”; Sarah adds that while she admires him, it’s more like hero-worship than in a starry-eyed way); A side character has a crush on a boy and comments on the boy being a “catch”, which makes Sarah uncomfortable because the girl is only thirteen & the boy is her friend and it seems like the girl’s comment is “crass and objectifying” him (Sarah thinks it’s “grossly inappropriate” to think of the friend in any other way besides friendship); A side character asks a boy who he thinks is the ideal woman (because of her crush on him); Some of the boys tease about the kisses/kissing in the play; Mentions of kisses & kissing in a play (the play is acted by teenagers and the director says it will all be “stage kisses”); Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dating, & crushes; A mention of a song that talks about “kissy lips” often (from the ‘Brigadoon’ play); 
             *Note: A reference to the scandals of the current president (Bill Clinton) and the “unsavory accusations” against him; A girl asks Sarah if her legs look okay or does she need to shave (which confuses Sarah as it’s a random question).
 
-Sarah Jones, age 14
                                P.O.V. of Sarah (1^st person, through journal entries)
                                            Set in1998 
                                                   232 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

What an interesting debut book! I haven’t read a book fully told in journal entries in a while (letters yes, journals no) so that was a fun feature about this book. I enjoyed learning about Japanese culture as I’m not super familiar with it. It was interesting to learn a little bit through this book and our main character, Sarah, who is half-Japanese. There was some humor thrown in with her thoughts that unexpectedly made me laugh throughout the book.

 

Because of the journal entry style of this book, it felt like a calm, summer-themed book as a friend is telling us about her vacation. There’s not really any drama or angst moving the plot, just Sarah sharing her days and activities while in Japan. One of those activities is acting in the chorus of a play. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the ‘Brigadoon’ movie the play was based on, so the play that Sarah and the other kids put on of it and all the mentions of the characters (plus the characters they were playing) were a little lost on me for a while, but I was able to follow along better by the end. I think those who have seen the movie would probably enjoy these many scenes more than me as it made the book a little slow as I didn’t really know what they were referring to—along with all the classic literature references as well. For me, this book was around 3 stars because I didn’t know all of these references concerning the movie, classic literature, and how heavily both elements are mentioned in the story, but others may enjoy it more. 

 

Set in 1998 (the year before I was born!), it was kind of funny to read about cassettes, pagers, and VHS tapes. But because of the lack of cell phones and social media mentions, it added a summer and the charm of being on the cusp of childhood to the book.

 

 

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.