Books for Christian Girls: "Katie in Waiting" by Erynn Mangum

Monday, January 16, 2017

"Katie in Waiting" by Erynn Mangum

{{This is an updated review. Originally posted January 16^th, 2017, it was updated on August 4^th, 2025.}}

About this book:

“Katie McCoy has spent her whole life waiting for the right guy and he isn't coming.

After relocating to Carrington Springs, Missouri, Katie finds herself getting more and more frustrated. Can't God see that she's trying her best to meet someone? Doesn't He care that she's lonely? What is she doing that is making Him not bless her with this?

With two new friends, Eliza and Ashten, by her side, Katie starts to realize that maybe God has bigger plans for her life than she could have ever imagined.”

Series: Book #1 in the “Carrington Springs” series. Reviews of Book #2 Here! and Book #3 Here!

Spiritual Content- Many prayers, talking to God, thanking God, & blessings over food; Scriptures are read, discussed, & thought over; Church going, sermons, & Bible studies; Katie wishes to meet the right guy and be married & she prays/complains about it to God throughout the book; Katie struggles some Sunday mornings with not wanting to go to church (because she’s trying out different ones), but always goes anyway; Katie recalls sermons from different pastors about singleness with one saying it was a noble calling (because of Jesus and Paul being single) and another saying the problem with modern culture was women in the workforce; Katie, Eliza, & Ashten start a Bible study and there are two of their meetings on-page with Scriptures read and discussed; Many talks about God, trusting Him, His plan, His love for us, prayers, complaining, & church; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Many mentions of God & Jesus; Many mentions of churches, church going, finding the right church, church activates/groups, music/hymns, worship, sermons, & pastors; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible studies & Bible reading; Mentions of those in & books of the Bible; Mentions of Christians & missionaries; Mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of church denominations; A couple mentions of church Christmas musicals; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of the Bible belt; A couple mentions of sins (including wearing white to a wedding is a sin that will get you kicked out of heaven); A mention of a Christian radio station;

*Note: A couple mentions of being lucky; A mention of cults; A mention of a devilish glint in someone’s eye; A mention of a place being like Sin City; A mention of Santa Claus.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘crap’, a ‘heck’, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘sucker’, five ‘holy cow’s, six forms of ‘dumb’ and eight ‘oh my gosh’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Mentions of a murder mystery, crime scenes, & dead bodies (in a book Katie is editing); Mentions of serial killers & luring their victims; Mentions of deaths (including from car accidents, cancer, a drowning, & freezing to death); Mentions of drinking & alcohol; A few mentions of possible break-ins by an intruder with a weapon; A few mentions of divorces & broken homes; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of lies; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of cigarettes & smoke; A mention of throwing up; A mention of nightmares from Halloween costumes;

*Note: Eliza comments that she can’t stand children (despite working as a nurse on the Mother Baby floor); Going to Starbucks, Panera, & Chili’s; Many mentions of pop culture (Songs: ‘My Girl’, ‘Only You’, ‘Come Fly With Me’, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, ‘Swing’, & ‘Wedding March’; Movies: While You Were Sleeping, Serendipity, Star Wars, Mission Impossible, Rocky, Mary Poppins, You’ve Got Mail, The Wedding Planner, Ocean’s Eleven, & Day After Tomorrow; TV Shows: Grey’s Anatomy, Anne of Green Gables, Friday Night Lights, What Not To Wear, & Little House on the Prairie; Celebrities: Bradley Cooper, Sandra Bullock, Michael Buble, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Temple, Dr. Seuss, the Pioner Woman, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Jane Austen, Guy Fieri, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, & Audrey Hepburn; Fictional Characters: Thor, Gilbert Blythe, Scarlett O’Hara, Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, Charlotte and Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, & Coyote and Roadrunner); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of restaurants & stores (Starbucks, Panera, Chili’s, Cracker Barrel, Hobby Lobby, Target, Walmart, & Planet Fun); Mentions of other brand names (Pyrex, Tupperware, Raisin Bran, Oreos, Frito pie, Clif bar, Nestle, Altoid, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Keurig, Saran Wrap, Corelle, Scotch Guard, Visa, UGG boots, & Pine-Sol); Mentions of social media platforms & websites (Pinterest, Facebook, Google, & Netflix); Mentions of Halloween, trick-or-treaters, the Grim Reaper, & scary costumes; A few mentions of Disney & Disney princesses; A couple mentions of TV channels (The Weather Channel & HGTV); A couple mentions of yoga pants; A mention of Girl Scouts; A mention of a Beverly Cleary book; A mention of the Boxcar children; A mention of AT&T; A mention of the NFL; A mention of zombies.

Sexual Content- Some noticing, staring, & blushes; a ‘sexy’ (said as in “…coffee breath is [not] sexy”); Many mentions of dating, dates, finding the right guy, boyfriends, & exes; Mentions of love, wanting to be married & being content in the life you’re living; Mentions of make-out sessions in a book & romance books (one that Katie is editing); Mentions of cute guys; Mentions of blushes; Mentions of sparks/attraction & having sparks with a guy; A couple mentions of married couples kissing; A mention of workplace affairs; A mention of country songs being about one night stands; A mention of a married man not wearing his wedding ring because he can get discounts without it;

*Note: A few mentions of people in New York viewing relationships and marriage as downfalls rather than singleness (including Katie thinking that most of the people she worked with in New York came from broken homes and most of them would think lifelong monogamy was a sentence comparable to life in a high security prison); A couple mentions of underwear; A mention of puberty; A mention of shaving legs; A mention of skin tight clothing (in a grandmother’s opinion and she adds it would have gotten the wearer stoned 150 years ago); A mention of baggy pants that the guys had to hold at the crotch; A mention of eating disorders; A mention of a biological clock; A mention of a sister wives agreement (looked negatively on, not supporting).

-Katie McCoy, age 30-31
1^st person P.O.V. of Katie
277 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Oh my goodness. That was incredible. Y'all want to talk about absolutely fantastic? This. This book right here.

More and more I've been wanting to Christian Fiction where there isn't a giant romance plot. And even ones that don't -- gasp! -- have any romance at all. I feel like this book fits that first longing.

I'm constantly seeing posts and hearing talks from Christian women telling teen girls to know that God has Mr. Right for you, just keep loving God and He'll bring him around. “Katie in Waiting” hits the nail on the head with that idea. Christian girls need to learn how to be content in the life they're currently living, not waiting idle for the possible life of marriage and having babies. (Which is a good to do for some, don’t misunderstand me, but it’s nice to see a waiting view in a Christian Fiction book.)

Also, that Katie was an English major and is an editor for publishing house just made it that much better. Eliza was a hoot and I can't wait to read her story next! :)

2025 reread: Just like other books by this author, this book has such a special place in my heart. Katie’s struggles are ones I know well and the ending message gives me hope along with her. I can’t wait to reread the rest of the series—I forgot what a way of sunshine kind of character Eliza is. She’s like the Energizer Bunny on caffeine.

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!