Books for Christian Girls: "Last Summer at Eden" by Christina Hergenrader

About this book:

“Eden, a summer camp in southern California, has hit rock-bottom with low enrollment, a tight budget, and burned-out staff. Can it be saved? Maybe not. This novel incorporates contemporary themes with a traditional good-versus-bad trope for a satisfying read that promotes biblical truths of Gods constancy and provision.”

Series: As of now, no.

Spiritual Content- Set at a Christian summer camp; Almost every chapter is titled after a hymn or a contemporary Christian song; Prayers, Thanking God & Crying/yelling out to God; Worship services & hymns are sung; Talks about God, His will, trusting Him & having hope; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Poppi doesn’t see God as her personal God, *Spoiler* but that starts to change near the end *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of Christian camps, Bible studies, devotions & learning about God; Mentions of God, Jesus & having hope; Mentions of other names for Jesus; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches & church going; Mentions of worship services, church services & pastors; Mentions of crafts with crosses & God’s eye; Mentions of Christian singers/bands (Jamie Grace, Michael W. Smith, & Rend Collective); A few mentions of Christians & faiths; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of the Garden of Eden; A few mentions of prayer times; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of Easter; A mention of a Christian high school; A mention of a play graphic about spiritual warfare;

*Note: Poppi says the previous year was hell.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, a ‘geez’, a ‘stinking’, two ‘geesh’s, two ‘oh my gosh’s, three ‘idiot’s, three ‘shut up’s, three ‘wimp’s, seven ‘dumb’s, and twenty-eight forms of ‘stupid’; A mention of swear words; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; A bit of Pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an alcoholic (Poppi’s father) & his alcohol, but he isn’t drunk all the time and is never loud or violent; Mentions of embezzlement, stealing & jail time; Mentions of blood & injuries; Mentions of mean girls & comments; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of divorces; Mentions of throwing up & fevers (barely-above-not-detailed); Mention of urine & fish poop; A couple mentions of fighting & beating someone up; A couple mentions of dancing at a bar; A couple mentions of cigars & smoking; A couple mentions of dead animals; A mention of slaughtering chickens; A mention of boogers;

*Note: Mentions of the singer P!nk, one of her songs & her being a strong role model for girls; Mentions of celebrities (Gwyneth Paltrow, Adele, Kanye West, Reese Witherspoon, & Matthew McConaughey); Mentions of brands (Chacos, Patagonia, CamelBak, Yeti, Under Armour, Justice, Nike, & Rogue Fitness); Mentions of pop culture (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Frozen, Olaf, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon, Scooby Doo, the Minions, My Little Pony, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader); Mentions of Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Netflix, & FaceTime; Mention of Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts; A few mentions of the store, Target; A couple mentions of melting ice caps in Norway due to the weather; A couple mentions of iPads; A couple mentions of Red Bull energy drinks; A mention of Dancing With the Stars.

Sexual Content- a (semi-detailed) hand kiss, a palm kiss, a cheek kiss, a nose kiss, two head kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and three semi-detailed kisses; Wanting to give a cheek kiss; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Sparks & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘baby’ and two ‘hot’s; Talks about kisses & kissing; Many mentions of dating, dates, couples, boyfriends, girlfriends, embraces, breakups & broken hearts; Mentions of a boy meeting a girl outside after curfew & him receiving a talk about waiting for sex and “the good stuff”; Mentions of kisses, kissing & soft lips; Mentions of seeing others kissing & their kiss/make out session (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of flirting; Mentions of crushes, liking someone, secret admirers & one young couple dancing close together; A few mentions of a young boy’s dad’s pregnant girlfriend living with them; A few mentions of a girl making out with boys; A few mentions of a player; A few mentions of wolf-whistles; A couple mentions of checking someone out; A couple mentions of hormones; Crushing on, Liking a guy & the emotions;

*Note: Noticing a couple shirtless guys (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a girl starting her period, menstruation & what to use for the monthly visitor; A mention of ten-year-olds getting boobs; A mention of puberty; A mention of someone acting like they’re in heat; A mention of a girl licking her lips as a guy passes by; A mention of someone sliding on their butt; A mention of someone being a pain in the butt.

-Poppi Savot, age 19
1^st person P.O.V. of Poppi
356 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Add a ½ star for older girls who like camping/camps}

This book got me in the mood for summer! Never mind the 90 degree temps my part of Texas has been having; this was a fun, summery read! I might not be a camper at all, but I think those who have good memories of going to summer camps would enjoy those aspects. I wasn’t personally a fan of Jake at many times, but Poppi (love her name!)—I just wanted to give her a hug! Nathalie is something else too! Haha! I didn’t agree with some things said, but I thought the talks about the Lord & His hope was great.

The summer romance was sweet at times, but I could have done with a bit less kissing. I really loved all the Faith content and thought the ending was quite well done. :)

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See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!