Hey everybody and welcome back to another book review! I’ve been kind of slacking lately, in terms of the gap of time that occurs when I read a book and when I actually get around to posting my thoughts about that book. It doesn’t help when I’ve read like… three books in one week! I know, it’s the exact opposite of a book club and you’d think that it would be a great thing, but I’m reading faster than I can review. Hopefully, we can change that.
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck was a book I knew I HAD to read after meeting the author, Bethany Turner, at CFRR. If you don’t know what CFRR is, CFRR or Christian Fiction Readers Retreat is an annual retreat for authors and readers to get together and talk about the thing we have in common: BOOKS.
Anyways, Bethany Turner’s sense of humor was so great in person, I knew I had to read her books. It was either that, or spend the rest of my life in a humorless void.
About the Author: Bethany Turner is the award-winning author of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck, which was a finalist for The Christy Award. When she’s not writing (and even when she is), she serves as the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado, where she writes for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight. For more, visit www.seebethanywrite.com.
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck is a complicated story, so let me just share the blurb with you now before we get to deep into my thoughts:
About the Book: “Becoming a Christian is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Sarah Hollenbeck. Best because, well, that’s obvious. Worst because, up to this point, she’s made her very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she’s chosen. She’s still under contract with her publisher and on the hook with her enormous fan base for the kind of book she’s not sure she can write anymore. She’s beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a “scandalous” book. And the fact that she’s falling in love with her pastor doesn’t make things any easier. With a powerful voice, penetrating insight, and plenty of wit, Bethany Turner explodes onto the scene with a debut that isn’t afraid to deal with the thorny realities of living the Christian life.”
This book was hilarious in a laugh-out-loud way, and I’m totally not saying that just because it was full of references to ALL OF MY FAVORITE T.V. shows. Totally.
The plot really intrigued me because I had never before seen anything like it in the Christian Fiction genre, but I thought it was extremely important for the author to tackle. Sometimes we can look at Christianity as being this easy, goody-two-shoes lifestyle that’s all butterflies and rainbows – newsflash, it isn’t. And this author writes about all of those difficult realities with such humor and wit, yet still full of positive, faith-filled messages. Between the laughs and giggles, there’s room for some serious, heart-changing conversations.
*I don’t think that this book is for younger audiences. If you’ve read the blurb, you may understand why. Some of the subject matter is a bit “mature,” if you will, and I know that I have lots of younger followers out there, which is why I’m advising you to “read responsibly” and maybe keep this one on your TBR for a few years.*
Even so, I think that this story was fun, thoughtful, and an enjoyable read. My only detractor was that I felt like Sarah Hollenbeck could, at times, sound a little bit like a “broken record” if you will. Sometimes, her behavior felt a little bit repetitive, but that’s life also. Sometimes as Christians, we know the right thing, but we continue to do the wrong thing. In the book, I think it was just the character’s voice that kept putting me off.
Piper on the other hand, Sarah’s friend, was so real, so down to earth. She kept me rooting for Sarah the whole way through! And that ending… *swoon*
This is definitely a contemporary romance novel in the Christian Fiction genre that I don’t think you’ll want to miss!
Until next time you guys,
Happy Reading!
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