Synopsis: When Finley travels to Ireland as a foreign exchange student, she hopes to create a new identity and get some answers from the God who took her brother away and seems to have left her high and dry. But from the moment she boards the plane and sits by Beckett Rush, teen star of the hottest vampire flicks, nothing goes according to Finley's plan. When she gets too close to Beckett, a classmate goes on a mission to make sure Finley packs her bags, departs Ireland-and leaves Beckett alone. Finley feels the pressure all around. As things start to fall apart, she begins to rely on a not-so-healthy method of taking control of her life. Finley tries to balance it all-disasters on the set of Beckett's new movie, the demands of school, and her growing romance with one actor who is not what he seems. Yet Finley is also not who she portrays to Beckett and her friends. For the first time in her life, Finley must get honest with herself to get right with God.
I know I've said this before, but I so need to move to Ireland. The reason I was so drawn to this book was because of it's location. Although, it does seem like I'm reading a lot of books about coping with death these days - I'm not really meaning to, they're just sort of falling across my TBR piles and beckoning to me. This particular one impressed me quite a bit, as it wasn't overly preachy and it dealt with life in general, and death is a part of that. This book could have so easily fallen into the trap of stereotypes, but it seemed to actually embrace those stereotypes and turn them into the truth.
During the set-up of Kinley's story, I thought I knew everything that was going to happen. But I still kept reading - why? - because I think this book expertly demonstrates the concept of - it's not the destination, but the journey. I knew where Kinley was headed, but I was so curious how she got there. And near the end I was really surprised at the detours she was taking. I'd expected this book to be about healing - which it is - but it's also about how sometimes things need to get worse before they get better.
The setting is what really makes this book. There are a lot of elements of this book that could easily b cheesy, and I think the fact that this is all happening in the quaint, magical Ireland it all seems so natural. It makes total sense to me that you'd go to Ireland to heal and find that everything is falling apart (which, even though you can't see it at the time, is essential to the healing). I was worried about the normal girl falling for the movie star thing - but I thoroughly enjoyed their relationship (and the subtle digs to the over-the top vampire movie fad). But I think it would be harder to love him in any other setting, if that makes sense. Not to mention, Finely's host family wouldn't be the same in any other place. I loved them all from the moment they picked up Finley at the airport.
This isn't a book like I've read in a very long time. It's clean and very spiritual. It's a great reminder that morals don't have to be compromised to have crazy butterfly feelings. But even in all this it never feels like religion is shoved down your throat and it still takes into consideration that not everything is black and white. There's so much to find in this book, no matter what you are going through in your own life.
The setting is what really makes this book. There are a lot of elements of this book that could easily b cheesy, and I think the fact that this is all happening in the quaint, magical Ireland it all seems so natural. It makes total sense to me that you'd go to Ireland to heal and find that everything is falling apart (which, even though you can't see it at the time, is essential to the healing). I was worried about the normal girl falling for the movie star thing - but I thoroughly enjoyed their relationship (and the subtle digs to the over-the top vampire movie fad). But I think it would be harder to love him in any other setting, if that makes sense. Not to mention, Finely's host family wouldn't be the same in any other place. I loved them all from the moment they picked up Finley at the airport.
This isn't a book like I've read in a very long time. It's clean and very spiritual. It's a great reminder that morals don't have to be compromised to have crazy butterfly feelings. But even in all this it never feels like religion is shoved down your throat and it still takes into consideration that not everything is black and white. There's so much to find in this book, no matter what you are going through in your own life.
(Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgally for an e-review copy)