Wonderful Message for Teens! 'Into the Spotlight' - Finding Faith 1 - by Leslea Wahl

 

About the book:

The devastation of a ruined summer.

The gift of a second chance.

Can Josie learn the lessons she needs to discover her true self?

After a humiliating event and overwhelming peer pressure, 16-year-old Josie flees her home to spend the summer with her aunt on a South Carolina Island. Her fresh start turns into the summer of her dreams as friendships grow, romance blossoms, and a series of thefts surround her with excitement.

However, when tragedy strikes someone close to her, Josie realizes there are more important things than her reputation. As she sets out to solve the mystery she has become entangled in, she not only realizes the importance of relying on her faith but along the way also discovers who God wants her to be.

My review:

This was an amusing and intriguing book about a clumsy drama queen who realizes there's more to life than what her classmates think of her and that not everything revolves around her either.  I felt for Josie when she gets humiliated after just wanting to blend in with the crowd at school and I was jealous that she gets to visit her aunt on an island and be at the beach all summer.  She's a self-proclaimed theater geek but decides maybe she needs to change things up and be someone else for the summer.  She thinks there's hope for a summer romance with a cute older guy.  However, that's easier said than done when a guy from her school shows up and keeps ruining her plans.  

You really feel like you're in Josie's shoes throughout the story because of the first person narrative.  It makes everything feel more intense and as if it's happening to you.  I liked the humor as she thinks about past mishaps and some of the crazy things that have happened to her or that do happen throughout the story.  It was sweet how she became such good friends with the elderly neighbor and would go to him for his true stories and advice.  She started looking for how she could help people and decided to look into the thefts.  Meanwhile, her mom is sending her postcards from her book tour with Bible verses on them that seem to be just what she needs every time and the priest at church has some messages that speak to her about her lack of faith and makes her determined to change that.  It leans a little into being a Catholic book as there's mention of a priest and saying a Hail Mary but mostly it focuses on Bible verses and prayer when talking about faith.  There's some romance and suspense.  I liked the themes of people are not always what they seem and that it's important to be yourself.  There were a lot of great secondary characters as well.  I really enjoyed this story and think teens would as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.