College plans are low on Michelle's priority list, especially with no money to pay for it, until her grandparents offer to foot the bill for her entire tuition. There's just one catch. Michelle must choose between three schools - all hours away from Chicago and all Christian colleges.
Michelle's reluctant choice leads her to an unfamiliar place, where she's faced with new relationships and unexpected decisions that could change her life and her heart forever.
My Thoughts:
We met Michelle in Goodbye, Magnolia, and I admit I did not like her very much. She seemed to be a source of trouble between Maggie and Simon and someone I did not like in their lives. However, this book gives us Michelle’s story, and completely changed the way I feel about her.
We get to go back to freshman year of college for Michelle, Maggie, and Simon. Michelle grew up in an unstable home with her mom. Her dad was absent in her life, and she coped by doing what many teen girls do these days – she turned to parties, alcohol, and sex. By the time Michelle landed at Cornerstone College, she was deep into the life considered unacceptable at her new Christian college.
This book moved me in so many ways. Michelle struggled to find her way when she first arrived at Cornerstone. She quickly made friends with Maggie, Simon, and Sean. After dating Sean for a bit, they make a mistake that changes their lives completely. Changes everything.
As the book progresses, we get to see the friendship between Michelle, Maggie, and Simon and get such an understanding of why their relationships with each other are the way they are. We see each of them make so many mistakes in their lives. We are fortunate to follow their friendship for 15 years and get a deep look into their lives.
We also get to see the amazing transformation Michelle goes through during her time at Cornerstone. She learns all about God and His desire to love His children. She accepts God into her life and watching her grow in her relationship with him is so moving. However, just like so many Christians today, Michelle finds herself right back into sin and not as close to God as she was in the beginning of her Christian walk.
It is the moment when Michelle really “gets” just how much God loves her when this book is so moving. Reading as Michelle fell to her floor and wept brought big tears to my eyes as well. God is so good and all we have to do is let Him into our lives and let Him guide our paths. If we trust in Him, He will not leave us, and He will provide so many wonderful things for us in our lives.
This book has everything – love, betrayal, friendships, fights, and God’s amazing love. I left this book with completely different opinions of Maggie and Simon, and especially Michelle. She is a character I have grown to love, and I hope we get a glimpse into the amazing future I see for her.
*Note: This book does have pre-marital sex in it, which is unusual for a Christian genre book. However, I felt the author handled the scenes very tastefully and completely necessary in building the character for Michelle. You will see much worse on prime time TV.*
Krista Noorman is the author of the young adult novel, The Truth About Drew, and the Cornerstone contemporary Christian romance series. Most of her life has been spent scribbling away in journals, while documenting her every day life, but it wasn't until she took part in National Novel Writing Month that she found her true calling and turned her pen to fiction.
Krista studied music education at Cornerstone University. After college, she turned to her love of photography and spent nearly a decade running her own wedding photography business. She is constantly inspired by books and movies, enjoys beautiful instagram feeds, and loves a great cup of coffee. Krista makes her home in a small town in western Michigan with her husband and their two children. She writes about life, family, faith and whatever else comes to mind at bykrista.com .
