A wholesome, if uninspired, exploration of the role of faith in helping a young woman find her place in the world.
Seventeen-year-old Natalia has grown up in a wealthy household in Spain surrounded by money, luxury and ambition. It is not until her father marries his third wife, Maureen, that Natalia begins to investigate spirituality. When she becomes a Christian under Maureen’s guidance, the two develop an intense bond. They become so close, in fact, that when Natalia learns that her father is filing for divorce, she actually decides to follow Maureen back home to Florida to provide moral support. Natalia enrolls in a Christian school where she meets and quickly falls for Brian, the pastor's son. But having seen her father destroy several marriages, Natalia has sworn off dating. So, she spends most of her time and energy trying to avoid her deepening feelings for Brian as well as figuring out what she wants to do—or rather what God wants her to do—after graduation. Sadly, Natalia, Brian and the supporting characters are rather flat, the discussions of spirituality feel contrived and the plot is nothing if not predictable.
Not much in the way of general appeal here, but this one may suit teens on the hunt for overtly Christian-themed fiction sprinkled with a bit of (very chaste) romance. (Fiction. 12-16)
