New giveaway! Now I'm giving away Reinventing Rachel by Allison Strobel!

For a chance to win this book simply read my review and post a comment about your favorite coffee drink. If you don't comment with a response to this question and a way to reach you if you win, you won't be entered into the drawing. Sorry! My answer is I have a lot of favorites but my first choice would probably be an iced soy caramel macchiato - from my church coffee shop which is way better than Starbucks! (Oh, did I mention I endorsed this book? You'll find it inside if you win.)

About the book:  

God rewards the faithful; Rachel is living proof of that—until the people she loves most let her down. Now she's done with God. Twenty-six-year-old Rachel Westing has been a faithful Christian her entire life. Then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her and her parents are getting a divorce. Where is God in all this? Wounded, bitter, and with her faith shattered, Rachel goes cross-country to live with her friend Daphne. Confident, fun-loving Daphne sets about to help Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it's exciting. When another tragedy shakes her to the core, what little she has left unravels. Reinventing Rachel gives readers a true-to-life story that draws them in and keeps them biting their nails until the end.

My review:

Reinventing Rachel was so honest and well-written that I can see many lives being touched and changed by the life-changing themes in the story. This novel addresses some common questions and does it so naturally that I couldn't help being impressed. I loved how the author didn't just have her character going to the edge of the cliff, but had her dangling over the side several times and even slipping over the side on occasion. That kind of conflict makes up a powerful story, and Ms. Strobel did a fantastic job telling it. I truly empathized with and adored the characters. I literally hurt for them and rejoiced with them when they started to make better choices.

There were so many parts of Reinventing Rachel that hit on deep truths, I'm not sure where to start but will say that the author's insight blew my mind. I loved how the cynicism Rachel experienced was so genuinely written that it was easy for anyone to identify with...especially people who have grown up in the church. I loved how Rachel's attempt to live without a relationship with God was so realistically portrayed. It's hard to say much more without dropping spoilers into my review. I can attest to the fact that this awesome book contained great tension, romance, and heartache. I know they don't seem to go together well, but I felt all of those emotions, so I had to share. The edgy content in the story just made it even better.

I am so impressed with the books being published by David C. Cook these past few years that I know just about any book I pick up that they have published I will enjoy, with few exceptions (that was just a side note.) I highly recommend this book because it's not just entertaining, but powerfully written. It's making my best fiction for 2010 list!