Under a Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn

Premise: Empty-nester Carissa is suddenly let go from her long-time employment, and her marital problems are so bad she's contemplating divorce.  Her former employer gifts her some time in his Maui vacation home to ease the pain of her job loss.  She runs off to Hawaii solo, with hardly a good-bye wave out the door to her hubby.  Will Hawaii help her move on?  Or will she accept that she shouldn't move on; she should stay?

Review: First of all, please do not read the back of the book!  It gives away a significant part of the plot.  Secondly, I had such high expectations for this book, and I was disappointed.  : ( 

Let me explain. 

• Robin Jones Gunn is my favorite author! 
• She has written other books about Hawaii that I've enjoyed (specifically Whispers)--which played a big part in why we visited Maui.
• By the grace of God, my husband and I had a Hawaiian holiday on Maui and Oahu last summer, and I expected this book to take me back again--for free! 
• So of course, I thought I would love this book!...but I didn't...(insert sad face)

Here are the reasons I was disappointed (which very well may be reasons you would enjoy it!)

• The main Maui setting was the Kihei/Wailea-Makena area, and guess who didn't even see that part of the island?  Yup, me.
• The main character has been married for 24 years, and her only child is out of the house.  I couldn't relate.  I'm in the temper tantrums, pooping-in-underwear accidents, and fixing peanut butter sandwiches for lunch stage of life.  Ha, ha, I just re-read that sentence, and it makes it sound like I'm the one throwing temper tantrums and pooping in my underwear-ha!  It's too funny to re-word!!
• So in conclusion, I did not connect well with the setting or the characters.  But you might!

If you are looking for a great Christian book about Hawaii that features a younger crowd, read Whispers by Robin Jones Gunn!  

Heather

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I first saw the movie with my sister, mom, and best friend. The movie was cheesy and unrealistic. I checked out the book unsure if I'd actually read it or not. I sat down to take a look at it, and it hooked me.

It is a story about finding love in its different forms. Loving a boy. Loving a brother. Loving a father. Loving oneself. Loving God. Ronnie is the main character, a seventeen-year-old girl who is forced to spend the summer at her dad's house on the beach in North Carolina. The summer gives Ronnie first-hand experience at loving.

One of my favorite things about The Last Song is the way it switches point-of-view from chapter to chapter. You experience the story through the lens of Ronnie, Will (her boyfriend), Marcus (the bad guy), and Steve (Ronnie's dad). Therefore, you understand the thoughts and motivations behind characters' actions. The love story between Ronnie and Will is very sweet and likable. More realistic and less cheesy than the movie. (An interesting side is that Nicholas Sparks wrote the screenplay before he wrote the novel.)

Christianity is well represented. Steve reads his Bible, loves his children unconditionally, and forgives. He is grace-giving and kind. He becomes a role model for Will, and Ronnie starts to read her Bible due to his example. Scripture is printed in the book such as the fruit of the Spirit passage.

It was an enjoyable book.