When The Real Thing Comes Along~Faith Simone | Review

Title: When The Real Thing Comes Along
Author: Faith Simone
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Length: 356 Pages
Publication: February 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review

This novel follows Jacelynn as her life is turned upside down when her past and her present collide. She no longer knows what her future will be. Everything she thought she left in her past is now part of her life again, threatening to drag her under. 

This novel had a strong link with religion and faith and I thought that was a great element. Jacelynn, Kim, Jason, Taylor and all of their friends are on different spiritual journeys trying to get back on the path that leads them home. Each of them has faced difficult decisions and situations. Each of them is still fighting. But they all try to rely on their faith to make them whole. 

Jacelynn tries to put her past behind her, starting over with Jason years after Taylor broke her heart. But when Taylor shows back up, professing that he has now been saved, things become complicated once more. The parts of her that Jacelynn thought were healed are still broken, in desperate need of repair. 

The narrative style of this novel was very well done and nice to read. A majority of it is told in third person, following Jacelynn. On occasion we switch to Taylor or Jason, hearing their thoughts. In some portions we get first person thoughts from Jacelynn, similar to journal entries. The style is really nice and the author moves between the different perspectives seamlessly. 

There are many life struggles dealt with in this novel, but that does not dampen the enjoyment of the read. Teen pregnancy and abortion are handled in a realistic way. This is not the main focus of the story, but it definitely changes the perspectives for the reading. Jacelynn also deals with many feelings that are easy to relate to: inadequacy, uncertainty, struggles in faith. 

The only downside with this novel for me was the length and some minor tweaks that could be made here and there. I think this could easily be shortened, cutting out some of the slightly repetitive insecurities that plague Jacelynn. And, while overall well written, there are some edits that could be made throughout to improve the quality of the writing. 

I think this novel would definitely appeal to people who enjoy clean, faith infused romance. It's an enjoyable story with likable characters with realistic struggles.