Stand By Me: A Review

Summary: When Kat Davies accepts Jesus into her heart at a music festival, her life changes. Switching from a pre-med major to education and moving from a public university to a Christian one are two choices her parents just can't accept. When Kat finds SouledOut Community Church, the headstrong young woman feels like she may have found a place to belong, despite the coldness she feels from worship leader, Avis Douglass.

Avis doesn't know quite why, but the outspoken Kat drives her crazy. With a possible closure to the school where she is principal, race issues in the church, and a daughter who she hasn't seen in four months, Avis has too much on her plate to deal with Kat, who just happened to have moved into the condo next door for the summer. Can the two women get over their differences to be just what the other needs?

My Thoughts: I read most of the Yada Yada series, and it was nice to pick up with some of the characters from that series. The addition and viewpoint of Kat is a nice break from the familiar characters. Kat is a great representative of a new Christian: full of zeal and eager to do just about anything to serve, even if it steps on other's toes. Her character is raw, not developed, and downright annoying, but since this seems to be a series in the making, that's okay for book one since she'll mature as the books continue.

The issue of race and the church is woven throughout the novel, and sometimes it seems the author goes out of her way to bring up race. I attend a multi-cultural church and feel although race is a part of a person and a church's make-up, it's not the whole person or the central focus of a church. The continual emphasis on race is one reason I didn't finish the Yada Yada series even though I do agree it's an important topic for discussion.

Overall, the book seems to be the same mold as the Yada Yada series, and fans of that series will enjoy this spin off. I will  check out the second book to find out how Kat develops as a character and a Christian and how Nick grows too....and perhaps what happens between them.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.