Come to the Table: A Review

In the second book of the SouledOut series, readers catch up with Kat and her friends right where the first book left off. Kat is still tutoring at the school and passionate about eating healthy. When she helps out at a food pantry, she decides SouledOut should help feed the hungry. Will her zeal push people aside or draw them in to truly feed the hungry?

I did read the first book in the series and enjoyed it. I know Kat is abrasive, but I could feel her passion for her topic shine through her immaturity in the first book. However, after a few chapters in, I thought it was time for Kat to grow up, and she does. By the end of the book, she's a changing (not yet completely changed) character who is learning how to match her enthusiasm with love and patience on people and on God's timing.

Some other things I liked: the realistic writing about a situation with a guy and three girls (and a kid) living together an the implications on Nick's character as he serves as an intern at the church. I also love Nick in general. He's sweet and a good balance to Kat. I enjoyed Rochelle's story and felt that the feelings she develops for a certain guy in the book were well-done. 

What I didn't like: the constant reminders about each character's race. I found this annoying and one of the reasons I quit reading this author's last series. I LOVE that the author chooses to write about many cultures. I go to a church that is diverse and serves black, Hispanic, and white members equally. I guess that's why it bothers me because I live in a diverse atmosphere both personally and professionally (librarian at a school), and I don't get the need to point out a person's race every time they are mentioned. 

Overall, fans of the YaYa Prayer series will enjoy this second book in the series. Fans who were annoyed with Kat in book one should give her another chance. She gets better by the end of the book. 

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

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.