The Bottom Line
It's All About Us is a great, short read. The writing is simple, making great beach reading. The story is not challenging, and the writing is a bit jumbled at times, but it remains entertaining. Shelley Adina does a great job of showing the struggle teens have when it comes to sex and peer pressure. Lissa's struggles will seem very real to many teenage girls.
Pros
- Easy reading for Christian teen girls
- Cool, hip style that is very conversational
- Very good development of friendships and influence on faith
- Excellent depiction of sexual temptation without being condescending
Cons
- Plot remains fairly predictable
- Numerous pop-culture references, so the book won't have a long shelf life
- Writing can be a bit jumbled at times
- Ending seems rushed, like the author was ready to move onto the next story
Description
- Authors: Shelley Adina
- Publisher: Faith Words
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 219
Guide Review - Christian Teens Book Review: It's All About Us
Overall, It's All About Us is worth reading, but you cannot expect it to be any more than easy entertainment. The book isn't likely to be a life-changer for Christian teens. However, the author, Shelley Adina, does a great job of getting into the teenage girl's mindset and demonstrating their struggles with sex, boys, gossip, and more. The friendship that develops between Lissa, Gillian, and Carly seem very real and very much needed. Also, the struggle that Lissa had with "how far is too far" is something many teenage girls face. There are great lessons to be learned in this simple read. The downside of the novel is that it does not get very deep. Also, then ending appears fairly rushed after the climax of the book, almost as if they author was ready to let go of the story long before she finished writing it. Still, the overall lessons and the author's connection to the way teen girls think makes up for the book's shortcomings.
