Ellie Lansing moves into her senior year with nothing but joyful anticipation on her mind. After all, she’s got the heart of football star Dylan Grant, the man she knew she would marry almost as soon as they were born. Secure in her relationship with him, her world is shattered when she returns from a summer away to discover his feelings have changed.
She’s always had faith in God and followed all the “rules,” but when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Ellie responds with indignation and anger that God would “reward” her in this manner.
This is a story of false security and learning to develop one’s own identity separate and apart from that of another person. The story accurately portrays the emotions a young woman experiences when faced with fear and heartbreaking betrayal.
The family dynamic between Ellie, her brother, and her parents, their opposing views on her choices, and the handling of Ellie’s mom’s illness, is poignant and realistic. The novel mirrors the sensitive and compassionate, yet sometimes cruel and mean-spirited, nature of peer relationships in a high school setting.
Although the teens all attend a youth group, they are by no means “goodie-goodie” plastic characters. Rather, they are three-dimensional and vulnerable to temptation and bad choices. The book illustrates why many of the best things in life should never be forced, but allowed to unfold according to God’s perfect plan, since they are always worth the wait.
I recommend this book to mature teens who are dealing with deep emotional issues that test the human spirit. The scenarios in the novel, although never graphic, do refer to sexual behavior, but provide an excellent lesson in making right choices for the right reasons.
This is Laura Jackson’s debut novel, and I thought it was a very well-written, well crafted story. Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of her book.
Go here to learn more about Laura and her book, Worth the Wait.
GRADUATION DAY!
6/3/2015 8:47:22 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME BACK AUTHOR MARY HAMILTON
5/19/2015 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR A J CATTAPAN
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CAN THREE TEENS CREATE A NOVEL - THESE THREE DID!
4/20/2015 11:51:44 PM by: Patti Shene
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG WRITERS
4/14/2015 4:19:07 PM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
3/31/2015 4:35:18 PM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR TERRI LUCKEY
3/16/2015 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME BACK AUTHOR ANGELA STRONG
3/5/2015 9:59:11 PM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR SCOTT ABEL
2/16/2015 10:06:35 PM by: Patti Shene
DO YOU BELIEVE THE LIES?
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AUTHOR LAURA JACKSON RETURNS
1/19/2015 11:58:25 PM by: Patti Shene
TEEN WRITING CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT
1/19/2015 11:35:09 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR KATIE CLARK
1/6/2015 11:48:18 AM by: Patti Shene
WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU?
12/24/2014 3:29:34 PM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR ANGELA STRONG
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TEENS IN THE NEWS
11/25/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
11/20/2014 3:56:52 PM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR MARISSA SHROCK
11/11/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR STEPHANIE McCALL
11/4/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
10/23/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR DARCIE GUDGER
10/6/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEENS IN THE NEWS
9/23/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
REVIEW OF WORTH THE WAIT BY LAURA JACKSON
9/18/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT 9/11?
9/9/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR STACI STALLINGS
9/2/2014 8:05:48 AM by: Patti Shene
TEENS IN THE NEWS
8/29/2014 10:13:32 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
8/19/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR MARY L. HAMILTON
8/12/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
REVIEW OF SPEAK NO EVIL BY MARY HAMILTON
8/5/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEENS IN THE NEWS
7/24/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
7/15/2014 9:39:17 PM by: Patti Shene$$
WELCOME AUTHOR CYNTHIA TONEY
7/7/2014 11:19:57 PM by: Patti Shene
BOOKS FOR TEENS
7/2/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR SHAINA CILIMBERG
6/16/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN AND TWEEN TUESDAY
6/10/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME AUTHOR ANGIE BRASHEAR
6/2/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
GRADUATION DAY! (Teens in the News)
5/28/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WHY MY VOICE IS IMPORTANT by ARIEL J.
5/19/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
REVIEW OF A FISTFUL OF GOD BY THERESE M. TRAVIS
5/6/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEEN INVITES MISS AMERICA TO PROM
4/22/2014 1:42:25 PM by: Patti Shene
LOVE CONQUERS ALL BY SIERRA B.
4/14/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
GUNNER'S RUN BY RICK BARRY
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MIND MODS BY JAE WORTH
4/1/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
TEENS IN THE NEWS
3/24/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WELCOME YA AUTHOR KAT KECKENBACH
3/11/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
WORTH THE WAIT BY LAURA JACKSON
3/3/2014 11:24:55 PM by: Patti Shene
Teen and Tween Tuesday
2/18/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
The Elite of the Weak by Precarious Yates
2/10/2014 11:56:04 PM by: Patti Shene
AUTHOR GAIL PALLOTTA AND STOPPED COLD
2/3/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
Teens in the News
1/28/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
SPECIAL OFFER: FREE BOOK!
1/23/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
Teen and Tween Tuesday
1/21/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
The Truth About Secrets by Sandi Greene
1/13/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene
