"Faking Faith" (a religious review by Lexi)

Dear Readers,

Hello again! If you're new to this blog, welcome! You're all already our blog family once you clicked on any of our links!

Today's book is Faking Faith by Josie Bloss.

Summary: "Dylan Mahoney is living one big unholy lie.

Thanks to a humiliating and painfully public sexting incident, Dylan has become the social pariah at her suburban Chicago high school. She's ignored by everyone--when she's not being taunted--and estranged from her two best friends. So when Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's immediately drawn into their fascinating world of hope chests, chaperoned courtships, and wifely submission.Blogging as Faith, her devout and wholesome alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the online group's queen bee. After staying with Abigail and her family for a few days, Dylan begins to grow closer to Abigail (and her intriguingly complicated older brother). Soon, Dylan is forced to choose: keep living a lie . . . or come clean and face the consequences." (Thanks, Goodreads!!!)

This book was very interesting! It was slow in one part, but mostly it was wonderful! I was into the book, not believing that there are families out there, girls out there, that were like the ones in the book. It made me feel very thankful for the friends and family I have.

The characters were whole with great background stories, and this book was completely believable. I loved how Dylan made a new persona and got to live a whole new life, because I know that, at one point or another, we've all wanted to do that. Her making it up after the big "uh-oh" in her life was understandable, as was her new obsession with certain blogs. Faith was the perfect new person to invent, and visiting Abigail was just what she needed in her life.

As for the ending, it was superb.

In Conclusion & Suggestions: Read it, especially if you've ever dreamt of a new life, and/or you want an inside look into a family like the Duggars (but even stricter and no acceptance). You'll end up comparing your life to the ones in the book, and you'll also compare both of the girls' lives, coming to conclusions on which aspects are good and which aren't. I recommend reading this on any day, really. It's a good, fast read!


Rating:

4.5/5 crosses


Till next time!

XOXO,
Lexi

"Gated" (a hidden Lexi review)

Readers,

It is too cold outside. Just saying. It's supposed to get even colder tomorrow!!! The benefit of this horrid weather? Perfect days to be in pajamas, curled up in a blanket, with a book in your hands! Thank goodness for books!

Today's novel is Gated by Amy Christine Parker.

Summary: "Appearances can be deceiving.

In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.
Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?" (Thanks, Goodreads!)

I love watching "Sister Wives," as well as the Hudderite show, and the specials "Dr. Phil" conducted about polygamy and cults. I guess I'm just a weird girl like that. I never want to join one, but they're something interesting to study, especially when they're religious cults. That means I was actually going to be very critical about this novel, and I was looking forward to reading it.

Saying that, I must admit that the novel is very in-depth, and seemed so real to me that it was creepy. This man had so much power in this little community of his, adding more members by playing on their fears, especially after 9/11. The plot took twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming, and the ending just blew me away.

There's plenty of action in this novel. You'll also be able to study this in a psychological way, thanks to the narrator being a member of this cult since a young age. The backgrounds, full and believable characters, writing style, and subject will have you hooked from beginning to end. (Warning: You may feel compelled to read this all at once... lol)

In Conclusion: Whether you're into these books or not, I still recommend reading this book!

Rating:

5/5 bullets

"The Chosen One" (A Review by Lexi)

Hello, readers!

I just got my brand new laptop! YAAAY! It's an HP Envy with a Core i5 Intel processor and 1 terabyte of memory, plus Kaspersky Security, Windows 8, Beats audio, and Microsoft Office 2013 all on it! Okay, I'll shut up now. I'm praying this will last me for forever... But more on another little guilty pleasure...

Do you ever watch "Sister Wives" on TLC? How about "19 Kids & Counting"? Maybe "The Hutterites"? Have you ever wondered what the horrors that could be hidden behind those shows? Ever wonder how a person like you would fit into one of these ways of life? Or do you just watch because it's a train wreck? Well, then you need to read The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams!

This novel took on some dark themes that are usually shown about these cults and "religions" on the news. We watch these shows on TLC, giggle that we'd never be able to stand it, and ignore the feeling that there's something wrong with these shows. We just blow off the issues, and only focus on what they show on TV -- falsely believing that they're just like us. I'm not dissing you guys, because I do the same. I also like pretending it's all like they have it on TV, and that this doesn't go on anywhere around us. It does though, and bad things can happen. Ever noticed how robotic the kids are on "19 Kids & Counting"? How they quickly avoid questions having to do with the outside world? Or how, on "Sister Wives," how the kids feel about the path their parents chose? Ever wonder what religion sect and what in the Bible Hutterites follow? (The last one: They were a sect of Amish that broke away. Mainly, the religion concentrates on keeping women lower than the men. Nothing else.)

Well, this novel shows you. Goodreads summarizes, "Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever."

This novel was very well done, and it'll make you pause and thank God that your parents never joined a cult where these things happen. Read this novel if you want to feel thankful for what you have, all the joys in your life.

Rating:

5/5  Hutterite women