Christa A Banister

Yes, Sydney Alexander is a Christian that dates. And she likes dating. She has dated many men, and she is still trying to find the one. When the story picks up, she is set up with a blind date, who happens to also start dating her best friend, who doesn't know that he's dating the both of them. Then her ex comes back into her life wanting to start things over again. But first she has to go to England and see where she wants to be in life. Also her sister gets dumped by a car who compares her to a car, her guy best friend is in love with her, but she doesn't know this. Yes dating is a fun time in the life of single 20something Christian woman.

I keep gushing about Christian chick lit, I know. But I can't help it! The genre is getting better and better with each new author that I read. This book is unique because it starts off as first person from Sydney's POV and then switches into third person with various different characters. So you got to get into the minds of the other people as well. This is interesting because Sydney would go on a date with Justin and you would see the date from her perspective and then the storyline would switch and you would see his view from after the date. This doesn't get confusing at all and I think it actually enhanced the storyline. I loved the job that Sydney had. I would love to be a writer for a magazine and get to travel to different places and write up about my adventures. Her job search is also interesting as well because I feel that many young women who read this book will relate to it.

What appealed to me most about this book is that it approves dating. I'm actually a little tired about reading books about Christians who give up on dating. I know it's a good concept, but sometimes it makes me feel like I'm a bad person who does date (well technically I'm only dating one person but you know what I mean). So it was VERY refreshing to read about someone my age who likes dating and wants to date. The scene that stood out to me the most was the last scene that Sydney has with Liam. I was completely floored with his character. He was like the "Toxic" relationship that a lot of girls seem to have, where they keep hanging on to a jerk for no good reason. But it is a situation that I believe many of us have been through and so I could totally relate with Sydney and share her pain. The characters in this book are real, you feel the hurt, the joy, the suffering, the ecstasy. I really loved how the ending turned out. It tied up everything AND kept you hanging. I loved the list of movies in the back of the book. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my all time favorite movies too!

Also this book mentions actual real bands such as The Replacements and Death Cab for Cutie! I know it's because the author worked in the music business but I just loved it how the bands were real and not made up. Also it shows that Christians actually listen to good music. I definitely cannot wait until Christa Banister's next book comes out. This was one of my favorite reads of the year. If you love chick lit, GET THIS BOOK!… (meer)

Sydney's life has been a series of bad dates, with a few bad relationships thrown in for good measure. How will she ever find the right guy to settle down with? This book reads like a movie, with a setup like "He's Just Not That Into You"; We have main character Sydney and her life, with side stories about her sister, best friend and even one of her dates. Awesome read for all chick-flick lovers. Happy ending guaranteed, although there are a number of twists along the way that made me yell at the book and stay up reading until two in the morning! Plenty of girly stuff included, like pop culture references, fashion, movies and cute guys. Loved it!… (meer)

Now that she's found the love of her life, Sydney Alexander has found the next best thing to looking for love: looking for love for your friends and family. She tries to help out her sister, her best friend and her boss find true love for themselves. Unfortunately too many cooks spoil the broth. Meddling is not always the best way to help out someone as Sydney soon finds out. Along the way characters learn the hard way about finding love which may or may not always include heartbreak, regret, and even finding love when you least expect it.

I absolutely adored this book. I wish this book could come to life so I could interact with these characters. Seriously, if I could live in a book, I would pick this series. Sydney and Gavin have one of the best and healthiest relationships I have ever read in a book. They genuinely love and trust each other and they enjoy having fun together. There's no conflict between them yet they are not boring at all. I mentioned with the first book that I loved Sydney's job. I still do in this book Why can't I get a job like that? It's very Carrie Bradshaw-ish minus the sex and shoe excess. I love again that real bands are mentioned, yay for a Radiohead concert! Everyone in this book just adds to the story. Jane's story is ironically bittersweet while Sydney's boss has a surprise ending. There were times where I wanted to scream at Samantha for the choices she made especially involving Aidan. Did she not learn her lesson the first time around? It got to the point to where at the ending I wanted to say "serve you right!" Unfortunately Samantha acts how most women, even Christians, do when it comes to guys It just brings up the old questions of why do girls always fall for the bad guy? I did not find the shift in tense distracting, in fact it added to the story. While most women will enjoy this book, I recommend it most to older teens to thirty-somethings . I feel that it is written mainly for us, it's how our lives really are. I cannot wait to find out the next adventure in Sydney's life. This book is SO VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!… (meer)