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Finished this a couple of days ago. I'm afraid I don't have an awful lot positive to say about it! I am intrigued as to what made you choose it for the bookswap, Jas - is it because you loved it? Because you had a particular opinion and wondered if others would share it or not? Do you have strong feelings about the religious themes?

Will come back with my full thoughts on the book when less fuzzy-headed

Hi, I chose it because I enjoyed it.... Not expecting others to feel the same though.
I do have strong feelings about the religious themes, I guess, but that made it interesting to me. I am not sure if it was written with more sympathy towards the views of Aggie, or if that is just my views overlaying it.

I found it gripping enough to read in one sitting, which is all I require from a book when I select for these circles. I have not read her other books, as it was a random impulse buy, but it has left me wanting to look for them.

Well it certainly did crack along at a read-in-one-sitting pace. I read it very quickly and was held till the end, despite finding it largely risible.

My main issues with it actually partly stem from the pace, I think - the whole thing is breathlessly teenage, reading like it was written in one big blurt and published as is, which meant that for me the characters were hopelessly two dimensional. It's as if the author thought 'what's the most extreme situation I can think of? I know - a rabidly religious zealot falling in lust with an atheist abortion facilitator. And get this - her mum is a lesbian and her best friend is gay! Watch the sparks fly!' There was no depth or believability to their relationship, they just seemed to lurch between bodice-ripping boning and storming off in a huff. The sex scenes made me hoot though

It wasn't all bad - there was some good writing about Aggie's post-bereavement loneliness and Honey's horrible day to day life. I would have liked to see more of Honey, actually, she was a more well-rounded character and brought some much-needed balance to the lustapolooza. I also wish the anti-abortion protest plot had been developed more though, as it felt a bit tacked on for convenience's sake.

All in all (and despite how it may appear) I did enjoy reading it! It would be interesting to see how the author's work develops as she is clearly capable - she just needs to slow down a bit IMO.

I agree with ASIS the book reminded me of a high school level writing exercise. I enjoyed Honey's character but she wasn't allowed to develop and actually became a parody of herself at the end. The ending was expected but written well. It is a shame that the middle was formulaic; conflict, make up, conflict, make up etc. It covered some intense themes but perhaps did not need to be so conflicted.

That said, I did enjoy reading it. I would not pursue finding any other books by this author.

Well I have posted this and I still don't really know what to write about it. The blunt version is that I hated it but I've been trying to dissect why.

I am a christian so wondered whether I was just having a knee jerk reaction to yet another caricatured representation of christianity but I think actually what annoyed me most was that the author couldn't seem to decide whether they were a cult or slightly naive but devout believers. I've spent some time working out the differences between cults and sincere believers and she was just inaccurate in representing either of them.

I also found it a bit sordid. The sex scenes seemed designed to devalue characters. Agree with previous comments that Honey's story was the most 'human' and credible but she seemed to be a slightly forced plot device rather than allowed to develop as a character.

I did finish it, partly because I feel the need to finish every book I start, but I definitely would avoid this author in future.

I actually quite enjoyed it tbh.

It read easily enough while giving you things to think about at the same time.

But I will agree with other posters that the sex scenes were a bit sordid/unecessary and took away from the actual plot iyswim.

All in all not a bad book

I'm quite glad not everyone hated it!

Sorry if it offended you though Tigger - I did consider it might when I chose it, but I tend not to think for long about wich book I choose, and select from those I happen to have at the time. The others I had either I hadn't liked, or I thought some of you would have already read.

nope, not offended! I will read most things as long as I reserve the right to dislike books...

Dislike is fine.

This book started off well for me but, like other posters, I would rather have seen much more of the story with Honey and much less of the other two. They seemed quite two-dimensional and cliched. Overall I enjoyed the story but I wouldn't pick it up again.

I agree with simpson, I enjoyed this one and read it in 2 days. Has some controversial subject matter and can see how not everyone would like it, but it was an easy read. My DH saw the title and thought I was having some sort of religious conversion though!

Seems as if I might be out on a limb here, but this book made me cry in a couple of places! There were parts of it which I just found very moving - something about Luke's naivety when he discovers sex, and Aggie's acceptance of his needs, seemed to me to be a very loving way to be. I found their relationship, the inevitability of them being together, made for good reading.

The arguments in the book may be well worn and rehearsed, but as a non-believer I did find myself examining my own viewpoint and beliefs as I read. That is an achievement on the author's part, I think.

I agree that the book is fairly obviously written by an author who still has some developing to do, but for me that was part of the attraction - that raw emotion, not always well expressed but passionate and sincere, is how young people are!

I'm afraid I just couldn't get into this book and so I didn't finish it . As tigger states, as a Christian I found it a bit - not sure of the right word - uncomfortable ?? I didn't like the style of writing either, very teenage like. And the sex bits were so predictable <but I hate reading sex scenes anyway >.
Sorry, nothing more positive to say.