Avra's God by Ann Lee Miller

Genre: Young Adult, Adult Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions I expressed are my own.

Author Ann Miller has created a story that could be happening to you and your friends.  Avra has a very close walk with God.  This doesn’t mean she isn’t vulnerable.  It means she has to rely on her to keep her on the right path. She especially needs his help when she finds herself attracted to Cisco.  Cisco has some major issues.  He is attracted to Avra.  He wants what she has, yet like so many it is easier to live the life he has. Those quick fixes like drugs and sex make it easy to make excuses.  Then we meet Jessie and Kallie.  Kallie doesn’t trust men because her father ran out one them.  If she can take control of the situation then she won’t get hurt. That’s what she tells herself.  Jessie is a preacher’s kid.  He is in a band and loves the attention he gets from all of the girls.  I could relate to so many of these characters.  I was raised in a very strict Christian home.  When the doors of the church were open we were there.  When I rebelled I made sure my mom knew what I was doing.  I wanted to show her I could be bad, yet God constantly pulled me back to him.

I believe anyone and everyone who reads this book will see themselves in one of the characters.  That is hard to admit because it means we look back at a part of our past that we may not be proud of.  At the same time it means we look back at the way God directed our past.

Like Avra, we want our faith to lead our friends to, or closer to a walk with God.  This is one of the best books I have read this year and I am glad to recommend it to others.