Book Review: Amy Inspired

Amy Inspired
By Bethany Pierce
Bethany House, 2010
English, 318 pgs


Description:
Amy Gallagher is an aspiring writer who, after countless rejections, has settled for a career as an English professor in small-town Ohio just to pay the bills. All her dreams suddenly start to unravel as rejections pile up--both from publishers and her boyfriend. But just as Amy fears her life is stuck in a holding pattern, she meets the mysterious, attractive, and unavailable Eli. She struggles to walk the fine line between friendship and something more with Eli, even as staying true to her faith becomes unexpectedly complicated. When secrets, tragedy, and poor decisions cause rifts in Amy's relationships, she must come to terms with who she's become, her unrealized aspirations for her life, and the state of her faith. Can she dare to hope that she will find love and fulfillment despite it all?

Review:
I'm not sure how I felt about this book. I had a hard time getting into it and really had to make myself keep reading. I don't feel the description (from the back cover) really gets the story right. Yes, the basics of it are correct, but I didn't understand a lot of the sub-plots (pregnant friend = "I want a baby", stalky student, student dealing with tragedy) and how they related to the story. I kinda feel like the author was adding characters to get to a specific length of book. I never really saw her struggle with faith and didn't really seem as though the character was "in love". It was by no means terrible, but it isn't one I'm excited about reading again.

I received a copy of the book from Bethany House in exchange for a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was only required to be honest.