I have MISSED YOU GUYS! Life has been so very, very hectic and I’ve barely had time to sit down and read. But seeing that there are due dates in review books there are things you must prioritize. I hope so much that I’ll have time to sit down and update everybody and get this blog back into shape over the summer. I’ve got so much planned….
(I’m going to meet my bestest friend in June)
LETS FOCUS. I’ve got to be honest and say All That It Takes was really hard to finish.
When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she’d planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend’s brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers’ mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val’s community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord.
Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he’s also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects–not the least of which is pursuing Val–without stopping to consider the future.
As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they’ll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.
CHARACTERS:
Val was an interesting character. I liked her development over the course of the story. I liked the way that she was inconvenienced and the way that she handled things. I was glad that she genuinely felt realistic and not overdramatized.
Miles was… almost perfect. I loved his personality and his drive and his conviction for Christ, and I enjoyed watching him change and mold into a man that’s more focused on God’s mission than his own.
That being said, I felt like the chemistry between Miles and Val was drawn out really long. It was much longer than it needed to be. I lack of drama and overreacting and hysterics that come with cliche romance plot lines. But I feel like it still went way too slowly… as did most of the story.
THE PLOT:
If I had to use one word to describe the plot…. I would say slow. Very slow. It took me ten full chapters before I felt like we were going anywhere at all with the story. The settings and setup was so long and slightly entertaining, but not at all worth ten chapters of time. I pushed myself not to end because I did like the characters and I liked the potential that the story had. And it didn’t disappoint! After chapter ten or eleven the story actually began to roll and I enjoyed following along with Val with her filming videography dream and Carly, and I just rolled my eyes and smacked Miles as he grew out of his immature temper tantrum and into the man I knew he was all along. It was well put together when the ball actually started rolling.
CONTENT:
There’s talk of getting pregnant out of wedlock, discussing abortion and other options, as well as mention of considering/planning suicide. There’s also a few tender kisses. None of this content is graphic or in appropriate and I feel it was handled very tastefully and carefully. Abortion is a very sensitive topic and was wrapped in the truth of the grace of God.
Summary:
It was a good story and I did cry twice. It was beautiful and healing and blooming all in one. But it was so hard to finish. That’s all I have to say. The story is very good. The pace is very hard. Even with the ever consistent time and date stamps to track the passing of time, for ever “a week later” we got half a chapter or more recapping what happened over the week.
I know the author in person and this was a hard review to write. But I always try to be honest with my reviews so I am being honest. I enjoyed the story. I’m not likely to read it again unless I get a deep hunger for the vibes it gives off.. which DOES happen to me… sometimes even with books I think aren’t worth my time in the first place and I’ll find myself rereading because my mind missed the vibe. This book is both wholesome and has a very unique vibe.
That’s all for today! I’ve got one more review this week and then we can move on to the other books I need to read… XD
Thank you to the author and to Bethany House for a copy of this book. A positive review was not required and all opinions stated are my own.