Shelly's Book Journal

I love Lisa Samsons books. She is a Christian Author, so when I sit down to read, I'm ready to see faith issues tackled. Lillie is an admittedly overweight wedding planner who also has an extreme side - she loves extreme adventures - bungee jumping, catepult rides, etc. She still pines for Teddy, her one true love who vanished 15 year prior.Her sister Tacy (Short for Anastasia) also has voice in this book. While Lilly is relating the tale, Tacy recounts her meeting of her husband, their courtship and the strange relationship that follows. We see current events through the mistakes of her past.While Lillie works on slaying her own dragons, she and her family are desperately trying to help her sister, who is queitly calling for help.Samson brings a full range of Christian characters to this book - a reformed homosexual, a former rock and roll star, a blind Episcopalian priest, a legalist caught in a cult situation, and so many more. It is set in her familiar Baltimore and surrounding areas - someday I might have to take a little ride up that way.Overall, I enjoyed the book, my one criticism is that at times, large time frames are "jumped" through. While the story progresses, the characters seem to be right where they were 3 months ago. This is minor in the scope of the entire story - which I throughly enjoyed down to the last page. Samson has a flair for characters that seem authentic, that struggle with their own personas and seek God for the answers to their questions.Recommend for those who love chick lit that has layers based in faith.