Saturday, September 6, 2014

Book Review: Seven Weeks to Forever

I received this book, Seven Weeks to Forever, from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review. I was a bit worried I wasn't going to manage to get it read in time for the deadline for the review (since I downloaded it last weekend just before I went away to a church retreat and promptly forgot about it until I received a reminder notice in my inbox). But once I returned to the book yesterday afternoon, the story sucked me in and I was pleasantly absorbed in the tale.

Cassidy is living her second life. She has come back a second time with the mission of seeking out and assisting someone before she can sort of "earn her wings." She knows when her second life will be extinguished and when she will enter the "Life-After" if she completes her task successfully. Thus begins the countdown to arriving at her moment of truth. The real wrinkle is that she wasn't expecting to fall in love with the subject she is supposed to assist prior to entering the "Life-After."

The book gives readers plenty to think about: grieving death, the afterlife, the purpose of our existence, why letting go is essential to truly loving, etc. While I don't share the same perspective about reincarnation and the afterlife as this author, I think she was quite successful in bringing her teen audience to the table for discussion. There were moments when it felt a bit preachy, but on the whole, I think the author provided a character with a strong teen-friendly voice. The dialogue was realistic and the love story was tender and sweet. The reader will root for Cassidy to make the right decisions and to help someone in an unselfish manner. I would be willing to read more from this author.

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