this was an enjoyable read, the characters were great and the story was enjoyable. I look forward to more from the author.

Casey is fifteen years old and living with her grandma and mom. Her mom left her abusive dad and is trying to start over. Casey is arrested at a party after her boyfriend, Eric, beats someone up until they are in a coma and drugs and alcohol are found at the party.

Casey’s mom works out a deal with her pastor to have Casey spend the summer helping with the production of Godspell. As Casey spends time with her new friends she starts to make changes to herself and her relationship with God.

This is a cute book for young adults. It has a good message.

Hmm, this book was interesting. It was definitely not what I expected but in some ways much more than I expected.
To start: the Go Fish Guys references. As a kid who grew up listening to them, I was giddy with excitement when I caught the lyrics woven throughout the story. Here are some of the lyrics for the song:
Is it a bird? (Uh-uh)
Is it a plane?
(No way!)
Who could it be?
Check it out!
(It's me!)
and the book references, "It's a bird...It's a plane...It's Super Casey." So basically the same thing.
Another thing I really enjoyed was how the characters learned how to stand up for themselves and learned who they were despite many hardships.
The only thing that wasn't my favorite was the writing style. This book had a middle-grade feel to it but the content was definitely for teens.
Rating: 4
Content: 1 (abuse)
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Come as you are is a Christian novel for teenagers, but it could be read by people of all ages. It’s narrative is very fluid (I read in one day) and engaging.
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The plot doesn't have many surprises, but it's the kind of Christian story I like. Beside it, there are many important topics like domestic violence and psychological trauma and has a beautiful message about how the love of God and sincere friendships can change everything.
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One of the things I loved most about this story was the Youth Group. It's beautiful to see how they love and support each other.
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I believe this is an ideal book to read with Christian teen groups. In the end of the book, the author lists some questions and topics for discussion.

Do you remember the musical “Godspell? “ if not, look it up on YouTube and watch it before you read this book.
Casey was a 15 year old from an abusive home, and she had an older, out of control boyfriend.
Casey had just been arrested the second time for being at a party where drugs and alcohol were involved so she was sentenced to go to a church youth group and participate in a play.
Casey meets teens who listened to her and helped her to understand her life and how it could be different.