"Beyond the Break" by Heather Buchta is a YA novel that tells the story of Lovette, a teenage girl who moves to California to start a new life after her mother's death. The book explores themes of grief, self-discovery, and the transformative power of surfing.

One of the highlights of this book is the author's love for the ocean and surfing, which shines through in her descriptions of the California coastline and the surfing scenes. As someone who loves the beach and has always been fascinated by surfing, I found these parts of the book to be beautifully written and evocative.

While I did find this to be a sweet and enjoyable read, the plot itself is somewhat predictable, and some of the characters feel underdeveloped, which can make their motivations and actions seem unrealistic. Additionally, some of the themes and issues addressed in the book could have been explored more deeply to add more depth to the story.

In the end, however, "Beyond the Break" is still an enjoyable and inspiring read, especially for those who love surfing and want a cute beach read. If you're looking for a quick, fun read that explores themes of self-discovery and the healing power of the ocean, then this book may be just what you're looking for!

Interesting, meaningful and inspirational but a choppy and mediocre writing style. You don’t see a lot of YA books about faith and God so it was soo refreshing seeing it and i wish it was written more. I enjoyed it regardless of the writing style.

A powerful YA read. I enjoyed this quick and sweet book. It reminded me a lot of myself, which is always a good thing when you can relate to a book on that level.

Lovette has two rules for herself. One, no surfing. Her brother was in a terrible surfing accident years before. Two, no dating. She made a promise to God. Lovette is happy with her arrangement. She has her youth group, her friends, and her relationship with Jesus. But when Jake Evans walks into the youth group one day, everything changes. Soon Lovette finds herself breaking both rules she set out for herself and questioning everything she’s ever known.

Beyond The Break is told in the first person entirely from Lovette’s point of view. Lovette is an excellent character. You can feel how vulnerable she is, and how much she struggles to be the perfect daughter, friend, and Christian. Over the course of the novel, she starts to break free of the constructs she’s set for herself and finally start to push for things that make her happy.

The religious aspect of the book somewhat turned me off, especially at the beginning. It felt like I couldn’t get two sentences without a comment about Jesus, and it felt a bit extreme. As the book progresses, this obsessive mentioning starts to dwindle, largely mirroring the character development in Lovette. It still has religious undertones, but not to the same extent as the first few chapters. This might be an issue for some readers. I found it frustrating initially, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying the story.

I loved this sweet coming of age story. It’s a classic story with a unique spin. Fans of contemporary YA such as the works of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will enjoy Beyond The Break.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

"This makes me smile. I'm God's surfboard. He's shaping me. And the smallest imbalance or rough edge, he's going to find. And he won't settle until I ride perfectly."

You want to talk about a book I struggled with? It was rough. The beginning was the hardest. It came off overbearingly christian like. In real life I have been struggling with my faith so this is probably going to come out real opinionated and may sound judgy toward the christian faith. Again, the beginning was the roughest part of this book.

Our main character Lovette made a christian pact with God when she was 12. I think she's between 17-18 now. And her main rule is to not have a boyfriend until after college who will then become her husband. Throughout the book Lovette struggles with this pact she made when she was younger. Especially now that there is this new, but old friend in town, Jake.

To read this young adult contemporary I feel like you have to know what's coming. A ton of in your face scripture and a ton of Jesus wouldn't do this or God wouldn't do this. It almost turned me away from reading the book because it was definitely in every paragraph. I think the story line redeemed the book a little. I was ready to give this a 2.5 out of 5 stars but I've settled for three out of five. Mainly the surfing bits saved it for me. As a lot of other reviewers on Goodreads have stated that they are not the target audience, I am going to have to agree. This book wasn't meant for me. The church camp and lock ins were relatable when I was growing up but that was about the extent.

Overall I think this is meant to be read by 15-18 year old's with a strong christian faith that may be struggling with their emotions when it comes to boys.

3.5 - I was a bit iffy about this book during the first half. I felt like relationships were established very quickly. The second half was incredible. What a book! God is so present in these pages. It's uplifting and encouraging to read a book for young adults that has good in the center.

This book was AMAZING! I loved how the idea of the existence of God and teenage love intertwined to make a meaningful, lesson-filled young adult novel!

Beyond the Break
Heather Buchta

I enjoyed this book a lot! The main character Lovette is so relatable and I loved her character a lot. Signing a purity pledge at 12 year old, where kissing is banned until she weds is pretty extreme until her childhood friend enters the picture. What would the heart make you do. Buchta writes intertwining faith and Christianity into the picture without sounding preachy and beautifully blends in to the story and characters was amazing. A story about first loves, childhood friendships and a slow burn romance - it was exactly what I needed and really enjoyed. Though the ending could have been wrapped up neatly with a bow, I understood that life's story continues. Recommend this fantastic book!

Heather Buchta’s YA contemporary debut novel, Beyond the Break, seamlessly blends the trials of young adulthood with encouraging spirituality, hitting similar chords to that of the movie Soul Surfer and Jenny Han’s series To All the Boys I Loved Before.

The story follows a teenage, Christian girl named Lovette, who lives in Manhattan Beach, California. After her older brother suffered a terrible surfing accident that caused him to have to relearn how to walk and talk, Lovette lives by two rules: 1) no surfing, at least that’s what her parents demand. And 2) no dating, unless it’s for marriage purposes. That was a vow Lovette made when she was twelve between herself and Jesus after her brother woke up from his coma.

Period.

And now in her junior year of high school, her two rules have worked pretty well. She’s happy. she has friends at school, youth group, and a job. At least that’s what Lovette tells herself. But then there’s Jake Evans. A boy from her childhood that suddenly reappears and rocks her world. He’s cute, sweet, and stirs up feelings in Lovette that she has been trying to avoid for the past four years— the desire to get out and surf again, and also, quite possibly, have a romantic relationship.

Lovette is forced to tackle her beliefs head on, wrestling with the idea on whether it is possible to have these feelings for Jake while still staying true to her convictions.

As a Christian myself, I found myself afraid to read this book. Christian fiction, specifically YA, is often so cheesy, I can barely stand it. So with bated breath, I dove in, and I was delightfully surprised. It was cringe, but it was because I recognized myself and people I know. It was cheesy, but in that classic YA romance kind of way, just like in To All the Boys I Loved Before. I ended up loving it, and I was shocked.

It was also unexpectedly moving, in a “wow, these characters who I thought were perfect, and cardboard stereotypes, actually are just as screwed up as me.”

Lovette felt like a high schooler me; I related to her in a really powerful way, that it almost had me in tears near the end of the story. She struggles with wanting to do the right thing. What is the right thing to do? How do I know if it’s right? What do I do when the thing I want isn’t the right thing? To see her slip and fall, but then also have mini triumphs was incredibly cathartic for me.

I also appreciated how Buchta was able to make her friendships not cliche, but have ups and downs. People get hurt and act in cruel ways. But there is also forgiveness and a true friendship kind of love that is beautiful to read. The romance is well written as well. Jake and Lovette have chemistry on the page. He was not the stereotypical perfect boy, like I was expecting. He had his own mood swings and baggage to deal with. I was expecting a cliche teenage romance, but instead I was rewarded with realistic emotions and relationship struggles.

Lastly, I have to applaud Buchta’s ability to write the Christian worldview in a relatable and non-overbearing way. However, she does not shy from the hard questions like “where is God when bad stuff happens?”, or “if I sin too much will God stop loving me?” Buchta answers them gracefully and winsomely that doesn’t feel like some cheap platitude or having religion shoved down your throat.

In the end, Beyond the Break is a YA contemporary full of heart and honesty, that is willing to brave the waters of doubt and tragedy, but also able to rise up and see the hope and beauty in the world.

https://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/143892/beyond-the-break-heather-buchta/

I really enjoyed this book! As a Christian who loves YA, it was actually the first YA Christian book I’ve ever read. It was really nice to see that representation of someone who held my same beliefs in a book for the first time. As someone who is waiting till marriage myself but never see’s that decision represented in the books I read it was nice to see. My only problem with it was that all of the Christian characters were a bit charicaturish/campy And stereotypical at certain points.

I had a hard time with this story. It seems a bit dated at times (purity contracts were big in the 90s, not now) and played into a lot of incorrect stereotypes.

2/5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for sending me an E-Arc for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had a lot of trouble connecting with the main character, her friends, and the love interest. Really, I didn't connect with any of the characters or the book at all. I did think, though, that the writing was really pretty, it just didn't go deep enough into the story, and I felt like the story itself—even though it was dealing with really complicated topics like religion, grief, and first love—was very on the surface. I just really struggled finishing this book.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

This funny and honest depiction of Lovette, a surf loving Christian teen, and her push and pull dating experience made me laugh, wince, and smile! Maneuvering very real temptations, Lovette struggles as she reconciles family circumstances with love and belief. This swoony story brought back a flood of memories for me and had me reminiscing about teen dating and how that fit into my faith. As a former youth group leader who walked alongside many varying experiences, I so appreciated this very honest depiction of what many Christian teens struggle through as they navigate being in and not of the world.

I’ll start by saying that I like the idea of this book: a high school girl who is set in her ways, knows her priorities, and is choosing not to date, but rather enhance her relationship with God until she’s older. But as a kid that grew up in a Christian household and led a fairly sheltered life, I still couldn’t relate to Lovette. She seemed too naive to me, even at her young high school age. Saying “I’m not dating because of Jesus” isn’t a phrase I would have said or heard at her age. That being said, the more I read and the more I saw her and Jake’s relationship bloom, the more I understood. I liked learning about the motivation behind her decision, even when she didn’t have much encouragement from her family. I did think the dialogue between Lovette and her friends and family was a little cheesy at times, especially with Kelly and her parents, which again made it difficult to relate. I was also frustrated with Lovette thinking she had the right to be mad at Jake for still talking to his ex when she very clearly told him she did not want to date anyone, including him. She didn’t have the right to do that, and it frustrated me. But Jake was a delight! I loved that he called Lovette out when she was frustrated and wanted to quit surfing and encouraged her to keep going. I really enjoyed the Old Man Mike character as well. Overall, I struggled to relate to the characters in this book, but the message was very encouraging.

I thought that this was a really good book! It was interesting to learn about how people who are more religious than me think, along with a cute summer romance. I would recommend this to people who are religious, because while it is a great book, if you don’t share some of these beliefs or an understanding of religion, you might not enjoy this book.
This was such a cute story, with a great summer surfing romance!

What an amazing book😍 I really loved this one! This story focuses on Lovette, a strong Christian teenager who secretly loves the oceans even though she is banned from it. Lovette has sworn off romance until marriage, but what happens when Jake appears and suddenly she finds herself wanting to be his girlfriend? I absolutely love the internal struggle that Lovette faces in deciding what is right and wrong for her. I also adore Jake, the author wrote him perfectly. I haven’t read many books that incorporate religion in them, but I really enjoyed this! If you are looking for an incredible contemporary read to binge, then this is the book for you💖

Three words to describe this book: Christian, cutesy, and conventional. Lovette (what a name) is banned from swimming and surfing in the ocean after her brother's near-fatal surfing accident. She also loves God a lot and signed a purity pledge when she was twelve, saying she doesn't want to kiss anyone until the preacher says, "You may now kiss the bride." But then hunky Jake Evans walks into her life, and she knows she's toast.

First of all, you have to be really Christian to enjoy this book. There's lots of religious theology, lots of quoted scripture, and lots of "if you have sex before you're married, you're damned" talk. For me, it was too much. Too didactic. A little too problematic, especially with views about sex and kissing. (I don't care what people's views are on this, religious or not, but it drove me crazy that Lovette judged others for their actions.) In general, Lovette just felt like a judgy, Christian teenager who thought she was better than everyone else because she's good at surfing and has a great relationship with God.

There were also other small things I didn't like. The first chapter is horrible and has really nothing to do with the entire book. There's also a scene in the book that's a carbon copy of a scene in the book/movie A Walk to Remember (which is also Christian, so I'm pretty darn sure the author "borrowed" the scene). Also, Lovette makes a huge deal about how she hates lying in the first couple chapters, but proceeds to do it throughout the whole book without a second thought. And the plot just moves really slowly. This book just wasn't for me.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2

Thank you Penguin Workshop and NetGalley for the review copy!

I had to DNF this book at 30%. After reading an interview with the author, I learned that she was asked to write a "somewhat wholesome YA standalone about a Christian girl thinking about losing her virginity to her guy." I am a Christian and I generally don't read Christian fiction, because the Christian fiction I HAVE read tends to lean towards to legalistic, judgmental, and caricatured "Christian" stereotypes; this book had much of the same. Although I thought the dialogue was fairly well written and the plot seemed like it would be interesting, I was turned off by the way that "Christians" were portrayed in the book. I don't think the book would appeal to true Christians OR non-Christians. The first, seeing through its facade, and the second being completely turned off by all of the Christian stereotypes being actualized in the book. I wish I could have given it a better rating, but I think that a book can integrate Christian principles without being so overtly stereotypical and honestly demeaning to true believers.

In Heather Buchta’s debut novel, Beyond the Break, one girl grapples being a modern teenager with her faith. This young adult contemporary deals with the tough questions like what it means to fall in love and how to be a good Christian while doing so.
Fans of YA will definitely enjoy reading Lovette’s story; however, I don't think that this book is for everyone. There is a lot of talk of Jesus, Christianity, and what it means to be a person of faith. All of this can be tough to talk about, yet I think Buchta does an excellent job of trying to make the story relatable to a 2020 audience. The beginning can seem a bit too preach-y, but I think it just reflects how naive and strict in her beliefs Lovette is at that point in the novel. Throughout the story, she slowly learns that not everything is black and white and she learns to mesh her faith and her desires to create a new lifestyle and way of thinking.
The way Lovette struggles with her faith while trying to navigate her relationship with Jake is relatable to anyone who is taught to believe one thing, yet sees a majority of others do the opposite. However, the way the two try to communicate with one another and express their feelings makes you root for them. As a reader, you want to see them overcome their past struggles and find comfort in one another.
Dealing with issues like peer pressure and self reflection, this novel is a great YA book to add to your summer reading list. If you’re not comfortable with discussions about Christianity and faith, then you might want to pass on this book; however, I found that Buchta did a great job of showcasing the struggles that certain teens of faith deal with in modern society.

“The windows are down, the ocean air tangling my hair, music blasting, and I’m sitting next to Jake Evans, who keeps smiling at me with that dimple that makes the world better.”

Our main character Lovette is not only relatable, but she brought me back to when I was in high school and the ups and down. Lovette signed a purity pledge when she was 12, she had decided she was not even going to kiss a boy until her wedding day. Now that she is a teenager and a childhood friend is back in her life, she is second guessing a lot in her life. One of those things is dating a boy, becoming friends with Jake Evans is bringing up a lot of feelings. I loved how this was about her faith and was very realistic. She would talk to God like He was right there, she questioned God, she got angry at God, but she knew He was in control and loved her unconditionally. Even when she made mistakes, she knew God was on her side. The author wove Christianity throughout this book, without it overpowering the whole book.

Another thing I loved was how cheesy and cringy this book was, I am serious this takes you back to your high school days if you are no longer a teenager. If you are in high school, I think you will be able to relate. Lovette and her friends had me laughing, but also cheering on their friendship. The friendship’s that take place in this book were fabulous and the characters were very developed. I want a group of friends like Lovette has. While this was quite cheesy especially with the romance department it was really cute. I loved the slow burn romance and really just how adorable it was. I really enjoyed the family aspect and seeing the main characters struggle with her parents and brother, but the love she had for them as well. I can totally relate to not wanting to disappoint your family, but you want to do what you love.

The only thing that irked me just a little was the fast ending. I wanted a longer ending with not such an open ending. Not saying some things weren’t wrapped up, but it felt fast and could have been slowed down. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, it was a really fast read. I wanted to stay in this world because it was just really charming and made me happy. Beyond the Break was a wonderful coming of age story that had family, faith, romance, and friendships.