Member Reviews
A wonderful book geared towards teenagers that I thought did a great job of addressing real issues and concerns for our youth. The author did a wonderful job with the story!
This book was such a beautiful Christian story. I am so glad I found this Christian fiction story. I didn't know this book was #7. I'm heading out to pick up the first six! So, so worth it! The story is fiction but there are so many relatable moments and beautiful advice.
First of all, Thank You Netgalley for the ARC granted to me. The book has an relevant discussion about contents for teens and young adults(such as social media issues, pornography and deep fake, fake news content etc) , from a christian view, and the narrative was well written. The main character Izzy was well developed and She has so much to teach from her experiences here. This book is well recommended for younge people who are dealing to figuring out wh they want to be, and Who God already made them being.
Running on Empty is the first book I’ve picked up from Jill Williamson and I’ll definitely be picking up another one! This novel was the first time I’ve picked up a realistic fiction book for Christian teens and it was a great read. It deals with difficult—but relevant—topics regarding finding your identity in Christ.
Story: 4/5
Worldview: 5/5
Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed the plot of this book. In Running on Empty, we follow Isabella Valadez, a teen trying to figure out her identity after a traumatic event with photoshopped pictures a few months ago. Her then-boyfriend, now convicted felon, had created fake pictures of her and circulated them—along with other girls and victims. She has a hard time trusting anyone anymore, much less boys, even her nice, godly neighbor Cody Nichols.
I felt a bit overwhelmed at first with all the names and people (I mean, this is book 7 in a series), but I quickly figured out who was important (to Izzy’s story). The start was pretty slow, but I appreciated the context when the plot picked up after Izzy and her friends started school again. After that, the pacing was great and I loved seeing Izzy’s growth by the end of the book.
Worldview gets a 5 from me because it deals with difficult topics in a way that challenges the characters—and the reader—to seek God in our weaknesses and have compassion. While the main thread of the novel is Izzy finding her identity, this is coming at the heels of a deep violation. One of her best friends, too, confided in her about a porn addiction, and that had caused a huge rift. Izzy gets self-righteous and judgmental with her friend (who is not Christian). I love how the book mentioned that Izzy’s antagonism made the friend nervous about coming to church, as well as made the friend question if Christ really would forgive her or not.
There are so many nuances that were explored. The novel never wavered on sin being sin, but whacking someone over the head with their mistakes isn’t going to help them come to Christ or find healing from their addiction. The friend was using porn to fill the hole that only Christ could fill in her life, and she needs help.
I really really enjoyed this book overall. :) It deals with tough topics but invites a deeper conversation beyond the novel itself. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free book; all reviews expressed are my own. Feel free to check out this book when it comes out on June 18th!!
I didn't read whole entirely series,but the last book of series was wonderful to read. The book will inspires young readers who facing similar topics related to relationship with Jesus. The book has many examples to respond some different life challenges. Forgiveness is very important because learning to forgive others and self. I saw in Zoe's struggles with forgiveness. We can related to. In end, the book targets young adult christians' challenges in this world. Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy of book. These opinions are expressed by my own.
I think this is a really great series for teens! There are great themes in each of these, and I believe they are very relevant to today's generation. I love the characters, and Zoe is one of my favorites, so it was nice to read a second book about her!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Running on Empty is well written with a good plot. The YA readers would probably enjoy reading this more then the mature readers. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.
I've read all the books in this series so far, and enjoyed them immensely--so when I saw this one come up on NetGalley, I jumped on it--both requesting it and reading it!
It was really, really good--and a good part-two to the previous book in the series, Heart of Belonging. I honestly feel like Book 7 redeemed what I'd struggled with in Book 6!
This series is one I wish I'd had during my tween/teen years. All the books, including this one, deal with so many real-life experiences, and do a fantastic job at making them relatable and illustrating biblical truth amidst the challenges each girl goes through. I loved watching Izzy grow as a character here and learn some tough lessons amidst some hard experiences.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I have read other books in this series by the author, and again found this new book challenging to me. It's about teenagers but relates to all ages. It's such a reminder to follow Jesus and His heart. Relationships are so important and we all need to identify the important people in our lives and learn to love them well.