All That It Takes

I cannot praise this book enough. It's one of the best I've ever read. I feel as though I know Val and Miles better than I know my best friends. My heart broke when theirs did, and I celebrated with them in each small victory. So well written, and covering some really deep issues so gently and yet so powerfully. I highly recommend it.

Wow, this one was deep. I absolutely loved it, but it definitely wasn't an easy read. Nicole Deese is incredible at taking characters and making them so real that you totally forget they aren't. I laughed with them, cried with them, my heart broke with them, I held my breath alongside them. And while I loved the romance in it (aww!!), there's so much more to this story than just a romance. Really powerful story that I think a lot of people need to read.

Nicole Deese has become one of my favourite authors - I enjoy how real her characters seem, and how authentic their spiritual journeys are. In 'All that It Takes', I liked how both Val and Miles are Christians, yet both still need God's grace and forgiveness as they make mistakes and battle the conflict between their own desires and where God is leading them. I also enjoyed the sweet romance, and the engaging secondary characters. A fantastic read for fans of authors like Becky Wade and Tammy Gray.

I found the start a little slow but still enjoyable. I wanted to keep reading, but I wasn't devouring it at first. Once I reached a quarter of the way through the book, things got really interesting, and half the book went by before I knew it. I found both Miles' and Val's conflict intriguing and challenging. Val is a single mum who needs to confront the lingering issues she suffers from that before she can move on in life. I don't know much about that, but I found it enlightening and engaging. Miles has always been doing well spiritually, but now he has some bitterness over leadership changes and mistakes in his church. I could identify with that. I really liked the challenge for Miles in learning to be still and listen. It was a really solid read. I was invested, informed, and felt like I lived with everyone for the length of the book. It's written in first person POV of Val and Miles. Nicole does that style well. There are cameos/continuing stories from 'All That Really Matters' as Miles was the twin brother from that book. However, the book functions as a standalone. Really great story and with a strong encouragement for Christians.

Nicole Deese has delivered another powerfully emotional story that teaches, inspires, encourages and challenges. The main focus of the story is how we can help teenage pregnancies, but it challenges you to consider your life and how God can use the experiences that you have had to help another person. It was so hard to put this book down.