Review: Worth the Wait by Laura Jackson

Worth the Wait (Waltham Academy)Worth the Wait
(Waltham Academy #1)
by Laura Jackson
Christian YA Contemporary
Kindle Edition221 Pages
February 2nd 2014 by HopeSprings Books    

Summary

Ellie Lansing has a picture-perfect life with a close-knit family and the perfect boyfriend. But her world is suddenly knocked off center when her drool-worthy boyfriend cheats, and her always-has-it-together mother is diagnosed with cancer. Ellie doesn't get it. She always does the right thing - doesn't God owe her a happy life? Through her heartache, Ellie learns that sometimes what seems like the end is really just the beginning and that what God has for us is always worth the wait.
   

My Review

I was pleasantly surprised by Worth the Wait, especially being this author's debut novel. It was sweet, heartfelt, romantic, and inspiring.

Ellie pretty much has a charmed life. She's popular, a cheerleader, has a hot football-playing boyfriend who she loves and believes she will marry, has a supportive and loving family, and believes her life is all mapped out and ready to go. Then she finds out that not everything is as it seems and her life turns devastating. 


I really loved Ellie. I did want her to see through her boyfriend sooner and not be so easy on him, or maybe not care so much about him, but I also understood that they had been together for years. I also loved her group of friends, including Josh who seemed to always be there for Ellie. There was a good group of characters and I felt they were each individuals and distinctive. I also liked how active a role Ellie's family and other families played in this story. It's something you don't see a lot in YA literature.

There was a little bit of a love triangle in the story, which I normally don't care for, but it worked for me here. There was also some drama and peevishness from some of the other high school students, but especially one specific cheerleader. It made for a fairly realistic high school setting, but didn't have so much drama that it turned me off from the story. I also enjoyed the inspirational moments, specifically those with Ellie's youth ministers. The take on writing down their sins or those of others that they were holding on to and then burning them in the fire to let them go and forgive was really great.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. I liked that Ellie was challenged to find out who she was without her long-standing boyfriend. I liked that the story felt realistic and that the romance didn't take over. There were some great and sweet moments. If you enjoy inspirational YA, then I would definitely give Worth the Wait a try. I'm looking forward to finding out whose story will be told in the next book in the series.

Content: Clean (There are a few references to sex as the MC's boyfriend is pressuring her in that way, but I would definitely consider this clean.)

Source: From the author, which did not affect my review in any way.

About the Author

My Photo
I love books.Back in third grade, my cousins teased me because I was reading a very thick book about the battle of New Orleans. I don't remember anything about that battle now, but I remember wondering why they didn't want to read it.

After graduating with a BA in English and history (where I didn't learn anything about that battle of New Orleans), I taught 7th grade language arts for eight years. That's where I fell in love with YA books.

Wanting to share my passion for books with more kids, I earned a Master of Library Science degree and switched to an elementary school. I loved sharing great books with kids, but I missed writing with my students.

So, I started writing on my own. My first book was a flop, and I didn't even finish it. Then, Ellie kept popping up in my head, and I had to write her story. Worth the Wait was released on 2-4-14.



15 comments

  1. Good review. What a cute contemporary book. <3

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  2. Sounds like a great book, loved the review!

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  3. This sounds like a really interesting, realistic romance. I've been with my own man for almost four years now, so maybe this would be a good read for me, because I'm not sure who I'd be without him, either.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Worth the Wait. :)
    Book two, titled Worth the Time, releases in January and focuses on Lindsey, the mean girl in book one.

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  5. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Worth the Wait. :)
    Book two, titled Worth the Time, releases in January and focuses on Lindsey, the mean girl in book one.

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  6. Sounds like an inspiring story, especially for teens!

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  7. It was cute. I really liked Josh. Him and his sister and the MC's younger brother were my favorite characters in the story.

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  8. Thanks! I hope you enjoy it if you get to read it.

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  9. Isn't that interesting how that happens? I've been married for over 13 years and I can hardly remember what it was like being single. I just know I love being married. :)

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  10. I was wondering about that. I was thinking that she easily could be the next story because there is definitely a lesson there for her to learn. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. That's okay. I'll delete your other comment and repost my reply here...

    I was wondering about that. I was thinking that she easily could be the next story because there is definitely a lesson there for her to learn. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. It was. There is so much pressure to do more in relationships than they should at that age and I liked that this wasn't so much in-your-face, but more just letting the characters kind of work through things, or not in some cases.

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  13. I love being taken, too. I can't imagine my life single- he's changed everything for me!

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  14. Sounds good - I'm happy to hear about a YA book that is about waiting instead of losing it or hooking up.

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  15. It is definitely not something you see a lot of and I liked that too.

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