Author Ann Miller has created a story that could be happening to you and your friends. Avra has a very close walk with God. This doesn’t mean she isn’t vulnerable. It means she has to rely on her to keep her on the right path. She especially needs his help when she finds herself attracted to Cisco. Cisco has some major issues. He is attracted to Avra. He wants what she has, yet like so many it is easier to live the life he has. Those quick fixes like drugs and sex make it easy to make excuses. Then we meet Jessie and Kallie. Kallie doesn’t trust men because her father ran out one them. If she can take control of the situation then she won’t get hurt. That’s what she tells herself. Jessie is a preacher’s kid. He is in a band and loves the attention he gets from all of the girls. I could relate to so many of these characters. I was raised in a very strict Christian home. When the doors of the church were open we were there. When I rebelled I made sure my mom knew what I was doing. I wanted to show her I could be bad, yet God constantly pulled me back to him.
I believe anyone and everyone who reads this book will see themselves in one of the characters. That is hard to admit because it means we look back at a part of our past that we may not be proud of. At the same time it means we look back at the way God directed our past.

Like Avra, we want our faith to lead our friends to, or closer to a walk with God. This is one of the best books I have read this year and I am glad to recommend it to others. ( )

Title: Avra’s God
Author: Ann Lee Miller
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Christian Inspirational
Sub Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Flawed People Press
Published: 13 Nov 2012
ASIN: B00A7DLQX0

SYNOPSIS

In the tradition of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, four friends navigate college and the drama churned up by their Florida beach band to cement friendship and more.

Avra wants love, but drummer Cisco—self-medicating from his parents’ divorce with sex and intoxicants—is a poor choice. Cisco hungers for fresh-baked cookies and the scent of family he finds at Avra’s.

Kallie shares her classically trained singing voice only with lead vocalist Jesse and fights to keep her heart safe. Jesse feeds on fame and hides more than insecurity beneath his guitar.

The friends surf ego, betrayal, and ambition and head for wipe-out. But somehow, when they’re not looking, Avra’s God changes them all.

REVIEW

Avra’s God by Ann Lee Miller, is an inspirational coming of age tale of four young adults Avra, Kallie, Jesse and Cisco. I know some would classify this as Christian literature, but just because it mentions a divine power, doesn’t mean only a certain class of reader will enjoy it. Author Miller writes a compelling story about life changes and the rocky path all of us have to adulthood. Please don’t shy away from this book because it may not be your regular genre. It isn’t my normal genre either; but I utterly enjoyed it.

The first young adult the reader meets is Avra, the oldest child in a house built by Norman Rockwell. She is invisible to the opposite sex or so she thinks. Too tall, too athletic – too everything the male population doesn’t like. Avra believes in God; a God of forgiveness, brightness and hope. No, she is not a follow me because I preach it character. She is a follow me because I live it character. Avra is far from perfect; but she is the person we should all strive to be in life, flaws and all.

The second young adult is Kallie, described as a beauty with long white blond hair. She has looks and is admired by the male student body of State of Daytona. What possible problems could she have? Avra ponders a similar questions about Kallie. Well, I first met Kallie in Miller’s book The Art of My Life, she was the older sister to the main female character Aly. In that book Kallie is a young married mother. Here Kallie is a twenty year old college junior with daddy issues. Those issues being her father is a horrible man, who abandoned his first family when he started a new one. The impact his actions have on Kallie and her inability to trust in love has damaged this wonderful girl. How will Kallie as damaged as she is grow into a well rounded adult?

Third you have Cisco, handsome, charming and a player. He comes from a recent broken home, and has a deep need for normalcy in his life. His home life is depicted in the book is hectic and scattered. That normalcy that he craves, steps in front of him in the guise of Avra and her family. Being a player and him being attracted to Avra with her moral convictions, makes for an interesting relationship. These two characters come from totally different worlds, both socially and morally. Can two people from totally different worlds survive in a relationship?

Lastly, Jesse, the preacher’s son, who would rather have God and his father ignore him; as he has had a falling out with both his earthly and heavenly fathers. Jesse doesn’t want to be tied down. He wants a big life. A rock star life with all the trappings. He loves the adoration of the crowd and the love he feels from the many girls who flock to him. His major problem is that despite him not wanting to settle down, he has met his soul mate in Kallie. How far can a young man run from his destiny? Only he know?

All of Miller’s characters are flawed, real, and engaging. This is not a fairy tale where the knight is there to slay the dragon and rescue the princess. A higher power is needed to see these friends into an adulthood as they deal with their demons. Their path to adulthood isn’t what they thought it might be, as the road to adulthood is never easy. I remember being young and trying to find my own way, it’s that time when some lives balance on the a knife edge, one wrong move can change a life forever. For these four young friends they will be tested and what choices they make for ill or good will strengthen their mettle. Ann Lee Millers book was a very enjoyable read. ( )

Ann Lee Miller does it again!!! 5 stars for Avra's God!! Avra's God is such an uplifting, inspiring story about college aged students who love and serve God. I love everything about this book! It has devotion, romance, turmoil, skepticism, and happy endings! I love how descriptive Ann Lee Miller is with her writing when describing scenes. I feel like I am right there with the characters sucked into their world and emotions. I fell into every emotional scene in this book because of descriptions like this one...

"Kallie tilted her head toward him, looking at him for the first time since the song ended. He took a deep breath and leaned toward her. Kallie's eyes widened. His fingers tightened on hers. Her lips were soft, motionless under his. He pulled away and grinned, tasting triumph and strawberry. Behind her the ducks splashed through a clumsy takeoff"

Avra is the constant, the rock, the level headed in her group of friends. At least that is how they see her. In reality Avra second guesses every decision she makes and is constantly seeking reassurance from God. I love how strong Avra is even when she wants to so badly fall prey to life's curve balls that are thrown her way. Then there is Cisco... Oh Cisco... Heads turn everywhere he goes. He is charismatic, funny, good looking, athletic.. And did I mention he is in a band. A drummer at that!! That is another thing I love about this story. It has a rock band with "good boys." Of course the good boys aren't always good... They have their own demons they are working through. Cisco is no exception. He is the personification of life of the party. Outsiders see him as always playing around, laughing, and seems to excudes confidence... But inside he is a insecure boy who doesn't think he is good enough for anyone. All of these issues stem from his home life and his parents divorce.

"No, Avra was class--and she didn't have a clue. What would it be like to kiss class like that? It had to be different from the girls he usually made out with. He wasn't stupid. He went after those girls because they dished a whole lot more than kisses."

A love story about college kids and rock band mates wouldn't be the same without best friends. Lead singer and preacher's kid Jesse is the true skeptic if the group. He feels like he cannot enjoy his life, play rock and roll, and live the rock god lifestyle if God is in charge of his destiny. His dad has high hopes of him taking after his old man and leading the church one day. Jesse, however has different plans that take him down a different road than his dad planned. Then along comes Kallie. Kallie is every boys' dream but is cold as ice on the inside. So much so she is known as the ice queen and a song is written about her iciness. Behind every bitter female is a story, and Kallie has one of her own. Jesse and Kallie have a love/hate relationship for most part of the book. Will they end up as friends, enemies, or lovers??? That was the question I pondered majority of the story!

Life happens, twists and turns pull the young lovers apart and tough decisions must be made. Avra's God has it all!! The characters go from being devoted to each other regardless of what type of relationship they have, being devoted to God, questioning everything from each other to their faith, and a little in between! Readers will fall in love with these characters and will find themselves connecting to one or more of them from time to time in the book. Ann Lee Miller did a spectacular job of capturing that questioning nature that young adults have and touched right down to my heart!

"Like your God would care about someone like me. He'd whoop my tail like my old man did."

I love how the author writes a book centered around faith without making it sound higher than thou or preachy. What a way to reach out to a large audience of believers and possibly non-believers! Great job Ann Lee Miller!! Keep these inspiring stories coming ... PLEASE!!! ( )