Novel: Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover Copy
Source: Local Public Library
Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.
Melissa Walker has crafted the perfect balance of engrossing, thought-provoking topics and relatable, likable characters. Set against the backdrop of extreme religion, Small Town Sinners is foremost a universal story of first love and finding yourself, and it will stay with readers long after the last page.
(from Amazon)
Willa Rambles:
I am not usually one for books based mainly around religion, usually because I do not agree with the topics, opinions of the characters, or the actions in response to the church, but I made an exception for this title because of A) the cover - it rocks B) All of the fantastic reviews it has gotten.
Lacey's character was one that I think many teens growing up in an Evangelical church could definitely relate to, and even teens that aren't religious could relate to because of the real-life challenges that Lacey faces. The idea of the Hell House was something totally new to me - I hadn't even heard of it before - and Melissa Walker made me be able to imagine walking through one and experiencing what Lacey describes in the novel.
Ty Davis, the perfect character to distract Lacey: Oh my. Ty was such an interesting and complex character to read about, and the entire time I kept on wanting to yell, "I WANT HIS POINT OF VIEW!" because I wanted to know what was running through his head. His beliefs definitely confused me though, because I got the vibe that he didn't believe in God, or what the church stood for, yet he still attended service and supported Lacey in her role in the Hell House. Did this confuse anyone else?
Over all, Small Town Sinners made me think about growing up in Lacey's world and how lucky I am to live in a society like I do: open to new ideas. Walker has written a thought-provoking and intriguing novel for all!
Melissa Walker has crafted the perfect balance of engrossing, thought-provoking topics and relatable, likable characters. Set against the backdrop of extreme religion, Small Town Sinners is foremost a universal story of first love and finding yourself, and it will stay with readers long after the last page.
(from Amazon)
Willa Rambles:
I am not usually one for books based mainly around religion, usually because I do not agree with the topics, opinions of the characters, or the actions in response to the church, but I made an exception for this title because of A) the cover - it rocks B) All of the fantastic reviews it has gotten.
Lacey's character was one that I think many teens growing up in an Evangelical church could definitely relate to, and even teens that aren't religious could relate to because of the real-life challenges that Lacey faces. The idea of the Hell House was something totally new to me - I hadn't even heard of it before - and Melissa Walker made me be able to imagine walking through one and experiencing what Lacey describes in the novel.
Ty Davis, the perfect character to distract Lacey: Oh my. Ty was such an interesting and complex character to read about, and the entire time I kept on wanting to yell, "I WANT HIS POINT OF VIEW!" because I wanted to know what was running through his head. His beliefs definitely confused me though, because I got the vibe that he didn't believe in God, or what the church stood for, yet he still attended service and supported Lacey in her role in the Hell House. Did this confuse anyone else?
Over all, Small Town Sinners made me think about growing up in Lacey's world and how lucky I am to live in a society like I do: open to new ideas. Walker has written a thought-provoking and intriguing novel for all!
We have this one, just haven't gotten around to it!! nice review.
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