There is something so special about finishing a book and knowing it’s going to be remembered and stored away in your heart for a very long time. That is what finishing “Better Than the Movies” by Lynn Painter felt like. Senior prom is right around the corner, and Liz Buxbaum has her heart set on Michael, her childhood crush, to go with. She seeks help from her long-time, no-good, highly obnoxious, yet very good-looking neighbor, Wes Bennett, to get Michael to notice her enough to go to prom with. Liz and Wes embark on a light-hearted but emotional journey that reveals that Liz’s true love is a lot closer than she realized. Reading this book felt like I was back in high school blushing and giggling about my crushes to my best friends. It also reminded me how different fictional love and real love is, and how we can easily miss a sweet thing because it does not live up to our literary expectations. I adored Liz’s character because she made me feel youthful and allowed me to freely lean into my hopeless romantic nature, without judgment, while reminding me to be fearless and most importantly, let true love in.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

My heart has never pounded so hard as it did while I was reading this book. From the first chapter to the last, I flipped through the pages like I had a “who can read the fastest” contest to win. While it wasn’t actually a contest to win, this was an unforgettable story that ran against time itself.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

God loves without restriction. This story was a powerful testimony expressed through main characters Michael and Angel’s sorrow and suffering. Reading this book felt like looking into a mirror; realizing that although many of us feel unworthy, God says otherwise. God calls us to be His, and His we are.