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Meant for Me #1
Finally My Forever
Carly Howard fell for Micah Bennett the moment she laid eyes on him. She dreamed of their happily ever after and only hoped he felt the same way. Within hours, that dream was soon replaced with the reality that Carly would have to settle for someone else. Carly moved on, and Micah soon became a distant memory. When their paths unexpectedly crossed again, Carly hoped that second chances would make her dreams come true. Maybe this time, Micah thought the same thing too.
232 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2015
266 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Brooke St. James
115 books953 followersBrooke St. James is a USA Today bestselling author and Amazon Kindle All-Star. She writes contemporary romance novels with Christian and inspirational themes and happy endings. She was born and raised in south Louisiana but has had the opportunity to travel and live throughout the U.S. An avid reader, writer, audio book addict, and fan of all things artistic, Brooke constantly has her hands in some creative activity. She's currently back home in Louisiana enjoying life with her husband, children, and two lazy dogs.
To find out more about Brooke visit her Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/brookesaintj...
Her Official website at:
http://www.brookesaintjames.com/
Follow her on Twitter or Instagram:
@brooke_stjames
To join her mailing list or for specific inquiries:
brookesaintjames@gmail.com
Listen to her audiobooks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrookeStJames
To find out more about Brooke visit her Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/brookesaintj...
Her Official website at:
http://www.brookesaintjames.com/
Follow her on Twitter or Instagram:
@brooke_stjames
To join her mailing list or for specific inquiries:
brookesaintjames@gmail.com
Listen to her audiobooks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrookeStJames
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 26, 2017
Lovely!
I fell in love with Micah too!
He's beautiful, talented, loving, and sincere. Such a sweet book with great characters.
I fell in love with Micah too!
He's beautiful, talented, loving, and sincere. Such a sweet book with great characters.
February 14, 2016
This is Christian Fiction with the whole saved by Jesus thing so if you don't like that this isn't for you. Along with that this was a sweet although somewhat sappy love story. I liked the characters and would pick up another book by this author.
3.5 stars
content: clean
source: kindle unlimited download
3.5 stars
content: clean
source: kindle unlimited download
Want to read
April 4, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/4/2020)! 🎁
June 9, 2017
1.5 stars rounded to 2.
This story failed to grab me and as a result, I skimmed most of the flashback until present day. It was more than a couple of chapters long, so I'm sure I missed some details, but I got the gist of it and I was still bored. I really wanted to like this better, but I didn't. Besides my lack of interest in the story, the sappiness, cheesiness, and the telling not showing style narrative got to me. This was a case of "it's not you, it's me."
What I liked:
1) A clean romance.
2) No ow/om drama.
3) A sweet ending.
Why I didn't like:
1) Not enough character development.
2) The entire story needed some fleshing out. It all seemed too rushed.
3) A bit unrealistic and sappy.
This story failed to grab me and as a result, I skimmed most of the flashback until present day. It was more than a couple of chapters long, so I'm sure I missed some details, but I got the gist of it and I was still bored. I really wanted to like this better, but I didn't. Besides my lack of interest in the story, the sappiness, cheesiness, and the telling not showing style narrative got to me. This was a case of "it's not you, it's me."
What I liked:
1) A clean romance.
2) No ow/om drama.
3) A sweet ending.
Why I didn't like:
1) Not enough character development.
2) The entire story needed some fleshing out. It all seemed too rushed.
3) A bit unrealistic and sappy.
January 14, 2026
Yet another beautiful love story from Brooke.
I absolutely adored Thomas’ character and the joy and laughter he brought everyone.
Carly and Micah finding hope in their grief and looking to God first to get them through it was so touching and encouraging.
I also really loved that it touched on church people vs. Christians and how Carly did not let fallen people and their treatment of her keep her from God and His calling.
I absolutely adored Thomas’ character and the joy and laughter he brought everyone.
Carly and Micah finding hope in their grief and looking to God first to get them through it was so touching and encouraging.
I also really loved that it touched on church people vs. Christians and how Carly did not let fallen people and their treatment of her keep her from God and His calling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2019
I'd like to rate it higher than average, but I don't feel I can given some of my concerns with the plot.
Carly begins the book as a teen who seems to be going down the wrong path. Her parents force her to put in one day of volunteer work painting at Happy House. Thomas had Down's Syndrome, and he is one of the people Happy House is designed to help. Thomas's brother Micah is also volunteering there that day and Carly quickly becomes infatuated with him--so much so that she borrows an ID from the sister of a friend to be able to get in to the venue where Micah's band is the opening act for another band that her friends like. (Concern 1: Her parents, who seem so concerned that this friend, Gigi, is leading Carly down the wrong path, are okay with her going out with this same friend the same evening as her "punishment" during the day. Either her parents aren't as concerned about her as they seem to be or they aren't parents who stick to their guns about punishment.)
At the concert, Carly realizes Micah has a girlfriend. She immediately wants to leave, but Gigi talks her into staying to hear the main band that they paid the cover charge to hear. They start talking to some guys from their school and it turns out that Carly and Zeke start dating that night. They date for about a year before Zeke commits suicide. Carly is the one to find him.
About four years later, Carly's and Micah's paths cross again. Micah's become a Christian in the meantime (causing his previous girlfriend to drop him). His "new" girlfriend died in a car accident about a year before he and Carly meet again. (Carly's become a science teacher in the meantime. Her science experiments with the kids at Happy House are neat.) Carly's not a born-again Christian at this point.
As they trade stories and realize both have seen things no one should really have to see or remember, Micah becomes convinced that they are "meant for each other" because he prayed that God would send someone who understood his pain. (Concern #2: If Micah is truly a born-again Christian, what about the verse about not being unequally yoked that most churches seem to interpret to mean a Christian should not date or marry a non-Christian. Yes, Carly does profess to become a Christian as a result of a conversation with Micah but it takes time to see if the profession is true or just words.)
(Concern #3: the pace at which their relationship develops. They go from meeting each other after 5 years to him asking her to marry him in what seems to be a very short time. Have they really had a chance to get to know each other? Couldn't they still be in the infatuation or honeymoon stage of their relationship at this point?)
Carly begins the book as a teen who seems to be going down the wrong path. Her parents force her to put in one day of volunteer work painting at Happy House. Thomas had Down's Syndrome, and he is one of the people Happy House is designed to help. Thomas's brother Micah is also volunteering there that day and Carly quickly becomes infatuated with him--so much so that she borrows an ID from the sister of a friend to be able to get in to the venue where Micah's band is the opening act for another band that her friends like. (Concern 1: Her parents, who seem so concerned that this friend, Gigi, is leading Carly down the wrong path, are okay with her going out with this same friend the same evening as her "punishment" during the day. Either her parents aren't as concerned about her as they seem to be or they aren't parents who stick to their guns about punishment.)
At the concert, Carly realizes Micah has a girlfriend. She immediately wants to leave, but Gigi talks her into staying to hear the main band that they paid the cover charge to hear. They start talking to some guys from their school and it turns out that Carly and Zeke start dating that night. They date for about a year before Zeke commits suicide. Carly is the one to find him.
About four years later, Carly's and Micah's paths cross again. Micah's become a Christian in the meantime (causing his previous girlfriend to drop him). His "new" girlfriend died in a car accident about a year before he and Carly meet again. (Carly's become a science teacher in the meantime. Her science experiments with the kids at Happy House are neat.) Carly's not a born-again Christian at this point.
As they trade stories and realize both have seen things no one should really have to see or remember, Micah becomes convinced that they are "meant for each other" because he prayed that God would send someone who understood his pain. (Concern #2: If Micah is truly a born-again Christian, what about the verse about not being unequally yoked that most churches seem to interpret to mean a Christian should not date or marry a non-Christian. Yes, Carly does profess to become a Christian as a result of a conversation with Micah but it takes time to see if the profession is true or just words.)
(Concern #3: the pace at which their relationship develops. They go from meeting each other after 5 years to him asking her to marry him in what seems to be a very short time. Have they really had a chance to get to know each other? Couldn't they still be in the infatuation or honeymoon stage of their relationship at this point?)
August 5, 2018
Low key but still swoony romance
Loved this story of a relationship development between the heroine & a crush from the past. And I really appreciated that it didn't stoop to the typical romance tropes - like the mean girl was actually pretty realistic (sadly).
The "research" kiss was a little too contrived, but the banter when Thomas was looking for them was so cute that I ended up enjoying it despite the unlikeliness of it.
Clean romance level: Some pretty steamy kisses but no lines crossed
Loved this story of a relationship development between the heroine & a crush from the past. And I really appreciated that it didn't stoop to the typical romance tropes - like the mean girl was actually pretty realistic (sadly).
The "research" kiss was a little too contrived, but the banter when Thomas was looking for them was so cute that I ended up enjoying it despite the unlikeliness of it.
Clean romance level: Some pretty steamy kisses but no lines crossed
December 18, 2018
Not my favorite
I’m a huge fan of Brooke St. James. Read most of her books and it shocks me that one person can come up with so many different story lines. This book just didn’t do it for me. The Christian side was much more dominant in this story and I was never able to connect with Carly or Micah. Their story was too unbelievable and I never was able to feel their love for each other like I could in almost all of her other books. Sorry, just felt like this story was just thrown together to fill up the pages.
I’m a huge fan of Brooke St. James. Read most of her books and it shocks me that one person can come up with so many different story lines. This book just didn’t do it for me. The Christian side was much more dominant in this story and I was never able to connect with Carly or Micah. Their story was too unbelievable and I never was able to feel their love for each other like I could in almost all of her other books. Sorry, just felt like this story was just thrown together to fill up the pages.
February 20, 2020
My favorite author
I seriously love pretty much everything Brooke writes and thank heavens, she’s written A LOT! I think that’s because she’s been blessed with a talent that she’s meant to share to lift others and to remind us of what love and marriage can and should be like in this world if we make Christ apart of it. Thank you for that!!
I seriously love pretty much everything Brooke writes and thank heavens, she’s written A LOT! I think that’s because she’s been blessed with a talent that she’s meant to share to lift others and to remind us of what love and marriage can and should be like in this world if we make Christ apart of it. Thank you for that!!
December 5, 2021
A Perfect Mix
The characters are artfully formed. It’s about a challenged boy and his gifted brother and a girl. The first one cries because he loves Jesus so much and befriends the teen who volunteers at his youth center. Years pass inflicting personal tragedies that draws the musical brother and the young woman together.
The characters are artfully formed. It’s about a challenged boy and his gifted brother and a girl. The first one cries because he loves Jesus so much and befriends the teen who volunteers at his youth center. Years pass inflicting personal tragedies that draws the musical brother and the young woman together.
May 31, 2017
Different
This was an interesting love story that kept my interest. Brooke creates 3 dimensional characters with real life problems. The speed with which they declare their love and marry is the most unrealistic thing she does.
This was an interesting love story that kept my interest. Brooke creates 3 dimensional characters with real life problems. The speed with which they declare their love and marry is the most unrealistic thing she does.
June 27, 2017
Really fun.
This was a really cute story. I really enjoyed the characters and how their relationship progressed. There was some religion in the story but it wasn't overly preachy. Sweet, clean romance.
This was a really cute story. I really enjoyed the characters and how their relationship progressed. There was some religion in the story but it wasn't overly preachy. Sweet, clean romance.
February 4, 2019
Good
I enjoyed this book. It had an interesting aspect of both of the main characters experiencing trauma and learning to rely on Christ. I also liked the involvement of the kids with disabilities.
I enjoyed this book. It had an interesting aspect of both of the main characters experiencing trauma and learning to rely on Christ. I also liked the involvement of the kids with disabilities.
January 31, 2026
I am not someone who usually reads romance books so I thought i would give it a try, but it just disappointed me. This book was pretty boring over all. There were some things I did like about it of course but over all pretty boring.
November 17, 2016
Loved it
This story was just awesome. Loved the story about two people that shared a tragedy and still found love in the end
This story was just awesome. Loved the story about two people that shared a tragedy and still found love in the end
September 6, 2017
Good book
This was a good book, it was very well written and moved along well. It just ended too quickly.
This was a good book, it was very well written and moved along well. It just ended too quickly.
April 22, 2018
Very good w
I enjoyed reading this book. I think everyone should read it. I am looking forward to the book in this series.
I enjoyed reading this book. I think everyone should read it. I am looking forward to the book in this series.
May 25, 2019
This sweet Christian romance has great characters and an entertaining story line.
March 14, 2020
What a cute book! Really enjoyed the story between Micah and Carly.
November 20, 2020
Sweet Romance
Enjoyable clean story with loveable characters especially Thomas! I liked the natural references to faith and I loved the ending.
Enjoyable clean story with loveable characters especially Thomas! I liked the natural references to faith and I loved the ending.
February 28, 2017
So gooooood
I can't get enough of her books. I'm obsessed with everything she has came out with! You easily fall in love with the characters and can't stop reading until you find out what happens! Love it!
I can't get enough of her books. I'm obsessed with everything she has came out with! You easily fall in love with the characters and can't stop reading until you find out what happens! Love it!
March 17, 2017
This book was one of the cheesier novels I have read by Brooke St James. However, I loved the way Micah and Carly's relationship was completely rooted in Christ.
December 18, 2016
This was my first exposure to a Brooks St. James book. It is a well written, clean romance story that I can recommend to any Christian reader. Contrary to custom, let me first broach the subject of what did not appeal to me personally with this offering. I was surprised that a purported Christian author would have a heroine live in a home with roommates of the opposite sex. My “old fashioned” moral standards tell me to shun even the appearance of evil. This was a major turn-off for me. My other major turn-off was the sermonizing surrounding the popular doctrine that once one has confessed Jesus Christ as their savior they are “saved.” Although this is pretty much a fundamental doctrine in much of the Christian world, it is, in reality, simply a philosophy of men mingled with scripture. It is pretty much based on the misinterpretation of a few scriptural passages, but it sounds good and that makes it attractive and believable to many. The entire book of James, for example, contradicts such a simplistic doctrine. Finally, proofreading errors raised their ugly head from time to time, i.e. “I tried in vein to contain a smile…” A vein is “any one of the tubes that carry blood from parts of the body back to the heart.” Maybe the word “vain” was more appropriate. All the above constituted a hindrance to a good reading experience for me. All that said – let me speak to the other side of the coin. I loved Thomas as a character and the way he was treated in the story. Beautifully done! Other than what I mentioned above, I was very appreciative the Christian values that permeated the entire book. The way the tragedies of the past for both Micah and Carly provided a bond and a history for these protagonists was exceptionally well done. On balance, the positives far outweighed the negatives for this reading experience for me.
January 25, 2016
Idealistic, cute Christian romance.
Finally My Forever is a cute, easy to read Christian romance. It wasn't exactly realistic, but it was still a fun afternoon read. The characters were likeable and the story was interesting enough that I will be reading the next book in the series.
Finally My Forever is a cute, easy to read Christian romance. It wasn't exactly realistic, but it was still a fun afternoon read. The characters were likeable and the story was interesting enough that I will be reading the next book in the series.
February 24, 2016
Good first book
This was a good first book in this series. I enjoyed the story line and found myself rooting for the characters. I read the book in one night! It would've been nice to see Micah meet Carly's folks....and to see Gina find out that she had no chance. Loved Thomas....his genuine reactions moved me to tears. Looking forward to books 2 & 3.
This was a good first book in this series. I enjoyed the story line and found myself rooting for the characters. I read the book in one night! It would've been nice to see Micah meet Carly's folks....and to see Gina find out that she had no chance. Loved Thomas....his genuine reactions moved me to tears. Looking forward to books 2 & 3.
May 15, 2016
Clean, sweet, Christian romance. There is a Christian theme but it's not excessive and doesn't detract. It actually threads though the story and adds to it. I like that the characters are intelligent, common sensed and don't do dumb things. Micah and Carly made a very cute couple. Now I've got to go google stained concrete.
February 20, 2016
My favorite part of this book was the Happy House. I would love to have one for my son with autism. I think because of that I enjoyed this book more then I normally would have. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
April 28, 2016
I just....
I'm little confused not by the story but how I thought it was gonna go. Either I read I downloaded the wrong book or I misread what this book was going to be about. Not a bad book though.
I'm little confused not by the story but how I thought it was gonna go. Either I read I downloaded the wrong book or I misread what this book was going to be about. Not a bad book though.
November 17, 2015
Heartwarming
I Just Love All The Characters In This Book And The Story Had You Cheering Them On Its A Story To Remember Always.
I Just Love All The Characters In This Book And The Story Had You Cheering Them On Its A Story To Remember Always.
February 16, 2016
VERY Christian and I-have-been-saved book. If that bothers you, don't read this one. If it doesn't bother you, then this was a fun and sweet story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews