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Jessica Christ #2

And It Was Good

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The world needs a miracle. God’s daughter needs a freaking vacation.

As she enters the uncharted territory of high school, Jessica McCloud could use a few more friends who believe in her. Of course, that means something entirely different for the daughter of God.

After her two-millennia-dead half-brother visits her in a dream and tells her it’s time for her to stop messing around, Jessica begins the hunt to discover what miracles she can perform. And if one of them happens to win the heart of her long-time crush, Greg, then so be it.

But when a reporter with a grudge against God catches wind of her first miracle, Jessica stumbles her way through one scandal after another until she wonders if the world wouldn’t be a much happier place with no miracles at all.

The second book in the Jessica Christ series, And It Was Good brings the comedy and will leave you laughing and groaning from cover to cover of this satire. Read in public at the risk of looking like a lunatic.

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2016

269 people are currently reading
49 people want to read

About the author

H. Claire Taylor

29 books115 followers
Reader, PMS survivor, Texan, satirist, author of the Jessica Christ series and the Kilhaven Police series, podcaster, blogger and oversharer.

Send me book recommendations for humor, psychology/sociology (criminal is the most fun), indie publishing, artificial intelligence (not too technical; I'm an English major FFS), or marketing. Bonus points if you recommend something that's all of the above.

I read fantasy, sci-fi, and lit fic unless someone pushes it on me, at which point I rebel and make sure to never read that title. I don't understand it either.

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5 stars
206 (51%)
4 stars
140 (34%)
3 stars
47 (11%)
2 stars
6 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Laura Martone.
Author 25 books11 followers
December 23, 2016
Given how much I adored reading the first book in the Jessica Christ series – The Beginning – I'm not at all shocked by how much I've also loved the second one, And It Was Good (which I happily received as an advance review copy). It's just as wry, just as clever, and just as hilarious as the first one – with a delightful dash of romance and Texas football to boot – and I devoured it just as quickly, if not more so.

In the first installment of this smart, satirical series, H. Claire Taylor explores the unusual, laugh-inducing childhood and adolescence of Jessica McCloud, God's only daughter. Here, in the second installment, she offers us the chance to see this intuitive, compassionate, and sympathetic young woman navigate her tumultuous teenage years. And if you think being a teenager is challenging for the average girl, then just imagine how tough it might be for the daughter of God.

Besides having to deal with the typical trials of unrequited crushes, team tryouts, and back-stabbing classmates, poor Jessica also has to endure invasive, telepathic, infuriatingly unhelpful conversations with her father – not to mention the unwanted presence of her half-brother, Jesus, in her sex dreams, insisting that it's time to make miracles happen. In addition, she must face religious zealots and God-begrudging journalists, acknowledge that her words of forgiveness and damnation often have unintended consequences, and accept the real possibility that hot-and-heavy make-out sessions could lead to awful, climate-related calamities. Her storm-inducing menstrual periods, after all, are no picnic either.

With all this craziness going on, thank God (Dad?) that she's able to find a bit of solace in her mother, her two best friends, her understanding high school principal, and her obsession with unsettling nature shows.

So, if you're an open-minded reader who, like me, appreciates amusing, well-written stories that poke a bit of good-natured fun at adolescence, the media, organized religion, and unorthodox parenting skills, then you'll certainly enjoy this novel. Frankly, I plan to read it again – as I eagerly await the third installment of Jessica's holy misadventures in the Lone Star State.
6,031 reviews45 followers
December 20, 2017
If football is your religion, and for you, it's not just a game, then you might enjoy this second book of the series a lot.

Friends and family members of mine will probably find it a bit heretical, but I just never loved football like that. So this book didn't appeal to me quite as much as the first.

I received an advance copy of this book from Booksprout. In my opinion, I think my lack of football savvy made me miss some of what a friend told me were some pretty funny jokes.

The idea makes sense: in a Friday Night Lights kind of way, it's football - in Texas. And God's only begotten Daughter becomes a place kicker.

Interestingly, the boys on her team accept her for who she is, God's daughter and all.
They are pretty color blind. They also tell Jess she deserves a guy who respects her for who she is,
and treats her with the respect women deserve.
Go team!

If you are a bigger football fan than I am, or if you enjoy strong young female characters, this is a good read - and you might find even more humor, along with some southern dignity and Justice.

A good YA read too.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,040 reviews61 followers
July 26, 2017
I liked this second Jessica Christ book slightly less only because of all the football (which I do not understand). Other than that, a well written sequel that follows the daughter of God through her first two years of high school, navigating boyfriends and sex (or not) and friendships and figuring out how to handle her apparent fate, find her miracles and purpose. I will probably immediately start the third book even though I just picked up a huge stack of library books because these are such addictive and fast reads. These books definitely deserve a mass market publisher. They're flat out fun.
60 reviews
August 17, 2018
It keeps getting better. Relive high school underclass years with God's daughter!

Great to get a humorous look at high school in the bible belt, football obsessed world of west Texas. Jessica Christ aka McCloud, daughter of God has received her marching orders from Jesus in a dream. As miracle management, Jesus tells her she needs to start working on her miracles she will perform but how can she figure out her miracles while juggling AP classes, social cliques, club selection and maybe a date along the way. So funny, so very much like a walk back in time.
59 reviews
November 13, 2020
I've finished books 1 & 2 and almost done with #3. Ms. Taylor makes me laugh out loud quite often with the irreverence of her writing!! I would NOT recommend this series to highly devout or extreme fundamentalist readers, as they could be considered close to blasphemist, however, I'm born again and I still find them extremely entertaining!! Jessica goes through much of what our Lord went through, just in this century. Furthermore, Her destiny is to bring peace to the US and I can't think of a better time or destiny for a second coming!!
Profile Image for Nikki Elvert.
28 reviews3 followers
December 19, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Omg! This is one of the best series I've read in a while! This book is the second of the series, but it's just as good as the first. Jessica has the best inner monologs with her dad, and her dreams with Jesus are hysterical. I can't wait to read the next one!
Profile Image for Chelsea.
435 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I am still absolutely loving this series. I cant wait to read more. The dynamic characters and vivid relationships make all their adventures that much more fun. The book is full of humor and ideas that will make any reader ponder the bigger world.
1,372 reviews8 followers
December 20, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked this book the characters are well written and funny and the author brings you into the story like you are already apart of it
Profile Image for Lisa Norvell.
733 reviews7 followers
February 24, 2018
Good one

The characters are great. Jessica's struggles as she endures High School and the viciousness of her peers is balanced by the loyalty and support she receives from her friends, Mom and of course GOD. LOVE THIS SERIES
684 reviews5 followers
May 23, 2018
Fun.

Okay, yeah, I am enjoying this series. The talks with God are entertaining. Jessica and her mom are great characters. Ms. Taylor has done a nice job of making angsty high school drama completely not annoying and, in fact, fairly compelling. Works for me.
Profile Image for Elliott Richards.
15 reviews
August 21, 2018
Not quite as compelling as the first in the series and multiple grammatical errors took my out of the story a handful of times. However, I thoroughly enjoy H. Claire Taylor’s sense of humor, and it was a fun, light read.
Profile Image for Lexxi.
273 reviews
February 4, 2019
I am in love with the Jessica Christ book series. Jess is awesome, her mom is fabulous, her friends are great, her high school enemies are terrible and make me appreciate not being in school any more, and I'm so excited to start on book 3.
302 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2020
And I thought book 1 had it all with smiting etc but no, this book really does pick up on what I can only assume are the every day trials for school kids in Texas.
And you can't beat a new (but very old) family member just popping up on the scene when you least want one. Superb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jessica Morgan.
36 reviews2 followers
May 12, 2017
I'm loving this series. It's a funny and fast read. I'm excited to continue on to book 3!
Profile Image for Dave.
Author 3 books32 followers
June 27, 2017
While not as laugh-a-minute as BOOK 1, this is still an excellent read. I just now bought book 3 because I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

WTG H.!
Profile Image for Abi.
2,282 reviews
December 6, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A great book 2! 5 stars. Worth the read.
Profile Image for Caryn.
88 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2019
An on going account of what is happening in Jessica life.
Profile Image for Louie Tighe.
5 reviews
January 4, 2019
Excellent

I am enjoying this series mightily well. This is how I review. W O R D S W O R
Profile Image for Lisa Mildon.
7 reviews
January 10, 2019
Amusing story

Part 2 of Jessica Christ, God's daughter in her teens. If you thought being a teenager was rough, try being God's only begotten daughter.
Profile Image for Rory M.
21 reviews1 follower
March 19, 2019
wonderful. author is simply amazing.
Profile Image for Lorna Boyd.
400 reviews3 followers
September 6, 2019
I’d give this sequel to the first book a 3.5. It was very good, but not quite as witty as the first book. Looking forward to reading the 3rd book.
Profile Image for Patricia.
3 reviews
August 25, 2017
Read book on eand 2 in record time, funny, irreverant, and totally enjoyable.
Profile Image for Charlie.
59 reviews
August 6, 2017
The writing was absolutely as good as the first book. The author is fearless. Having said that, I'm not sure I'll continue the series. I wasn't offended by anything in it, but it seemed clear that I wasn't the target audience, either. Maybe I should have seen that coming, given the book covers, but the content of the first book didn't give me that impression. I think women will love this book, and I sincerely enjoyed it. But I also felt like I was barging in on someone else's party.
Profile Image for Himawari.
6 reviews
March 13, 2024
The first volume had been fun to read. But this second volume, although still funny, didn't do such a good job at keeping me interested in the story. Probably because it had way too much American football described in it for a non American reader to enjoy it. It also seems that the story is nowhere close to the finish line.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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