New Life

by Kelsey Gallant

Sixteen-year-old Aleah Matthews is living a wild and reckless life, consumed with getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend for leaving her alone and pregnant last year. Her nights out with various guys leave her little time for anything else, including talking with her overworked mother and taking care of her baby boy. Although Aleah presents herself as confident and self-assured, on the inside she is brokenhearted and lost.

Steve Jenkins is a pastor and the leader of a youth group called New Life. He feels fulfilled in his mission to make a positive impact in teenagers’ lives, and in his role as a single father to his son, Ben. But he also feels as if his next-door neighbor is trying too hard to butt her way into his life.

When Aleah receives the news she’s been dreading, she heads down a desperate road of hopelessness and despair. A spark of hope arises when she ends up at a New Life meeting, and feels accepted for the first time in years. Even though she knows her feelings of joy and contentment are just temporary, and that her pretend life as a normal teenager will collapse the moment the other kids learn the truth about her, Aleah can’t help coming back week after week, talking to and learning from Pastor Steve. Maybe, just maybe, he holds the key to a whole new life for both Aleah and her mother.

Genres: Contemporary

362 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2017

About the author

I am an author of middle-grade and YA realistic fiction, as well as Christian fiction for adults. I'm an avid reader myself, and my favorite authors are Marissa Meyer and Karen Kingsbury. I love books with shocking twists, loveable characters, and relationship development (both romantic and platonic).

When I'm not writing, I'm teaching, creating music, or hanging out with my loved ones!

Reviews

[Spring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aleah Matthews is a broken teenage girl who finds new hope and a new life through redemption. Her story intertwines with her Mother Georgia? Pastor Steve and Steve's neighbor Lauren as they each deal with loss and disappointment. This book is well written and might be comforting to teenage mothers who feel hopeless. This book does an ok job at presenting repentance, salvation and sanctification. CONTENT WARNING Alluding to sex, teenage pregnancy, promiscuity but very ambiguous, talk of abortion, and a birthing scene, [none of which are romanticized]. But in my opinion the writer does a great job of discussing these hard topics within the context of conservative Christian views. Over all a fantastic easy read that I would recommend to young adult readers and up.

[Danielle Fleck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book New Life. The characters were really relatable to everyday people you know or have met. I like how it talked about the mothers fears about wanting to go back to church after such a horrible incident happened in her life. That’s a huge struggle people deal with and the way it was discussed in the book may help others going through similar situations.

The plot was well written and was also relatable to life. I could not put the book down. It made me stay up way past my bedtime every night I read it. I just could not wait to see what would happen in each characters life. It really portrayed the judgement of others that teenagers deal with along with the need and want to have a friendship despite mistakes made in life.

I would highly recommend this book for everyone and we all will learn a lesson about how to love and trust in God.

[Barbara Herleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found myself always wanting to read one more chapter, then one more and so on. The storyline was current and so relevant to today's youth. It would appeal to a broad range of readers as it touched on spirituality, family, problems shared by teenagers, relationships and more. It's also a story that holds the interest of readers well beyond young adults. The plot was so well thought out from beginning to end and did not leave the reader with unresolved issues at the conclusion. I enjoy a book with characters I care about and this book definitely fit the bill! I look forward to reading the next installment!!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly phenomenal read. It's often hard for me to find good Christian young adult books that hold my interest, but this story truly captivated me. From the characters to the storyline, this book is a truly moving read that pulls you in and keeps you interested through the entirety of it. I am beyond excited to see what else is in store in future novels in this series!