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Just One Thing
Sadie Franklin wants to move on, but first she must return to everything she wants to forget. Senior year in Seattle is the perfect chance for a former party girl to start over, right? All she has to do is build a relationship with her detached father, make decent grades, and avoid her ex-friends. Oh, and convince everyone she really has changed. Easy peasy. The first chance she gets, she wants to hop on the next flight back to Pecan Creek, Georgia.
Although the tea there is sweet enough to give her cavities, at least the people love her and
believe she has a purpose bigger than her painful past. Sadie meets a new friend looking for her own fresh start, who shows Sadie the value of true
friendship and reminds her there's always more to a person's story than what's on display. But figuring out the next step is messy, and it's hard to change a reputation. An after-school job, constant arguments with her dad, and an undefined relationship with the wonderfully annoying Georgia guy who won her heart only add to the crazy. When tragedy collides with Sadie's carefully re-built life, she learns that trusting in a God she can't see is more difficult than she ever imagined. Is starting over worth the cost?
Although the tea there is sweet enough to give her cavities, at least the people love her and
believe she has a purpose bigger than her painful past. Sadie meets a new friend looking for her own fresh start, who shows Sadie the value of true
friendship and reminds her there's always more to a person's story than what's on display. But figuring out the next step is messy, and it's hard to change a reputation. An after-school job, constant arguments with her dad, and an undefined relationship with the wonderfully annoying Georgia guy who won her heart only add to the crazy. When tragedy collides with Sadie's carefully re-built life, she learns that trusting in a God she can't see is more difficult than she ever imagined. Is starting over worth the cost?
302 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2019
About the author
Anna Schaeffer
3 books24 followersAnna Schaeffer writes about girls navigating their teen years and discovering their purpose along the way. She also teaches language arts and Bible to middle and high school students, which means she gets to spend her days reading and discussing stories–-including the greatest true Love story ever told. When she’s not creating characters, she enjoys hosting friends for game nights, going on weekend roadtrips, and making super-specific playlists. Hang out with her on social media @aschaewrites and annaschaefferwrites.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 19, 2026
Where do I even begin?
This book was INCREDIBLE. Seriously. It’s one of my favorites. Anna Schaeffer is an amazing writer! She is so good at making characters feel real and making the book so hard to put down.
There was even one particular scene where I was reading at 11 PM (which was already way too late) where a character showed up and I was so excited I squealed out loud and I had to restrain myself so I wouldn’t wake up my family, and I just had to text Anna. This is one of those books!
I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book. Every teen girl must read it. So what are you waiting for?
This book was INCREDIBLE. Seriously. It’s one of my favorites. Anna Schaeffer is an amazing writer! She is so good at making characters feel real and making the book so hard to put down.
There was even one particular scene where I was reading at 11 PM (which was already way too late) where a character showed up and I was so excited I squealed out loud and I had to restrain myself so I wouldn’t wake up my family, and I just had to text Anna. This is one of those books!
I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book. Every teen girl must read it. So what are you waiting for?
May 5, 2020
I’m really picky about self-published books. Most of the time I don’t choose to read them because they’re just...meh.
BUT NOT THIS ONE.
This book grabbed hold of my heart. It got me invested. It left me sobbing like a baby right before I had to go take one of my final exams. (Hey, I still passed!)
Anna Schaefer writes truly immersive books that involve the reader in every step of the main character’s journey (and leaves them thinking about the story long after the THE END). I felt like I WAS Sadie as I made my way through the pages of this book. And sometimes that was hard. This isn’t an easy book to read—it must have been even harder to write—but it is BEAUTIFUL. It makes me want to climb up on my roof and yell to my neighbors: “You all need to read this!”
Now that you have some small idea of just how deeply I feel about this book, let me tell you what I loved:
*Fyn. I could read a thousand pages just about Fynnagin Larcy and never get tired of her.
*HOLIDAYS. Not just Christmas, but Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Halloween. (Bonus points for a Christian book that includes Halloween and paints it in a sweet, fun, non-threatening light!)
*Messy father-daughter relationships that had me questioning whether I should hate Sadie’s dad forever or go over and give him a hug.
*Food talk. I ate cupcakes and pizza and drank coffee and cocoa along with Sadie, and all I can say is YUM.
*Imperfections. This book is full of them. It’s a heartrendingly REAL story, and I love it. (Even though some of the loose ends make me want to SCREAM—but only in the best way.)
*Pure, sweet, adorable, and realist guy/girl relationships that give us all something to aspire to.
*JESUS. He is in every page of this story, strong and mighty, and GOOD. His grace is like a covering over the entire book. It’s just...wow.
What I didn’t love:
*Um, that it ended?
*I feel like there were a LOT of names and characters and sometimes I forgot who was who (we’re talking all the minor characters-who-hardly-ever-appear, like Sadie’s ex-friends and some of the church people).
*NO TRISSY. My heart just broke.
*The loose ends. This book needs a sequel or I’m going to go nuts. I don’t want to go nuts.
All in all, though, this book was amazing. Go read it. NOW.
BUT NOT THIS ONE.
This book grabbed hold of my heart. It got me invested. It left me sobbing like a baby right before I had to go take one of my final exams. (Hey, I still passed!)
Anna Schaefer writes truly immersive books that involve the reader in every step of the main character’s journey (and leaves them thinking about the story long after the THE END). I felt like I WAS Sadie as I made my way through the pages of this book. And sometimes that was hard. This isn’t an easy book to read—it must have been even harder to write—but it is BEAUTIFUL. It makes me want to climb up on my roof and yell to my neighbors: “You all need to read this!”
Now that you have some small idea of just how deeply I feel about this book, let me tell you what I loved:
*Fyn. I could read a thousand pages just about Fynnagin Larcy and never get tired of her.
*HOLIDAYS. Not just Christmas, but Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Halloween. (Bonus points for a Christian book that includes Halloween and paints it in a sweet, fun, non-threatening light!)
*Messy father-daughter relationships that had me questioning whether I should hate Sadie’s dad forever or go over and give him a hug.
*Food talk. I ate cupcakes and pizza and drank coffee and cocoa along with Sadie, and all I can say is YUM.
*Imperfections. This book is full of them. It’s a heartrendingly REAL story, and I love it. (Even though some of the loose ends make me want to SCREAM—but only in the best way.)
*Pure, sweet, adorable, and realist guy/girl relationships that give us all something to aspire to.
*JESUS. He is in every page of this story, strong and mighty, and GOOD. His grace is like a covering over the entire book. It’s just...wow.
What I didn’t love:
*Um, that it ended?
*I feel like there were a LOT of names and characters and sometimes I forgot who was who (we’re talking all the minor characters-who-hardly-ever-appear, like Sadie’s ex-friends and some of the church people).
*NO TRISSY. My heart just broke.
*The loose ends. This book needs a sequel or I’m going to go nuts. I don’t want to go nuts.
All in all, though, this book was amazing. Go read it. NOW.
July 11, 2021
Great continuation to Sadie's story. Can't wait to read more!
October 14, 2019
I absolutely loved it! Fyn is still my favorite and want to see so much more for their friendship. I can’t wait! Anna, you are so talented and God is doing so much though you. I loved how He was always centered in it, and I was learning so much while I was reading (even though I read it quickly🤪). God is doing so much, even without us realizing it!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews