Grace Unplugged, by Melody Carlson

Grace Unplugged
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Grace Trey is an eighteen-year-old singer as passionate about her Christian faith as she is her phenomenal, God-given musical talent. Both traits come from her father, one-hit wonder Johnny Tray who found Jesus after losing his chart success two decades ago.

When Grace encounters her own music break of a lifetime, the sudden dive into the "real world" puts her deeper beliefs to the test. Pop superstardom is just within reach but appears to require some spiritual compromise. Will Grace reject her faith, or will she own it?

Grace Unplugged is based on the motion picture of the same name starring AJ Michalka (Super 8) and Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men).


ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melody Carlson has sold more than five million books. A professional writer for twenty years, she recently received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Melody has two grown sons and lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

MY THOUGHTS:  Although not many young adults leave home in search of fame, the underlying theme of this book reflects their quest to fulfill dreams and find significance.  This story is also a good reminder of the importance of having solid friends who offer Godly advice.  Grace's parents need to lean on their friends, a couple who happened to be their pastor and his wife, and Grace, too, finds timely support from a caring friend.

As the mother of two teenage girls, I identify with Grace's parents.  The confusion of knowing what to do as their daughter slipped into a dangerous lifestyle leads them to push her further away, alienating her not only from the support of her parents but also her church.  Grace questions her upbringing and spiritual foundation as she ventures into a world with different values.  How far will she go until she remembers where to find help?  Can her parents ride out this storm and maintain the sort of relationship with Grace that makes her want to turn to them?

ABOUT THE NARRATOR:  Nora Hunter does an excellent job, with believable voice changes and a sweet tone that echoes what I imagine Grace's voice to sound like.  

PARENTAL RATING: PG.  I think this is a wonderful book for young people as well as parents of teens and young adults, but be aware that there are some (mild) references to alcohol and sex.  That said, this is a definite must-add for my daughters' bookshelf.

**I received a copy of this book as part of the christianaudio Reviewers Program. 

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