Everything is Just Beginning by Eric Bartels

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 I will read anything Erin Bartels writes. I love her books and I think I have all her novels on my shelf. This book took me about three days to read, but it is probably my least favorite so far and yet it had such a good, good theme running through it. 

Michael Sullivan is down on his luck. Kicked out by his bandmates, rejected by his dad, bunking up with his alcoholic, loser uncle, life is looking pretty bleak. And then he meets Natalie Wheeler, daughter of a very popular musical parents. I'm not going to give much more of the story, except to say that Natalie's mom is dying of cancer. This isn't a huge spoiler because it is pretty obvious almost immediately that something is wrong with her health wise. And yet Deb has a heart of gold, especially for the down and outer. 

This is the story of redemption and second chances. Michael is encouraged to forgive and move forward and maybe give his dad a chance. He is forced to confront him at certain level and struggles to do so, but is also able to move on to a certain extent anyway. He also learns to take responsibility and to grow up. The story line really works.

What I struggled with in the book and what made it my least favorite were the song lyrics. Too many of them felt revengeful and mean and hopeless. God was not a prominent theme in the book. Deb, the mom, had a faith in God to some level, but it wasn't a huge portion of the book. God is who Michael needed to make his life really come alive, but that part seems a little more silent than I would expect for a Christian author/publisher. Reading it as a secular book, it was excellent, it just fell a bit flat from a Christian perspective. 

I received this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 






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