Departures: Two Rediscovered Stories by Robin Jones Gunn

NOW BOARDING AT GATE TEN

After her high school graduation, still aching from Todd's departure, Christy joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. While there, she reunites with Matthew, an old friend from junior high. When Matthew starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes this summer vacation could change everything she thought her future would be.
　
IN THE EVENT OF A WATER LANDING
Fifteen-year-old Sierra Jenson can't wait to spend her summer vacation with her friend Jana at a pristine lake in Montana. But when they arrive, it becomes clear that Jana's only interest is acquiring a boyfriend. Sierra just wants to hang out with the guys as friends, but Jana turns every encounter into a possible romantic relationship. As their friendship begins to suffer, Sierra wonders if it's possible to find a Forever Friend who will listen to you, laugh with you, and keep your confidences.
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Written by Robin Jones Gunn, Departures is a short novella featuring two "rediscovered" short stories about two different characters that are featured in their own series: Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen. In this book, we are taken back to the girl's teenage years.
　
The first story featured a character I had already read about once or twice before, Christy. I found the character very believable, in that I could remember myself at that age, and struggling to make sense of things just like Christy did. It is a book with a Christian theme, so there are several Biblical passages and lessons within, but it is done so in a way that doesn't feel forced, and didn't leave me with the impression that I was being "preached to". It's because of this that I feel it would be a good read for a young adult of any faith, and could be enjoyed just for it's simple story-telling. "Boys" seem to be the issue on the plate in this book, and many teenage girls can relate to the feelings that Christy, as well as Sierra later on, share.
　
The second story was about Sierra, a character completely new to me. Not knowing her at all, I found the sudden turn to Christ for answers to appear out of nowhere, and would have preferred the author to have introduced her as a Christian early on. I feel new readers (such as myself) would find the references forced and not as believable to the character, and it left me with a feeling that I had been missing something by not reading any of the other books featuring Sierra. I think this story would be harder for a new reader to just dive into. Still, it was a sweet story, and the boy-crazy Jana was a reminder of my own self back in the day.
　
This book cannot get any "cleaner", so if one is looking for a wholesome book with a moralistic theme for their teenage daughters, this would be a good book to start with. I plan to let my own daughter read it when she is a little older and closer to the ages of these girls (15-ish). I enjoyed it and would recommend others to read it.
　
4 Stars
　
You can buy Departures here at Amazon.com

This book was provided to me by the blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in said review are entirely my own.