Never Under Estimate God

After September by Stephanie Smith is a delightful Christian feel-good romance and I loved it. The book is jam packed with godly themes and has the heart of God at its core.

There is the theme of healing. There is both literal healing and a healing of hearts. “You need time to heal. I think this is the place to do that.” After twenty four years of marriage Rose found herself divorced and traded in for a younger model. Hurting, she changed her whole life and headed to a tropical island for the summer, to rethink her life.

The novel shows how in her pain, Rose walked away from God. “She was still angry with God, she needed to trust everything would be all right.” She walked away from church too. “Not knowing what else God expected of her, she stopped attending church altogether.” Rose had equated being a Christian with a trouble free life. That just doesn’t happen. God does not cause our troubles but He walks alongside us in our pain.

Stephanie Smith demonstrates the difference between religion and relationship. As Rose surrenders her hurt, her pain, her disappointments to God, so she will emerge a new creation.

Prayer is of vital importance. “Prayer was like talking to a close friend.” Sometimes life is so hard that all you can do is pray and lean heavily on God.

Having fellowship with other Christians will help sustain your walk with God. Stephanie Smith shows how church doesn’t have to be boring. It can be great fun and it should be great fun. Miss May is a larger than life pastor with a heart for God and a heart for people who also has the joy of the Lord by the bucketful.

After September has a wonderful orphanage which is echoing the commandment to take care of the widows and orphans. The children are all delightful. Stephanie Smith focuses in on five year old David who just tugs at the reader’s heart strings.

There is the theme of loss. Rose lost her marriage. Patrick lost his wife and son. Both need a healing and restoration that only God can give.

Rose had plans for her life. All her life she had followed other people’s plans for her life. Now she must take a risk and trust the unseen plans of a faithful God.

The novel has a wonderful romance bubbling away. The reader follows its course, meandering through the novel with its twists and turns.

The setting – sun, sea, sand, warmth – is perfectly drawn and a wonderful contrast to this readers cold, grey, dark English weather. I could ‘feel’ the warmth and ‘see’ the scene that Stephanie Smith painted so well.

After September was a perfectly charming read and I loved every minute of it. I greedily devoured its pages and cannot wait to read more by Stephanie Smith.

Pure escapism with God at the heart. Wonderful read.
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.  No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON

 

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