Consider Lily

"Consider Lily" is a clever surprise of a novel! Often I lean more towards reading historical Christian fiction rather than modern, simply because Christian novels set in modern-day are usually filled with flat characters that lack vibrancy, in an effort to make them seem like "good Christians". I was thrilled to find that this novel manages to accurately and entertainingly portray a modern Christian woman who is spunky, funny, relatable, AND is grounded in her faith. The descriptions of Lily's church friends and singles group were hilariously true-to-life, her family and friends were flawed and loveable, and the struggles they dealt with were heart-felt and realistic. This book is certainly funny enough, culturally relevant enough, and un-preachy enough to share with non-Christians; however I think a third of the humor will lost on a reader who hasn't spent a lot of time in church. It's not a terribly deep or theologically challenging story, but overall, it's a great, light read that is sure to make you laugh. Grade: A-

Lily Traywick is the daughter of the owners of huge and famous department store in San Francisco. She is poised to inherit it in the future. However, Lily does not want to continue life working with clothes. She spends time with her two best friends and tries to figure out why she's not able to get a boyfriend. After a makeover she meets Sam, another employee at the store. Soon they begin to date, and Lily starts to really enjoy life. Then Sam's friend Delia comes to town, wrecking havoc into their relationship. Lily jots all these events in her blog, writing about everything that's happened with Sam, her friends, her parents, anyone she's come into contact with. When her blog's secrets become public to those who are in it, it'll take a miracle for her to recover. I thought this was a fun and cool read. I really like this new Chick-lit genre and this book definitely fits in it. My favorite scene in the book would have to be the hockey game where she has to wear that shark head. I just about died laughing. I know how Lily feels about being one of the guys. It happened to me too, they are so used to hanging out with you that they don't realize you're actually a girl. I'm glad Lily kept rejecting Sam when he tried to come back to her after leaving Delia. He needed to suffer after what he had put her through. To be honest, if I had been in Lily's shoes at that point, I would have been severely depressed. Everyone had turned on her even though she had just been telling the truth about them. To be fair though, I don't know why Lily just hadn't used code names when writing in her blog. If you plan on spilling out details of your life, you can't use real names because you never know who will be reading about it. I did enjoy them though. (Although do you realize that fictional characters always get more hits than real people do?) I also appreciated how Lily is a Christian that is strong about her beliefs (she wouldn't date Sam at first because she wasn't sure) and wants her friends to become believers, yet she is not the pushy overbearing stereotypical Christian like other characters in the book. Excellent book, one I would recommend anyone (Christian or non-Christian) to read. This is a fun read that everyone can enjoy because everyone know how it feels to be in Lily's shoes.

I loved EMILY EVER AFTER the debut chick-lit novel of these two steady and easy to take Christian novelists! They rate at the top of my list! I read all kinds of books - not even fiction mostly? but I was enthralled by Anne Dayton's and May Vanderbilt's newest and easy to listen and read NOT preachy love story. One grows up with the characters and learns about LIFE but not JESUS in totally inappropriate ways as some Christian novelists tend to do with their evangelical works. I applaud Anne and May once again in their writing about to be a true "Christian?" One lives the life and not yells it from the roof-tops! Top of my list of to read summer books. Or any season books actually!

I picked this book up on ACCIDENT, not realizing (despite the mention of Jesus on the back cover) that this is a Christian chick-lit book. I don't normally read this genre, having been punished in my earlier attempts to be open-minded when I encountered "Christian" chick lit that turned out to be judgemental and racist, but claimed exemption of those accusations by hiding behind Christ's name. So imagine my surprise that "Considering Lily" is REALISTIC, OPEN-HEARTED, OPEN-MINDED CHRISTIAN CHICK LIT. There were no offensive or racist comments, it was never preachy or self-righteous, and there was even some acknowledgement of so-called Christians' biting and mean-spirited criticisms ("Well, we know how judgemental Christians can be," Lily thinks when mentally defending her friend who wears a bikini to the pool rather than a conservative one-piece). I also really appreciated that there were "non-Christian" characters in the book who were not viewed as interlopers/heathens/evil incarnate, and even when the non-Christians attended church services (lost a bet, to appease a boyfriend, etc.) or developed relationships with the Singles in Lily's group, it was never in a proselytizing/saving/conversion way; the non-Christians were left to keep/develop their own beliefs without harrassment; we don't know if they will ever embrace Christ or not, but the reader is left feeling positive about those characters. One of the best things about this book is that, aside from not being overly judgemental, none of the characters feels it necessary to thrust their beliefs into every facet and interaction of their life. The humble way that the Christians in this book keep their faith as something that is mainly personal shows how sincerely and deeply they experience Christ's presence. Lily's boyfriend is even somewhat of a closeted Christian. Plus, how cool is it that he has "a past" that we can only imagine-- mainly because the guy's made peace with it and doesn't need to flaunt his adventures or use it as a televangelistic cautionary tale. This guy is a true model of living the faith, accepting one's faults, repenting for sins, and moving on. I'm only giving "Considering Lily" four out of five stars because in some parts it does get boring. However, there are so many things that are RIGHT about the way this book was written that I can overlook some low-interest scenes here and there. There are great lines scattered througout the book, and while San Francisco (my birthplace) is only the setting and could be interchangeable with any major city, the authors depict it respectfully and avoid stereotyping the people who color this great cosmopolis. I am not a Christian, so take into consideration how much more weight my endorsement of this book carries. My congratulations to the authors.

I've been eagerly awaiting Dayton and Vanderbilts' latest book ,Consider Lily. Witty and fun with real life Christian dilemmas being faced by Lily. I read the entire book in one fun filled weekend. It's even better than the first book Emily Ever After. I hope there is a sequel coming soon. These authors are terrific!,