Simply Divine
by Jacquelin Thomas
Paperback
ISBN: 1416527184
Pub. Date: October 2006
Age Range: Young Adult
This book is the first YA novel that I’ve ever reviewed on my blog. YA is an interesting type of fiction, and I’d like to have my own YA(Young Adult) inspirational series someday.

Divine is the daughter of a famous female singer named Kara, and her father, Jerome, is a has-been actor who has seen better days. When Jerome is arrested for murdering his mistress, and Kara is caught with drugs, and attacking a female journalist, Divine’s life spins out of control. Kara sends Divine to stay with her Uncle Reed and his family. Kara and her preacher brother Reed have been estranged for several years, and Divine has never met Uncle Reed or his wife and family. While Kara is in rehab and Divine lives with her uncle, aunt and her cousins, Chance and Alyssa, she has to leave her posh life behind as she takes residence in the country.

There is major conflict between Divine’s new family and herself since she doesn’t like their ‘country’ ways and is forced to go to a public school and do housework. Some of the kids in her new school tease her about Jerome’s murder arrest, and Divine gets into a fight as he protects her father’s name.

Divine slowly matures and changes as Uncle Reed, who is a preacher, shows her how we need to lean on God when life brings us a lot of trouble.

I think this book shows young people that when our life is spinning out of control, we need to lead on God and look to Him for the answers that we seek.

Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com