Love Will Keep Us Together by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
Reviewed by Darlene “Dee” Bishop, Radiant Lit
Genre: YA Fiction, Drama
Publisher: FaithWords
Publication Dates: April 30, 2010
Love Will Keep Us Together by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt is a Miracle Girls novel that follows Riley McGee as she struggles to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. Riley and her four friends, known as the Miracle Girls because each one has miraculously survived a harrowing experience of some sort, are on the verge of high school graduation and trying to decide where to attend college.
Riley, who’s intelligence, skills and abilities—not to mention her grades—will allow her to get into practically any college she wants and major in any subject she chooses, simply can’t decide what to do.
Faced with an autistic brother she loves and for whom she feels largely responsible, and infatuated with a definitely unsuitable guy, Riley muddles through her senior year as she tries to decide who she is and where she wants to go. Add to that, the Miracle Girls’ desire to stay together through college and beyond, as well as growing questions Riley must face regarding her faith, and she quickly becomes even more confused about which way to turn.
While she stuns everyone around her with her apparent indecision, which in reality is a decision in itself, Riley shows unexpected caring and compassion as she boldly ministers to a fellow student and member of her church youth group. And she does begin to learn more about herself as she makes her way down a new and unexpected path.
Love Will Keep Us Together is aimed at a teenage audience and the young adult market, and as such, it’s well written with a strong storyline and likeable characters. The portrayal of Riley’s struggle with her faith troubled me, however, through comments she made that bordered on sacrilege to my conservative ears. I find such portrayals inappropriate in a Christian novel.
Maybe I expected too much from the book, but I found little to strengthen my own faith, not to mention that of a younger, or less experienced Christian. If I remove the label “Christian fiction” from the book, it’s more enjoyable and easier to read, so I guess it just depends on what you’re looking for as to how well you like it. I know I prefer a stronger dose of faith in my reading than most.
Rated G – Nothing inappropriate.
