Reagan Bellamy’s neighbor is everything she never wanted. Despite her best efforts to ignore him and fly under his radar, Dash Carter refuses to wither under her stare and leave her alone. So what if he’s totally hot? Who cares if her roommates think he’s adorable? Reagan’s too busy to waste time on a loser with musical pipe dreams. Between classes, studies, and her need to stay ahead of the … game, she’s got too much on her plate to give him the time of day.
Dash Carter is a man on a mission. He’s done a total 180 and for the first time in a long time feels optimistic about the future. He’s clean, he’s on a good path, and he’s surrounded himself with people who make life better, not worse. Unfortunately, his neighbor—the one girl who’s always piqued his interest—still thinks he’s a slacker, bothering Dash more than it should.
Acting on an opportunity to show Reagan he’s a changed man, Dash inadvertently puts her in a difficult position with her new boss and sends her down a path she hasn’t the time or inclination to pursue. Desperate to make things right, Dash becomes more invested in her life despite warnings from his mentor to not get involved with someone whose beliefs don’t match his own.
Reagan’s not sure what it says about her that she’d rather deal with Dash the deadbeat than Dash the Bible thumper. The more she digs her heels in against the religious freaks she’s forced to interact with, the more she begins to question everything she’s built her life upon. When the tide begins to turn in Reagan’s heart and her worldview flips upside down, trusting God means putting everything on the line, including her heart.
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Maybe it’s You was a refreshing read that felt very real and unpretentious. It was on the edgy side, in a college setting, and there were some situations that these characters got into that may make some Christian fiction readers uncomfortable. In my opinion, all was handled in an appropriate manner and I found this story to be realistic in the trials and temptations that these characters faced.
The main character, Reagan, spent a good portion of the book as a non-believer. I really enjoyed her faith journey and the reality of the way she viewed things. Dash was a very new Christian when the book opened and he had his own personal struggles and temptations that he dealt with throughout the story.
I loved the attraction between these two, yet the problem for Dash that was posed by the reality of Reagan being a non-believer. His balancing act in his life was shaky at times, but I appreciated that his heart was in the right place. I also liked that Reagan and Dash, although trying to make good decisions, sometimes found themselves in situations that made it hard for them to keep their eyes on God. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!
(4.5 stars)
I received a complimentary copy or this book. All opinions are my own.
Accepting Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior was the first, and easiest, step in Dash Carter’s Christian walk, but when Dash gave his life to Jesus everything in his life changed. He left the promising college rock band that had a great chance of making it big, and all the drugs and women that went along with the rock star lifestyle, and chose to join a band that glorified God, and take a year-long sabbatical from women while he adjusted to this new way of living.
Reagan Bellamy is Dash’s secret crush, the girl next door, both literally and figuratively, a girl incredibly focused on school and her future, and not much else, except for trying not to notice her super hot neighbor. When everyone is gone for Christmas break except for Dash and Reagan, they end up spending time together and develop a relationship that neither of them could’ve ever dreamed of.
Watching the changes that both Dash and Reagan make is commendable and inspiring. Standing by your convictions can be so incredibly hard, especially when you’re going against the grain, so reading about those that stand strong is impressive. I love the characters especially all of those supporting Dash and Reagan, reminding us all how important a support system is.
A sweet story that teaches about love and redemption, Maybe It’s You has a nice flow and is fun to read, the will they/won’t they banter between Dash and Reagan keeps the story interesting, giving the narrative an authentic feel, and has a charming ending. Maybe It’s You is a clean, well-written story of redemption that makes you think.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
Christian Romance
This novel is about 2 college students finding God, trying to live Christian lifestyles and falling in love. They have many steps to take on their journeys both in their families and with their circle of friends. This is a very realistic story that encompasses friends who feel left out because they don’t share a belief in God, family who are estranged from God because of judgmental church goers and how college life does not mesh well with the Christian lifestyle. This is a very good story. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
Christy Hayes is a new author for me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. And I will say I was pleasantly surprised at how well I liked this book, and how well it is written. Reagan really couldn’t stand Dash Carter, but for some reason he’d had a crush on her for a long time. It’s after Dash found Jesus, that he gave up his life of drugs, sex and partying during and after each gig he and his band preformed. But now his new band preforms in church, which Reagan finds out after Dash tricks her into going.
Most of the characters here are collage age, but they were realistic, the scenes played out were just as it would be in the real life of collage kids. The story and characters develop well as the story progresses! And through this would be an excellent read for a teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Dash and Reagan deals with situations and issues our teens and even younger kids as well deal with in today’s world. And Christy Hayes does a really nice job of clearly explaining the temptations and dangers of following the world and what it has to give. As well as explaining the Christian life and how to live as Christ wants us too. And she does it in a way that fits in well with the everyday life of the characters, not in a pushy and preachy way. And I like that she doesn’t leave out the struggles a person has after they accept Christ into their lives. The gig scenes especially were very intense, offering a lot as the world wants to offer. This would be more of an edgy Chrisitan fiction, but it’s one I would want my teenager to read!
A lot goes on in this story, I’ve only hit the surface, so I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself and see what you think. It is truly several hours of entertainment! I received this book from Prism Tours to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 55.
This book was a good surprise for me. It started out in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to read but I soon realized that there was a message that would speak to a wide range of people and perhaps break some stereotypes. Not long into the book I was invested in the characters and rooting for Dash and Reagan.
Dash is a musician who pretty much lived his life in the gutter until he found Jesus. In the middle of a sabbatical from dating he finally has contact with the girl he’s been secretly admiring from afar.
Reagan is looking for independence and because of her background doesn’t want a serious relationship. But they could be friends, right?
As they each face their own personal challenges they find that just maybe God has a plan.
I got an ARC and this is my honest review.
An edgy story of life choices and changed lives
Maybe It’s You was an interesting book and not what I was expecting. While the story-line was exactly as the synopsis described, how the story was written was the surprise.
I didn’t like Reagan at the start of the story. In fact, after I read the first couple of chapters, I went back to read the synopsis again, afraid that I had agreed to read a book for a tour that wasn’t the clean story I had thought it was… Then I saw that, yes, this is New Adult Christian fiction and I even saw a review by an author I respect, Sarah Monzon. Whew! Okay to continue.
Edgy is a good description for this story. Dash had been quite a mess before the story opens. He was into drugs, women, and was on the road to destruction. He came to his senses and was now following the Lord. Reagan was almost as unchurched as you can get. She had made some bad choices and thus the first two chapters which had me squirming.
The book deals a lot with the temptations that Dash and Reagan face as they walk the road following the Lord, primarily related to their attraction to one another. It is frank in its portrayal and may cause the reader some uncomfortable moments.
There was a situation where Dash inadvertently corned Reagan into accepting an invitation to a Bible study. The way that he tried to redeem himself and to help her not walk in totally ignorant of the Bible was pretty cute, and even a little clever. I wonder if the author has ever employed this method. . .
I appreciated getting a fresh perspective on what it is like to be unfamiliar with much of anything related to the Bible or Christianity and then be thrust into the world of the “”churched””.
Readers who enjoy stories a little rawer than what I typically read may enjoy this more than I did – it was good but not a good fit for me. The story is clean yet is very open about lust and drunkenness, more about the attempt to make right choices than why they are bad choices.
I would not recommend it for a younger audience.
Read with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
This is not your grandma’s (or even your mother’s Christian fiction). Maybe It’s You is sometimes gritty but true to its characters. Reagan and Dash attend a liberal school and are part of that culture.
I appreciated that Dash is fairly new in his faith and Reagan spends most of the book searching for truth with her academic brain. But more so, I appreciated that Christy Hayes did not steer away from true-to-life situations for her characters.
Be warned, this book has alcohol, drugs, and talk of attraction and sex—all real challenges for Christian college students. It also has the redemption message, tons of character growth, and strengthening relationships. And a little bit of romance too!
While some sections of the book could have been cut a little shorter, I applaud Hayes for giving readers truth for today and not diluting it.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.