Title: Intermission by Serena Chase

Pages: 393

Genres: Contemporary, Christian, YA, Romance

Published by: Candent Gate (Nov. 15, 2016)

Summary

We are starlight on snow. The reflection of something already beautiful—absorbed, reflected, and remade into something . . . more.

And this kiss . . .

This kiss is everything I’ve needed to say . . . and longed to hear.

Sixteen-year-old Faith Prescott eagerly awaits the day she will exchange her small Iowa hometown for the bright lights of Broadway, but her success-driven parents want her to pursue a more practical career, labeling “artsy” people—including their daughter—as foolish dreamers worthy of little more than disdain.

When Faith meets nineteen-year-old Noah Spencer she discovers someone who understands her musical theatre dreams . . . because he shares them.

Faith’s mother despises everything about Noah—his age, his upbringing . . . even his religious beliefs—and she grasps at every opportunity to belittle his plans to study theatre and pursue a stage career. When those criticisms shift further toward hostility, resulting in unjust suspicions and baseless accusations, an increasingly fearful stage is set for Faith at home, where severe restrictions and harsh penalties are put in place to remove Noah Spencer from her life.

But Faith has never connected with anyone like she has with Noah, and no matter how tight a stranglehold her mother enforces to keep them apart, Faith will not give him up. Behind the curtain, Faith’s love for Noah continues to grow . . . as does her determination to hold on to her dreams—and him—no matter how high the cost.

 

What I Thought

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!*

I was instantly drawn to this novel by the synopsis.  The musical theater/artsy aspect really intrigued me.  Plus, I really like the cover.  I’m really glad I gave this book a chance!

First of all, I really loved Faith and Noah’s relationship!   I really appreciated that while yes, they were instantly attracted to each other, they took their time with their relationship, and it was not insta-love.  I absolutely fell in love with Noah, and how he was such a gentleman.  I also really liked the way their age gap was handled.  While there wasn’t too big of a difference in ages (about 3 years), I like that it wasn’t completely brushed off.  When you’re still in high school, and your boyfriend/girlfriend isn’t, it does make a difference, and I really liked how it was addressed.

As a Christian, I really appreciated Noah and Faith’s decision to abstain from physical stuff in their relationship, aside from a few kisses.  While I know not everyone agrees with that stance, it is something I believe in as well, and it was really refreshing to have purity as a priority in a YA novel.  Likewise, I loved the importance and trust that Noah and Faith placed in their faith.

The character growth in this novel was so good as well!  Every single character evolved, changed, and grew, and I loved that.  I especially loved getting to see Faith grow from a fairly immature teenager, into someone who was able be be mature and stand up for herself.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable contemporary read.  There are a few scenes that felt very frustrating, which is why I didn’t give it 5 complete stars, but I really ended up enjoying this one more than I anticipated.  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good love story!

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