New Life

By Kelsey Gallant

Description:

Sixteen-year-old Aleah Matthews is living a wild and reckless life, consumed with getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend for leaving her alone and pregnant last year. Her nights out with various guys leave her little time for anything else, including talking with her overworked mother and taking care of her baby boy. Although Aleah presents herself as confident and self-assured, on the inside she is brokenhearted and lost.

Steve Jenkins is a pastor and the leader of a youth group called New Life. He feels fulfilled in his mission to make a positive impact in teenagers’ lives, and in his role as a single father to his son, Ben. But he also feels as if his next-door neighbor is trying too hard to butt her way into his life.

When Aleah receives the news she’s been dreading, she heads down a desperate road of hopelessness and despair. A spark of hope arises when she ends up at a New Life meeting, and feels accepted for the first time in years. Even though she knows her feelings of joy and contentment are just temporary, and that her pretend life as a normal teenager will collapse the moment the other kids learn the truth about her, Aleah can’t help coming back week after week, talking to and learning from Pastor Steve. Maybe, just maybe, he holds the key to a whole new life for both Aleah and her mother.

Book Takeaway:

No matter who you are or what you've done, Jesus is holding out His hand to offer forgiveness and a beautiful new life.

Why the author wrote this book:

I created the character of Aleah Matthews before I had any intention of writing a book about her, and a few years later I realized that her story would make an excellent book series. One of my favorite authors is Karen Kingsbury, and I wanted to write books like hers that portray realistic, flawed characters who learn valuable lessons about God's love through challenging situations.