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A review by amandagstevens
Sway by Amy Matayo
4.0
Caleb Stiles has, with God's help, remade his life. Once an angry, helpless foster kid, he's now twenty-four and doing what he can to help foster kids, and ... well, okay, he's still pretty angry sometimes. He meets Kate Hawkins at a bar. Turning twenty-one, dragged here by her friends, Kate is using her fluffy pink coat to cover her too short dress and wishing she was anywhere else. At first, Caleb and Kate's connection is just a long glance across the room. Then he witnesses something that could put her in danger, and he surges into action. Later, it's a few dinners, discovering their mutual love for old music and record collecting ... followed by an unexpected revelation not only for Caleb and Kate but also for the reader. These two can't be together. It will never work. Problem is, they might be falling in love.
The book blurb doesn't reveal Caleb and Kate's giant relationship obstacle, so I won't either, although discussing this book is hard to do without it (I mean, it pops up 35% in!). What I can say: it's a wholly original twist that kept me turning pages. This is a Christian romance novel that smashes quite a few Christian-fiction stereotypes. Believers are not living charmed or whitewashed lives. Nonbelievers are portrayed sympathetically--yes, even their skepticism is portrayed sympathetically. And even minor characters defy stereotypes (thinking here of Scott's role, especially near the end of the book).
A few more plus points: the dialogue is natural, and the first-person voices of Caleb and Kate are artful and endearing, if sometimes similar. The twist of who they really are, both inside and outside, adds layers to both of them. Matayo has a knack for carefully (but not overly) detailed backstory. And the last line of the last chapter is beautiful and would have been the perfect place to end the book.
The things that detract from the story, for me, are things its genre requires, so I can't really blame the author for them. The epilogue wraps things up too neatly, and sometimes two or three sentences of character introspection could have been tightened to one. But I say this as someone who dislikes "happily ever after" (and most epilogues, come to think of it) and who prefers sparseness in character thought. Romance isn't constructed that way, which is why I typically avoid it. The fact I inhaled this book anyway is a salute to the author.
SWAY is a bold, thoughtful romance that challenges reader assumptions, explores questions of faith without sermonizing, and still manages to stay character-driven. You don't have to enjoy romance novels to enjoy this book.
The book blurb doesn't reveal Caleb and Kate's giant relationship obstacle, so I won't either, although discussing this book is hard to do without it (I mean, it pops up 35% in!). What I can say: it's a wholly original twist that kept me turning pages. This is a Christian romance novel that smashes quite a few Christian-fiction stereotypes. Believers are not living charmed or whitewashed lives. Nonbelievers are portrayed sympathetically--yes, even their skepticism is portrayed sympathetically. And even minor characters defy stereotypes (thinking here of Scott's role, especially near the end of the book).
A few more plus points: the dialogue is natural, and the first-person voices of Caleb and Kate are artful and endearing, if sometimes similar. The twist of who they really are, both inside and outside, adds layers to both of them. Matayo has a knack for carefully (but not overly) detailed backstory. And the last line of the last chapter is beautiful and would have been the perfect place to end the book.
The things that detract from the story, for me, are things its genre requires, so I can't really blame the author for them. The epilogue wraps things up too neatly, and sometimes two or three sentences of character introspection could have been tightened to one. But I say this as someone who dislikes "happily ever after" (and most epilogues, come to think of it) and who prefers sparseness in character thought. Romance isn't constructed that way, which is why I typically avoid it. The fact I inhaled this book anyway is a salute to the author.
SWAY is a bold, thoughtful romance that challenges reader assumptions, explores questions of faith without sermonizing, and still manages to stay character-driven. You don't have to enjoy romance novels to enjoy this book.