Surviving high school is one of the most challenging times in a teenager’s life. And when you are new in the city it is even more difficult. In Donald James Parker’s “Love Waits,” fourteen-year-old Cheri is forced to face some tough issues when her mother dies and her father moves them from a small Nebraska town to the big city.
It’s bad enough that Cheri doesn’t know anyone, but when one of the few girls she does find out she’s still a virgin and tells everyone, Cheri feels compelled to rectify the situation. But she hits a roadblock when her father calls a neighbor of hers to keep an eye on her. Cheri is ready to hate Jean, but instead they develop a close relationship, one that changes Cheri’s perspective and her life.
With the help of her next-door neighbor grandmother, Cheri goes through a process of self-discovery and religious awakening and learns about the consequences of premarital sex. Her new boyfriend is a member of Jean’s church, and the two cute teens are strong enough to embrace her faith and resist peer pressure. Cheri, especially, seems wise beyond her years as she tries to deal with problems at home. When her mother died, the father-daughter relationship soured, and her father turned to sports, alcohol, and a new blonde ditzy to fill the void.
The story has a lot of faith-related content, but what might have seemed preachy comes across as an entertaining story with a message, benefiting adults and teens alike. I shared my copy with a sixteen year old girl. She had no trouble empathizing with the characters despite some dialogue that she felt was over the top. Teen slang and humor change with time and place, but the struggles are universal, the same ones we all deal with. She was caught up in the story just like me and eager to see where it would take her. By the middle of the book it seemed as if the characters had grown in their relationships with each other and with God. Things were going well and it seemed that everything was resolved. That’s when the author threw another curveball, added more conflict, and the pages started flying again.
This is a wonderful story about family, friends, and God that parents will want to read together with their teens. It is a realistic look at contemporary teenagers and the challenges they face. That being said, there is content that may make some readers uncomfortable. The author tackles some serious stuff on subjects most of us don’t want to think about, like death, premarital sex, rape, and teen pregnancy. The dangers of promiscuity are detailed, with very definite views on sex, relationships and abortion. This is a book with real life lessons and all sensitively presented with messages of love, kindness and forgiveness. It is an inspiring story, I highly recommend it.
Love Waits by Donald James Parker is available as a free e-book to download from the author’s website.
http://donaldjamesparker.com/sosFreebies.aspx
Editorial Sword of the Spirit
ISBN 13: 978-0-578-01560-6