Review: Crazy Jenna by Joanna Alonzo

This is a story 
About growing up in church,
And rebelling against it.
About breaking a heart,
And finding a way to mend it.
About hearing God’s voice,
And trying to obey it.
About avoiding expectation,
And learning to defy it.

This is the story of an unlikely couple,
Max and Crazy Jenna,
Who from Sunday School to adulthood,
Ventured to and from the prodigal's path,
And ended up finding each other.

*** This book will be out on March 17, 2018 ***
Preorder your copy here: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079YPNZG4/

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~ My Review ~

Before I begin, let me preface this review by saying how much I appreciate redeeming stories and an honest portrayal of people who grew up in the Christian faith and walked away due to outgrowing it, being stifled by the rules, seeing the hypocrisy and much like the Prodigal son parable coming home and being welcomed back to the love that once felt overbearing.
Let's be honest here. Everyone who grew up in the Christian faith have experienced their time in the desert without God and then found themselves on their knees to pray for forgiveness. At some point, we've all been there. Yes, our circumstances differ. Our deserts look different and our times spent wandering varies from person to person. 
This was such a sweet short story on that parable. Both Jenna and Max had their time in the desert. Both knew hypocrisy and pain. I appreciated and love the realness of doubts that author Joanna Alonzo paints. Did God just say that? What am I going to do? All these whys and hows remind us to be still and to discern His voice from the noise.  Well done and I can't wait to read about the other stories in this collection. 

​***I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I am not required to write a positive one. These thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Rating: 5/5 

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About the Author

​Joanna Alonzo is a walking paradox. She is a beautiful, albeit messy, mixture of thought and emotion, expressed in the form of hopefully readable - and relatable - stories. She is a kingdom kid, who looks forward to being a writer and storyteller even when she reaches heaven. She is passionate about the unreached, about those who have yet to know the Love she found in the arms of the Almighty. She is intrigued by the world and its people, who day by day, continue to convince her that God is the greatest Storyteller of all.
http://www.joannaalonzo.com/