Review: "The Garden Key" by Angela Dolbear

"Madeleine Winger’s thoughts consume her. 

This college coed’s mental object of affection is a gorgeous dark-haired, green-eyed musician. She can’t stop her mind from filling with idealistic perceptions and fantastical scenarios starring him. Every time she sees him at church or when he comes into the music store where she works, Maddy is sure she will need a defibrillator to restart her heart. She doesn’t even know his name, nor has she ever spoken to him, but she can’t stop her heart and mind from their unending crush on this guy, for over a year now. Maddy proclaims herself a “lust-o-holic.”Maddy knows she must learn the real way to have a relationship with a guy. Not the gotta-jump-into-bed-with-him-so-he’ll-like-me, kind of way. Maddy knows all too well from her past that this tactic never works. Besides, Peter is different from any other guy she has dated in the past. 

Peter is the guitar player in a local up and coming garage band, who has made a fresh recommitment to his faith. Maddy would be the first woman he has dated in a year. It’s so different this time for him–dating God’s way. It is a tale of pure sweetness and beauty as two people learn to love each other under the hand of the Almighty. Maddy must also cope with her promiscuous dorm roommate, as well as her plastic surgery obsessed bleach blonde mother, who is persistently critical of Maddy’s dyed-black hair and Gothic style. Can Peter and Maddy wrestle with their desires and keep their thoughts in check, and their hands off of each other? Their tale of relationship trials and triumphs will make you laugh out loud and you’ll probably cry too, so keep a tissue or two handy. 

THE GARDEN KEY, the prelude novel to MIND OVER MADELEINE, is a New Adult genre tale of lust, redemption and really good cheeseburgers that will move you as it illustrates the urgent need for faith in our lives, especially when it comes to love relationships."

(NOTA: esta opinião vai ser feita em inglês, uma vez que o livro me foi enviado pela autora em troca de uma opinião honesta e ainda não está publicado em Portugal. De qualquer modo, podem sempre utilizar a ferramenta de tradução na barra lateral caso sintam necessidade.)  

So, first of all I need to thank Angela for sending me this amazing book!

At the beginning, I was a bit afraid of starting this book having in mind the Christian themed book it is, but it truly surprised me! It really gives us a different perspective on God, faith and relationships and I highly recommend it to everyone!

The characters are so realistic and the relationships between them are both hilarius and real.

This book is about this girl Maddy (Madeleine) who has this huge crush on this gorgeous guitar player (Peter) but doesn't have the courage to talk to him.

But then God bring these two amazing people together and we go on this journey with them through everything that means being on a relationship.

Both of them have an history with sleeping around with people they have just met and they decide not to follow that path this time, even tough it's so hard for both of them.

The parents of both main characters are also something, but at the end they're all happy with the relationship of Maddy&Peter.

This book is so much more than just about a love story! It guides us through what a real relationship is all about (not the "gotta-jump-into-bed-with-him-so-he’ll-like-me" one) and how our faith in God can help us live a better life and make better choices.

Said this, I recommend this book to everyone, even tough you're not great fan of love stories!

Classification: 5/5