“Alaskan Summer” by Marilou H. Flinkman
Book: “Alaskan Summer” by Marilou H. Flinkman
Release Date: July 1, 2005
Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance
Pages: 176
Rating: 2/5 ⭐
Synopsis:
"Laurette Martel accepts a summer job with Southeast Alaska Maritime, unsure what her future holds. Now, in a strange and beautiful land, Laurette concentrates on her job, while she finds her heart becoming distracted by Ryan Nichols. Ryan is a wounded man. The death of his father dealt Ryan a harsh blow in high school, made worse in college when his mother left him in Sitka to begin a new life for herself in Chicago. His faith shaken, Ryan struggles with bitterness. But something about Laurette dares his heart to hope again. Could the warmth of God's mercy melt Ryan's heart and unite him with Laurette? Or will their affections be lost in the Alaskan summer?"
My Review:
What I liked:
• I liked how prevalent the Christian themes are within this book. Laurette is constantly shown to be praying to God about her situation as well as praying for others. My favorite parts are when Laurette is reading the Bible to Ruth (who is an older sweet lady who is slowly losing her memory but loves reading the Bible). Laurette is very faith-led, and shows it with everyone she interacts with. Ryan also is shown to be getting closer to God throughout the story and begins reading his Bible, playing Hymns, and praying for others.
• Though a rushed relationship, I do like how Ryan and Laurette admire each other and always have sweet wholesome thoughts and attitudes when interacting.
• I liked the setting of the town along with learning about the work the main characters are doing.
• Clean book. There are no swear words, sexually explicit content, or violence. There are a few kisses, but nothing fully detailed or sensual.
What I Didn't Like:
• Even though the book is short, it felt very slow and underwhelming. The plot is a cute and simple idea but I felt as if the development of the story and the character’s involvement with each other lacked depth.
• Speaking of the lack of depth, the romance between Laurette and Ryan, though sweet characters, seemed to be rushed and didn't have much of a foundation. Due to this, some parts and interactions seemed a bit cringey. This also is apparent in other interactions with characters in the sense that everyone seems to just trust and love each other from the start without much work to get to that point, which I think is a bit unrealistic.
Favorite Quotes:
•"Is it her faith that makes her so sweet?
•"Maybe there’s something more to praying with another person than I realized"
•“I do get upset. Usually, it’s with myself for not giving a problem to Him and leaving it there. I try to take it back and solve it myself. Doesn’t work that way,”
Why you should read this book:
• If you are looking for a clean, short and sweet Christian romance book that is set in a cozy town, then I would say give this a read especially if you are looking for a book that has no conflict and is just a calm read overall.