The Perfect Token

by Cathryn Tew

Brietta has long given up on finding her true love - that is, until she meets John. Charming, handsome, and perfect, he's everything she's ever wanted. But her plans go awry when she finds out John may already be planning to propose - to another girl! Filled with humor and a touch of sass, this book reminds you that finding love is a journey of self-discovery.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Lds, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Clean Romance, Chick Lit

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2011

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had a lot of promise and was sweet at times, but I felt that the characters were never fully developed. I never felt a connection to them and John seemed really awkward to me. Their relationship wasn't very belieavble because Brietta often seemed annoyed with John, and he was wanting to push things to the next level pretty quickly. There were gaps in the story--not that I need every single detail-- but it seemed to jump from one thing/idea to another without connecting. Characters were introduced and then never heard from again. It just didn't flow as much as I would have liked it to.

Brietta is a diving instructor while going to college. She meets John and seems to like him, but isn't sure she's ready for what he has in mind. A lot of miscommunications occur, causing more stress than anything. Will it work out or will they go their separate ways?

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just okay for me. I thought Brietta and John's relationship moved slowly, yet too fast at the same time. It was totally unbelievable that they were ready to get engaged after only knowing each other a few weeks and only spending very little time together. There wasn't enough chemistry between the two either. And, the big misunderstanding that took place proves they weren't ready to be engaged. Anyway, if you want to read a book about Molly Mormon and Peter Priesthood dating than this is the book for you.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author worked with my mom in the Stake Young Women's organization. Not bad for a first book. Typical LDS young adult fiction - easily relatable, slightly cheesy, and clean. I'm sure a lot of people can identify with some of the situations, especially if you are LDS and attended school in a predominantly LDS area. Liked the characters - Brietta is a little more sassy than other main characters in this genre - and loved part of the setting, having grown up in Southeast Alaska and been to Craig and Ketchikan. In fact, I would have enjoyed the book more if more had happened in Alaska and less at a fictional university in Utah. The ending was good, even with the elaborate story.

If anyone local wants an easy, clean read, let me know and I will lend my copy before passing it along to other family members.

[Latisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay as far as light reads go, but I found myself doing a little too much eye-rolling by the end.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[03MckenzieO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Token
Cathryn Tew
This book is intended for teenagers and young adults or really anyone.
The main issue in the book is that when you get to college there is a huge expectation to get married. Everyone else is getting married why not you?
The setting in this book is really cool because it takes place up in Logan Utah. It takes place at an airport, school, Alaska, Campus, Community, church, and other places. The setting really adds to the book because I can actually relate to the book and the places it takes place at.
Summary
Brietta grew up in Alaska. John lives in Bountiful. Brietta is going to school at Northgate University. John decides to come and study at Northgate. They meet each other at the airport and they go flying together. They don't exchange numbers. John ends up going to Briettas church they talk at youth activities. Caleb is Briettas best guy friend and he asks her to a dance. They go together when John goes with another girl named Janet. At the dance Caleb realizes the Briettas not the girl that he is supposed to get married too. Caleb sets Brietta and John up with their crazy schedules. John makes room in his schedule to see Brietta and he travels a lot but their relationship takes off from their.
What I liked
I liked how the book took place in Utah so I could relate and how it was a way cute love story and Brietta sticks up for her standards. "Brietta wanted to go to a school with good engineering program so she chose Northgate University in Utah." "But he wasn't a member and I didn't date him." These quotes show how she sticks up for what she believes in and how it takes place in Utah.
Theme
The theme in the book was live and stick to your standards and don't let anyone change them for you. Live like you believe and you will get so much farther in life. These are life lessons that we can learn form, from Briettas experience.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read Romances. It has a good theme to the story and it is really cute and a good read. I thought it was really cool how it actually takes place in Logan Utah. My parents grew up there and we spend a lot of time up there so I can easily relate. Northgate college is also actually Utah State University. I rated this book a 5.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into the story, by the time the two main characters met, i had a harder time putting the story down. I am always looking for a distraction from my life when i pick up a book and i seemed to have a lot of distractions while trying to finish this story. I felt the story could have been much shorter and had a lot of obstacles added to lengthen it. I did enjoy the synopsis of the story told by the male lead at the end, i would say that was the best part of the whole book. the locations were a bit unclear, i finally found out where the male lead was from and it was always clear about the female lead but where was there school, I was unfamiliar with the name, and why was her best friend from Alaska getting married in Idaho?

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet love story about how sometimes we have to be patient for the right one to come along. Communication is so key to a successful relationship. this is shown in an extreme situation where John almost looses brieta to an old friend that was a guy because he was waiting for his "token" of love and the right time to express his feelings. I love that Brietta is a self sufficient gal and that John is still a nice guy even though he is older than most eligible LDS bachelors.
I love John's story telling to express his love and the miscommunication with Brietta over his "like sister" relationship with his next door neighbor growing up. way sweet.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a really cute story. It was a good debut novel. The author is a great story-teller that perhaps needs some better editing. Time seemed to not be managed well. (how did the characters get where they are all of a sudden?) The dialog was choppy and I found myself finishing thoughts that the characters never completed. I loved the characters though and the diving and flying was interesting too. It was a sweet romance and I will definitely read from this author again as I'm sure she will continue to grow:)

[Danyelle Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was part cute and part cheesy. The beginning was difficult for me to get into - there seemed to be a pretty big info dump. The middle was much better and held my interest (enough that I stayed up late to finish it). But the ending was so cheesy, I was tempted just to skim through it. The novel was heavy on dialog and needed a lot more exposition to make the characters really come alive and for the story to flow better. Overall, it was a good read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a quick, cute read. It is LDS based and so there is some lingo in there that non-members might not understand. It is slightly cheesy, but clean so that doesn't bother me. It was on the new arrival shelf, so I gave it a try. I'm glad I read it, but I would only recommend it if you need a quick, fluffy read based on a cheesy LDS storyline :)

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. A man had a dream of the woman he would marry, but until he went to college, he didn't know who she was. A woman didn't date anyone steadily until she saw a man at the airport who was going to the same college that she was. Both my daughter and I really liked this book. It is a good romance.

[Suzana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read a handful of pages but enough to tell me I did not want to finish it. I am not a writer, but I can tell the difference between an author "telling" a story and "showing" it and this one not only "tells" it, she also does it monotone! I decided life is too short to read badly written books.

[Princess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. After reading Unexpected, this was less than stellar. Completely juvenile and unrelatable. Personally, I've never understood or admired the idea of waiting to kiss someone until you are engaged or married (and yes, I personally know people who have this goal). Brietta and John have an awkward and somewhat unbelievable romance that miraculously results in a happy ending.

[Shelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I loved it that you can guess what's coming but you just keep reading to find out what's really going to happen. The characters are easy to relate to and you can't help but put yourself in their place. Would suggest this book to anyone.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to go with 3.5 stars.

This was a cute, fluffy LDS fiction book. Quite a nice diversion yesterday and today. At points I had butterflies in my stomach just like Brietta. :) Ah, young love.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little too slow for me to enjoy. The characters didn't seem interesting until at least halfway into the book. I didn't particularly care what happened to them until that point. It was an ok read, but it's not one I would recommmend to anyone.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute is a good way to describe this book. It is a sweet and simple romance book. Two people in their twenties who find each other away at college.

This is perfect for the times when you need an escape read.

I read this book just for fun. Just because I wanted to. It's kind of liberating!

[Cheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like the writing style or story plot.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow to get into but picks up near end. Good premise but wordy with too many new characters all at once.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Well written. Worth reading.

[Holli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and easy read. LDS fiction. There was also the occasional eye rolling but still really liked it. Clean and I always love a romance.

[JaNise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was a cute story, but was too cheesy even for me. It was a little disconnected and confusing to read.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: I need to stop trying to convince myself that LDS fiction is going to become something I enjoy.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little love story.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty funny, made me laugh and stay up waaay to late to finish it.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It was cute for a while, but the climax of the love story was SOOOOOOOOO cheesy and lame.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is everything that I don't like about LDS literature. The characters don't have the own voice - all the dialogue sounds like the same person. It is just too cheesy.

[Kandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just couldn't put this book down, it was such a good book. Very confusing courtship though. I guess that is what books are for, to escape real life and to read about other peoples lifes. LOL

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute lds chick litt.