Crossroads

by Randa Goode

Seventeen-year-old Allison Montgomery is stuck spending another summer with her grandparents and prepares herself for another dull and routine visit. But with strange dreams invading her slumber, a rocky friendship with her grandparents' teenage neighbor, John Whitman, and a romance with local heart-throb, Logan Tucker, it's just the beginning of a summer she'll never forget.

John and Logan expose Allison to their different beliefs, leading her down paths of both light and darkness, while bizarre nightmares continue to plague her nights. And when she discovers her feelings for each boy isn't what she expected, she's left uncertain about everything - including her sanity.

In the end, Allison must choose, not only which relationship is worth saving, but what she truly believes in. She'll find that some decisions are forever.

Nook

First published February 2, 2011

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allison is spending the summer with her grandparents in Oak Groove. She really doesn't want to be there but tries to make the best of it. On the way to go fishing with her grandfather they are involved in a car accident that puts her in the hospital and kills her grandfather. She starts having strange dreams that make it impossible to sleep at night. John Whitman (good) and Logan Tucker (evil) expose Allison to their different beliefs, leading her down a paths of both light and darkness. Will Allison choose God to be her savior or will she choose to go down the path of darkness? Will she choose John or Logan? This book is very well written, is romantic, suspenseful, and is faith based. I wish the author would write another book with the characters since I didn't want the story to end.

[Goldie Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossroads is a great book on so many levels. Not only is it a wonderful teenage drama with moral dilemmas, but it contains a fascinating allegory that correlates with the core plot. Troubled teen Allison is huffing and puffing because she's forced to spend the summer with her church-going grandparents so her high-flying single mom can play--and she doesn't like it a bit. A granddad/granddaughter fishing trip is interrupted when they are involved in a serious car crash, which leaves Allison with a concussion and her grandfather dead, a day or two later. She somehow comes to the conclusion that his death was her fault and she begins to have vivid, frightening dreams of monsters and demons and angels, which cause her to have a crisis of conscience. Goode's dream scenes are so dramatic and scary, it's hard to remember that this is a Christian book and not a horror novel. Don't read this book late at night! Along with all the other drama, Goode seamlessly weaves in a romantic plot in which Allison must choose between plain-vanilla, next-door neighbor "Church Boy" John, with his old pick-up truck or Rocky-Road-with-a-Cherry-on-Top "Bad Boy" Logan, in the Black Mustang. This story will leave you with plenty to think about. A must read.

[Jacinda Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AWESOME Christian YA book! I simply cannot express how impressed and moved I was by the message that this book delivers. Alli is disappointed that her Mom is making her spend another dull summer with her grandparents. It is there that she must face her own demons, and some real ones, while going through many trials and tribulations. If you are looking for an exciting adventure that inspires the heart and soul I highly recommend this book!