Finally and Forever

Katie Weldon #4

by Robin Jones Gunn

What was she thinking? Katie Weldon wonders if she was crazy to spontaneously fly off to Africa on a mission trip. Suddenly she is dealing with a new culture, a world she's never experienced---and Eli, a friend who is quickly becoming much more. It's all overwhelming ... and exciting. As her life turns topsy-turvy, however, she begins to think this might be exactly what she needs. Here, God might give her a glimpse into His will for her life. But just as Kenya and its people find a place in her heart, and her relationship with Eli begins to get serious, Katie is faced with unanswered questions from her past and unresolved issues with Eli. Is she really headed down the same path into the future he is? It doesn't look like it. Why can't she finally and forever settle into a set direction? Living in this new and captivating place, one thing she knows for sure: anything might be possible. Finally and Forever is the final book in the Katie Weldon Series.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

ROBIN JONES GUNN has written more than 100 books with over 6.5 million copies sold worldwide. Her Father Christmas books have been made into three Hallmark Christmas movies. The timeless Christy Miller series now continues in Christy & Todd: The College Years, Married Years, Baby Years, and the Haven Maker series. Robin's novels and non-fiction works include Before Your Tween Daughter Becomes a Woman, Victim of Grace, Praying for Your Future Husband, and Before You Meet Your Future Husband co-authored with Tricia Goyer. Her books have received multiple awards and are a favorite with book clubs and study groups. Many of Robin's books are in eBook, audiobook, large print, and foreign editions. Robin does a weekly Podcast called "Women Worth Knowing" with Cheryl Brodersen. Robin and her husband have a grown son and daughter and live in California.

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, Katie Weldon and Robin Jones Gunn!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers who have "known" Katie for years have come to expect the outrageous from our spunky friend, so Katie's spontaneous decision to go with Eli to Africa came at no surprise. What awaits her in Africa is a beautiful conclusion as one of my favorite characters finally stops chasing whims and finds what she's always wanted--a godly man and a place to belong.

Once Eli and Katie arrive in Africa, Katie is in for a culture shock that translates to some fun adventures: hugging giraffes, eating ostrich meatballs, and getting an African massage. Balancing the fun jokes Katie spouts as a defense mechanism is the great call Katie feels to help bring awareness to the needs in Africa. A call Eli doesn't share. Instead, he feels called to travel from village to village, accessing needs and setting up missionaries who come to help. Will the two be able to realize their dreams without losing each other?

I am just going to bullet point my thoughts:

1. I love Eli. I'm so glad RJD didn't have Katie settle for Rick. A fun, quirky character like Katie needed more adventure than Rick could give her.

2. I love Eli and Katie's relationship. RJG does a great job at balancing their passionate feelings with a determination and a choice to keep their relationship pure. Sometimes Christian fiction makes it look easy to be pure when in fact, it's not.

3. RJG is the master of sharing a Biblical truth without being preachy. She nailed it again in this book.

4. In this book, we as readers finally get to know more about Katie's relationship with her parents. I've read every book with Katie in it, and I always wondered why she felt the need to tell random jokes even at inappropriate times. I know now.

5. I really like the ending!

6. I loved all the African culture in this book--from the people to the customs and places.

7. I hope RJG will write more about Katie's work in Africa. There is a lot of story left to be told.

8. You should definitely check this book out if you are a Christy Miller and Katie Weldon fan. I've been reading these books for over 15 years now, and I still love these two gals.

[Lydia Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the first three books in this series and then read this last one. I will have to say that my rating of four stars goes to the series as a whole - not just to this book. I had read the Christy Miller series a long time ago, so to pick that world back up was pretty neat.

While the writing is amazing, it's hard for me not to skim-read too much while going through these books because it's not as if the plot is fast-paced or totally gripping. Therefore I've discovered I'd rather listen to her stories while going about daily life, because then I can focus on the beauty of the writing without being able to skim.

There were a few things I didn't agree with, but for the most part this series is beautiful and so friendship based, which is a delight.

[Maggie Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the Forever Friends, but Katie is my favorite. She grows up so much in this, her own series, while also remaining her authentic self.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! It had a great ending but I think she needs to write another one!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some editing choices distracted me to no end. First, the cover is a whole new design for the fourth book in a series. Editor, I will not be buying the previous three editions again just so they much. Because that's crazy and I see through that play. Also, you photoshopped and airbrushed that cover into oblivion. It's hideous. Second, there's an editor's note left in the text. Someone added a note in the manuscript that a word was spelled wrong. The word is still spelled wrong and the note was not deleted. Editor, that is tacky. This was a book I wanted to devour upon arrival, but these stylistic and editing issues got in the way of me enjoying this book quickly.
Despite these setbacks, I enjoyed the actual content. I love Robin Gunn's stories: she writes about young women like they are real people. Katie is one of the few characters I've come upon in a story that I truly identified with and felt like we thought and acted similarly. I've loved many a literary character, but Katie is like me. Hence, I love her story and the way Gunn writes that story.
I really don't want this book to be the end of the series, but these characters are probably finally done.
If the editors had made some better choices, this book would have been close to perfect. Those annoying errors ruined the experience for me, unfortunately.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to think. I guess my expectations were high after how tightly woven the Christy & Todd books were. I had loved Katie as she interacted with her friends in books 1-3. Finally and Forever gave me a downer feeling. Maybe because of the name and how Robin had asked for help to complete the story and made it feel so interactive. I went through chapter 5 to the end in one day, starting with work breaks and continuing through the night. I just couldn't put it down. But the pace of the book felt speedier despite Africa's time supposedly being slower than Katie's life in CA. To be honest, I didn't like Katie being so far away from Christy Spencer. A key puzzle piece was missing for me. Eli's mom didn't fill it, Sierra's friend didn't fill it. Eli is different from a reliable girlfriend Katie can have heart to hearts with. It was a fine story but lacked luster for my heart.

A bright side was how God was proven to control Katie's fears in Africa. That is always a blessed sweet reminder. I wish I were as prone to remembering Scripture, especially 1 John where God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of sound mind.

[Kudzai (Archived) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've loved reading Robin Jones Gunn books, Christy & Katie's lives practically walked me through 'growing up'.. I was really disappointed with this last book though.. Aside from remembering the Lord's promise of not fearing & trusting Him, I wouldn't take anything from how Katie did things to apply in my life as I could with the other books..

Her relationship with Eli was really fast, hardly any accountability & it shows through their actions.. I work for missions in Africa, for a young woman to make a snap decision to go to Kenya at 1am or whatever time it was, only telling her friends is reckless rather than 'adventurous'.. How about someone a little older & wiser? Julia perhaps? A pastor? & even without a good relationship, just out of honour, she should've let her parents know..

I realise they are fictional characters, but knowing the profound influence these books had in shaping my Christian world-view growing up, I wouldn't let my daughter read this one..

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed by the final Katie Weldon book! I've been reading Robin Jones Gunn since the beginning and was so happy when she decided to give Christy Miller's friend Katie her own series. Unfortunately, I can't get on board with RJG's approach to Dating for 20-somethings. Completely unrealistic and promotes unhealthy ideas about chastity and marriage. It also demeaned Katie as the strong, adventurous characters she normally is.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH I NEED MOREEEE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this entire series but I especially liked the last book!
I have to say that I love Eli, and I may offend some try Christy Miller fans out there but I think I like Eli more then Todd. First off he’s a missionary kid so he immediately goes up ten points and then on top of that I enjoy his calm, laid-back, personality. He is also really fun and I greatly enjoy reading the banter between him and Katie.
So in the end if you enjoyed the Christy Miller series then I definitely recommend this one, it fills in some gaps and gives us a deeper look at not only Katie’s life but also the life of Rick, Nicole, and the earlier months of Christy and Todd’s marriage.

[Dori · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first three books have some inevitable Christian fiction cheesiness but are otherwise pretty fun. But in this one Katie is a MISSIONARY in AFRICA so she is 100% spiritual all the time and everything that happens is a wonderful gift from God.

Also a fellow missionary says that she praises and thanks God for everything including her husband being attacked, kidnapped, and beaten, which just doesn’t seem like something that the God who hates evil and weeps over the world’s sin would require of her.

[Hannah Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I die in a hole, deep in Africa? because that's what I want to do after finishing this book.
THE ENDING!!! (i know, i know. i've said that about most RJG books, but truly, the ending was the best out of the Katie Weldon books!!)

[Ashtyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book but it was less relatable than the other first three books. If you want to visit Africa then maybe this book is more for you. While I wasn’t crazy about the setting, Katie and Eli’s relationship was sweet.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read the whole Katie series about 2 years ago, the late but final book to the Katie series answered the questions I had but yet made me wish the series was left alone. The reason why I did not like this book as much was because Gunn writes the book picking up immediately what just happened in the third book. This was fine with me until the use of technology. In 2009 cell phones, wifi and other modern-day technologies were not as advanced; you may be thinking "this is so not a big deal" but think about it: If a book magically has something being a miracle without explanation, it leaves you questioning how. This leaves me questioning why? It was something that could of been changed and left out of the book but one of my favorite authors decided to make me cringe with how some details just slide by. The time jumping is just something that ruined the flow all of the other books have.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grew up on the Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series written by Robin Jones Gunn, and I remember when I found out she was writing some books based on Christy's best friend, Katie. Even though I was in my 20s, I was still ecstatic at the news. After all, Christy and Sierra were my literary friends. Why wouldn't I want the story continued? So I read the first three Katie books, and I really enjoyed them all. I was looking forward to reading the last book because I knew it had to live up to the potential of all the other ones. Unfortunately, I was slightly wrong.

The book was okay, and it took me a while to read, as I never really got sucked into it. I found Katie to be annoying, and sometimes, I think they make a much bigger deal out of certain things than they have to. While I will always stand by Christy and Sierra, I may be rethinking my relationship with Katie.

[Danae Whitteker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable, but I did not find it quite as good as the previous one. There were several places where I felt like the author was telling vs showing for the sake of (I felt) getting to the end. I read this a few months ago, so I can't recall all those details off the top of my head. But one I do remember had something to do with how as Katie began praying and trusting God, many of her worries disappeared. That was summed up in a few paragraphs. I would have preferred some more detail - how exactly did Katie pray, how did she change, did others notice, how long was the process, etc. That would have been more meaningful (and perhaps spirituality beneficial) than a summary. Also, the end seemed rather abrupt, in the sense of the characters being moved along too quickly.

[Kelly Bridgewater · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Finally and Forever, Katie Weldon jumps into a plane next to Eli and heads to Africa on an adventure of a lifetime. While I enjoyed seeing and hanging out with Katie again, I did feel like their romance was quick, but then again, Eli had been praying for Katie for over a year now. Katie's emotions seemed really quick in my opinion. While I enjoyed seeing Katie happy, I think Gunn could have spent more novels exploring the Katie and Eli relationship. But the characters are like good cup of coffee, rich, creamy, and comforting just like I like my stories. Since I do adore these characters and their stories, I still rate this book pretty high and recommend them to everyone.

[Gathoni Mwangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars because my country is featured in this book and I cannot say that Robin did an accurate description, oh well... Otherwise, in her typical style, Robin Jones Gunn has given her characters an ending that is nothing short of amazing and I couldn't have had it any other way. I was even content with Katie's warped reasoning of not wanting an engagement ring (who does that?!) Coming to the ending of the book was totally bittersweet though. I have enjoyed reading about Katie more than Christy or Sierra simply because of Katie's wit and it seriously felt like saying goodbye to a close friend.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not in anyway a Christian but I absolutely adore Robin Jones Gunn's writing! Her books are awesome. I loved reading the Christy Miller Series growing up and often re-read them. I've loved the Katie series because I felt like I had so much in common from her and this has definitely been my favourite of the series. Lots of Eli and Katie and the best part was it being centered around Africa because for me, it was like going back home for a while :-)

Lovely quick read and hope that there will be more of Katie one day!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After loving the first three books in this series, I had high expectations for this final book. Unfortunately I didn't love it like I thought I would and found the beginning slow to read. I also felt like Eli changed in this book, but I might be wrong. The end of the book was very good and that's what brought my rating up a half star. Overall, an okay read.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was so excited to see a continuation on the story of Eli and Katie. The first few chapters I found to be slow but I loved reading about Katie and her transformation while working in Africa. While this is supposed to be the last book in the Katie Wheldon series, I really hope she continues to write books about Katie and Eli.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ends the Katie Weldon series on a generally satisfying note. Some surprises abound, but, I won't say what they are.

This also fulfills the first part of my goal of reading five books every week this month. For more on that, check out this link: http://ireadiwatchedilistened.blogspo...

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK AND IT WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST ENDING TO THE STORY OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME
AND I REALLY LIKE ELI OKAY
AND HIS PARENTS
AND MY CAPS LOCK BROKE
AND I LOVE ROBIN
YOU ROCK
GOD BLESS
:)

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these first when I was 16, but now reading them at 19 and in college the series became much dearer to my heart. The lessons hit closer to home, and it was such a joy to read as Gunn's books always are.

[Jessie Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love RJG and I will blindly follow wherever she leads. Or writes. This is the fourth and last installment in the Katie series. I almost wish she had left it with just the three. The end of the third is perfect. But ... I still love escaping to Katie and Christy's world for awhile.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 2022 reread.

June 2014
Excellent close to the Katie Weldon series. I loved getting to know Africa through Katie's eyes. I'm looking forward to cameos from Katie and Eli in "Forever With You" :-)

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

disappointing end. after such a great string of books with Christy, Sierra, and Katie, this last one just stops... out of nowhere. all of a sudden RJG couldn't wait to move on.

[Hannah Elise Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOOOOOOOO WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's possibly my favorite book ever. I'm marrying Eli by the way.