Here Comes The Light

Cambrooke

by Emily Camp

Seventeen year old Miley is always in a whirlwind trying to keep up the facade of being perfect.

On the outside she is what everyone expects. On the inside she is dying. She deals with what most teenage girls deal with, not feeling pretty enough or smart enough. Her best friend doesn't do much on helping the self esteem either.

And why does this one boy she has known from kindergarten but never really had a conversation with all of a sudden keep popping up in places she happens to be?

Genres: Christian

ebook

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Emily is the author of several young adult, new adult, mystery and romance novels. She lives in a small town in Ohio similar to the towns in her stories. Her favorite place to read is in her pool.

Reviews

[Jaycee Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in from the beginning. I read a lot of young adult books and this one was more believable than most of the others. I am only 25 and though it has been a while since I was in high school, I felt like the author really captured Miley or a high school student right on. From the relationship with Miley and Hudson, Jess and Miley and Miley and her father is so believable. The feelings she has and the way she deals with them, I know many girls go through. It was nice to read something that is so relatable and show's how great God is.

I thoroughly loved this book and would recommend it to everyone.

[Abigail Cornejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Miley goes from a broken scared cheerleader to a Godly young woman with the help of Declan Light!

[Roxanna Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a true Gem! Author, Emily Camp, beautifully captures the essence of the struggle of discovering self-worth, acceptance and trust. She takes us on the roller-coaster ride of life – one in which we are never sure where seventeen year old Miley will take us. The intricate relationships weaved into her world are hanging by a thread and are superficial at best until she meets Declan. Through him she discovers who she’s meant to be and learns to accept that at times only our faith in God can lead us to our final destination.

[Amy Thomson · Rating 1 out of 5]

***Spoiler Alert***

This review contains spoilers



Usually I don't hate a book, and I mean HATE. Usually, there are parts to it I like maybe the characters, or the setting... But this book I despised! I mean absolutely hated.
How I hate thee, let me count the way;
1) Our 'heart-breaking' protagonist Miley. Oh, how do I begin to explain why I hated Miley? I didn't like the fact she was weak, I didn't like the fact she was passive, I didn't like how she was spoilt, I certainly didn't like how she allowed herself into these situations and then complained about them later. I think... I think Miley had every issue in the book as well.. nearly raped, self-harm, depression, eating disorder, 'daddy issues', boy trouble, girl trouble, everything! Yes, people get depressed, and it's a serious mental health issue, it really is heartbreaking, but personally I don't see how her depression was valid enough to write a book about it. Her failure to value herself, both in the beginning, during and in the end of this book gave me no feeling of self-worth, it also didn't allow me to see any other way out of depression other than God. Whom to a lot of people doesn't even exist and so therefore doesn't give everybody the answer that they seek.
2) The plot.. I mean what publisher read this and thought; 'Y'know what we don't have enough of? Books about sad teenage cheerleaders who hate their jock boyfriend'? It was the same old plot about one sad, lost girl finding her way through life with the assistance of a cute, mysterious boy - who by comparison to her current boyfriend was a saint. Also, every single chapter got rewritten by the next, what I mean by that is whatever progress the characters made in one chapter Miley would stupidly undo all of this in the next. For example being with Declan and then getting back together with her jocky-jerky boyfriend, Hudson, a second later. The ending, the stand-up 'revolution; after Miley's speech was so very unrealistic, and also I found it so very amazing (so much sarcasm intended) how Miley just miraculously got over every single one of her issues.
3) The Christian aspect to it. a) I am in no way slanting somebodies personal beliefs, but this is a book about finding God - in a very peculiar way, but I'll get to that - and I for one don't believe in God, and so personally find this book as believable as one about vampires. I also do not want to read a book about finding God, it means nothing to me, and so I think that this book should be rightfully labelled as a religious one. - As I respect those who are religious, I'd like people to respect that I am not and do not want to be tricked into reading an evangelical book.
b) I once was a Christian, my sister was a Christian, a lot of my friends are Christians, a lot of my relatives are Christians and never have I ever heard about/experienced Jesus coming to me in a dream and stating that I should marry someone, and saying that I should obey him because 'he has plans for me', in fact isn't one of the whole points to Christianity to be that we choose our way, we have freewill? If this really is how Jesus works then why didn't he come to me like he did to Miley when I needed help?
c) This book didn't seem to be written about feeling good about yourself, it was written about feeling good about God. It was hard for me to read this all while Miley was talking about how much she had been saved by God, and how wonderful he is, she completely skipped over how WONDERFUL SHE IS. I guess it's her lack of self-worth that makes me not feel anything towards her.
4) The writing. I don't think anyone pre-read this book. Maybe the extent of the editor was just a friend reading it on the bus, I don't know, all I know is that it's written incredibly badly in my point of view. The punctuation was despicable, the amount of times I read "awesome smell" or "knee-weakening smile" I almost threw this book across the room - in fact, I did at one point.
5) The other characters! Firstly, Hudson is a down right idiot who I see no reason in hell as to why he's with Miley after all the crap he put her through, he basically raped her as he took advantage of her drunk state, he's just awful to his mother and he pushed Miley around. Secondly, Declan - or AKA D, urgh - it's like Camp looked up what good qualities a character might have and then made this unrealistic, again passive, one dimensional character. I've got lots and lots of friends who are both Christian and boys, none of which are like Declan. Also, I found him creepy, and always very conveniently placed around the book (just driving past, living around the corner).
6) The small things. Sometimes the small things can make me absolutely LOVE a book, like in the book Coda by Emma Trevayne. But the small details in this were well, either non-existent or just completely down right rubbish. For example, I don't know what Miley's Dad looks like at all, these small things make me prefer books to films because I can visualise everything. There's also never ANY justification as to why Miley cannot be with Declan. Lastly, Miley cries in pretty much every freaking line, if nothing else that just made this book more tedious and one dimensional.

[Grace T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good young adult book. This book pulled me right in

[Miranda A. Uyeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely read!
This was the second book that broke me and made me a bona fide YA fan. This story will hook you and drag you along until you swipe for the last page (kindle anyone?).
The plot explores the pressures that teenagers suffer from peers and shows how easy it is to cave without any form of moral support or parental attention. It also shows how God can use a person to lovingly pull out a victim sunken under that pressure into the light—this was my favorite part!
Declan, the male lead character, never judged Miley, despite witnessing the kind of life she was sucked into, but loved her with all her brokenness. It broke and warmed my heart how time and time again, she would hurt him and he would forgive her. He accepted her as the one God had given him and loved her with an intensity that was mind-blowing. It was so real you could feel it through the pages. Their story brings to mind the story of the Prophet Hosea. You clearly witness Declan’s pain and struggle in loving Miley.
Miley was the strongest character in this story. She was struggling and crumpling on the inside but appeared beautiful, feisty and strong on the outside. She chose to hide and overcome her pain and sorrows in a way that was heartbreaking, teetering between brokenness and depression, but somehow managed to maintain enough control and not become suicidal.
This story also brings to light how dangerous it is for parents to neglect their children, choosing to turn a blind eye to things they shouldn’t, falsely believing their kids will grow up to become “good” on their own without proper guidance/attention.
I’ve encountered authors/books that show conversations between God and a character, but not like this book. I was impressed with the way Emily portrayed it and found it rather refreshing. What I loved most was the conversations about the most little and private things, and how God not only cared about those things, but answered the questions that troubled the characters. I loved that!
Just one qualm with this book—the time gaps. But they disturbed so little that you would overlook them.
If you know me by now, you’d know that I love, love fairytale endings! Ahh! This one had one too! What a befitting way to end a lovely read. Certainly put a smile on my face.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miley thinks she needs to be perfect. She's blond, skinny, and popular. She starves herself to stay thin, cuts herself when things get to be too much. She is just a lonely girl in her own little world. Declan has known Miley since kindergarten and fancies himself in love with her. He's a good church-going boy who is waiting for marriage to lose his virginity. After a rough start the two get together, and as they say, the rest is history.

So, where to begin? The story? The writing? The characters? It was all just bad. The only reason this got two stars was because I can at least appreciate the story and what was being said. Here Comes The Light is overall, just a bad book. I really don't think that anyone looked over the book who knew anything about grammar. There is a definite need for proper punctuation. The characters are boring, really really boring. There is no development in the novel and I don't know if the author gave each much thought and just started writing to see where everything went.

I can appreciate the story. Miley is a troubled girl who wants to fit in. It isn't hard for her because her father gives her everything, she's a cheerleader, has a football player boyfriend and is just a popular girl in school. What she lacks though is true companionship. She does find that in Declan though. What I cannot appreciate about the story is the absurdity of the religious aspect of the book. Don't misunderstand me, please, I am a Christian. But as such, I really don't think Jesus, let alone God, would go so far as to tell each of us who we should love and marry one day. That just goes against the free will He gave us.

*I received a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! I must admit the main character, Miley, was so weak and such a wreck that I quickly grew frustrated with the drama that she kept bringing upon herself. However, the heartbreaking twist with this is I know many teens today face the same challenges as Miley and deal with the same feelings as the family unit today continues to change. Miley is a unguided teenage girl whose mother passed away when she was younger. Growing up in a single parent home, with that single parent being her father, opened up another level of challenges for Miley. Her father threw himself into his work and was not good at communication and providing that much needed parental attention. I feel it is because of this that Miley searched for acceptance in other places, including an abusive relationship with her friends and boyfriend.

The story goes on to show Miley's journey as she searches for where she belongs and many characters are introduced along the way, including one who finally changes things for Miley in a positive way. The last few chapters also wraps up this story with a rapid introduction to many other side plots leaving you waiting for the next in the series. This story is a fast-paced and realistic read.

Although the end result is an introduction to Jesus, there are some graphic suggestions, disturbing behaviors as well as slight sexual content throughout this story leading me to recommend it for older teens (16+) and young adults.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read the book, and I enjoyed just as much if not more than the first time. I was able to pick up on little things I did not see before. When I finished the book, I was left smiling like a crazy person.

Plot:
The story follows a girl named Miley whose life is a mess because she tries to please everyone. For her, life is centered around high school popularity and fitting in with her friends. No matter what Miley does, she never feels good enough. But when she meets a boy, her ideals are soon flipped upside down.

Characters:
At times I got extremely annoyed with Miley because she makes quick and rash decisions based purely on emotion. However, this made her character feel all the more real.

Hudson is Miley's over reactive boyfriend who loves to party. He has a temper and a broken family. He also thinks thinks he can get whatever he wants with a simple smile and "I'm sorry."

Jess and Nova are Miley's friends who are constantly getting Miley in trouble. They sneak out to parties and thrive off of other people's attention.

Declan was my favorite. He seeks God's will throughout the entire book and never loses focus, even when things get tough. I just don't understand why Miley kept leaving Declan for Hudson! I just can't rap my mind around it!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was proved with a copy of this book to give an honest review.

I did really enjoy the story and although I am not a Christian I believe that those aspects of the the story were well written and stayed true to Christian values and beliefs.

The story follows Miley and popular high school student who has what everyone wants, the popularity, the footballer boyfriend etc, but she just doesn't seem to fit in with them, with her plastic fake smile getting more and more use! Until she literally bumps into a guy that she has gone to school with for years but barely knows, things begin to change for her!

The story was enjoyable to read and I would recommend it to others although at times the plot was a stereotypical to the relationships between cheerleaders and footballers, partying etc and I did find it predictable into certain aspects, not that this would put me off reading it again! I found it an easy book to read and the characters engaging, but sometimes you just want that bit more, but that could be down to personal preference and not the book itself, I'll leave that up to you to make up your mind!

Would recommend this book to those that enjoy young adult romance novels!,

[Christina Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the intention of the story. I am a Christian and would've loved to have read something like this when I was a teenager. Especially knowing the challenges that they (especially young girls) face in the eye of popularity and fitting in. For that alone, I will commend this story on how supported it was by Christian faith and values.

But on the other hand, at times, the writing style took me right out of the story. There was an element of cheesiness that just didn't sit well with me. Especially when it came to some of the conversations.

I will say that my absolute favorite scene in the story was when the students stood together and walked out when Miley got suspended for expressing her faith. That was a very powerful moment and really spoke to me personally. Being willing to lay down and die for God is such a strong act of trust in the Lord. I think it was a fabulous touch.

Overall, this was a decent read. There is definitely room for improvement, especially in the delivery of the story. But I thought it was a fairly decent effort.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me for an honest review.

The description given of this book gave me high hopes, but I was quite disappointed. First thing I have to point out is that nowhere in the description does it mention that this was a religious book. While I respect that some people beleive in God and would like the christian aspect I feel the religous views were forced on me. Having said that I have to say that the author did a great job in portraying Declan, he was by far my favourite character. The storyline overall was quite good, and without giving too much away it was nice to see Miley's journey in realising that she didnt need to be self destructive, even if she was a bit slow- at times I did want to reach through the book and punch her!
Emily Camp's writing technique was stilted at times but you could see her improve through the book, which was nice- a very successful book over all for a first time author! Despite my little rant the only thing that I can really find fault in is the oversight in describing this book as having strong religious theme's.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

SMALL SPOILER ALERT ~

I thought this book was well written, smart and very creative as to the many challenges the character encounters. It is a statement piece in my eyes towards the stereotypical faults of teenage life. This book reminds me a a saying... "we accept the love we think we deserve."

It is a very powerful story line that entices you from the first chapter. I could not put it down.

I was a little sceptical of the role religion plays in this novel at first. For me it is a small downfall but I understand and accept its placement in the story.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns, and praise the author for how smooth the story reads despite the many aspects.

It is important recognised the issues raised in the book:
- Bullying
- Peer pressure
- Bad decisions
- Bad relationships
- Abuse (verbal and physical)
- Self-worth
- Self-harming
- Self discovery
and more...

Thank you for this excellent narrative piece.

[Missy *Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream? * · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it however it was not my usual, but I didn't know it in advance. My only little problem is there were no notification about religion, belief... actually it is a Christian romance.

I liked Miley, she was soo childlike but loveable. Her friends were just awfully annoying. It was long time ago when I was in the same age but Jess is a great disaster, but beliveable.

Miley lived with her father, because she lost her mother (long time ago) and still not cope with it well. So when her father wanted to marry someone she was furious, but I was glad that they had a good relationship at the end.

I loved how Declan tried to force or rather help Miley to find, to trust herself and don't underestimate herself. (and soo annoying when she forgive her ex frequently)

It was a good story.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

What can I say about this book? I wasn't overly impressed with it, and I had a hard time getting into the story.
It wasn't bad, and I'm sure a lot of people would really enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me. I found myself struggling to stay interested in the story and the characters.
There were some good moments, and it has the potential to be really good, I just felt like it could have done with further editing.

All in all, it was an ok book.

Full review on my website www.the-book-tower.blogspot.co.uk

[Faith Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
This is a very cute story about a high school girl named Miley who is in a relationship with someone named Hudson and is getting pressured by him as well as other friends to have sex and drink! She is dealing with a lot of problems young girls do and is not doing very well coping with them. She then gets together with Declan who is a Christian and helps her find her way to god! This story is pg and a good wholesome read! Deffinately for the ya crowd.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good story in bad need of major editing. It deals with all the high school drama- there is a LOT of it in here- and the different aspects are portrayed honestly touching on many of the ineffective coping mechanisms that teenagers use to fit in. It shows the journey of some of the students to the One who accepts them and loves them right where they are. I would have easily given it five stars if the book had been properly edited. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

[Misty Iputi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout the book it was as if following a teenage girl Miley, through high school and her struggles between two different lifestyles, friends, and even boyfriends. Miley's family life is in shambles as her mother had died years before, her dad works all the time and is never around for her. However, the best part of the book is the ending (no spoiler). The other would the incorporation of the Bible verses and how they made the story even better.

[Lade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC

It was an okay read. Nothing spectacular. It was all a bit too cheesy. Especially the conversations and the school setting.

The author had a good storyline and message she was trying ti pass across but the predictability and cheesiness of it took away from it a little.

The characters were okay for the most part.
The most annoying ones were Jess, Hudson and Declan

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Camp is an amazing writer. I've read all her books so far and I love them. I was truly amazed at how well her books were. These are Christian books and I find that great, it's just another thing I love about her work. I think this is a book everyone should read.

[Isabella Woodford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good and inspirational book! It tells you how much you actually matter to God no matter how much you think you don't, no matter how bad you get treated making yourself think you aren't enough but you are in God's eyes and that's what really matters. ♥️♥️

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I read it from cover to cover the day I got it. I fell in love with the characters and could relate to the them as well. I can't wait to read more of Emily Camp's books!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is live on Amazon now!