Soul Searching

by Shannon Guymon

“This is going to sound so strange to you, but if there is a guy I’m interested in, then I have to type up a profile of him and submit it to my father,” said Micah. “If he says yes, then I can date him; if he says no, then it’s just no.” Bryce came to a standstill and dropped his arm from her shoulder. “Are you serious? You’re telling me that you basically haven’t been allowed to have a social life? What is up with your dad?” Micah Rawlings would never dream of rebelling against her father’s strict rules and regulations—until she meets her new step-mother, who just happens to be younger than she is. Add some stalkers, extreme makeovers, and forbidden boyfriends, and Micah can’t decide if she’s going crazy or finally finding a little bit of happiness. Phillip Rawlings isn’t ready to lose control of his daughter just yet. Bryce Jorgenson is off limits, and Phillip will do anything to protect his daughter from him—even if that means revealing a dark and destructive secret. And Bryce’s former girlfriend, Michelle, is only too happy to come home from her mission and pick up where she and Bryce left off. After a little soul-searching, Micah realizes that life isn’t meant to be perfect. Throwing away preconceived ideas and being open to second chances might just be the only way she and Bryce can make it. Shannon Guymon is the author of Never Letting Go of Hope, A Trusting Heart, Justifiable Means, and Forever Friends.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Lds, Romance, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

I live in the Rocky Mountains with my husband and children and love my home when it’s not snowing. I’m the author of 37 books so far. I also write YA Paranormal Romance under my pen name, Katie Lee O’Guinn. I enjoy the outdoors, reading and being with my family. To find out the latest on my books, check out my blog. You can purchase all of my books at Amazon.com. I’m also a huge supporter of Operation Underground Railroad. Check out their website to learn more.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been just Micah Rawlings and her father since she was 9 years old ever since her mother died in childbirth with her brother. Her father has been stern and set on running her life so she would be the perfect mormon girl giving her the best of everything, but expecting complete cooperation in accepting or dismissing her dating choices. When he however tell her he is marrying again to a girl who is younger than her, who is not LDS, and pregnant she decides that she wants to rebel because her father is not the upstanding mormon he professed to be. Instead her roommate April, who is anything but a molly mormon by appearance, convinces her to go soul searching and make her own choices as to the person she wants to be. Her other roommate, Lisa jumps on the bandwagon for change too. They all get a makeover and April returns her look to a normal upstanding mormon instead of a rebellious teenager. Micah gets to pick out her own clothes for the big setup date that all three girls are going to. April with Joel, who she has always admired, Micah with Bryce, who she has always wanted to date, but her father forbade her from seeking him out because of his chosen occupation and social standing with divorced parents, and Lisa with Corbin the stuck up law student. All the dates lead to life changes: Joel and April hit it off and Joel reveals his past mistakes leading to his 2 year old son. Can April accept him and his son as a package deal especially when her parents are willing to let her back into their lives after 3 years of a guilt trip? Then there is Micah who defies her father's wishes and sets out to deepen her relationship with Bryce. She learns to love her father despite his mistakes and bad behavior and in doing so is able to help Bryce deal with his own father's short comings. Lisa has a okay time with Corbin, but learns that any relationship based on if a person conforms to the physical requirements is one destined to fail. She learns to find acceptance in being patient and letting mr. right have time to find her. She finds a couple of bumps along the path but her roommates keep her strong. Then there is the ex-girlfriend of Bryce's who can't take no for an answer from bryce in regards to starting a relationship. She strikes out at Micah. Micah's lets down her guard and allows a friendship to grow with her step mother and finds a real treasure. Micah's father humbles himself when he asks for a priesthood blessing for his wife and new baby. Happily ever after for Micah and April and a new start for Lisa with the "right guy."

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely wonderful. I could relate to every character, and I absolutely loved it.
all I can really say is:
amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazingamazing amazing amazing amazing amazingamazing amazing amazingamazing amazingamazing amazingamazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Micah Rawlings was raised to by Molly Mormon by her very strict lawyer father in Provo, UT. Now 21, a student at BYU, she's unsure of herself and her testimony. Her two roommates also have issues. April, and ID Stake President's daughter, caused a rift in her hometown 3 years earlier and now looks Goth and tough. Lisa is a little plump. A meeting with her dad to meet her pregnant, non-member, younger than her, new step-mom changes Micah's life. All three girls go on a group date with guys from the ward after starting a make-over process - new clothes, hair, yoga classes, etc. Bryce Jorgenson and Micah have been attracted, but her dad told her not to date him (his dad writes porn scripts). Joel Hughs went astray in his post high school years, but when his girlfriend gave him custody of their son 2.5 years ago, he reformed. He and April also hit it off. Lisa eventually hooks up with Joel's cousin. All overcome issues in their lives to be together, even though their lives haven't been perfect. Fun, realistic book. Well written. Believable but not too preachy.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! I couldn't put this one down! I loved the characters in this book. Micah really came into her own after a lifetime of playing by her fathers rules. She had a great relationship with her roommates and it was fun to see grow and develop. I'm glad she was able to have a good relationship with her stepmom, even tho in the beginning it didn't seem it was going to go that way. The best was her relationship with Bryce, although it seemed to go rather fast. I guess it happens that quickly for some. I really did enjoy this book.

[Jaycee Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great realistic book!! It was super fun to read as an lds reader! :))

[Hanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is cute. And i can totally relate.

[Cari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, actually, but it was so unrealistic. And it just kept going. And there was too much going on.

[Marys.bookgarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read such a real book. Soul Searching exemplifies how real life could go. There was no huge exaggerations to make the reader stay intrigued. The characters felt real along with the world. The only thing that got me was the religious part, I am not religious, but I do feel that even with the religion written into this book it made the story line so much better. This was definitely a page turner for me. I loved the relationships and the character development. You learn the hard ships in life and how to change who you wanna be to better yourself. It's truly an amazing book. Full recommendation.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy books of self discovery and this one is great. It's a light easy read with lots of humor and growth from the characters. Micah Rawlings has always done exactly what her father wants her to do, but when her father gets remarried to a woman younger than Micah, she takes a good look at herself and realizes she doesn't like the person she's let her father turn her into. Micah and her room-mates, April and Lisa, embark on a journey of self discovery, make-overs, and dating that is fun to experience.

[Margo Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read and Shannon Guymon is still one of my favorite LDS authors, however, several themes and lines are becoming repetitive with Guymon's books. So, I will need to take a break from her books and forget about the similarities for awhile.

This book is about three room-mates who decide to get mini-makeovers and figure out who they "really" are - along the journey they find mates and find themselves and find lasting happiness (oh, please - I think I need a break from perfect endings).

Anyway, glad I read it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book very much. It's a little longer than most LDS fiction (about 350 pages, if I recall) and I'd say the first few pages were a little tough for me to get into. In the middle, I found myself not bale to put it down (as you can tell by the fact that I finished it pretty quickly!) and by the end all was well in the world. Yes, it was a happy ending, but it was a bit of an adventure getting there. Not typical boy likes girl, girl hates boy but changes her mind type of thing, but standard LDS fiction.

[Candi Stephenson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I keep giving LDS authors another chance....and another....and another....and I keep getting disappointed. You'd think I'd learn my lesson, huh?

The dialogue was cheesy, the characters unrealistic, and the conflict weak. I also think the author has something against fathers...in this book they were either dictatorial, judgmental or completely without morals....

But like a good LDS novel should end....everyone has a change of heart in the end (wait - except for the psycho ex-girlfriend - another completely unrealistic character) and all pettiness is forgiven.

Blah.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out at 3.5 because I saw potential in the idea of making personal changes, but it ended up 2.5. The characters who had problems changed themselves overnight...unrealistic. Every angle of suspense was resolved within a couple of pages...unrealistic. Timing of things was unrealistic (pregnant waddle by 4 mos, baby born 3 mos early was home in a month, etc). There were too many times I said to myself, "Yeah, right. I don't think so." And I didn't like the fact that every father but one that we met was a jerk...and that one was only in passing.

[Shelby Cordell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Guymon is a wonderful Latter-Day Saint writer. Her writing style is very simplistic but for those looking for a well written novel with a clean story line, this is the author to look for. Throughout the novel, even though a typical story line, Guymon does a wonderful job of transporting the reader into the world of the main characters.
Guymon does a wonderful job with striving to create a good romance and love story while keeping it clean throughout. There is no sexual content to be worried about, there is some kissing but that is the most that occurs throughout the novel.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the most outlandish LDS romance book I have ever read. I can't believe I finished it. Very weird book. Want to know how weird? Well, one of the characters fathers, who is controlling and wants to make his daughter "Molly Mormon" ends up getting a non-member girl younger than his daughter pregnant and who he later marries while another character's father writes pornographic scripts in Hollywood.

This book is ridiculous.

[Dorry Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. It dealt with an overbearing father who's daughter never dreamed of rebelling against his wishes until he married a girl- her new step-mother that was about her age.
The story is about a father who is not ready to lose control of his daughter and the daughter who has a boyfriend that she is not willing to give up just because her father did not like him.
All of them had to do a lot of soul searching to make it.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Shannon Guymon, and this was definitely a cute story. My complaints would be that everyone seemed to fall in love too fast and the book was probably longer than it needed to be. The ending was kind of rushed and I felt like other parts could have been left out so as to not have to rush the ending so much. But the main characters made a lot of positive changes in their lives as they did some deep "soul searching", which was good to see.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday night and 1:00 a.m. Wednesday night to read it. Considering that my life is insanely busy, that is the best recommendation I can give it. Sleep is important to me. :) This book reminds me of Sarah Dessen's books...and if you haven't read any of those, start with Just Listen.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm...a very cute/weird story. It is definitely a work of fiction--stuffed full of psycho fathers, very instantaneous true loves, psychotic ex-girlfriend, stalker uncles, etc. I know, it sounds kind of weird, but yet it was a cute story. I thought the ending was a little abrupt. It all resolved in about 2 paragraphs, right after a big ordeal.

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I must be getting sappier as I get older because I love the everything works out in the end books more now than I used too. I am also enjoying reading LDS authors more now than ever too.

Everyone in this story was 20 years younger than me but I loved the conflicts and the Christlike way in which they were resolved. Also these dysfunctional families make my family look pretty normal.

[Kathryn Class · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book of Shannon Guymon's that my girls and I read. It's pretty good - Good enough to get us to read her other books. I think Leah's read it several times. As I've said in other reviews of her books, the relationships and dialog are very exaggerated much of the time. But, in the end, the story wraps up nicely and it's a clean story with good Christian values.

[Avvie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked 4 of the characters in this book, but that's about all I liked about this book. The rest of them were so emotionally unstable is was really ridiculous! There were so many things that I wasn't a fan of in this book and it really made me sad because I really have loved Shannon Guymon's writing before this.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, fun read. VERY addicting--read over half of it in one day; I didn't want to put it down.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was alot of it seemed too easily and conveniently wrapped up--cliche in many ways. However, the characters were fun and fresh, and if nothing else, the blurb on the back is great! And sets up the book well.

[Suzana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't remember what this book was about. I know I had read it, so I thought I would reread it and refresh my memory. When I started, I thought, "Oh, yeah. I had really liked it." But, the more I read, the less I liked it. I was told a story, not shown. I have a thing for being "shown" a story. Paint a picture with your words. A really good author can do it.

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a fluff book in the truest sense of the word. Mormon authors for some reason are not very good(check that : female authors) I needed a break from real life so I in a moment of weakness picked it up. I think the author has something against parents in general and she talks about hair a lot. Cute enough. Just something if you are feeling in a sappy chick flick mood.

[Caisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also set in the college dating scene, but deals with more relationships than just the dating one. Maybe not the best book ever, but I enjoyed reading it and it was the best of the bunch out of the books I last checked out. I recommend it and want to read others by this author.

[Danica is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a cute romance that dealt with some pretty harsh realities in life. But I loved it.

This book was laugh out loud funny. Literally, I was laughing hysterically at this novel.

I love Guymon's style. Her books are definitely recommended.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute, clean read. The only thing I didn't like was one minute none of them were in love than the next page all of them were. It was a little fast moving in the romance department, I like a little build up.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so frustrating and totally unrealistic. The story concept was interesting enough, but none of the conflict was developed. One minute a character is completely irate with another and a paragraph later they were best friends. The more I read, the less I enjoyed.

[Aubree · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was too much trauma in this book! There was too much going on to actually get into the impact of the trauma on the characters. It wasn't very realistic, but I liked it anyway because I like to read these kinds of books every once in awhile.