What do you think?
Rate this book
Glendale #1
Glendale: A Contemporary Christian Romance
Will young love be enough, or will the cost be too great?
In Glendale, book one of The Glendale Series, an unlikely relationship blossoms when high school junior Jessica, the new girl from D.C., crosses paths with Joe—a good Christian boy with enough passion and conviction for them both . . . or so he thinks. As he walks a dangerous road, Joe takes bold risks in hopes of making his God Jessica’s. Instead, she becomes his.
Fighting to stay together, they stumble down a path of desperate choices, heart-wrenching sacrifices, and finally, the realization that true love sometimes means letting go.
Glendale explores timeless struggles of love, family, forgiveness, and the often-messy process of growing-up. With raw and relatable characters, gripping relationships, and a powerful ending that will leave you breathless, this contemporary Christian romance series is an unforgettable journey to health, wholeness, and joy.
In Glendale, book one of The Glendale Series, an unlikely relationship blossoms when high school junior Jessica, the new girl from D.C., crosses paths with Joe—a good Christian boy with enough passion and conviction for them both . . . or so he thinks. As he walks a dangerous road, Joe takes bold risks in hopes of making his God Jessica’s. Instead, she becomes his.
Fighting to stay together, they stumble down a path of desperate choices, heart-wrenching sacrifices, and finally, the realization that true love sometimes means letting go.
Glendale explores timeless struggles of love, family, forgiveness, and the often-messy process of growing-up. With raw and relatable characters, gripping relationships, and a powerful ending that will leave you breathless, this contemporary Christian romance series is an unforgettable journey to health, wholeness, and joy.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2025
85 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Ann Goering
17 books13 followersAnn Goering is an award-winning journalist and author of Christian fiction.
Goering is passionate about helping women encounter Jesus, experience transformative hope, and live a life deeply rooted in the Word of God. She’s worked alongside an international Christian ministry for the past 15 years, as well as serving at her local church, and leading groups of women into encounters with Jesus through small groups and Bible studies.
She believes so much in the power of stories to illustrate spiritual principles, grow faith, and increase empathy, so wherever she is, you’ll find her sharing stories that reveal the beauty of Jesus amidst everyday life.
Goering loves entrepreneurship, travel, rodeos, interior design, deep friendships, and good hair days, but her absolute favorites are the people in her life.
She’s a Midwest girl soaking up the sunshine in the American Southwest, living on chicken molé and sweet tea, homeschooling her three best friends (aka daughters) with the only guy she’s ever kissed.
Goering is passionate about helping women encounter Jesus, experience transformative hope, and live a life deeply rooted in the Word of God. She’s worked alongside an international Christian ministry for the past 15 years, as well as serving at her local church, and leading groups of women into encounters with Jesus through small groups and Bible studies.
She believes so much in the power of stories to illustrate spiritual principles, grow faith, and increase empathy, so wherever she is, you’ll find her sharing stories that reveal the beauty of Jesus amidst everyday life.
Goering loves entrepreneurship, travel, rodeos, interior design, deep friendships, and good hair days, but her absolute favorites are the people in her life.
She’s a Midwest girl soaking up the sunshine in the American Southwest, living on chicken molé and sweet tea, homeschooling her three best friends (aka daughters) with the only guy she’s ever kissed.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 22, 2025
✅Christian romance
✅Boy next door
✅Coming of age
Jessica Cordell — city girl, attitude, trauma, freshly dropped into tiny town USA after her parents’ divorce and a whole mess of drama. 💅💔
She’s mad at the world, allergic to small talk, and ready to not make friends.
Enter Joe Colby — the local golden boy. 🏈✨ Faithful, loyal, everyone’s favorite son of Glendale.
The second he meets Jessica, it’s like his neatly organized world just got yeeted out a window.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 “Faith, love, and forgiveness hit harder than caffeine” stars ☕💫
If you want a story that’ll make you cry, smile, and text your bestie “I just want to move to a small town and start over 😭,” Glendale is IT.
Teachings:
1. Forgiveness is freeing — both giving it and accepting it.
→ Jessica’s bitterness toward her parents and her situation eats away at her peace until she starts to forgive.
2. Faith isn’t about being flawless; it’s about letting God work through your flaws.
→ Both main characters stumble, but their growth comes from surrender and humility.
3. Community and compassion are part of healing.
→ Glendale’s small-town setting reinforces that faith often flourishes through people — even imperfect ones.
4. God’s plans can look wildly different from what we expected.
→ Jessica never wanted to be in Glendale, but it’s exactly where she needed to rediscover hope.
Overall message
“Grace isn’t earned. It’s accepted.”
That’s the quiet heartbeat of Glendale. The story reminds readers that even when life feels unfair or fractured, faith can turn broken places into beginnings.
✅Boy next door
✅Coming of age
Jessica Cordell — city girl, attitude, trauma, freshly dropped into tiny town USA after her parents’ divorce and a whole mess of drama. 💅💔
She’s mad at the world, allergic to small talk, and ready to not make friends.
Enter Joe Colby — the local golden boy. 🏈✨ Faithful, loyal, everyone’s favorite son of Glendale.
The second he meets Jessica, it’s like his neatly organized world just got yeeted out a window.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 “Faith, love, and forgiveness hit harder than caffeine” stars ☕💫
If you want a story that’ll make you cry, smile, and text your bestie “I just want to move to a small town and start over 😭,” Glendale is IT.
Teachings:
1. Forgiveness is freeing — both giving it and accepting it.
→ Jessica’s bitterness toward her parents and her situation eats away at her peace until she starts to forgive.
2. Faith isn’t about being flawless; it’s about letting God work through your flaws.
→ Both main characters stumble, but their growth comes from surrender and humility.
3. Community and compassion are part of healing.
→ Glendale’s small-town setting reinforces that faith often flourishes through people — even imperfect ones.
4. God’s plans can look wildly different from what we expected.
→ Jessica never wanted to be in Glendale, but it’s exactly where she needed to rediscover hope.
Overall message
“Grace isn’t earned. It’s accepted.”
That’s the quiet heartbeat of Glendale. The story reminds readers that even when life feels unfair or fractured, faith can turn broken places into beginnings.
February 3, 2025
This book is so different from Goedel’s historical line, but it is also just as deep. This book is not what I normally read, but I’ll recommend it so much - my daughters (and son if I can convince him) will read this book when they are teenagers and really sink into a book that has teenage love and romance, one a Christian and one not, and the struggles of purity and faith. This was a slow burn, thorough read. It has our nonChristian heroine coming to a small town after her senator father divorces her mother as he has taken up with his assistant. Our hero is the quintessential small town Christian boy - the quarterback who is on a track to become a pastor, and he doesn’t date. Initially I was worried about this read because we start it with the perspective of a rebellious teen without a connection to God, but once I figured out that it was still going to truly be a strong Christian read, things all smoothed out. Goedel’s books go deep. They capture your heart and yank on those heartstrings. This is the first book in a saga series. Young love. Coming of age. The pains of a broken family. Purity and faith and more. I’m excited for more from this author. 4.5 starts rounded up to 5.
I received an ARC of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
November 26, 2025
Review
Okay I am done with Christian Romance lol, I can’t anymore. Let me get back to my bible only. Love the redemptive ish story, but this book shows exactly why light has no fellowship with darkness and there is no such thing as missionary dating, I was rooting for my man Joe to keep pure, it was the first time that I have ever rooted against the main couple, but I knew the end of the Story, thank you dear author for not coming up with a fairy tale salvation plot lol, and I was disappointed with Joe, he didnt invite her to small group, to church, boy who are you to tell that she aint ready for the Lord, lol. And in the end there was no mention that she actually came to Christ, so I could care less about their reunion. At the end of the Day (my opinion only) I don’t think that Christian should date in high school, it will lead to nothing but sin, get to know the Lord, study, make friends, and thats it, and don’t date a non believer.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
Okay I am done with Christian Romance lol, I can’t anymore. Let me get back to my bible only. Love the redemptive ish story, but this book shows exactly why light has no fellowship with darkness and there is no such thing as missionary dating, I was rooting for my man Joe to keep pure, it was the first time that I have ever rooted against the main couple, but I knew the end of the Story, thank you dear author for not coming up with a fairy tale salvation plot lol, and I was disappointed with Joe, he didnt invite her to small group, to church, boy who are you to tell that she aint ready for the Lord, lol. And in the end there was no mention that she actually came to Christ, so I could care less about their reunion. At the end of the Day (my opinion only) I don’t think that Christian should date in high school, it will lead to nothing but sin, get to know the Lord, study, make friends, and thats it, and don’t date a non believer.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
February 11, 2025
Glendale is a young adult novel about a girl from a broken home who finds love and belonging with her Christian boyfriend and his family. I actually read this series about 11 years ago. It was nice to re-read the newer version that was just released. Some of the story came back to me, but parts of it are new. This story dives into the complexities of teenage years and first loves and the struggles that come with that, such as abstinence and staying pure in the relationship. I reflected on my teenage first love and remember how difficult it was to stay a virgin. But it was important to me and my faith, so I stayed firm in my decision. However, not everyone is able to do that. This story shows how God gives us grace even when we make mistakes. He is there always waiting for us with open arms no matter what we've done. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
February 11, 2025
This story captivated my heart! There were some raw realities that were honestly a little hard to digest in the beginning... Keep reading because you end up falling in love with these characters! Ann Goering does a masterful job telling a story of young love and maturing through loneliness and struggles!
January 12, 2026
This book was good at some points I kinda got bored but then it got good again, I relate to Jessica this most in the book and I can see a little bit of me in her I loved the ending of this book as well and can’t wait to read book 2
Read
November 2, 2025pretty relatable story, though I saw trouble coming with his expectations that she would eventually convert to his faith.
January 21, 2026
found the fist 60% of this book boring and i couldn’t get the whole ‘she needs Jesus’ judgement out my head
May 9, 2015
See full review @ The Indigo Quill: http://theindigoquill.blogspot.com/20...
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review.
I love local authors! If you're a fan of Karen Kingsbury, then you will definitely be a fan of Ann Goerig! I have been searching high and low for another Christian Fiction author who seems to emanate human capacity, emotion, and real-life issues with a fresh perspective. Glendale seems to be my jackpot.
Honestly, I'm incredibly anxious to read the next book in this series! This was so good. I became involved with the characters and the storyline because it was so deep and so real. I felt what they were feeling. The anger, desperation, love, and happiness. It's been almost a decade since I've graduated High School, but it was like I could experience the angst and the sensitivity of that delicate stage in life all over again. Although the main character, Jessi, was extremely difficult to like at first, you develop a sense of understanding and compassion for her.
Goering also captures the progression and trials of spiritual life very well. The fact that she was able to show how Jessi became too important to Joe, when his focus was the opposite was extremely clever on her part. This wasn't a sugar-coated, flowery depiction of the ideal Christian life. It was an accurate portrayal of the obstacles that often go unsaid and unseen. The best word that I can describe this book as is human. It was so incredibly exposed and tragically beautifully human. This book isn't just for Christians. It's for the searching and the lost. If you want to see what life in Christ can really be like, start reading the Glendale Series. You will see that Christians aren't "perfect people" with "perfect lives" and "never do anything wrong." We are all human, facing life with the same obstacles. The difference is our response.
I'm so excited that I stumbled upon this author at a local festival! I honestly cannot wait to read the next book, because the cliffhanger at the end will only leave you wanting more!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review.
I love local authors! If you're a fan of Karen Kingsbury, then you will definitely be a fan of Ann Goerig! I have been searching high and low for another Christian Fiction author who seems to emanate human capacity, emotion, and real-life issues with a fresh perspective. Glendale seems to be my jackpot.
Honestly, I'm incredibly anxious to read the next book in this series! This was so good. I became involved with the characters and the storyline because it was so deep and so real. I felt what they were feeling. The anger, desperation, love, and happiness. It's been almost a decade since I've graduated High School, but it was like I could experience the angst and the sensitivity of that delicate stage in life all over again. Although the main character, Jessi, was extremely difficult to like at first, you develop a sense of understanding and compassion for her.
Goering also captures the progression and trials of spiritual life very well. The fact that she was able to show how Jessi became too important to Joe, when his focus was the opposite was extremely clever on her part. This wasn't a sugar-coated, flowery depiction of the ideal Christian life. It was an accurate portrayal of the obstacles that often go unsaid and unseen. The best word that I can describe this book as is human. It was so incredibly exposed and tragically beautifully human. This book isn't just for Christians. It's for the searching and the lost. If you want to see what life in Christ can really be like, start reading the Glendale Series. You will see that Christians aren't "perfect people" with "perfect lives" and "never do anything wrong." We are all human, facing life with the same obstacles. The difference is our response.
I'm so excited that I stumbled upon this author at a local festival! I honestly cannot wait to read the next book, because the cliffhanger at the end will only leave you wanting more!
April 15, 2012
This book was incredible. A story about young love and the way life can get in the way. I fell in love with falling in love as I read the pages of this book. I could not put it down until I had turned the very last page and even then I had to download the second book onto my kindle moments later!
December 18, 2014
Loved the first book. Was only halfway and had to buy the second and third book. Could not put the first book down! The characters struggled with some real life issues, especially to always keep God first...
May 29, 2012
I really loved this book. It was one of those books that you are sad when you are finished reading it. Great read!
June 8, 2012
This is a wonderful book and it is free to download on Kindle. I loved it so much I purchased the other two books in the trilogy.
June 19, 2012
Loved it! Great series that I can't put down!
August 28, 2012
Loved it & can't wait to start the next one in this series!
August 28, 2012
great book! Book one of series.The whole series was very good.
February 16, 2013
The first book I've read from this author and I loved it. Couldn't put it down and am on my way to amazon.com to get the second book in this series.
April 20, 2013
This is the first in a series of three books. I loved this one and I'm looking forward to the next two.
May 31, 2013
Simple story of faith and first loves.
February 3, 2014
Great book. Loaned it to my daughter as soon as I finished it. Ready for the second one in the series.
March 26, 2014
Have read first three books and really enjoyed them. Would recommend them to others. Am looking forward to reading the next three books about the mothers.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews