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Don't Stop Believing
“Appearances mean everything when the view from your bedroom window is a steeple.”
It’s the 1990 Nirvana blares from car radios, Bill Clinton is president, and Mara Gordon, daughter of a devout Evangelical minister, just wants to survive her senior year in the small town of Ojibway, Michigan. When she’s not sitting in a church pew, she’s dreaming of escaping—scribbling in notebooks, making mixtapes of her favorite songs, and hiding Rolling Stone magazines under her bed.
But Mara’s world is turned upside down when she and her best friend Ben stumble upon a secret involving her favorite English teacher. The discovery forces Mara to confront the beliefs she’s been raised with and question her own identity in ways she never expected.
As secrets unravel and her feelings for Ben grow more complicated, Mara must find the courage to question everything she’s been taught to believe—and finally embrace the person she’s becoming. With an amazing soundtrack and a story about love, faith, and self-discovery, Don’t Stop Believing is a coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the ‘90s, when everything felt like it was on the brink of change.
It’s the 1990 Nirvana blares from car radios, Bill Clinton is president, and Mara Gordon, daughter of a devout Evangelical minister, just wants to survive her senior year in the small town of Ojibway, Michigan. When she’s not sitting in a church pew, she’s dreaming of escaping—scribbling in notebooks, making mixtapes of her favorite songs, and hiding Rolling Stone magazines under her bed.
But Mara’s world is turned upside down when she and her best friend Ben stumble upon a secret involving her favorite English teacher. The discovery forces Mara to confront the beliefs she’s been raised with and question her own identity in ways she never expected.
As secrets unravel and her feelings for Ben grow more complicated, Mara must find the courage to question everything she’s been taught to believe—and finally embrace the person she’s becoming. With an amazing soundtrack and a story about love, faith, and self-discovery, Don’t Stop Believing is a coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the ‘90s, when everything felt like it was on the brink of change.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 16, 2025
I feel all the feels!
I’ve never read a book that has hit me so close to home. This book is witty, smart, real, and a perfect description of growing up as an evangelical pastor’s kid (PK) who just wants to understand herself, the world, and her place in it. It has deep depths and high heights as Mara grows up and into herself. If you’ve been a PK this book may make you both laugh with Mara’s actions and weep with her in her confusion and grief. It’s so worth the read! Great job to the author!
I’ve never read a book that has hit me so close to home. This book is witty, smart, real, and a perfect description of growing up as an evangelical pastor’s kid (PK) who just wants to understand herself, the world, and her place in it. It has deep depths and high heights as Mara grows up and into herself. If you’ve been a PK this book may make you both laugh with Mara’s actions and weep with her in her confusion and grief. It’s so worth the read! Great job to the author!
March 18, 2025
Surreal to read fiction about your own senior year and then start to question what is truly fiction and what’s fact when the lines start to blur. Katherine was a good writer back then and she’s become an excellent writer as an adult. Even if you didn’t grow up in Ojibway, this is still a book with some powerful lessons for YA readers. Nicely done, Mara.
March 10, 2025
The chronology in this book is rather confusing, as the author often mixed up present tense and past in flashback sequences. I think I got the general ideas, but I’m not sure.
Content is predictable but well organized, addressing the expected issues and stereotypes, with a few surprises for us. Listing playlists with each chapter has become a little tired, but it is still probably a lot of fun for fans of 90s music. The ending is a muddle, although the MC seems to have found answers to a lot of her questions.
The pivotal event of the book is very well done, keeping the reader in the moment with vivid details and realistic outcomes.
Overall, not essential reading, but youth leaders might read it for insight into church programs and events.
Young adults will enjoy the historical details and the universal joys of succeeding in competitions, first love, and friendships.
ETA The representation of Christianity in the book reveals a serious and sad misunderstanding of the Gospel message and of Jesus, one devoid of love and compassion, of joy and renewal.
I encourage anyone troubled by this to read the Gospel of John and the descriptions of finding Jesus in testimonies of Christians the world over. Along with John Wesley, my own heart was changed in a moment of wonder as I invited the Lord into my heart. I’ve experienced miracles over and over!
Content is predictable but well organized, addressing the expected issues and stereotypes, with a few surprises for us. Listing playlists with each chapter has become a little tired, but it is still probably a lot of fun for fans of 90s music. The ending is a muddle, although the MC seems to have found answers to a lot of her questions.
The pivotal event of the book is very well done, keeping the reader in the moment with vivid details and realistic outcomes.
Overall, not essential reading, but youth leaders might read it for insight into church programs and events.
Young adults will enjoy the historical details and the universal joys of succeeding in competitions, first love, and friendships.
ETA The representation of Christianity in the book reveals a serious and sad misunderstanding of the Gospel message and of Jesus, one devoid of love and compassion, of joy and renewal.
I encourage anyone troubled by this to read the Gospel of John and the descriptions of finding Jesus in testimonies of Christians the world over. Along with John Wesley, my own heart was changed in a moment of wonder as I invited the Lord into my heart. I’ve experienced miracles over and over!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews