Oh, how I wish I had read this book when I was a teenager! How much grief it perhaps could have saved me! Catch Somewhere is a book about Kinsley Johnson, a 16-year-old girl struggling to find her identity, her moorings, her belonging-ness, her comfort. She makes all the wrong decisions, looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places – just like we all do. As a result, she suffers all the consequences of her choices, painfully, realistically. I found myself wincing time and again as I recalled how I had made similar (but different) choices…and suffered similar consequences.
But God… (How I love those words!) But God redeems Kinsley’s life. At first, such intervention makes her angry, and she feels betrayed. But then she is bowled over by love and grace and mercy. Her situation doesn’t become better overnight, but it does begin to reflect who she really is and where she can really find her significance.
I found this book difficult to read at times. Honestly, I had to put it down a few times because some of the writing hit a little too close to home for me. But I had to pick it back up because I desired to know how Kinsley solved those problems. I also had to put it down a couple of times because I didn’t want to burst out crying in a public place. Sometimes those tears were painful, remembering how I had chosen poorly as well. Sometimes those tears were of gratitude because of how God showed me love and mercy, just like He showed Kinsley.
My only critique of the book is that I wish it were longer. I highly recommend this book for any tween/teen girl who struggles to understand who she is and why she has significance – which means just about any girl you might know. Our world screams that significance can be found in looks or accomplishments, in drugs, sex, people groups, or shocking and destructive behaviors. Catch Somewhere points to a better Place, a better Way (the only Way) to truthfully define one’s self.