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Family Fruits of Faith #1
A New Shade of Paint
Daddy issues? She’s got lots. So it’s unfortunate when Shannon Conrad is forced to move in with the father she hates. It doesn’t help that the boy next door is up to no good. Not only does Shannon have to deal with constant anger toward a dad who never stops hurting her, now she has to figure out what to do with attention she doesn’t want—or does she? Her new friend Jesse thinks Jesus is the answer to all her problems. She thinks he’s nuts. Then Shannon stumbles upon a long-held secret that rocks her core identity, and she has to decide for herself what defines her. Is she a mistake—or a miracle? Her decision will determine her future, and just when she’s ready to forgive her dad, disaster happens, and she might have lost her chance forever. Is it too late to tell her dad, “I love you”? Does it even matter?
403 pages, Paperback
Published January 29, 2019
23 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 11, 2019
I really appreciated how the author showed God at work in the characters' lives. Sin and its consequences were not glossed over, but dealt with in a manner that did not seem contrived but showed that God has the power to redeem if we'll but submit to Him.
January 11, 2023
This author was recommended to me by a friend and after looking the author up on Kindle Unlimited, this book was the first to pop up. It took me almost 2 weeks to finish as I found it to be a hard read for me because of what the story dealt with and in general, the topic of the story just hit too close to home for me. But I give it 10/10 and I do plan on reading the other two books that follows this one.
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July 10, 2019
Deep & emotional story. Tackled lots of tough issues. Loved how Shannon held true and didn't give in to temptation and how she came to see how loved she was by God and that she wasn't a mistake! Look forward to book 2 to see what happens next for these characters. I only hope that the author doesn't put them through the mill quite as much as she did in the first book! Don't think my emotions could handle that......
May 27, 2019
New author to me. This is not the type of book I normally read. BUT, I was drawn into the characters and the events in their lives. There were real struggles for the teens and how they handled them and found God in the process. I cannot wait for the next book to come out. This family became friends.
April 3, 2022
Nice Story
I like story but I think Shannon was given WAY too much responsibility when she still grieving her mother's death. The way Kevin treated them at times was child abuse, it was never reported or discussed. I don't think Shannon should have been given the same discipline as her sister when she lied, Kevin should have expected her cover for her sister.
I like story but I think Shannon was given WAY too much responsibility when she still grieving her mother's death. The way Kevin treated them at times was child abuse, it was never reported or discussed. I don't think Shannon should have been given the same discipline as her sister when she lied, Kevin should have expected her cover for her sister.
May 3, 2025
Fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction series starter
This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction series starter. The story was believable and the characters were heartwarming. Parent Guide: due to some situations and difficult topics, I would encourage you to pre read this book before sharing with your older teens and above.
This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction series starter. The story was believable and the characters were heartwarming. Parent Guide: due to some situations and difficult topics, I would encourage you to pre read this book before sharing with your older teens and above.
August 9, 2020
God doesn’t make mistakes
Wow! These girls went through so many awful things. I can’t even imagine all that Shannon had to do! I think that every person in high school or college should read this book. Very well done!
Wow! These girls went through so many awful things. I can’t even imagine all that Shannon had to do! I think that every person in high school or college should read this book. Very well done!
May 5, 2019
Shannon’s mom just died. She thinks she will be continuing life in Chicago with her step-dad. But in the three weeks after her mom’s death, the father she hasn’t seen in nine years shows up and wins custody in a court case and moves Shannon and sister Laura to Virginia with less than a week to get used to the idea. Kevin doesn’t know how to parent the girls although he has a son from his first wife who is older than Shannon and two younger children from his third wife who recently left him. Anger is prevalent in the household as are many poor parenting decisions. Talk about a dysfunctional family. In spite of everything Shannon has a good head on her shoulders and struggles through her difficulties and comes out stronger on the other side. Through the witness of a friend her father doesn’t like, Shannon is lead to the Lord. The change in her life gradually leads other family members and friends to make changes in their lives – a true picture of what letting our light shine can do.
A New Shade of Paint is one of those books I had a hard time putting down. Emily Botrous wrote a well-developed plot and created believable characters a reader can connect to. She deals respectfully with tough issues like dealing with poor parenting, the negative aspects of promiscuous sex, and standing up for what is right. The growth in her characters is phenomenal. The fact that Shannon can go from hating her father to forgiving him in just a few month time in spite of the fact that her father’s behavior doesn’t really change shows the power Christ can have in the life of one of his children. When Kurt goes from having one-night stands after one-night stand to a commitment to abstinence for year is incredible. The positive example of Kurt’s father (who has only been a Christian for a year) for the type of father a Christian man should be is a big contrast over the type of father Kevin (who apparently was raised in a Christian home) is. I for one cannot wait see where book 2 takes the characters. The second book in the series due out Summer 2019.
I highly recommend A New Shade of Paint. While I would limit check-out to high school only due to discussion of promiscuous sex, I would not hesitate to add the book to my K-12 Christian School library.
I want to thank Emily Botrous for the complimentary e-copy of A New Shade of Paint.
A New Shade of Paint is one of those books I had a hard time putting down. Emily Botrous wrote a well-developed plot and created believable characters a reader can connect to. She deals respectfully with tough issues like dealing with poor parenting, the negative aspects of promiscuous sex, and standing up for what is right. The growth in her characters is phenomenal. The fact that Shannon can go from hating her father to forgiving him in just a few month time in spite of the fact that her father’s behavior doesn’t really change shows the power Christ can have in the life of one of his children. When Kurt goes from having one-night stands after one-night stand to a commitment to abstinence for year is incredible. The positive example of Kurt’s father (who has only been a Christian for a year) for the type of father a Christian man should be is a big contrast over the type of father Kevin (who apparently was raised in a Christian home) is. I for one cannot wait see where book 2 takes the characters. The second book in the series due out Summer 2019.
I highly recommend A New Shade of Paint. While I would limit check-out to high school only due to discussion of promiscuous sex, I would not hesitate to add the book to my K-12 Christian School library.
I want to thank Emily Botrous for the complimentary e-copy of A New Shade of Paint.
August 16, 2019
This book was as confusing as abuse is.
Shannon goes to live with her abusive father after her mother dies, pulling her away from her healthy step father. While her father has times of being loving, he is physically and mentally abusive throughout the book, and it is never really quite called that. Instead, she seeks to replace his children's mother, and he lets her because he needs daycare, a cook and everything else. He has no care for her education, except to isolate her from the one person that could help her. It is no wonder in the book that she is drawn to another abuser, rather than the healthy guy in the book.
I hesitate to recommend it, although it is very well written, the characters are totally relatable and I enjoyed it, but I felt the premise of the story was not resolved in a healthy way.
Shannon goes to live with her abusive father after her mother dies, pulling her away from her healthy step father. While her father has times of being loving, he is physically and mentally abusive throughout the book, and it is never really quite called that. Instead, she seeks to replace his children's mother, and he lets her because he needs daycare, a cook and everything else. He has no care for her education, except to isolate her from the one person that could help her. It is no wonder in the book that she is drawn to another abuser, rather than the healthy guy in the book.
I hesitate to recommend it, although it is very well written, the characters are totally relatable and I enjoyed it, but I felt the premise of the story was not resolved in a healthy way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews