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Sierra Jensen #10
Hold on Tight
While on a trip to Southern California with her friends and her brother who is scouting out potential colleges, Sierra realizes that she must soon make some decisions about her life
153 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Robin Jones Gunn
163 books2,643 followersROBIN JONES GUNN has written more than 100 books with over 6.5 million copies sold worldwide. Her Father Christmas books have been made into three Hallmark Christmas movies. The timeless Christy Miller series now continues in Christy & Todd: The College Years, Married Years, Baby Years, and the Haven Maker series. Robin's novels and non-fiction works include Before Your Tween Daughter Becomes a Woman, Victim of Grace, Praying for Your Future Husband, and Before You Meet Your Future Husband co-authored with Tricia Goyer. Her books have received multiple awards and are a favorite with book clubs and study groups. Many of Robin's books are in eBook, audiobook, large print, and foreign editions. Robin does a weekly Podcast called "Women Worth Knowing" with Cheryl Brodersen. Robin and her husband have a grown son and daughter and live in California.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 29, 2015
Road trip! Sierra, Vicki, Amy, Wes, Warner, and Randy go on a road trip to California to check out colleges.
Issues:
1.) Warner. This guy is a creep. Remember how in earlier books he was putting his arm around Sierra all the time and she didn't like it? Unwanted touching. Ick. Fortunately my girl Sierra shut that down like the boss she is.
However, Warner wants to go on the group trip. Sierra doesn't want him to come - for obvious reasons. Mainly, he's a creeper.
So - what do Sierra's parents do? Encourage Sierra to invite him along.
I am totally stunned. These are people who freak out at the idea of their daughter being kissed for the first time, and they are encouraging her to spend 5 days on a road trip with a creeper who obviously has problems respecting personal boundaries?!?!!?
It's as if: Oh, well you can't hang out with cute boy that you like because you two might kiss. But DEFINITELY hang out with creeper boy who you can't stand and are repulsed by - because hanging out with people you hate is "Christian" and we are sure that, since he's a creep, you won't let him kiss you.
If it was MY daughter and she was all, "I don't want to go on a road trip with this skeevy guy," I would be like, "Good. Stay away from skeevy guys." This just makes logical sense to me. However, Sierra's family challenges all logic. Nice, sweet boys and kissing = evil - they take you away from the Lord. Creepy, skeevy guys who want to touch you without permission and whom you feel uncomfortable with = reach out to them! They need to learn and grow in the Lord.
What a bunch of bullshit and also an example of terrible parenting. What is WRONG with those parents? Sheesh.
Luckily Warner continues to be a jerk and a moron and rude and disrespectful. This results in him breaking his arm in two places and not even making it halfway to California. Thank goodness. Crisis averted. I was really, genuinely afraid he would start hitting on Sierra again and then I'd have to hurt him. I hate men who can't take "no" for an answer.
2.) Sierra continues to OBSESS over other people's romantic relationships. I don't get this. First off, she's stressing out over things she can't even control. It's out of your control whether two people like each other or start dating each other. Secondly, it's none of her damn business. I mean, jeez. She is SO NOSY. Whom your friends date and whether they are choosing to (sinfully) French kiss or not is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Butt out, Baby.
Sierra spends, in total, about a third of the book freaking out over if her friends are flirting or not, if they "like" a certain guy or not, blah blah blah. So annoying.
3.) And as my last point, I really don't like Jones Gunn's continued messages about weight and dieting. Three times in this book (THREE!!!) she starts going on and on about how most girls gain weight freshman year in college and how terrible that is, and how important it is to monitor your diet and blah blah blah. I was like: Grrrrrrrrr. I feel like this was TOTALLY unnecessary, not plot-related at all, and just adding another thing for young people reading this book to fret over. Telling girls they have to stay virgins, never French kiss, not develop crushes because those "damage" them emotionally, and now also this kind of "you-must-be-thin" message on top of it all!? Argh. I can't take it. This really hurts my heart.
Not as if anyone in Jones Gunn's books is fat! Heaven forbid. They are all very slim, attractive, white young ladies.
Blergh.
Issues:
1.) Warner. This guy is a creep. Remember how in earlier books he was putting his arm around Sierra all the time and she didn't like it? Unwanted touching. Ick. Fortunately my girl Sierra shut that down like the boss she is.
However, Warner wants to go on the group trip. Sierra doesn't want him to come - for obvious reasons. Mainly, he's a creeper.
So - what do Sierra's parents do? Encourage Sierra to invite him along.
I am totally stunned. These are people who freak out at the idea of their daughter being kissed for the first time, and they are encouraging her to spend 5 days on a road trip with a creeper who obviously has problems respecting personal boundaries?!?!!?
It's as if: Oh, well you can't hang out with cute boy that you like because you two might kiss. But DEFINITELY hang out with creeper boy who you can't stand and are repulsed by - because hanging out with people you hate is "Christian" and we are sure that, since he's a creep, you won't let him kiss you.
If it was MY daughter and she was all, "I don't want to go on a road trip with this skeevy guy," I would be like, "Good. Stay away from skeevy guys." This just makes logical sense to me. However, Sierra's family challenges all logic. Nice, sweet boys and kissing = evil - they take you away from the Lord. Creepy, skeevy guys who want to touch you without permission and whom you feel uncomfortable with = reach out to them! They need to learn and grow in the Lord.
What a bunch of bullshit and also an example of terrible parenting. What is WRONG with those parents? Sheesh.
Luckily Warner continues to be a jerk and a moron and rude and disrespectful. This results in him breaking his arm in two places and not even making it halfway to California. Thank goodness. Crisis averted. I was really, genuinely afraid he would start hitting on Sierra again and then I'd have to hurt him. I hate men who can't take "no" for an answer.
2.) Sierra continues to OBSESS over other people's romantic relationships. I don't get this. First off, she's stressing out over things she can't even control. It's out of your control whether two people like each other or start dating each other. Secondly, it's none of her damn business. I mean, jeez. She is SO NOSY. Whom your friends date and whether they are choosing to (sinfully) French kiss or not is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Butt out, Baby.
Sierra spends, in total, about a third of the book freaking out over if her friends are flirting or not, if they "like" a certain guy or not, blah blah blah. So annoying.
3.) And as my last point, I really don't like Jones Gunn's continued messages about weight and dieting. Three times in this book (THREE!!!) she starts going on and on about how most girls gain weight freshman year in college and how terrible that is, and how important it is to monitor your diet and blah blah blah. I was like: Grrrrrrrrr. I feel like this was TOTALLY unnecessary, not plot-related at all, and just adding another thing for young people reading this book to fret over. Telling girls they have to stay virgins, never French kiss, not develop crushes because those "damage" them emotionally, and now also this kind of "you-must-be-thin" message on top of it all!? Argh. I can't take it. This really hurts my heart.
Not as if anyone in Jones Gunn's books is fat! Heaven forbid. They are all very slim, attractive, white young ladies.
Blergh.
September 25, 2017
Sierra Jensen and friends are off to sunny California! What lessons and adventures await them?
I'm running out of things to say about this series, so I'll just be uncharacteristically brief: This was another great installment. I'm curious to see how it ends in the next two books.
I'm running out of things to say about this series, so I'll just be uncharacteristically brief: This was another great installment. I'm curious to see how it ends in the next two books.
March 26, 2023
Hold On Tight takes Sierra and her friends on a road trip with her brother to visit colleges. There's drama at first with who was all invited, as Sierra only asked Amy and Vicki, but then Vicki invited their other friends thinking Sierra meant they all were invited. Eventually it's decided that Amy, Vicki, Randy, and Warner are going (along with Sierra) to meet up with her brother. Only shortly into the trip Warner gets into an accident while skateboarding so he's no longer continuing the trip.
My favorite part of the book was when they met up with Katie (she surprised them) when they visited the college she is attending.
My favorite part of the book was when they met up with Katie (she surprised them) when they visited the college she is attending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2016
Yeah. I finished this book in a day. XD
April 11, 2023
Sierra goes on a trip with her older brother, Wes, and some of her friends to visit colleges in California. They also stop at an amusement park and, finally, .
Some familiar faces make an appearance and it was fun to see them again.
Some familiar faces make an appearance and it was fun to see them again.
January 22, 2025
I'm revisiting Gunn's novels now that I'm actually in the stage of life these characters are in. This installment of the Sierra Jensen series follows Sierra on an eventful road trip to visit colleges with her friends, only weeks before she has to make a decision of her own. While not the best I've ever read, this was a solid YA novel with a complex main character and some unique side characters.
August 29, 2025
another fun book in a fav series!!! i’ve never read this before but it feels like a reread because the characters are so familiar & i’ve reread all the others in the series so many times!! it was also fun to read the chapters where they were at the coast while i too was there!
February 23, 2020
I think it's time I grow up and leave my boat.
April 18, 2023
Always good
November 18, 2023
Enjoyed the break from Paul and getting to see Katie again.
March 19, 2009
I liked reading about Sierra Jensen and her latest drama. I thought she did a pretty good job of handling the situation, if not learning a couple lessons along the way. I'd recommend to people who were fans of Robin Jones Gunn.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
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March 26, 2010F GUN sj bk.10
December 4, 2017
This book has a more organic way of bringing Katie (and Christy and friends) back into the story than the earlier books. I enjoy their road tripping adventures.
August 6, 2013
July 2013 re-read
January 6, 2026
In this book Sierra takes a road trip with all her friends to visit colleges. on there last stop she finds the college of her dreams.
September 5, 2018
Last read May 2011
March 29, 2018
I can't wait to start this next book. Going to start the next one now...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews