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Sierra Jensen #4
Close Your Eyes
When Sierra volunteers to help at a local shelter for the homeless, she finds herself much more involved than she planned, especially when Paul shows up there as a staff worker
139 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
5 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Robin Jones Gunn
165 books2,661 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 29, 2015
This book was all over the place. Sierra has two boys in her life - 19-year-old Paul and 16-year-old Randy.
PAUL: She's only met Paul once, and when she met him, she instantly was attracted to him. He was attracted to her too - until he found out she was only 16. She immediately demanded that the dump his non-Christian girlfriend and get back with the Lord. Instead of being offended, Paul found this amusing, and later writes her a letter saying that he did dump his girlfriend. Ever since then, Sierra's been daydreaming about him and thinking stuff like:
The really fun thing about Paul was that the more she had thought about him in the last few months, the more she had convinced herself she had a crush on him. No, more than that: She and Paul were brought together by God, and she just knew that something had to happen between them - hopefully, very soon.
I find this disturbing.
Paul comes back into her life because her sister is dating Paul's brother. They don't really get a chance to talk, but they volunteer together at the same homeless shelter. He smiles at her and flirts with her mildly - and she's crazy about him. However, he's leaving to do mission work in Scotland for a year.
When they finally DO get to talk - Paul asks her father for permission to take Sierra out to coffee - Paul ends up being a condescending little shit. Here she is, breathless, totally taken with this guy, and he's all like, "Oh, I heard you have a crush on me! How cute." Smirk, smirk. Sierra is filled with rage and sadness, but totally handles this like a boss. She pretends that it doesn't bother her, and gives him some good advice about God and wishes him a good trip to Scotland. He seems confused and deflated by this response. I was cheering! I don't usually see 16-year-olds with this kind of grace.
BOY NUMBER 2: RANDY
Okay, Randy is complicated. At the beginning of the book I was kind of pissed with him, since in the last book he lead Sierra on, making her think he was taking her to Formal, when really he was taking Vicki. Now, it appears that he goes over to her house and hangs out with her, playing games with her family and eating dinner with her family - a few times a week.
Sierra treats this guy as nothing more than a friend. She only has friend/brother feelings towards him. But does he have a crush on her? Unclear. There's times in this book when it seems very foggy.
For instance, sometimes he invites her to stuff, and it's a group outing, but it kind of seems like he wants to be alone with her.
Like I said, he spends untold hours with her and her family.
Also, once he said "We need to talk" and waited in the living room for 40 minutes while she got distracted playing Scrabble. Total jerk move on her part. However, when Randy sees her again after this, his first question to her is "Are you okay?" Total sweetheart move on his part. She apologizes and they make up, but there's NO resolution on what he wanted to talk to her about.
Lastly, when they're at a concert together, she give him a hug and tells him "Thank you for being such a good friend."
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE JONES GUNN IS GOING WTIH THIS.
Are we supposed to root for her to get together with Paul, the rakish adventurer who once strayed from God but is now coming back to church like a prodigal son? The one who's three years older than her and who she desperately wants to kiss hold hands with?
Or are we rooting for Randy, the solid guy who she can always count on, the dependable one who knows her family and is her loyal friend?
But, and this is really important to me, she has NO desire to kiss Randy hold Randy's hand. And I think sexual attraction is really important in a relationship. Also, if I were Randy, I'd be really pissed to think Sierra was settling for me when she really wanted Paul. I wouldn't want to be anyone's consolation prize. He deserves a girl who swoons over him and wants to hold his hand just as much as Sierra dreams about Paul and wants to hold Paul's hand.
You - yes, you, Reader - deserve to be with someone who's sexually attracted to you. Never settle.
And is Sierra going to settle? Right now, if Jones Gunn told me her and Randy get married, I would feel sad. Both of them would be being cheated - Randy deserves a wife who thinks he's sexy and Sierra deserves a husband that she's sexually attracted to.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
...
LAST POINT: Just talk to Randy, Sierra. If you have feelings for him, if you don't have feelings for him - if he has feelings for you, if he doesn't have feelings for you. If you two are dating, if you two aren't dating - guess what? All this can be cleared up with a simple conversation - a conversation you two are refusing to have. Just bleeping talk to each other. It's not that difficult.
PAUL: She's only met Paul once, and when she met him, she instantly was attracted to him. He was attracted to her too - until he found out she was only 16. She immediately demanded that the dump his non-Christian girlfriend and get back with the Lord. Instead of being offended, Paul found this amusing, and later writes her a letter saying that he did dump his girlfriend. Ever since then, Sierra's been daydreaming about him and thinking stuff like:
The really fun thing about Paul was that the more she had thought about him in the last few months, the more she had convinced herself she had a crush on him. No, more than that: She and Paul were brought together by God, and she just knew that something had to happen between them - hopefully, very soon.
I find this disturbing.
Paul comes back into her life because her sister is dating Paul's brother. They don't really get a chance to talk, but they volunteer together at the same homeless shelter. He smiles at her and flirts with her mildly - and she's crazy about him. However, he's leaving to do mission work in Scotland for a year.
When they finally DO get to talk - Paul asks her father for permission to take Sierra out to coffee - Paul ends up being a condescending little shit. Here she is, breathless, totally taken with this guy, and he's all like, "Oh, I heard you have a crush on me! How cute." Smirk, smirk. Sierra is filled with rage and sadness, but totally handles this like a boss. She pretends that it doesn't bother her, and gives him some good advice about God and wishes him a good trip to Scotland. He seems confused and deflated by this response. I was cheering! I don't usually see 16-year-olds with this kind of grace.
BOY NUMBER 2: RANDY
Okay, Randy is complicated. At the beginning of the book I was kind of pissed with him, since in the last book he lead Sierra on, making her think he was taking her to Formal, when really he was taking Vicki. Now, it appears that he goes over to her house and hangs out with her, playing games with her family and eating dinner with her family - a few times a week.
Sierra treats this guy as nothing more than a friend. She only has friend/brother feelings towards him. But does he have a crush on her? Unclear. There's times in this book when it seems very foggy.
For instance, sometimes he invites her to stuff, and it's a group outing, but it kind of seems like he wants to be alone with her.
Like I said, he spends untold hours with her and her family.
Also, once he said "We need to talk" and waited in the living room for 40 minutes while she got distracted playing Scrabble. Total jerk move on her part. However, when Randy sees her again after this, his first question to her is "Are you okay?" Total sweetheart move on his part. She apologizes and they make up, but there's NO resolution on what he wanted to talk to her about.
Lastly, when they're at a concert together, she give him a hug and tells him "Thank you for being such a good friend."
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE JONES GUNN IS GOING WTIH THIS.
Are we supposed to root for her to get together with Paul, the rakish adventurer who once strayed from God but is now coming back to church like a prodigal son? The one who's three years older than her and who she desperately wants to
Or are we rooting for Randy, the solid guy who she can always count on, the dependable one who knows her family and is her loyal friend?
But, and this is really important to me, she has NO desire to
You - yes, you, Reader - deserve to be with someone who's sexually attracted to you. Never settle.
And is Sierra going to settle? Right now, if Jones Gunn told me her and Randy get married, I would feel sad. Both of them would be being cheated - Randy deserves a wife who thinks he's sexy and Sierra deserves a husband that she's sexually attracted to.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
...
LAST POINT: Just talk to Randy, Sierra. If you have feelings for him, if you don't have feelings for him - if he has feelings for you, if he doesn't have feelings for you. If you two are dating, if you two aren't dating - guess what? All this can be cleared up with a simple conversation - a conversation you two are refusing to have. Just bleeping talk to each other. It's not that difficult.
January 19, 2019
Title: Close Your Eyes
Author: Robin Jones Gunn
Series: Sierra Jensen, #4
Format: bind-up
Length: 135 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Favourite character: Sierra
Least favourite character: N/A
Mini-review: I like this series more than I liked the Christy Miller series. Sierra seems to be maturing whereas Christy never really did. She just kind of woke up mature in time to introduce Sierra. Sierra is head-strong and Christy was a pleaser, which bugs the heck out of me in books. I liked this book.
Fan-cast:
Sierra Jensen - Willow Shields
Tawni Jensen - Tiera Skovbye
Randy Jenkins - Christian Martyn
Amy Degrassi - Katelyn Nacon
Drake - Gavin Casalegno
Vicki - Isabel May
Paul Mackenzie - Shameik Moore
Wes Jensen - Dylan Sprouse
Author: Robin Jones Gunn
Series: Sierra Jensen, #4
Format: bind-up
Length: 135 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Favourite character: Sierra
Least favourite character: N/A
Mini-review: I like this series more than I liked the Christy Miller series. Sierra seems to be maturing whereas Christy never really did. She just kind of woke up mature in time to introduce Sierra. Sierra is head-strong and Christy was a pleaser, which bugs the heck out of me in books. I liked this book.
Fan-cast:
Sierra Jensen - Willow Shields
Tawni Jensen - Tiera Skovbye
Randy Jenkins - Christian Martyn
Amy Degrassi - Katelyn Nacon
Drake - Gavin Casalegno
Vicki - Isabel May
Paul Mackenzie - Shameik Moore
Wes Jensen - Dylan Sprouse
December 27, 2024
I don’t rate these books 5 stars because they’re the best i’ve ever read but they’re in one of my all time favorite interconnected series that i started reading when i was 11. Now as i’m reading this series for the first time, from the world that i love so much i just get the same feelings and thoughts swirling around my head as when i first read the other books. God always gives me something to hold on to from each book and from this was it was this “Don’t let me settle for anything less than Your best.
August 23, 2023
(2011) "I want to do more. I want to learn to live boldly and bravely for You, Lord, to reach out and really make a difference in this world You made."
(2023) "Please don't let me ever settle for anything less than Your best."
(2023) "Please don't let me ever settle for anything less than Your best."
March 31, 2023
Sierra's gets group with some kids at school to do a project and they volunteer at a house that feeds and helps people. There she sees Paul, who's also working/volunteering -
When Paul and Sierra are at the coffee shop, I loved the way she handled it when he seemed to be making fun of her.
Looking forward to the next book.
When Paul and Sierra are at the coffee shop, I loved the way she handled it when he seemed to be making fun of her.
Looking forward to the next book.
March 21, 2023
Close Your Eyes was a fine read. While a lot happened in this book, not much of it was memorable. I felt bad for Randy at times, because it seemed like Sierra was stringing him along (even though they were only just friends). I'm glad that she realized what a great friend he is at the end of the book. Paul is going away to Scotland for a year, so it'll be interesting to see what happens next with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2017
Another great young adult novel featuring the spunky heroine Sierra Jensen. I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that a character who has been absent since the middle of the first book appears, and makes things much more interesting.
September 4, 2025
Number of pages: 128
Genre: Contemporary YA
Series: Sierra Jensen Series #4
Age recommendation: High School (15/16)
Summary: Sierra hasn’t stopped praying for Paul, the guy she met at the airport on the way home from her mission trip, but she hasn’t really heard if her efforts have been fruitful. When she goes to help out at a homeless shelter for a school project, she runs into Paul again, and he seems to be doing a lot better. Could he be a part of her future?
My thoughts: I thought it was really cool that Sierra’s teacher made it a school assignment to go volunteer somewhere and then do a presentation about what you learned while helping out. Something like that would never have happened at my high school.
I can’t believe Sierra’s parents let Tawni go away to model. Even if you’re not a “swimsuit model” as Tawni put it, models are still essentially selling their bodies. I don’t think it’s the kind of lifestyle a Christian should be involved in, however, I don’t know that much about it so I probably shouldn't judge.
I like how even though Sierra is very impulsive in her behaviour, she is also quick to apologize and make things right when she steps out of line. It makes the book more realistic to have characters that mess up, and I love that these mistakes and misunderstandings weren’t ignored and stewed over internally, but just dealt with immediately. Sierra provides a good example of forgiving others.
It was really exciting at the end when
Randy is the best guy character in this series. He’s not right for Sierra, but he’s just such a nice guy. I’m glad Sierra cleared up their relationship in this book, and even though he likes her, he’s fine with staying “buddies.”
Overall, it was another good book that I really enjoyed reading!
My personal rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...
Genre: Contemporary YA
Series: Sierra Jensen Series #4
Age recommendation: High School (15/16)
Summary: Sierra hasn’t stopped praying for Paul, the guy she met at the airport on the way home from her mission trip, but she hasn’t really heard if her efforts have been fruitful. When she goes to help out at a homeless shelter for a school project, she runs into Paul again, and he seems to be doing a lot better. Could he be a part of her future?
My thoughts: I thought it was really cool that Sierra’s teacher made it a school assignment to go volunteer somewhere and then do a presentation about what you learned while helping out. Something like that would never have happened at my high school.
I can’t believe Sierra’s parents let Tawni go away to model. Even if you’re not a “swimsuit model” as Tawni put it, models are still essentially selling their bodies. I don’t think it’s the kind of lifestyle a Christian should be involved in, however, I don’t know that much about it so I probably shouldn't judge.
I like how even though Sierra is very impulsive in her behaviour, she is also quick to apologize and make things right when she steps out of line. It makes the book more realistic to have characters that mess up, and I love that these mistakes and misunderstandings weren’t ignored and stewed over internally, but just dealt with immediately. Sierra provides a good example of forgiving others.
It was really exciting at the end when
Randy is the best guy character in this series. He’s not right for Sierra, but he’s just such a nice guy. I’m glad Sierra cleared up their relationship in this book, and even though he likes her, he’s fine with staying “buddies.”
Overall, it was another good book that I really enjoyed reading!
My personal rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...
February 20, 2019
“Close Your Eyes,” the fourth book in the Sierra Jensen series by Robin Jones Gunn, by no surprise is far from disappointing. Sierra’s story continues, and addresses the mystery of Paul’s role in her life. I honestly wish there was more of a storyline, but this book left me eager to read the next in the series!
November 13, 2023
Boy, this series is just reminding me why teenage boy/girl stuff is exhausting and why building friendships at this age is so important. I love that Sierra was willing to go to serious prayer for the person God laid on her heart. She's a fun heroine with a heart for God, and I love that about her.
March 20, 2019
Amazing book, absolutely loved it.
May 17, 2020
Paul, though?!
June 28, 2023
I've read this book before- but I still couldn't put it down.
I still think the third book has been my favorite so far but this one was pretty good too :)
I still think the third book has been my favorite so far but this one was pretty good too :)
June 3, 2025
"I was surprised that Paul shows up because I thought that we weren't going to hear from him again." -Cadee, age 12
August 22, 2025
3.5 stars
March 18, 2009
An overall enjoyable book, I liked seeing how Sierra could manage to get herself into this situations where she would have to think her way through. I liked this series and pretty much whipped through the whole lot of them. I would recommend to fans of the Christy Miller series.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
November 13, 2017
I feel like Sierra fumbles through her life, dating especially, a lot more than Christy ever did which makes this a feel like a more accurate depiction of teen years. It's impossible for me not to constantly compare the two characters, seeing as they both have long series dedicated to them. But I also thinks Sierra stands pretty well on her own.
Read
March 26, 2010F GUN sj bk.3
September 5, 2018
Last read May 2011
December 21, 2017
I'm definitely a different reader now than I was in middle school, but that hasn't changed my appreciation for Robin Jones Gunn.
March 6, 2013
March 2013 re-read.
March 29, 2018
Good book. Can't wait to start the next book!!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews