Review: One Last Thing by Rebecca St. James & Nancy Rue

A hope-filled soon-to-be bride makes a discovery about her fiancé that rocks her world and provokes a maelstrom of decisions and self-discovery.

Tara Faulkner has dreamed of her wedding and the life she and her fiancé Seth will share in their hometown of Savannah . . . and by all accounts, it should be a charmed one. But when she discovers three weeks before the wedding that Seth is seriously addicted to pornography, Tara's dreams are shattered.

She must decide whether she will stand by Seth, but she also must let go of the dream she shaped for herself and discover a real vision for her life--and where it will come from. With all else falling apart, Tara encounters an unexpected--and unlikely--group of women mentors. They help her peel back the layers of shaming secrets and begin to clearly see the real issues of her generation.

In the end, she's able to make a decision based on God's vision--not her own.

Paperback, 368 pages

Expected publication: March 10th 2015 by Thomas Nelson

Terri's Thoughts

**I received an advance readers copy of this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is March 10th 2015**

Discalimer - I am writing these initial thoughts at only 7% of the book as my reaction is so strong I feel the need to share it before continuing lest I forget upon completion of the book.  Tara walks in on her fiancée and catches him watching a porn video on his computer.  Her reaction is one that I can not comprehend.  Yes it is tasteless, trashy and I do not understand the appeal but her reaction is like he is a monster.  It is the reaction as if she caught him in the act of murder, molestation or even cheating or some other unforgiveable act.  She views him as a monster and visualizes what it would mean to have to cancel the wedding as a result .  If I were in her shoes I would be disappointed and disgusted but is this really such a horrific act?  Would I walk out without an explanation or discussing it?  Would I treat it as cheating?  I think not. They are saving themselves for marriage...could this be an underlying factor in to his decision?  I don't know but I worry about the direction this book will take and it may end up too "preachy" for me.  I just can't see this as something I would take such a stand on (don't get me wrong....it is gross and I don't condone it and a knock down drag out fight would probably ensure but....)  Onward I continue to see how this turns out.

I have now gone on to finish the book.  I have to admit that it almost went in my DNF pile on multiple occasions.  Since I do not believe in putting a book aside without giving it a fair shake I saw it through to the end.  For me, it did not get any better.

I am sure it could be debated endlessly the moral grounds of if this was a forgivable "crime" or not.  I am fairly conservative on my outlook of social issues and I still could not take Tara's side.  I agreed with her disgust however I did not agree with how she made it all about herself.  How she could not treat the situation like an adult and properly discuss what had happened.  I will not judge the decision to stay in or leave the relationship as that is a personal moral question and it would bother some people more than others.  For me yes it would bother me but I would not get all hurt because of someone else's actions.

Sorry guys I really couldn't see past this.  It felt like a preachers judgement to me instead of carefully telling the story of a personal moral journey.  I will not be recommending this book.  I am giving it a two star rating.  The only reason it gets the second star for me is because the writing style was easy to follow and flowed well.  Unfortunately that is the only thing I liked.

About the Authors

Rebecca St. James, an Australian-born Christian recording artist, is both a Grammy Award winner and a multiple Dove Award recipient. She is also the bestselling author of Wait for Me, SHE Teen, and What is He Thinking. In addition, St. James has appeared in the film Sarah's Choice and lent her voice to VeggieTales' An Easter Story.


Website:  http://www.rsjames.com
Twitter:  rebeccastjames

Nancy Rue is the author of over 100 books for adults and teens, including the Christy Award-winning The Reluctant Prophet, Unexpected Dismounts and Healing Waters (with Steve Arterburn), which was the 2009 Women of Faith Novel of the Year. She travels extensively—at times on the back of a Harley—speaking to and teaching groups of women of all ages. Nancy lives on a lake in Tennessee with her Harley-ridin’ husband, Jim, and their two yellow Labs (without whom writing would be difficult).


Website:  http://www.nancyrue.com/