Customer Reviews

Miracle Girls #4: Love Will Keep Us Together: A Miracle Girls Novel (Miracle Girls Novels)

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Love Will Keep Us Together by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt is the fourth and final book in the Miracle Girls series. Riley McGee, Supergirl, finally gets to carry her own title. Readers have seen her through the eyes of her friends, now she can tell her own story. At the beginning of her senior year, the pressure is finally starting to weigh her down. Her parents have dreams of her attending Harvard. Her friends want to go to USC with them, but Riley has no idea what she wants to do with her life. Ex-boyfriend Tom reappears wanting to rekindle their romance, but fellow youth group member Ben strikes something in Riley that she didn't even know existed. Senior year is a tough time for any teen, but it's incredibly difficult for Riley who has always achieved perfection. Straight As, cheerleader, and she takes good care of her brother Mike who has Asperger's. She's never really had a chance to need anyone or ask for help, so when Riley faces the confusion and fears of moving to adulthood, she has no one to turn to. Riley was hard to relate to in the previous books; she always came across as Miss Perfect, so seeing her heartache and pain makes her very sympathetic for teens and their moms. She's also struggling with faith and church in a way that many will relate to as well. I am truly sad to see the end of the Miracle Girls, but the authors end it just right.

Oh high school. Boy am I glad those days are over. There was so much I hated about high school - the drama, the worrying about whether I was part of the "in crowd" and all those silly boys. Plus there's all the worrying about what you're going to do next in life, trying to get into the right college, and choosing the right path so that you will have a good job and career. It's a rough time and I have felt that the Miracle Girls series have perfectly portrayed this tough and memorable point in one's life.

In this book, we finally get the story from Riley's POV. She's been a character that I've found intriguing since the beginning of the story. Outside she puts up a front as a cheerleader who has it all together with her looks, her smarts, and her boyfriend. Inside however she's weak and fragile and worrying about her younger brother who has autism. Throughout the book is Riley's struggle between the two worlds and how she tries to fit in both of them. There is a great deal about dealing with a child with autism in the book which I found educational and enlightening. Also as well is the four friends trying to figure out their future. I could easily relate to trying to keep the old gang together and the finally realizing we have to all split up and go our own ways.

I am so glad that Anna finally mellowed out in this book. While I like her character, she has just drove me nuts throughout the series about her grades. I totally understand her drive to be no. 1 in the class and to get good scholarships, but it was ruining her relationship with her friends. Riley's final outcome, while a bit unexpected considering where she stood in the class, is something that is quite normal in high schools these days. Sometimes you just need a couple of years to figure out what you want next in life.

While I really enjoyed the book, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the cover. I only say this because the girls represented on the cover don't seem to match up with the descriptions of the characters throughout the books. The girl that is supposed to represent Riley seems shorter and more muscular than what I expected a cheerleader like Riley to be. Other than this little qualm, I loved the book. I have enjoyed the series from the beginning and am really sad to see the series end. I know I say this about a lot of books but I really felt as if I connected with the characters and have watched them grow. Reading this series brought back many memories of high school (both the good and bad) and made me wish that I could either relive or change things I had done back then.

I really hope Anne and May will have a new book coming out in the future. As a huge fan of their writing I have read all their books and won't know what to do now that there is no new book in the future! If you are a fan of YA lit and of Christian fiction that tells things like how they really are or even want a trip back to your high school days, the Miracle Girls series are the perfect books for you. This is a series I always recommend and will probably always will. HIGHLY recommended.

BTW when you read the book, be sure to check out the acknowledgments page. I was SOOO geeked to see it!

I love this series. This is book #4 and the end of the series, I am sorry to see it go. We have followed 4 very different girls through their 4 years of high school. This book is their senior year through Riley's eyes. There is no doubt that along with a senior year comes many decisions and choices that have to be made. Riley learns that first hand and is trying to figure out how to make everybody happy when she doesn't know what it is that will make her happy. In the process she manages to make no one happy including herself.

What college will each girl go to? Will they manage to all make it into the same college and stay together? Who might mess up the plan? Except for the fact that Riley is kind of whiny about not knowing what she wants I really liked this book. I love that this is a series that is perfect for my daughter to read, I am thankful for books like this.

Oh to be young again! Actually, I wouldn't want to relive my high school days, but this book did bring back some fond memories of that time in my life when I made the transition from high school to college. It is a fun and exciting time, and a bit scary. The authors captured that emotion so well in Riley's story. I can definitely understand her fears and uncertainties as she gets ready to become a grown-up. Even though I have not read the previous Miracle Girls stories, I really did enjoy this one and the special friendship the Miracle Girls share.

This book has a very positive message for teenage girls. It shows that you do not have to be perfect to make a difference in this world. You just have to do your best and be yourself and God will bless you. I would recommend this book, and I'm sure all the Miracle Girls books, to any young woman on the verge of this milestone. I truly enjoyed each moment of Love Will Keep Us Together.

This was an enjoyable conclusion to a good series. I read the book from cover to cover in one day. The issues addressed were relevant to teens today. There was even a bit of romance that made me smile. While nothing written took any risks in regards to confronting some of the tougher issues in life, I still found it enjoyable.

One thing was a downside for me as a reader and social worker. The scenes with Michael, the brother with Asperger's Syndrome, were not what I've experienced in my work over the past eight years with hundreds of children and adults who have a diagnosis of Autism. Michael definitely exhibited more traits of classic autism than Asperger's based on his characterization in this novel, but that wasn't enough to ruin the book for me.

On a different note, the realistic thoughts the heroine Riley had regarding her feelings toward their church and how things had changed (and not necessarily for the better) was refreshingly honest. Same goes for the situation with the teen pregnancy and the church's initial response to it. The overall theme of this book was to be true to yourself. The conclusion was for young people to be true to their own dreams and not just do what other people expect of them. Also, it's okay to admit your faults and mistakes as long as it keeps you real. I appreciated the message that not making a decision is still making one. That's a great lesson for today's youth.

Graduation is looming over the Miracle Girls as Pomp and Circumstance can be heard in the distance. Ana, Zoey, and Christine all have their futures planned out, but for Riley, not so much. Even if she is the most well-rounded student at Marina Vista, there are too many roads to take.

The age old "what are you going to do when you graduate" question is one that Riley can't answer quite yet. This becomes even more evident during the college tours. Not sure who to talk to, or who the best person to talk to is, for some reason Tom's number is the one she presses the most. However, with the announcement of his return and the fact that the other Miracle Girls despise him, Riley is once again conflicted. Riley knows that letting Tom back in isn't safe for her heart.

While protecting her heart, Riley must also protect her brother, Michael, who has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. Still having a rough time at school, Michael faces those who aren't receptive to a person who is different then them. Riley may feel guilty for feeling a little embarrassed by him, but she still has to stand up for him. She is on a mission to find a doctor to help her brother out, because if she decides to go away, no one will look out for him.

Riley also begins to develop a relationship with Ben, someone who she never thought she would hang out with or even talk to. But Ben is having family problems of his own, mainly involving his sister, Asha, and he's someone Riley can easily talk to. Riley also must console Ana, as tragedy strikes someone close to her, and stand up for Asha, who everyone turns their back on for a decision she made.

Join Riley in the fourth installment of the MIRACLE GIRLS series as she struggles in finding the right path for herself and for others. Riley just needs to remember that there still is that special person who will guide her.

LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER continues the series that is full of substance and reality. Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt keep the momentum going from the very first page to the heartwarming ending. This installment focuses on so many issues that teens go through, from selecting a college, to figuring out your future, to pregnancies, autism, and death.

Readers will be flipping the pages with one hand while holding a tissue in the other. The love that the Miracle Girls have for one another is awe-inspiring, and it's great to know that it will keep them together.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Love Will Keep Us Together is a curious name for this book. It reminds me of the love song by Captain and Tennille. But in this adolescent lit book, it's not referring to a romantic relationship. The Miracle Girls are four best friends who have reached their senior year of high school and are looking toward life after graduation. They have been inseparable since freshman year, but now colleges in different locations beckon. The title implies that the book is about their struggle with the inevitable separation. In a way it is, but Riley, the main character, is in denial, and not only refuses to face the future, she pushes her friends away.

If you like adolescent lit, you will really enjoy this book. I raced through it, watching Riley make poor decisions while she faces a future she realizes is someone else's dream. Although she seems to have it all - she's popular, a straight A student, a cheerleader and a strong Christian - she reveals insecurities you would expect in a 17 year old. While she withdraws, her friends, and several caring adults, won't let her go and in the end she finds a future she can look forward to. Of course, since it is a book for girls, there is also romance and the title may not just be about friendship.

The story is told by Riley in first person, and because she is so absorbed in her decisions and is pushing her friends away, she is the only character that really comes to life. There is one love interest that intrigued me, but we see him through her eyes as well. On the other hand, her voice is strong and the reader gets an authentic view of the world of a teenager. In spite of her self-absorption, her love for her family and friends motivates her.

I would recommend it to any girl who wants a light, but gripping, book to read.

Pros: Strong view of the struggles of an (almost) ordinary teenage girl. The action is fast paced enough to keep your interest, but the book is really about the confusing emotions of an emerging woman.

Cons: Everyone is almost too perfect. The characters are properly diverse, pretty and smart. Not too many teens quite fit this mold.

This review was originally posted on Pix-N-Pens [...]