Customer Reviews

Sincerely, Mayla (Just As I Am Series #2)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Sincerely, Mayla was a great follow up to Just As I Am. At the beginning of the story the author expresses her hesitance in writing book two hoping that it will be able to stand up to book one that everyone enjoyed so much. Well, Virginia, no fears....it did! Mayla is back and is jobless. After the boss's niece moves in on Mayla job, Mayla begins to question herself. She has regrets about not going to college after high school and is stuck in a rut. However, after an interview in wet, snow soaked clothes (from trying to rescue a pet rabbit off the road), Mayla decides to head to Florida to visit the aunt and grandmother that she has not seen in years.

Aunt Louise and Grandmother were introduced in book one. Her father's relatives, she has lacked correspondence with them, after her mother's decision to end life support on her father, which led to anger and feelings of betrayal from the in-laws. From the moment Mayla jumps on the plane, readers are in for an action packed read! Lindsey, Alex's sister from book one is having struggles of her own and ends up hitchhiking to Kentucky and then greyhounding to Florida to discuss her problems with Mayla. Mayla is later saddled with an angry homosexual after his partner leaves him for Christianity! Meanwhile, don't forget about Pastor Paul. After confessing feelings for Paul, Mayla is turned down by the Pastor. So Mayla decides to get even by fabricating a love story about the music pastor from her Aunt and Grandmother's church. This really sets Mama's Tuesday night group to gossip!

I really enjoyed this book and once again the book was able to tackle many serious issues while remaining upbeat. I am impressed by Virginia Smith's work and am dying to get a hold of book three! I think that Mayla handled the situation with Lindsey well. I really enjoyed the patience that she showed with her. She was able to get her opinions across and she did not do it in a pushy manner. The author showed several times how to handle Christian issues without being pushy. Many people label Christians this way so I thought that was important. I also enjoyed the scripture throughout the book. Mayla was also just such an amazing witness. It is so awesome how many people were lead to Christ. The author showed how it is just a chain event....once one was led the other's saw the positive pieces of their lives and wanted to be a part of it. It is so important to remember how life altering witnessing can be. It is such an important role of Christian, but one that is sometimes overlooked. I cannot wait to see Mayla in book three!

Having thoroughly enjoyed "Just as I am", the first in this two book "Mayla" series I picked this one up and was not dissapointed in the least. Throughout the book Mayla faces a series of challenges that test both her patience and her faith. I was very impressed with the author in that she purposefully took on some spiritually and emotionally tough issues such as abortion and homosexuality, and handled them with scriptural accuracy as well as Jesus' grace, not the ungodly bigotry that sometimes surrounds these two issues. Kudos to you Ms. Smith! You even gave me the happily ever after ending I like in my books!!!

Sincerely, Mayla was a delight to read. Mayla, a bit quirky and headstrong, knows where she is going in life and doesn't mind telling people what they probably don't want to hear, but need to hear in order to know God and to grow.

She loses her job and moves in with her grandmother and aunt in Florida. But first, she needs to settle something with the pastor. Then she finds herself dealing with a troubled teenager who has gotten pregnant. And then there's the rabbit. Oh my!

Who else but God can help Mayla deal with life and the various circumstances we often find ourselves in? She's a headstrong Christian with a good heart, bent on straightening out a few things in her life. She's not one to "let things go".

Where else but in this book could you find a dysfunctional family, a pastor on the "rebound", a rabbit as stubborn as the person taking care of it, a teenager in trouble, a gay friend with a different point of view on Christianity, and then there's Mayla, with her hands full and right in the middle of everything!

I loved this story and wish now I had read Virginia Smith's first book about Mayla. Smith demonstrates her writing abilities to the fullest. Her story is smooth, her characters are real and she handles some of the toughest situations with ease and grace. I love it when a Christian book doesn't preach, but teaches the ways of God. Brilliantly and masterfully written, Smith has become another of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I give Sincerely, Mayla 5 stars! A must read!

Mayla Strong has lost her job and has trouble understanding her Mother, so with her severance pay she is headed to Florida to see her Parental grandmother whom she has not seen in years as the grandmother and the mother does not get alone after Mayla's mother had her dad unplugged from all the machines that was keeping him alive.

She was enjoying her time in Florida when a teenage girl the sister of a young man that had died with AIDS. Mayla had been friends with three gay men and was always at their place parting until she found Jesus. Then she was trying to get it across to them that it was an abomination to live that kind of life. One had died and the other two lived in her apartment building.

She had no idea that the whole state of Kentucky would follow her to Florida or it seem so. At first the teen girl ran away from home and found herself with Mayla, the teen was pregnant and wanting an abortion. Mayla was trying to talk her out of this. Then one of her gay friend got saved by the grace of God and the other one was so upset he had to drive to Florida to talk to Mayla.

At first I though that I would not enjoy this as I do not like to read about gay people but this one turned out great as they gave their heart to God. Virginia always comes up with some great stories.

This was sent to me by Kregel Publishing for my review

This sequel to Just As I Am, takes up with the main character, Mayla, still struggling with issues. Like the first book, this one made me LAUGH out loud! I love the way Virgina Smith tells a story. What a terrific read.

I am not a big reader of Christian fiction, but I ADORE all of Virginia Smith's books, and the Mayla books are my favorites. I was hesitant to pick up Sincerely, Mayla, because the first had been so stellar and I worried that the sequel wouldn't be as good (always a fear of mine, with sequels). But that is not at all the case. Another fun plot, new challenges serious and hilarious, and more of Mayla's quirky humor. In fact, I love this one more than the first (Just As I Am). Who else but Mayla would rescue a bunny in a snowstorm, and find herself crushing on not one, but TWO pastors? I couldn't put this book down, and was laughing and crying throughout. Wonderful!

Seamless--that's the writing of Virginia Smith. This author has the ability to move me along line-on-line and chapter-by-chapter before I even think to come up for air. "How long have I been reading?" I ask myself. Actually, I don't care; I simply pick up the thread of Mayla's unconventional approach to life and dive. Smith weaves Mayla in and out of a job loss, a Florida trip to patch up a relationship, and an online tete-a-tete. Can unconventional meet conventional and survive with faith intact? With her typical candor and strength, Mayla doesn't disappoint. And neither does Virginia Smith in Sincerely, Mayla.

I still say that my favorite book is "Just As I AM". I loved how it made me look at people differently, hopefully more like Christ looks at them. So when I heard there was a sequel, I wasn't sure I'd like it. But, Mayla is so real that I was immediately swept back into her story. I laughed, cried and just enjoyed Mayla all over again! She is a friend to those who really need one, a daughter/granddaughter to love and be loved by, and someone who isn't too proud to let the Lord still work in her heart. I highly recommend you get both books about Mayla to read and enjoy!

Sincerely Mayla is Virginia Smith's follow up to Just As I Am, where we first met Mayla Strong a young and very unconventional character and watched her come to faith. Sincerely Mayla brings us this lovable character as endearing as she was in book one, though a bit tamed in her appearance, sporting fewer piercings and less colorful hair.

In the thick of winter, Mayla finds herself unemployed, on the outs with Pastor Paul who Mayla discovers she has feelings for, and the proud owner of a pet that she finds in the middle of a storm. When faced with these disasters does Mayla do what every unemployed, lovesick, pet owning woman should do? No, of course, not. This is Mayla we're talking about here. She sets off for Orlando, not to visit the big mouse, but to reconnect with her grandmother and get away from her problems. But poor, Mayla. Her problems hop on the plane or zip through emails and the telephone to make her vacation anything but restful.

As an avowed suspense and mystery lover, I rarely make time for novels outside of this genre. Virginia Smith's books are one of the few exceptions. Smith does such a wonderful job of character development. She provides the reader with a unique cast doing battle with everyday issues and marries this with the struggle to live within their faith. Wrap all of this up with humor and a fun plot and you have one must read after another.

Sincerely Mayla certainly fits this mold and is another Smith winner. Through Mayla's innocence we see the world from a different perspective. We watch her struggle with her new faith and think about how we live out our own faith. Her innocence coupled with the basic desire to do the right thing makes Mayla a very loveable character. She faces the same life issues we all face and the reader can deeply empathize with Mayla, forming a strong bond with her. Don't miss Sincerely Mayla or any other Virginia Smith novel. Buy one today, you won't be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoy Virginia Smith's Mayla books. This is book two in the series, and Mayla is a Christian now, but she still has a world of problems. Her boss lays her off so he can hire his niece to take her place, she finds a rabbit in a blinding snowstorm and takes him home with her and he promptly tries to chew up her bedroom. Her gay neighbor blames her because his partner became a Christian and moved out, and she makes a fool of herself in front of Pastor Paul, the man she dreams about becoming more than just a friend. Overwhelmed, she decides, against her mother's advice, to go to Florida and see her grandmother. But grandmother is a train load of trouble, all by her self. Funny, touching, with a ton of very human conflict, and a strong faith message. Who could want anything more?