Customer Reviews

Worlds Collide

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Chick-lit? Bah. I loved "The Secret Life of Bees," but that's the closest I get to anything along these lines. Mention romance, and I'm instantly suspicious. I see enough soap operas in my work environment. Despite these sentiments, I was drawn to this book. The cover implied something less sappy, and so I dove in--with no regrets.

After a meandering beginning, I found myself knowing and caring about the main characters. In alternating chapters, I watched as Jack and Grace's lives converged. Jack is a Hollywood hunk. Grace is a small-town girl, now living near L.A. Jack deals with substance abuse and relational improprieties. Grace works through her unfamiliarity around a new set of church friends, as well as her new position as a school teacher. A believable set of circumstances bring this man and woman together, and the sparks cannot be denied. Yes, there is romance. But it was served with dollops of humor. I was laughing out loud at certain parts. I loved the dialogue between the characters. I even felt misty-eyed at one or two points. (I'll deny I ever wrote this!)

Although, as one reviewer has noted, this is indeed Christian fiction, it's Christian fiction which is willing to face life head-on. It does not shrink away from the temptations and tragedies we all face. This makes it vastly different from run-of-the-mill religious fare. "Worlds Collide" will help you see the stars in a new way, and it will leave you with a sense of Godly destiny even in the midst of heartache.

Celebrity biographer Jada Eastman has published enough articles and books to know that behind the fame and glamour of Hollywood stars is grime that smells worse than any sewer ever could. During high school, Jada had a crush on Jack Harrington who was destined for stardom. So when Jack and his wife, Grace, asked her to write their biography, she agreed.

The relationship between Jack Harrington and Grace Winslowe began much like a romantic movie. He was an up-and-comer in the movie business (putting TV series behind him) and she was a simple fifth grade teacher. Their worlds collided, literally, when they were in an automobile accident. Jack was fine, so was the third party, but Grace was hospitalized. The two are attracted to each other, but they have vast differences too, the biggest being religion.

Now, against the backdrop of the entertainment world, Jada writes the story that all of Hollywood has been waiting for but the private couple kept to themselves. It will take Jada six months of close company with the couple to get the story. During that time, she learns how the famous couple grappled with their differences and won. But can she learn their story and NOT be affected?

**** The story targets the famous couple, their backgrounds, and more until about three quarters of the way through. From then on, the main focus is Jack getting Jesus and how it affects both their lives. The title is marketed as "Fiction/Contemporary". However, this is what I call "Christian Fiction". Nothing on the back of the book tells potential buyers that the story is basically about Jack becoming a Christian. So if you do not like Christian books, avoid this one. If you DO like them, then this novel is MORE than worth your money. It is told by Jack and Grace. Each chapter alternates with their views from before they meet, through their blooming relationship, and up to the present day. Keep the tissues close at hand. There are a few scenes that will warm your heart. Recommended reading. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Most Christian fiction I've read has been about characters I can't identify with because they're so darn perfect! They don't say or do things they regret later. They don't have issues. They always know the right thing to say - and with sharp wit!

Not these characters. They're some of the most believable, interesting, and relatable I've read in a long time. The ending was good too. Not your typical fairytale/hollywood wrap-up. I loved this book!

Worlds Collide is a well done first novel by Alison Strobel.

The story is about how two very different people come to a belief in God and how their lives become intertwined, as well as the effect they have on the people around them. The author talks about the choices these people make and the consequences of those decisions.

Even though I could predict a lot of what was to come, I enjoyed reading about the journey of these characters. It's not a perfect book, but very enjoyable. I commend the author on a well written book and look forward to reading her next one.

I loved the book! I couldn't believe the review it got from the
Publishers Weekly. The fact that a handsome actor falls for a normal girl is not such a stretch when you figure we are all equal on this earth. It is smartly written and completely fun to read. It is fiction but the topic is very real. No matter what, who you are, how much is in your bank account, fame, popularity, or lack thereof,,we all need the acceptance and fulfillment that comes with accepting Christ..Without Him, all you have is organized chaos. Even actors and those in the public eye need Him. No one is exempt. Look at all those that we admire and see on the screen or on tv. You can tell who has Christ and who doesn't. They are the couples who don't neccessarily divorce when things get hard or the 'desire' is gone. Marriage is a continual work in progress. Those who value the spouse they chose, are willing to work things out. Our society has quickly gone off the deep end. When they said their vows,,did they hear the part of for better or for worse? It is sad when people rush into a marriage knowing they have an easy out with a quick divorce..Kudos to Alison for writing a book not excluding anyone! Awesome book..when does the next one come out???????????:)

This is not a typical story. It's written in a very unique way but it's the characters that really grab you. This is a beautiful story that reflects God's design in our lives and the impact we can make on others, should we choose to obey. Should you read this book, and I highly recommend that you do, don't be surprised when you can't stop thinking about what you've read. It truly is thought provoking and challenging!

Alison creates characters that are easy to identify with and care for. I read this book on the plane home from vacation and I wanted the flight to be a little longer so I could finish the book!! Very enjoyable to see the story from 3 different character views.

Well, I managed to get half-way through this book, and that is saying a lot.I finally decided that I couldn't read anymore.

Firstly, the book was so full of typos that it got to be distracting. I'm not sure where the proof-readers and editors were on this one. It became very tiresome.

Secondly, the book is about two people telling their story to a writer, who was going to write their story. All three characters were written in first person, and it was really difficult to understand when the characters were transitioning from telling their story to actually interacting with the biographer, Jada. It was also a little difficult to remember whose scene it was since everyone was "I" or "me." The transitions were confusing at times.

Thirdly, because it was written as two people telling a biographer about their lives, it kind of sounded like this - "This happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and then that happened..." There was not much dialogue, not much action, not a lot of emotion either. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters because of it. I mean, a guy's girlfriend died right in front of him and I felt nothing reading it. Nothing.

Fourthly, a twenty-something girl decides to move from Chicago to LA so she writes a letter and mails it to someone she knows there to ask him to help her find an apartment. Not email - snail mail. When she gets there, she buys a map. She doesn't look things up on her computer, in fact there is no talk of a desktop or laptop or smartphone or even cell phone. There is one scene where she comes home to a beeping answering machine. Really? A twenty-something is going to have a home phone? There were so many other things that makes it feel that the author is living on some other planet or that she's a transplant from 1986. It's just not realistic. I didn't buy any of it.

Obviously, I'm not recommending this one very highly. I enjoyed the beginning of it, when one of the main characters (Grace) moved from Chicago to LA, but after that, it just got so boring. The way it was told was boring. I'm sure the story would be great if a different technique of telling the it were used, but the technique this author used left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me this ebook for review.

Oh my goodness this is such an excellent read! I get so bored with the Christian novels that have such perfect characters and seem to preach at me whenever possible that I'd almost given up on the genre altogether. The characters in World's Collide were so relate-able that I was sucked right into their stories and found myself completely wrapped up in the story line. I would definitely recommend reading this book to anyone who is tired of the same old in Christian romance, and is looking for something refreshingly real.

Actor and a Top 25 People magazine hunk Jack Harrington and his wife Grace hire celebrity biographer Jada Eastman to write their story that has had the public salivating for quite a while, with him ailing they feel they have a message to get out. Jada knows that behind the glitter of Hollywood stars, there is always grit, dirt, and worse; in this case she happens to have had a high school crush on Jack so has a personal stake. Still Jada will spend the next six months with this Cinderella pair to learn how they overcame their perceived radically different lifestyles at least when they first met.

Jack was already on his way to fame and fortune in Hollywood when a car accident introduced him to fifth grade teacher Grace Winslowe. Jack and another person did not have a scratch, but Grace was hospitalized. Attracted to one another from that moment their worlds collided, Jack and Grace swim in different seas with plenty of major differences to overcome to forge a relationship. Perhaps the biggest distinction is not Hollywood, but religion as Grace has always been deep into Christianity while Jack has been a hedonistic agnostic bordering on the atheism.

This work of fiction rotates perspective between the Hollywood couple so that the audience can best understand their love and their dissimilarities especially religion. Past the half way point the fine story line focuses in on whether Jack embraces Jesus or not. This is well written tale, blending a soap opera fantasy of a loving relationship between a schoolteacher and a movie star with that of a Christian contemporary tale starring two likable protagonists.

Harriet Klausner