All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese Review

 Happy Monday Friends :)

I hope you all had a great weekend, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

With everything going on in my life being the way it was at the end of 2020, I never actually got around to doing any of my yearly wrap ups. However, I can say without a doubt that if I had ended up doing my wrap ups, Nicole Deese's Before I Called You Mine (review here), would have been my absolute favorite read of the year.

So it would be a gross understatement to say that I was eagerly anticipating her 2021 release.

Did I end up thinking it lived up to all my expectations? Keep reading below to find out.

All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: April 6th, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Women's Fiction

Synopsis:

Molly McKenzie's bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have earned her an impressive social media following, as well as a big paycheck each month. When her manager-turned-boyfriend says she has an audition to appear as a host on a makeover show that nominates underprivileged youth, her dream of further fame seems to be coming true. There's just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

When her manager-boyfriend convinces her to partner with a local organization, she begins volunteering with a summer youth program. The program's director, Silas Whittaker, challenges her at every turn, but she swiftly grows more attached to the kids--and him--every day.

As Molly experiences an acceptance unlike anything she's known, she wrestles with the lies she's been believing about herself for years. She thought she knew what mattered most in life, but maybe she's had it wrong this whole time, and there's more to being truly seen than what she's built her entire life on.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

After how much I had adored Nicole Deese's last book, Before I Called You Mine, I literally couldn't wait to read this one. I've come to expect great things from this author, and she's definitely one of my favorite contemporary Christian fiction authors.

I have to say though, that this one did take me quite awhile to get into it. Molly's character drove me up the wall for the first half of the book, and I had a hard time wanting to read through the many chapters where she comes across as selfish, vapid, shallow and superficial. While I did think her character definitely is redeemed by the end, I still wouldn't say she was a character I really ended up enjoying. I did enjoy Silas as a character, but I have to be honest and say that my favorite part of this one ended up being the focus on the group home and not the romance. I love how Nicole Deese isn't scared to tackle controversial subjects, and I love how much attention was brought to youth aging out of the foster care system through this heartwarming story.

I've lately found the whole social media influencer thing kind of on the annoying side, and I ended up loving how Molly's character comes to learn the truth: happiness is not found in material things, but only through a true relationship with Christ. I loved how the reader sees a transformation in her when she begins to truly understand this, and I adored her relationship with Miles and her friendship with Val. I'd truly love to see the author write Miles and Val's story next, as I could definitely get behind that.

I truly think Nicole Deese is an amazingly talented storyteller, and I always appreciate the extra tidbits she throws in; like the text conversations between Silas and Molly. However, I did have one other complaint with this one that I feel I need to mention. I personally thought this story seemed a bit too long, and I thought there were many chapters through the first half of the story that were hard to get through as they didn't seem to add too much to the actual story in my opinion.

Overall though, I think this is another beautiful tale by one of my favorite author's and I will be recommending it. I do still prefer Before I Called You Mine, but this was a pretty great story in its own right.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Bethany House for allowing me to advance read this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Bethany House) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day:)