The Christy Miller Series
Summary
The Christy Miller Series is a set of twelve Christian young adult romance novels following the titular character, Christy Miller, throughout her high school years. The series explores a variety of different kinds of relationships, from friendships, family ties, romantic pursuits, and personal relationships with God. Despite being YA, the series shows a real depth and welcome nuance to its theology and in explaining what teens entering the dating sphere can expect — both the good and the bad.
Assessment
The Christy Miller Series series breaks down the good and the bad of navigating relationships for teens with ease. From the main character’s inner thoughts and turmoil trying to figure out if her crush likes her back to figuring out friend group dynamics amidst dating, not dating, hurt feelings, and jealousy. The focus of the series is not purely on romance, although that is a significant portion of the plot, but also on almost every other kind of relationship as well. There is an emphasis on obeying God’s Word when it comes to sex and marriage, but the series provides a wide variety of ways to navigate personal boundaries (i.e. some characters are okay with sweet kisses while others are saving their first kiss until marriage).
Theologically, this series sits above its peers in terms of nuance and message. There is an emphasis on the idea that a romantic interest can’t fill the God-sized hole in one’s heart and that surrendering to God’s will is far more valuable than trying to force a relationship or friendship. Although the series does stray a little into a “one true love” type trope, the focus is still on honoring God in everything one does, including pursuing romance.
The series is relatively clean; there is no cussing or nudity. Sex, drugs, and other sins are mentioned, but are not painted in an encouraging light. It is clear that the series is highlighting these sins in order to guide teens towards what not to do, rather than sneakily present these things as cool or desirable.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Prose: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Age Appropriateness — Appropriate for intended audience.
Talk
Okay, I came into this series with a lot of preconceived notions about what a book series labelled “Christian YA romantic fiction” was going to be like. I’ve never been a huge fan of that genre because the few times I have read or watched that kind of media left me with some less-than-favorable impressions. So much of it is dangerously shallow in terms of theology and often falls into a lot of secular thinking about what love is (i.e. love at first sight = soulmates, confusing love and lust, idolizing the love interest, encouraging toxic relationships, etc.). For well-adjusted adults who know what love really is, it’s much less of a problem; however, for impressionable teenagers, these kinds of stories can set up really bad expectations when it comes to romance.
Well, that was the kind of story what I was expecting.
What I got were some of the most theologically rich, emotionally intelligent, and well-written novels I’ve ever put my hands on. There were a few times this series felt like it was speaking directly to me, a full grown adult woman who more or less knows the basics of how to build healthy relationships with her community. And I love that. I love it when media for kids or teens have such good messages that even the adults in the room find comfort or conviction in them.
While the romance was on occasion a bit over-the-top in the cutesy way teenage girls absolutely eat up, the series as a whole was pretty down to earth in its depictions of the characters and their relationships. A few things may have been a little exaggerated for effect, but for the most part everyone’s dialogue and reactions felt true to not only their distinct personalities, but also their faith journeys and points in life. It was easy to watch Christy grow from the beginning of the series to the end in how she behaved, what she thought, and how she interacted with the people around her.
There were a few moments where I might’ve liked a little more nuance or context from the author, but nothing that had me concerned about the series’ overall message even slightly. The core of the story was very much focused on building that good, foundational relationship with God (without being cringey or preachy) and then extending that love and grace throughout a person’s network of friends and family. I think this would have been an absolutely amazing resource/”how to navigate the world of friends and dating” for myself as a teen who really didn’t have many friends. A fantastic series to both enjoy and to take notes from.
Where to Enjoy
Amazon: The Christy Miller Collection (4 book series) Hardcover Edition
Barnes & Noble: The Christy Miller Collection | Barnes & Noble®
Books-A-Million: Christy Miller Collection, Vol 1 by Robin Jones Gunn
Christianbook.com: Keywords: Christy Miller - Christianbook.com
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