Grace Unplugged and Own It! Review

Grace Unplugged by Melody Carlson is the story of 18 year old Grace Trey. She is an incredibly gifted singer who believes she has what it takes to be a star. The hold-up is her dad; he leads the worship team at church and tries to stifle her creativity---in Grace's eyes.  Johnny Trey was a "one hit wonder" back in the day, and wants to protect his daughter from the rock star lifestyle. When his old manager tries to lure him back, Grace decides Johnny's refusal is the break she has been for to prove her talent. Will she remain true to her faith or will Grace slowly conform to the standards of her new life?



The search for fame has become an obsession in our culture over the years and this book paints a realistic view of  how one can easily begin to compromise their values in search of it. It was a good book though. I especially enjoyed that part of the action took place in AL, but the location could have been anywhere. The book held my attention and was believable. In the end, it is all about your priorities and becoming your own person and owning your own faith and beliefs rather than living in the shadows of your parents.

Grace Unplugged is also a film that will be releasing nationwide on October 4th. Watch the trailer below:

Looks good, doesn't it? Make sure you read the book and see the film!!

Near the end of the trailer, you will have seen the book, Own It!: Discover Your Faith In God.  In the movie & book, the fictional Grace is given this book to read by Quenton to read while she is on tour. It was a book that had changed his life and he wanted to share it with her.

The topic of the book is about making your faith your own and not just a habit you picked up in childhood and continue to follow. Authors Michael and Hayley DiMarco use personal anecdotes and Biblical references to make their points on what this really means. They explain what they mean by Own It and the following chapters are about how owning your faith will save you, cost you, change you, complete you and free you. To be honest, I liked it (and agree that you have to make your faith real and not just go through the motions) but had trouble focusing on it. I have read another on this subject lately that simply suited my reading preferences better. So, for me, it was good, but not great.

 Hayley DiMarco is the best-selling author of more than thirty books including Dateable, Marriable, Mean Girls, and The Woman of Mystery. She has been a featured speaker at Women of Faith, Precept National Women's Conference, and MOPS Intl. among others and has consulted on the creation and enhancement of some of the largest stadium events for teens and young women in North America.

Michael DiMarco is a skillled communicator and teacher who has authored more than a dozen bestselling books including the 2010 Christian Bookof the Year for Youth, B4UD8 (Before You Date). He and his wife, author Hayley DiMarco, have one daughter and live in Nashville, Tennessee.

Melody Carlson has sold more than five million books. A professional writer for twenty years, she recently received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Melody has two grown sons and lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

** DISCLOSURE: I received both of these books from FlyBy Promotions in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

•  Grace Unplugged Movie on FB 
• Follow @gracemovie on Twitter 
• Grace Unplugged website 
•  BH Publishing
• Follow @BHpub on Twitter 

~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~

 

The giveaway this time is for BOTH books!! Leave a comment saying you want to be entered and if your name is selected, you will win Grace Unplugged by Melody Carlson AND Own It! by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. I would say recommend ages are high school (mid to late teens) but appropriate for 12+.
Deadline to enter is Thursday, Oct. 3rd at 9pm CDT.