Double Shot by Erynn Mangum

Published: October 29^th, 2010

Publisher: NavPress

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5

Now that Maya is engaged to Jack, the love of her life, everything should be perfect, but actually, it’s the opposite. Maya must trust that God is in control even when things seem to be a disastrous mess.

This fiction novel uses the power of story and humor to challenge teens to discover the relevance of faith in their lives. This fun, lighthearted read promotes trust in God.

Review:

This last installment of the Maya Davis series tied the trilogy up wonderfully. Maya experiences a lot of change in her life, and it’s both funny and enlightening to watch as she learns, grows, and trusts God with her every need. Something that makes this series so appealing is that teen girls can easily relate to the obstacles in Maya’s life. Relating to the main character of a book is an important aspect in making the book appealing, and Erynn does just that.

I’ve always wondering why Erynn makes her characters older when her books are categorized under YA fiction. Now that I’ve read both her series (Lauren Holbrook and Maya Davis), I think I’ve come to the conclusion that she does this to show her younger readers that things like trusting God and letting Him rule our lives aren’t actions that expire when we grow up. We don’t ever come to the point where we’ve learned all we have to learn about our Savior. We don’t get to a certain age and automatically stop having to trust God. Erynn’s books show that a lot of the troubles that we experience now will follow us into adulthood (though they might now seem as severe then as they do now). She shows us a glimpse of the kinds of decisions we’ll have to make when we’re older, and how trusting God now will prepare us for trusting Him then. And I absolutely love how she does this.

Double Shot holds the same undeniably witty humor and sweet romance that both Cool Beans and Latte Daze have. By the end, you’ll discover that Erynn’s characters have found a way into your heart. I know I did- the sinking reality that I felt when I finished Double Shot confirmed how much I loved this series. Though the ending felt a bit rushed, that didn’t bother me much at all. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this series, make an effort to soon. It’s not one you’ll want to miss and one you’ll never forget. I’ll definitely be pulling this one off my shelf to read again sometime.

Quick Content Review: *may contain spoilers*

*clean read!*

Language: None.

Violence: None.

Sexual: None- Mild (some kissing)

Latte Daze by Erynn Mangum

Published: July 1^st, 2012

Publisher: NavPress

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5

When Maya Davis’ ex-boyfriend proposes to her roommate, Jen, their apartment becomes Wedding Central. As if that weren’t awful enough, Jen’s obnoxious mom moves in to help with the planning!

Maya's relationships really start to get crazy when her genius brother and sister-in-law announce their pregnancy, and then to top it off there’s Jack—could it be love? Who wouldn’t need a coffee break!

This fun, lighthearted fiction novel for teens uses strong characters, humor, and quiet faith to promote trust in God.

Review: (I know this is a short one, but I didn’t want to restate everything I said in my review of the first book, Cool Beans. Hence the minuscule review.)

What can I say? I adore Erynn’s books. Each and every one of them. They’re a perfect combo of sweet romance and giggly humor. Maya’s antics always have me smiling while I’m reading and wishing for more when I’m done. And as I’ve said before, I love her childlike approach to her relationship with God. This second installment in the Maya Davis series was flawless in my opinion, and is the perfect summer book- or any season, in fact.

Quick Content Review: *may contain spoilers*

*clean read!!!*

Language: None

Violence: None

Sexual: None-Mild (some kissing)

Cool Beans by Erynn Mangum

Publisher: NavPress (April 1, 2010)
Pages: 304
Stars: 5/5

Everything seems to be going perfectly for Maya Davis: She has a great job at a coffee shop, gets along with her parents, and is happily single. That is until her best friend unknowingly starts dating Maya’s high school sweetheart, her annoyingly perfect brother moves back to town, and her co-worker starts showing interest in her. What is God trying to teach her about life, love, and commiserating over coffee? [Back cover]

I. Love. This. Book.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Erynn Mangum. I read her other chick-lit trilogy, The Lauren Holbrook series, a couple years back, and I’m STILL in love with it. Cool Beans had the same effect on me that the Lauren Holbrook series did- it got me laughing. I was cackling at something on every other page. If it wasn’t Maya (though it was Maya, most of the time), it was Jack and his annoying parrot. Or Calvin and his quirks. I swear, I even laughed at Mrs. Mitchell. It’s apparent that Erynn has this incredible talent to make anything and everything hilarious. Which is exactly what us girls need sometimes- a different, more hilarious perspective on life. Maya didn’t have it easy. She had difficulties and bouts of depression, I’m sure (I mean, she’s female- let’s be realistic here). But she didn’t curl up in her bed and cry about it. She laughed it off, kept up her cheerful spirit, drank 11 cups of coffee at work, and when she got home at the end of the day, she curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream! *As a side note, don’t ever try and consume the amount of sugar or caffeine that Maya consumed…I’m pretty sure it’s life threatening.*

I loved Maya’s quirks (like how she was so addicted to coffee, she would seriously not be able to function properly without it) and her detestation of health food (I can totally relate). We can all learn something from her child-like approach to walking with God. (And I just have to say, even though it was apparent to me that Jack + Maya = heart by page 22, it didn’t bother me that it was obvious how it would turn out. J Some early-on spoilers are just plain ok, especially when we see it coming but the girl doesn’t. If that makes any sense…)

Anyways, to wrap up, Cool Beans was a wonderful read. It’s very light, fun, and puts you in a happy mood. You’ll find yourself giggling- at the dinner table, at school, during church- over something you read, and it’s pretty hard to stop. It’s one of those books that you want to read out of a little each day, just to make your day a little brighter. J I love all of Erynn Mangum’s books, and will read anything she writes! And get this: I don’t even like coffee. This book MADE me want to like coffee. I highly suggest Cool Beans (and its two follow-up, which will be ordered and shipped to me in the near future) to any and all young women who just need a laugh.

Quick Content Review:
Language: None
Sexual: None
Violence: None