An enjoyable read with a mix of drama, romance, and mystery, but with a lot of unnecessary content.
Plot
Bella Kirkwood lived a fabulous life until her parents got divorced. Now her Mom is getting married and Bella will have to move to an Oklahoma farm to live with a new stepdad and two annoying stepbrothers. Having ruined her reputation while going to school for only a short time, Bella tries to gain back the trust of the students and the school's newspaper editor by solving the football team's mystery. But in the process, Bella pines for the life she had before she came to Oklahoma.
Morality
Bella, her mother, and their new family are Christian. Bella's father is the complete opposite: he's a busy, rich plastic surgeon with many girlfriends and is not a Christian. So there are two different worldviews represented. Many of Bella's New York friends are selfish and she is betrayed by two characters, leading her to realize that they weren't friends in the first place. Bella also lies to some people, but gets herself in trouble because of it. The book has great morals about peer pressure, being yourself, trust, and knowing that God is in charge.
Spiritual Content
Bella and her Oklahoma family are Christians and they talk about God, pray, and attend church. Many of Bella's Oklahoma friends attend church.
Violence
Bella's stepdad is a wrestler and there's not violence really mentioned. Some boys on the football team do stunts that end up in injury or death. One boy jumps off of a bridge right before a train almost hits him. There is a gun used and it injures someone. There is also a murder/suicide attempt. Bella's house catches fire and she and her stepbrother have to escape from a window. Bella gets a bruised eye and some minor burns.
Drug and Alcohol Content
There is some drinking at parties; drugs are found in a guy's locker, but it was a set up. Drugs are used for a suicidal attempt.
Sexual Content
Bella and her boyfriend Hunter kiss. Hunter also kisses another girl passionately. Bella and Luke make-out in his car to avoid getting in trouble. Bella thinks one of her dad's girlfriends is a stripper. When Bella walks into a gym and sees her stepdad entangled with another man, she assumes the wrong thing, but her stapdad explains the situation and it ends up not being what Bella thought it was. Bella also flirts with a guy to get information for solving the mystery.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
Bella steps in manure and there is also other mildly crude language involving that. Words such as cr*p, sexy, perv, and bimbo are used. Many of the football players show reckless behavior when they participate in dangerous stunts.
Conclusion
Bella struggles with going from a rich life to a country life, but through it all, she learns that there's more to life than just riches and God is in charge. I couldn't put this book down and the comedy was enough for me to laugh out loud many times. It is a very fun book to read, but it comes across as more secular than Christian; as above stated, there is a great deal of sexual content, crude language, and drug use to be aware of.
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