It’s Not About Me by Michelle Sutton

September 19, 2008

Michelle Sutton is known as the Edgy Inspirational Writer and her debut novel lives up to her title. It starts off with a bang, delving into the world of temptation and peer pressure, even in the church.

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME is a story about young love, teen temptations and struggls towards self discovery. Annie Myers lives the dream. She’s beautiful, in love with her boyfriend of four years, and headed to the college. But even Annie has problems. Her boyfriend Tony, the pastor’s son, is pressuring her for sex, and when tragedy strikes her, Annie is forced to take a good look at herself and her relationship with Tony and with God.

When Tony’s brother, Dan, offers comfort, it is then she starts to see her picture perfect life was never really in focus. Torn between two brothers and a faith she thought was real, Annie must make some hard decisions and it’s obvious someone is going to get hurt.

Michelle Sutton’s debut novel has teenage angst written all over it! At times I felt like I was watching an episode of 90210 (okay, I’m dating myself,) but sadly the issues she confronts in her novel are all to prevalent among today’s teens, even in the church. Because of the mature subject matter I would not recommend this for young teens. In fact,  there’s a warning label on the back of this book that says it has mature content and is recommended for mature teens.

While edgy at times, it’s shows the struggles teen girls face in a real way. Though I wasn’t totally able to connect to the characters, I can see teen girls identifying with Annie. The faith message is prevalent throughout and at times preachy, though having been in Christian circles for a while it is appropriate for these characters. One subplot that really caught my attention is extended to the second book in this series. I’m glad Michelle follows up this story in book two.

Big pluses is that this book has a nice follow up and study guide to help teens dig deeper and learn some truths for themselves. I think many teenage girls will see themselves in Annie.

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Gina Conroy

Gina Conroy

From the day I received my first diary in the second grade, I've had a passion expressing myself through writing. Later as a journalist and novelist, I realized words, if used powerfully, have the ability to touch, stir, and reach from the depths of one soul to another. Today as a writing and health coach, I inspire others to live their extraordinary life and encourage them to share their unique stories. For daily inspiration follow me on https://www.facebook.com/gina.conroy and check out my books here https://amzn.to/3lUx9Pi