Litfuse Blog Tour Event: Side by Side (a novel) by Jana Kelley

Side by Side by Jana Kelley is the most compelling, exciting, and powerful read of 2015 in Christian literature.  It centers around two women that come from different backgrounds and faiths and how they soon come to depend on each other.  It shows from beginning to end how God brings them together and uses them.  It asks the question: "how far would you go to pursue your faith in God?" Would you be willing to follow Him even when your family, friends and even your own country seem to be against you?  Side by Side is a blending of real-life events and real heroes that creates a story that should be on everyone's "to be read" list.


Summary 

In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia's life collides with that of another young woman. A young Christian American mother, Mia finds more than one dark secret on the streets of Khartoum. She finds Halimah, a young, upper-class Arab student with a bright future in her family's business whose risky and secretive decision has put her life in danger. What happens when the path of young mother intersects with that of a spunky Sudanese student? God transforms them both . . .forever. Side by Side is based on real-life events. Part of New Hope Publishers' contemporary missional fiction line, Side by Side opens the reader's eyes to the life of Muslims in Sudan as well as some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as pray for the salvation of those who persecute.

My Thoughts 

This book was a nice rest from the typical books I review on here.  I tend to review books that center around a strong female character and her love interest.  But when I saw this up for review, I knew I had to take a chance and mix up my reading.  It was so worth it.  I didn't expect the story to be so mesmerizing.  The writing was perfect: I could feel the hot days in Sudan, the mugginess of the air, I could hear the sounds the characters were hearing. I felt like I was in Sudan each time I picked up this book and read.  Kelley is a wondering writer who has taken life experiences as a missionary and other true life stories of other individuals and has presented a story that is very much current.  

What I liked about this story that it was about two strong women experiencing new changes in their life.  For Mia it was the change of surroundings and adapting to living in a new country that had different expectations of women, and for Halimah it was believing the truth of who was God and the true calling of her life.  I couldn't get over how convicting this book was, it put into perspective so many things that I think could be relateable to anyone reading this book. 

This book was intense as well.  It didn't shy away from the hard gruesome facts such as Halimah being shunned and beaten for her new found faith, and the spiritual warfare that Mia was experiencing in her doubt and fear. Yet, it didn't make the story scary at all, instead it made it inspiring. The reason being that instead of rolling up into a ball and trying to hide from the darkness of their circumstances, Halimah and Mia found strength in God and moved onward.  They knew it wasn't going to be an easy path, and still followed God's call for them. 

This book was beautiful and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to read this book.   

Rating: 5 out of 5 bookshelves. 
I received a free copy from Litfuse Publicity in return for an honest review.   

About the Author  

Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend college. She and her husband married a month after she graduated, and by their second anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. After 13 years living in Africa and the Middle East, Jana, her husband, and their three boys moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live. 

Link to her: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads 
Purchase her book: Amazon, B&N

Happy Reading~ 
In His Grace, 
Taylor Reid