Chill Out, Josey!

December 3, 2007
In her faith-based romantic sequel to Everythings Coming Up Josey, Warren picks up with Josey Anderson, ne Berglund, as a young newlywed. Josey longs to live an ordinary life in her hometown of Gull Lake, Minn., but her husband, Chase, loses his job and accepts a new one in Russia (unbelievably not telling her about the first or asking her about the second). Josey finds herself mostly alone and pregnant in Russia, listening to a friend lecture, Did it ever occur to you, Josey, that God sent you here not because Chase needs you, but because you need God? The secrets Josey and Chase keep from one another are appalling, and its a stretch to believe Josey keeps her pregnancy under wraps as long as she does. The numerous references to the Proverbs 31 Woman, even in jest, will fatigue even the most devoted Christian reader. A side theme of adoption and orphanages in Russia is intriguing, and might have merited more page space, and a peanut butter cottage industry provides humorous moments. Readers who like liberal doses of faith in their fiction, newlywed wranglings, and lots of details about clothes (even bad clothes that dont fit) and food might enjoy Warrens latest.

November 1, 2007
In this sequel to "Everything's Coming Up Josey", former unlikely missionary Josey Anderson has married Chase and is looking forward to a quiet, traditional newlywed life in Minnesota. But her plans are thwarted when her new husband accepts a job in Russia, where Josey had spent a tumultuous year in missionary service. As usual, Warren ("Tying the Knot; The Perfect Match") presents a likable heroine who learns about the compromises and joys of married life and impending motherhood while adjusting to living in a foreign culture. Readers who enjoyed Kristin Billerbeck's "Ashley Stockingdale" series will appreciate this chick-lit title.

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