A New Creation

After Church by Genevieve Woods is the second book in the Greatest Love series but can be read as a stand-alone. It is a contemporary Christian romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After Church is packed full of themes and also has God at the centre. There are many Christian characters who struggle through life, making them realistic and easy to empathise with. Their struggles highlight their human fallibility. We are all just one step away from falling back to where we were before we met Jesus. Within the novel Genevieve Woods shows how God meets us right where we are. “Our battle’s are the Lord’s and He alone can fight and win them.” He sends people alongside to support in times of trouble.

Prayer is of utmost importance. God knows just what we need and when we need it. He provides “an answer to prayers she had yet to pray.” God knows our hearts.

Family is a strong theme running in tandem with the need to belong. Family may let us down. “She joined a gang to have some semblance of family.” We need to know that God will not let us down. We need to join His family which is the church. The church is not always perfect but there will always be some-one to stand alongside us.

There are some very vulnerable characters in After Church. To keep safe sometimes people build walls. “It was safer to hide behind brick walls erected early in life.” These very walls built to protect us, end up keeping others out. We need to build trust. Trust between others and trust of God. We were never meant to live in isolation but in relationship with God and each other.

Forgiveness is another theme within the novel. We need to forgive others and we need to forgive ourselves. “She felt she deserved to be miserable.” No-one is so far from God that He cannot reach them. No-one is too bad for God to redeem.

After Church was a cracking novel. It was packed full of Godly advice and Godly themes. I am sure that I have only scratched the surface with this review. It’s a perfect read for a quiet, chilled evening. I loved it.

JULIA WILSON