The Difficult Years

Yella’s Prayers by Nadine C Keels is a young adult  Christian coming of age novel set at the turn of the twenty first century. It is jam packed full of Godly themes whilst focusing on a handful of teenagers.

Life can be confusing for teens on the cusp of adulthood and Nadine Keels perfectly portrays the teens dilemmas. There are the constant pressures of drugs, sex and looking good. These struggles and conflicts are shown in the novel.

Within the book there is the difficult topic of domestic abuse. This affects not just the abused and abuser but there is the fall-out to the family. This is all realistically portrayed as the victim constantly blames themself and comes up with excuses for the abuser. The reader feels the tension within the family.

The novel shows the power of dreams. God spoke through dreams in the past and He continues to do so. When we hear His voice, we need to obey Him.

Within the novel, Nadine Keels has shown how God lovingly waits for each one of us to turn to Him. He desires a relationship with us all.

The topic of prayer is linked to God. “People wait until something bad happens before they want to have anything to do with God.” Far too often people turn to prayer in the bad times. God desires us to pray without ceasing as it is only through prayer and communication that we will be able to recognise the voice of God. As we pray, we unleash God’s power.

Yella’s Prayers was a comprehensive read surrounding those confusing teenage years and was perfectly captured by Nadine C Keels.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON