Outside of Grace

Grace Church Series, Book 1

By: Anna Daugherty

Narrated by: Anna K Erikson

Ava Sanford longs to be known as more than the pastor's kid. When the opportunity arises to study abroad in Scotland, she jumps at the chance to leave the Texas coast and the pressures of Grace Church behind. But she never meant to leave God, too.

Her roommate's partying lifestyle promises the fun Ava has been missing out on until a traumatic assault leaves her faith and pride in ruins. As her life in Scotland begins to crumble, rumors race back home, threatening her relationships with her family and friends, including Jack Shields.

A former athlete, Jack keeps his head down, working through college and coasting through life. After losing both his mother and his scholarships, he knows the things you love can disappear at any moment. But when his best friend seems to be next, the nonchalance and security he carefully guards are broken. Fighting for Ava will mean risking it all, and he can't do it alone. Only God can show them both how far grace can go.

©2022 Black Rose Writing (P)2024 Black Rose Writing

Gripping story, I felt the characters' pain

I'm so glad I listened to the audio version instead of reading the physical book because it helped keep me more engaged (ADHD, hard to focus). It also made the story feel so real - I could feel the panic in Ava's scenes and the anguish from everyone else who wanted so desperately to help her. This story gripped me the entire time. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and unresolved, but I enjoyed the book overall, and would definitely recommend this book to people.

I've noticed that Christian fiction tends to have a certain "vibe" of being cheesy and cliche, and I didn't get that vibe from this book. It felt raw and real, and showed the struggles people can go through when they feel like they've strayed too far from God because other people in the church are judging them. I'm sure a lot of people would be able to relate and feel some healing through this book.

Lovely story about God’s Grace

I love this story and it doesn’t shy away from hard topics. I prefer the real book in my hands over the audio. The performance was lacking a little for the male voices (not that I could do any better) and the southern twang for some characters went in and out and was a little too strong for some. Ava and Rosie were done well though! I still enjoyed listening to the audio to experience the story again years after I read it the first time.

Okay story but a little slow moving.

Hard to get into the story. Disliked how seemingly naive Ava was. She could have held to her own values and high standards without giving in to Rosy. It was definitely sad that her position was compromised. The ending was good in gathering the parts of the story together.