In Times of Trouble by Yolonda Sanders

In Times of Trouble by Yolonda Sanders ISBN-13: 9781593094713 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Strebor Books Released: April 23, 2013

Source: Advanced Reader Copy from the author.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Lisa Hampton has started a new life after a scandalous betrayal by her husband led to their divorce. But their teenage daughter, Chanelle, seems determined to lie about where she's going and who she's with and to back-talk her mom when Lisa gets protective.

It doesn't help that Lisa's mother, who is staying with them to avoid her abusive husband, thinks Lisa is being too harsh with Chanelle.

Luckily, Lisa has friends that help her cope. She's best friends with Isaac and Olivia Scott, the most influential and powerful couple in the state. And Minister Eric Freeman's prayers and words of encouragement have helped her weather the storms in her life.

When Chanelle accuses the Scotts’ son of rape, Lisa discovers how quickly her friends become foes. Olivia and Isaac use their wealth, prestige, and power to manipulate justice and threaten everything Lisa holds dear.


My Review:
In Times of Trouble is a Christian general fiction novel. The characters dealt with realistic and serious issues (like rape, physical abuse, suicide, gambling addictions, and more). They responded to the situations in realistic ways, and I felt like this story could have really happened somewhere. Even when I didn't think a character was making a wise choice, I fully understood why they were acting that way or making that choice. I liked that Lisa learned from her mistakes and grew as a person.

The suspense came from not knowing what was going to go wrong next. There was a lot of relationship tension within the family, between friends, related to romance, and even with God.

The characters were Christians who realistically struggled with their faith even as they remained faithful. They were portrayed with both good and bad tendencies, and they grew in their relationship with God. There was a lot of "God talk," but it flowed naturally from the situations and character personalities.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about were a few scenes where everyone in the scene knew "the big secret" and were dealing with its fallout, but the reader is left in the dark about the secret. I found this frustrating and confusing. I'm more emotionally engaged in a scene when I can understand what the characters are dealing with rather than left to guess why they're upset or quarreling or at the emergency room.

There was a very minor amount of explicit or implied bad language. There was some graphic description of the date rape. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting and engaging novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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