Will entertain and challenge you! "Fifteen Minutes" by Karen Kingsbury

about the book....

Zack Dylan has a dream. He wants to sing on the biggest stages, for the biggest crowds, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it come true. But Zack also made a promise to his college sweetheart when he left Kentucky to compete on the popular TV show, Fifteen Minutes: If he made it, nothing would change him or his faith in God.

Overnight, Zack becomes the nation’s most popular contestant, a country singer comparable to a young Tim McGraw. As his star rises, Zack is often asked to compromise and quiet his beliefs. Just as he’s on the verge of winning it all, his choices lead him to the brink of personal disaster. Meanwhile, a former Fifteen Minutes winner is searching for meaning amidst her own private losses. Can she warn Zack about the real price of fame? Or will Zack lose everything he loves for his fifteen minutes of glory?

my review....

With likable characters and heart-tugging scenes, Karen Kingsbury latest novel is sure to garner her new fans! I will admit that I have watched many a season of "American Idol" and Kingsbury does a great job at catching the excitement of such a show in her fictional "Fifteen Minutes" reality t.v. seires. Her writing brings the scenes to life such that I could perfectly picture the contestants and particularly Zack Dylan as he makes his way through the rounds of the competition. My heart was pounding while watching some of his performances and I felt like I was rooting for him as though he were real. Because of this, I felt all the more emotionally engaged when he started down the road to compromise, and I was soon caught up in the drama surrounding Zach, his girlfriend Reese, and the temptation of all that the world has to offer Zach. As he made one poor choice after another, I found myself examining my own life and the areas that I can be tempted to compromise in. I think any of us can admit that there are times our own selfish desires trample the feelings of those around us and lead us down a path away from the good that God desires. The two judges who end up connecting with Zach provide a powerful example indeed in how our culture's long for fame so often leads to self-destruction! Like me, readers will not only be wonderfully entertained but will find themselves challenged in their own walk with God. 

I strongly recommend this book and award it a solid rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Not only is this good writing - it is full of powerful truths as well!

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Howard Books (Simon & Schuster Canada), for the purposes of this unbiased review.

about the author...

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s favorite inspirational novelist, with more than 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print. Karen has written more than fifty novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists. She lives in Tennessee with her husband Don and their five sons, three of whom are adopted from Haiti. Their daughter Kelsey is married to Christian artist Kyle Kupecky.

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