Leaving

Title: Leaving
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Series: Bailey Flanigan series, book 1
Major Themes: Acting, Football, Romance
Synopsis: Bailey Flanigan has always dreamed of acting on Broadway—but can she leave behind everything she’s ever known and step out in faith that God will take care of her?

Several weeks ago, I was going through a reading season of heavier books, and decided I wanted something light and fluffy to compliment the heaviness, which led me to Leaving. Although I’ve had some Karen Kingsbury books on the shelf for several years, I’ve yet to pick one of those up—so this was my first time reading any of her stories. To be honest, it was about what I expected it to be. Sweet, romantic, and generally a bit on the fluffy side. Generally, this type of story doesn’t appeal to me, but it hit the spot for me this time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up finishing the series eventually.

Bailey Flanigan, a 21-year-old, has just completed acting in her first movie, and although she knows where she wants to go—become a Broadway actress—she isn’t sure she’ll be able to find a way to get there. She’s also missing Cody, her longtime friend, and sweetheart, and can’t quite figure out how to move on from their breakup several months ago. Cody, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to completely move on from Bailey, but knows he must if he wants to keep her safe. With his mother in prison, dealing with PTSD from his time in Iraq, and working a coaching job for a small school, he has plenty to keep himself busy—can he finally let go and live the life the Lord has given him?

One thing I loved about Leaving is that even though it involves young people trying to advance their careers and do what they can to work up in the world, they are also trying to be receptive to the Lord’s leading and guidance, too. I loved that. It’s refreshing to read books where characters do attempt to live out their faith, rather than their faith being a last-minute add-in to make the book feel more “Christian”.

At the same time, I do have two potential beefs with this story. The first is that almost every character is supposed to be a strong, dedicated Christian. That isn’t bad or wrong—and can be refreshing in books sometimes—but at the same time, I feel like it’s easy for us as Christians to surround ourselves in an echo chamber and not allow ourselves to be challenged and grow in our faith. I believe fiction should resemble real life, and it didn’t feel like this story did that. My other beef with the story was that one of the main characters’ thoughts seemed to always revolve around which guys liked her and what she should do about that. That can be very realistic, which I appreciated, but at the same time, she didn’t seem to be able to find a way to work beyond that mindset. I know I’m idealistic, but I was hoping she’d find a way to move beyond thoughts about guys to thoughts about God, because that’s where our thoughts really ought to be centered as Christians. That didn’t really happen—and no one in her life seemed to realize that that was one of her main focuses, which in my opinion can be potentially quite unhealthy, especially for a young adult just starting to make her way in the world.

Overall, I enjoyed most of Leaving, and I am looking forward to continuing this series. I’m grateful that this isn’t the kind of story that I read all the time—I think books like this could give a warped and potentially unhelpful view of life as a believer in Jesus if they make up the majority of a reading diet—but occasionally, they are fun. Kingsbury knows how to weave a gripping, well-researched story with strong characters, and I appreciated that. Recommended, if you’re looking for something sweet, romantic, and with strong family themes.

WARNING: There are occasional mentions through the book of God “speaking” to people—reminding them of verses, giving a bit of direction, etc. In ch. 2, there is a brief flashback to war and references to a mother in jail for drug trafficking. In ch. 6, there is a mention of a character almost dying from alcohol poisoning and a memory of being a POW. A married couple kisses in ch. 7, and someone has an asthma attack. There is a mention of cuss words and the word dratted in ch. 10. Unmarried characters touch in ch. 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, and 25. In ch. 14, there is a mention of a woman who slept with a married man in the past and had a baby out of wedlock. Ch. 18 has another asthma attack and a man is in a coma. Ch. 19 tells about a man who died. In ch. 23, there are mentions of someone who often spent the night with his girlfriend, other people who often drank, an accident, and a character has a flashback of a man who was killed.

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