The NerdHerd Reads: Sarah's Choice {by Rebecca St. James and Nancy Rue}

Title: Sarah's Choice

Author: Rebecca St. James and Nancy Rue

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Received via NetGalley

Only one thing stands in the way of Sarah's success . . . her unborn baby.Sarah Collins is about to receive a promotion that will give her everything she's ever wanted: a huge pay increase, a new car, a fabulous apartment, and first-class travel.But then she discovers she's pregnant. And while she "thinks "she loves her boyfriend, Matt, she isn't sure he's mature enough to be a responsible father. And the job she's pursuing is open only because the previous employee is out on maternity leave. She'd never be able to handle the travel as a single mom.Torn between advice from her coworkers, the adamant insistence of her mother and sister that she keep the baby, her insecurity about her relationship with Matt, and the void where her father should be, Sarah has no idea how to make this decision.A Christmas card from a mysterious old woman is the catalyst for three visions of her future--and may just be the miracle she needs. But can she trust the visions? Are they the yearnings of a conflicted heart? Or are they true visions from the God she thought had turned his back on her?For every woman who has made painful decisions, "Sarah's Choice "offers comfort, wisdom, and hope.

I have not yet seen this movie. I've been wanting to for years, just never have. I've heard it really isn't the best movie ever (or, honestly, that good) but let's face it. Inspirational movies always get the short end of the stick when it comes to quality movies. So when I saw that they made a book adaptation of it, I decided to pick it up. (Although, 5 years later? What?)

Story-wise, this book wasn't bad, necessarily. It bordered a bit on boring, though. I know that books that are made off movies are usually more true to script (at least, than book-to-movies are). This seemed like it might have been word-for-word based off the script, and honestly, I could only see how this would play out on screen. I do think the movie might be a little better. At least, not as boring, since it was made for that.

The writing didn't suck me in. Although Sarah, our MC, does grow or change a lot, I just didn't feel it. I don't know if I was supposed to feel any emotional ties to any of our characters, but I couldn't really connect to them. I did like Sarah, and admire her strength. Sure, I got frustrated with her a lot, but you could see where she was coming from, and you could see her growth, both spiritually and emotionally. I loved Matt, and how he developed as a character. Although I will admit, some of that growth seemed to come out of nowhere, and wasn't really explained.

The plot was enough to keep me interested, but not enough that I couldn't tear my eyes away. And the spiritual aspect, while there, just really didn't pack a punch. This should have been a message that really resonated with readers, but I found that I just didn't really feel anything.

All in all, this probably made a better movie. I would still like to see it, to see how it compares, if they changed anything, how this book holds up to the movie. But, I didn't feel like this made a great book adaptation. The things that would have been great in movie format are not the same things that work great in book format, and I think this is one that should just have been left alone.