Never the Bride
Cheryl McKay, Rene Gutteridge
Reviewed by Teresa Konopka
“Never
the Bride” by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge is surprisingly
good.
Given its cover and title, readers think they are in for yet another
predictable romantic comedy. They couldn’t be more wrong.
What makes
this novel unique is that God actually visits the main character Jessie
to intervene in her love life. Considered Christian fiction,
churches
are mentioned, but the name Jesus never appears.
Jessie is
enamored with her best friend Blake, but he is interested in other
women. She has had her fair share of exes, but is still
alone. She is
desperately jealous of her real-estate coworker that is settled down
with kids. When God shows up, He turns the tables. He
inspires Jessie
to quit her job and let go of her journals so He can write her love
story. As a result, Jessie comes up with an unusual business
proposition, which her sister joins. Minor characters, as well as
the
reader, are shocked at Jessie’s decisions throughout the novel as she
goes from responsible to capricious to faithfully grounded.
From
breaking into a church, to visiting psychiatrists, to admonishing her
party-girl sister, readers simply enjoy reading about Jessie’s life and
her short journey documented on the pages. There are points in
the
novel when the reader is a bit perplexed. At times, it seems as
if
Jessie is flirting with God. However, this is not the case, as is
revealed in a humongous turn of events that can’t be mentioned without
spilling the entire book.
When Jessie actually finds her
Mister Right and gets married--it’s predictable in that sense
only--readers cheer for her. The tumultuous journey leading up to
him,
as well as what he has put up with makes readers melt. The
fairytale
ending is a bit clichéd, but well worth the story, which is
unique to
the utmost degree. Adapted from a screenplay, the book reads like
a
movie. Scenes flow acquiescently and the scenarios are
plausible.
“Never the Bride” by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge is a stupendously
entertaining book for readers that enjoy facetious romance stories
without all the raunchy details.