I have had a paperback copy of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck in my possession for quite a long time. I've attempted to read it on several occasions but lost interest within a few chapters. The author, Bethany Turner, is a fine writer. My major issues are with the characters and the pacing. My goal for this month was to review the stack of books piled up on a desk, and The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck happens to be one of those titles. So, I forced myself to read the entire thing.
As you can probably guess by the book's title, the main character is Sarah Hollenbeck. She's a bestselling author of erotic (and probably trashy) romance novels. After finding religion and joining a church, Sarah decides to switch from steamy romances to Christian stories. Despite the chance of losing her publishing contract and upsetting her fanbase, she believes this is the best step in her life. And it has nothing to do with her feelings for the church's pastor, Ben.
Final Thoughts
Reading a story about a fictional author has always intrigued me. However, I didn't like reading The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck. I couldn't connect with the main character because she was unlikeable at times. Yes, I caught the Sense and Sensibility-vibe, but that plot angle just didn't work with me. The pacing was all over the place. I kept losing interest and struggled to get to the last page. I have nothing against the author's writing style. Her narrative and descriptions were well-written, especially for a debut novel.
Overall, The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck was a painful (and annoying) read for me. It took me nearly four years to read it - if that says anything.
This one definitely got mixed reviews. I am sorry you struggled so much with it. I found it to be a fluffy light read, which is what I needed at the time I read it, so I wasn't as disappointed. However, there are plenty of authors who write lighter books better :)
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