4⭐
Never in a million years would I think I'd ever enjoy a Christian Romance, 16 year old me would be shocked! But I loved this!

"A match made in Heaven, or a blueprint for disaster?"
This is a very heartfelt romance, absolutely enjoyed it. Loved Kit & Levi's 'courtship'/relationship. I love how God is the foundation of their relationship. Such a beautiful start to a series I'm definitely gonna continue!

Thank you IBPA and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book.

This just wasn't for me. I did not like the characters, and none of their experiences seemed to go beyond the surface.

Honestly, if you read the "jacket", you're good...no need to read the book.

"Anything" is Welch's debut novel following two broken young adults- Kit and Levi, as they face challenges of their past, strengthening faith, and building relationships- all while going to niche Marbury University, full of traditions, intermural sports, and lots of fun.
Kit, who seems to be running from her past, meets Levi in their interconnected friend group.
Levi reminds Kit too much of her ex that's left her with bad memories, but he is charming, popular, and swoon worthy.
Both Kit and Levi have to rely on their friends and faith in God as they battle the struggles of life.
Welch tackles the deep and sometimes annoying part of following Jesus in a cute and easy to follow way, infusing this story with hilarity and pop culture references that make the characters feel like your own friends.

I listened to the audio version on Netgalley, which was narrated by Kristina Welch herself. I loved her tone and how she truly got into the characters' emotions as the story progressed. Sometimes, it was hard to differentiate between the characters' voices and the external dialogue vs. internal thoughts. The pacing was great- slow enough to follow but added, hurried tones during more intense emotions and actions. I wish there would have been a male narrator for Levi, especially during his point of view.

The story was absolutely amazing and felt truly believable. The conflict that both characters went through, both internal and external, and their walk in faith felt personal- even if I hadn't gone through a situation like that before. Welch made you really feel connected with the characters and wanted you to sink in and wonder what was going to happen.
I know some feel weary when hearing of a Christian fiction, and I understand. However, I like that Welch did not use any "church talk" but was universal for anyone in their walk with Jesus, regardless of their "strength" in faith or how long they have known about Him.
I did like the pop culture references, and it made the vibe feel so much more authentic for young adults to read. However, I felt lost to the situation when I didn't understand a reference. I wonder how this book will hold up when the references are no longer relevant because they are so reoccurring.

Overal, I loved the story, and I am so excited to see more from this author!

While this isn’t necessarily a life changing book for me, I think it could have the potential for a younger audience.

While our MCs are college students, majority of this read I had to remember that they’re not actually in high school, as it often felt.

The audiobook being the authors voice is both great and hard to follow. It’s great because she does a phenomenal job with emphasizing certain words and phrases but also hard to follow POVs that aren’t our FMC.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

Thank you, Netgalley and publisher for an audiobook arc for this book in exchange for a honest review.

I was excited to listen to this Christian romance book. It did take me a bit to get into this book with the two main characters. Once I did, I enjoyed their relationship. This book had so much great faith and growth throughout the book. I think Kit and Levi had situations that they both had to work through in order for them to be able to build their relationship. While I didn't love how much Kit pushed people away, Levi staying by her and being there for her was so sweet. Once they both opened up to each other and others, you could see how much that built the relationship. I also loved the side characters of Austin, Haymitch, Sophie, and Mia. I also love the pop culture references throughout the book. The overall story of this book was so much a great listen; I loved that the Author did the narration for her own book. It is always great to find a Christian romance that you really enjoy.

#Anything #Netgalley

4.5 ⭐️

This was great! Not only the love story as a whole but also the growth in faith and trust in the Lord.

This book made me cry for Kit (her situation) and Levi but also it made me think about what it means to have a daily and constant prayer life.

I adored not only the main characters but also the side characters like Austin and Haymitch, their wise council and loyalty was wonderful.

Spice: 0
Language:0

I may have enjoyed this more as a regular book...I did not enjoy it as an audiobook with this narrator. It is choppy and hard to listen to for long.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not much of an audiobook listener, but the author has a way of keeping me engaged with it as I listened. I liked that this book was a Christian book, as it is hard to find books tat incorporate Jesus into them. I feel that it was also something that people could relate to. Having gone through something similar to Kit, I felt my thought process was (and still kinda is) very similar to Kit's. It made me tear up at times, knowing that I could so closely relate to that kind of feeling of helplessness. Wanting to be over it and live normally again. I would definitely pick this up as a physical and read again.

Unfortunately, the audiobook was a really disappointing experience. The narration was flat and made it hard to stay engaged with the story. Maybe it would have been better in paper form, but in audio, it just didn’t work for me at all.

The narrator, who happens to be the author, has a delightful voice. 😊 I truly appreciated the emphasis on maintaining a close relationship with God, continuously seeking His guidance while reflecting on our Savior's loving grace and forgiveness. It's essential to remember the incredible sacrifice made for us. Overall, this story is heartwarming, and I found Levi’s character particularly endearing, while I felt a genuine compassion for Kit. Additionally, the pop culture references added a fun layer to the narrative. It was an amazing debut!
I received a complimentary
audio copy of this book and listened to it with pleasure. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book but at times felt it dragged on a bit too much. I liked the faith based message but also at times felt like it was a little over the top. I think with the audio it would have helped to have a professional narrator and also have a male narrator for the chapters from the male character’s perspective. Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest feedback

I thought this audio was cute. A little slow to my liking. And at some parts didn’t keep my interest.

I do believe you should try this out. My opinion is just my opinion.

I enjoy this book it was cute. I like how down to earth the narrator was while reading the story. However the pace of the story lagged on. I think it’s a really good read for people who are going through the same experience and young adult women.

The reader is also the author. Her voice is pleasant and her reading ability is good. She would do very good with a non-fiction book. With a fiction novel the characters it became difficult with the audio because all of the characters sounded just too close to each other. I'm conversation we received context clues or character cues so it was easier to follow the conversation. But it would bounce on chapter so if you weren't listening really close to here who the chapter was about it really was difficult. The other technical issue that was very jarring especially at the beginning was the first several chapters the audio was edited for free by a company advertising at the end/ beginning of the first several chapters & really was loud and jarring. Also there is a ton of Pop culture references. I did not keep up with most of them. Many of them didn't even give where they came from.
There are Christian overtones throughout. Well written not overly preachy. What I did find was that the characters who were good were exceptionally good, and the "bad" thing that happened to our protagonist stays a mystery through the whole book I felt was pretty weak because there just wasn't enough there for her to carry on like she did for so long. I am sure that was a scary experience. I am sure that affected her. But to me it did not feel like a deep enough wound for her to try and be so protective because it's not something that is unforgivable or makes you unclean because nothing really even happened. The trauma really I would think is rolling across the ground was painful I would imagine. It finally came together it just didn't feel like this would be the big thing that would be the great reveal to tell someone you really trust. (And the reader). With something like that if it's somebody you really trust and somebody who can forgive then effectively this could be as devastating to someone's relationship as saying "I used to shoplift regularly in my youth and was caught by the police."
I did enjoy the reminders of keeping God close continuously asking for God's guidance. Remembering our Savior and Redeemer, and his loving Grace and forgiveness. Never discounting the sacrifice made for us

Thank you for netgalley providing this audio in return for an honest review

This book was a wonderful Christian read. I loved how Scripture was woven throughout the narrative and both the FMC and MMC regularly called upon God for guidance. If this book left room for anything, it was a deeper development of the friendships with the other women. I would have loved to see the FMC let more of them in on her secrets so they could come alongside her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a chance to read this book and give my honest thoughts.

2.75⭐️/5

If you read the description you don’t need to read the book.

I liked the concept of this book, but not the execution. It was the same cycle of conversation and situation chapter after chapter. Kit was triggered she would push Levi away - he would apologize for something he didn’t even know about and on and on the cycle went.

I get she was experiencing trauma, but come on. Too many chapters of the exact same thing. It was too much and I lost interest.

I wish there would have been more inflection in the narrators voice while she read. I couldn’t tell who was talking in the conversation because there was no change between the characters.

Overall it was a sweet story just VERY very repetitive and linear and hardly anything changed until the last five chapters. I loved Levi’s character but was SO fed up and tired of Kit by the end. 😩😬

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and IBPA for this ARC.

This book was just ok to me. I liked the premise and the writing was good. I just struggled a bit to get into it throughout the book. Maybe for others it would be a better fit. I didn't care for the narration, personally.

Super cute faith based book narrated by the author. She did a great job at writing an interesting storyline that was well executed. I really enjoyed the characters personal relationships with God and that there was constant prayer and Bible verses being spoken throughout the entire book. That being said, ebook version would be better! I listened to the audiobook which the author narrated herself (great on her!) My qualm is that the author does not change any flux in voice for each character so it's difficult to tell who is speaking when. If I zoned out even for just a little and forgot which character perspective I was on, it would take a while to figure out. She narrated both the male and female characters in first person with the same tone of voice for both of them. I am giving 3 stars because the written work shouldn't suffer at all. Thank you Netgalley and Kristina Welch for the opportunity to listen and review this book!

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc and an audiobook in exchange for an honest review!*

3.75 Stars!

This was so cute and fun. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook in the mean time.

I'm so excited for the next books in the Mayberry University series.

Anything' is a sweet sweet love storiy. Kristina Welch’s writing is immensely entertaining and emotionally beautiful. She delves into the struggles adolescents who are following God, face. Listen as Kit details her journey to trust God in a challenging world. You will be inspired to look to God when faced with your own challenges.

I highly recommend this book for fans of contemporary romance who love the Lord or are simply curious about how following Him can bring hope and healing to life! It will!

Kristina narrates her own story and does a great job at pulling readers into her world.