Book Review: The One Who Knows Me by Joan Embola

Rating: 4 Stars

Published: July 21, 2021

Pages: 312

Genre: YA Christian Fiction

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This is my first time of reading anything by this author. I was intentionally looking for new Christian fiction authors especially since my teenage daughter is interested in reading romance novels and after some research, I found some great reviews about the author’s work so decided to give it a try.

This is the first book in a four-book series that follows Teeyana Sparks, who has just graduated high school and is excited to leave home to college and begin her journey to become a graphic designer. However, Teeyana has been struggling with her faith in God after her family experienced so many setbacks until she meets Jayden Williams at college who begins to show her the love and peace you can find in Christ. As Teeyana begins to settle into her new church and youth group, disaster strikes again which plunges her deeper and farther away from God and this also affects her relationship with Jayden. Unknown to Teeyana, Jayden is also fighting his own demons and when God opens up an opportunity for Jayden to be honest about his own struggles with Teeyana, she finally realizes that she is not the only one who is going through hard times but must try to see God’s hand in every challenge and situation we face. This story explores themes such as bullying, tragedy, mental health and suicide, grief from loss, doubt, faith, and God’s ultimate love.

The story started as a slow-burn for me and that’s because I’m not a huge fan of reading YA stories especially in a high school setting. However, it literally jumped from one to hundred as soon as Teeyana arrived at college and I couldn’t put the book down. This was a well thought out and well written story that I recommend all Christian youngsters should read. Teenage years can be difficult, and a lot of young people carry thoughts of fear, not being good enough and much more around and feel nobody will understand their struggles so they keep it all in which sometimes lead to devastating outcomes. I love the way the author also portrayed how godly relationships should be developed between young adults and how relatable both Teeyana and Jaydeen’s characters were. Even the minor characters were lovable and impacted the story in positive ways that made everyone relevant to the entire narrative. In summary, it was an enjoyable read and my daughter will definitely be reading this one.

I highly recommend this book to all Christian fiction lovers both YA and adults as we can all learn a thing or two from the story. I already have my copy of the second book in the series coming in the mail and can’t wait to read Amara’s story. Watch out for my review of that one soon.

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The Author

Joan Embola is a UK-based Cameroonian-Nigerian Christian author who aims to share God’s love one word at a time. She writes books about diverse characters whose hope-filled stories point to the sovereign love and goodness of God in our broken world. She is a qualified Physician Associate and also the founder of Love Qualified, a ministry dedicated to encouraging others to experience the sovereign love of the one true God who has qualified us to be His beloved ones. She is a passionate lover and teacher of God’s word, and she shares this passion on her YouTube channel, blog, and podcast. When she’s not writing or curled up with a book, you’ll find her watching movies, YouTube videos, or making memories with her family and friends.

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