Spring Broke (86 Bloomberg Place Series #3)

Melody Carlson
David C. Cook (2009)
ISBN 9781589191075
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/09)


In “Spring Broke,” Melody Carlson takes you into the lives of four young women who are residing in a home at 86 Bloomberg Place.  It is Kendall’s grandmother’s home.  Her grandmother is now in a convalescent home and Kendall, who is buried under financial debt and pregnant, is renting rooms out to three other ladies.  Kendall’s bad choices about overspending and her relationships have caused her world to be torn apart.  She has to learn that her true value is based upon who she is, not what she has.  I think that there is a lesson in here for most of us regarding this.

Lelani, Anna and Megan are the other renters.  Lelani ran away from her parent’s home in Maui, after she had a baby.  Her domineering, cold mother coerced her into leaving her baby behind.  Dealing with post-partum depression and the threat of being a single parent made it easy for Lelani to run.  Nine months later, she feels ready to go back to Maui and create a relationship with her daughter.  Her mother will not make it easy for her.
Lelani convinces her other roommates to go with her to Maui.  They will stay in her parent’s guest house.  Each of them, especially Kendall, will have to figure out a way to pay the airfare to get there.  Megan has to stand up to her bosses to get the time off.  Lelani really needs their support.  Their boyfriends will be going as well, but staying in a hotel.  Anna’s brother is dating Lelani.  Her Hispanic family has issues with him dating someone outside his race, and they judge her for leaving her baby.  Anna has to learn to appreciate and heal her relationship with her own mother.

One way for the girls to raise money is to have a yard sale.  They assist Kendall with going through her grandmother’s attic looking for items to sell and treasures to put on E-bay.  This does help Kendall catch up on her debts and buy her ticket.  She also realizes that items that she paid hundreds of dollars, plus interest, for are now pretty worthless.

When the girls make it to Maui, they stand by Lelani in dealing with her mother.  They get a rude awakening to how bad it really was for her.  As they bond together, their faith in God strengthens.  They realize the importance of their faith and the value of the friendship that they share.

“Spring Broke” by Melody Carlson is a wonderful story that has strong Christian elements running through it.  I really enjoyed watching the characters develop as they each grow through their personal hardships.  There are many values taught in this story, including the value of self worth and life itself.  I highly recommend this novel, especially to young adults who might be dealing with similar issues.  They will enjoy the story and their faith will be strengthened.

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