Book Review: "The Spring of Candy Apples" by Debbie Viguie

It’s spring and Candace is busy working at the Zone’s Candy Counter while struggling to make decisions about her future. She’s been accepted to two different colleges, but family and friends are pressuring her to stay local. Her coworkers, however, are urging her to follow her God-given dreams no matter how far away they take her.

The Sweet Seasons series has been one of my favorite YA series from the time I picked up the first book. Debbie Viguie writes in a perfect teen voice and really gets you into the story. There's no label dropping and teens come across as very real. It's also one of the funniest and just plain enjoyable YA series that's out there. It's Christian YA but it's not preachy at all.

This book features Candace in her last season working at The Zone amusement park. She's been working there for almost a year and it's about time for her to leave not only the park but make plans to leave for college as well. This time the mission for the park's employees is to put on a talent show. While this may sound boring, the results definitely are not and it's a hoot watching Candace's group perfect their talent. And then of course, there are new things to discover about the The Zone which is always really exciting to read about. I think that these kids have the best job a high schooler could ever have.

I don't want to spoil the story about who Candace ends up with but let's just say I was super geeked and it was done absolutely perfect. Honestly I really can't find any fault with this book other than I'm really sad that this is the final book of the series. I've grown to love Candace and the gang at the Zone. I loved reading about their adventures in the park and seeing how the characters have grown and matured over the past year. I totally wish that The Zone amusement park existed in real life. It is pretty much the theme park of my dreams. If you're looking for some fun light YA reading, this series is definitely for you. HIGHLY recommended.

The Spring of Candy Apples by Debbie Viguie is published by Zondervan (2009)

This review copy was provided by the publisher