This faith based fiction romance was a good read. Faith and Noah's romance was a good read and Noah was a great book boyfriend. I loved reading about their age difference and how they handled their relationship issues even if this was a YA read. I would love to recommend this to my friends.

Ah, mixed feelings! I would love to love this story and I love some parts, still. I so wish I could be the editor of this novel, so I could cut out certain parts and modify some other parts! Because while Ms Chase is a very skilled author who can set her stage right (pun intended) and build up the emotions well, some motives got over- or underplayed.
I would concentrate on the topic of the domestic abuse much more, in my opinion this issue needs to be addressed much more than the importance of following one's dream in the arts (or any dream, really, because the abuse can break the soul deeply). Really, some sins are strongly overplayed and some are seriously underplayed. The ending chapters are saving grace about these issues, or I would have written some serious homily of a review about sin and God's love as a motive to not sin.
Also, the romance does not work for me - mostly because I do not feel Noah. I went from "how good boy" to "not good!" quite fast. I have two reasons for that - Noah is seriously scrupulous and might come off as manipulative in how he wants to set the "moral tone" within the relationship - and also, Faith is somehow let alone to solve all her troubles, Noah never really asks about the family issues and never really helps. Faith, an incredibly strong female character, is let alone to fight some brutal fights, while the seemingly loving boyfriend is off reach.

So, what works? The setting is very strong. And even of I criticise the usage of some motives, I find it wonderful that they are used! The zany and cheek-in tongue humour is winderful! As is the openness in discussing sexuality-related issues (with the purest intentions). The readability factor is high and I rarely enjoy the pages the way I did here.
I feel that Ms Chase has a big future ahead herself as a writer. The things I critically review here as simply the acts of polishing and honing the craft ideas. But the remarkable talent, humour and way to connect with the reader's heart are gifts one can not learn.

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I'm surprised at how religious this book is, as I didn't realize it was a christian fiction. But no worries, it only adds charm to the story! Noah and Faith are really adorable, their love towards each other as well as their faith makes their love seems so much stronger and pure. It also really connects them, as their relationship is so much more than physical needs. However, the characters can also feel to juvenile sometimes, and I can't say I relate to their choices. The conflict is surprisingly heavy and something I didn't expect due to the light tone at the beginning of this book. Overall, it's a quick but important read worth everyone's time!

This YA read will stick with you well after you turn the last page. I cried hard while reading this story and I love when books capture my emotions like that. When I finished the book, I just sat and thought about the story. While that may be normal for some, it isn't for me. I usually go right on to reading the next book. This book made me stop and really think about some of the issues, like abuse. I am looking forward to reading more by this author and I recommend this YA book for both youth and adults. As an adult, this book can make an adult remember youth issues and how they made you feel and how a parent can be overbearing while trying to raise a child.

If I wasn’t already a happily married woman, I would be on my knees right now praying for God to bring me my very own Noah Spencer. As it is, I will be getting on my knees and praying for a Noah Spencer (or three) on behalf of my daughters instead. I love it when authors can create a YA character who is a great role model—and a hero to totally fall in love with—but who still has the kinds of flaws and humanness that prevent them from being unrealistic. In fact, I love that in adult characters, too; it just seems harder to find in YA fiction.

Before I spend the whole review waxing poetic over Noah, let me say there are MANY other reasons to love this novel. First person present tense has been growing on me over recent years, but it’s still not my preferred point-of-view. And yet I barely noticed it in this novel. The writing felt so natural and was so engaging that I didn’t give it a second thought. As a musician and performer, I also loved the ‘musicalness’ of this story. But more than all of this, I loved the way this story dealt with the subject of children honouring their parents in a situation where it is genuinely challenging to do so.

Now, I’ve already said that Noah is the kind of guy I would pray God prepares for my daughters. He’s hard-working, honourable, mature, and strong in his walk with the Lord. However Faith’s mother sees him in a very different light. He’s three years older than Faith (which might not sound like a lot, but is probably worth taking into consideration when you’re sixteen and nineteen), and he’s got his sights set on a musical theatre career. Couple that with the example of her own sister’s life, and that's all Faith's mother needs to justify freezing Noah out of Faith’s life.

This whole story totally sucked me in; I didn’t want to put it down. I felt the injustice of Noah and Faith’s situation, how easy it would have been to feel justified in handling things differently than they did. But to a certain extent, I could also understand Faith’s mother’s concerns (even if I didn’t like the way she handled them), which meant that, despite essentially being the ‘villain’ in this piece, she was more than a caricature of the stereotypical ‘evil and overbearing parent’. And because the book opens with Faith on the way to (hopefully) meet with Noah after an intermission of two long years, there is an anticipatory tension all the way through, knowing that something is going to happen, but not sure what the circumstances will be.

And finally, there is the relationship that grows between Noah and Faith. So beautiful—founded on a solid friendship that tested them and brought out the best in them, and yet also brought more than its fair share of heartache. This is definitely a novel not to be missed!

This was quite hard for me to read. I couldn't relate much to theater and stuff so I failed to finish this book.

I was instantly drawn to this novel by the synopsis. The musical theater/artsy aspect really intrigued me. Plus, I really like the cover. I’m really glad I gave this book a chance!

First of all, I really loved Faith and Noah’s relationship! I really appreciated that while yes, they were instantly attracted to each other, they took their time with their relationship, and it was not insta-love. I absolutely fell in love with Noah, and how he was such a gentleman. I also really liked the way their age gap was handled. While there wasn’t too big of a difference in ages (about 3 years), I like that it wasn’t completely brushed off. When you’re still in high school, and your boyfriend/girlfriend isn’t, it does make a difference, and I really liked how it was addressed.

As a Christian, I really appreciated Noah and Faith’s decision to abstain from physical stuff in their relationship, aside from a few kisses. While I know not everyone agrees with that stance, it is something I believe in as well, and it was really refreshing to have purity as a priority in a YA novel. Likewise, I loved the importance and trust that Noah and Faith placed in their faith.

The character growth in this novel was so good as well! Every single character evolved, changed, and grew, and I loved that. I especially loved getting to see Faith grow from a fairly immature teenager, into someone who was able be be mature and stand up for herself.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable contemporary read. There are a few scenes that felt very frustrating, which is why I feel like this book is more 4 1/2 stars, but I really ended up enjoying this one more than I anticipated. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good love story!

I absolutely adored Intermission by Serena Chase. This may be a YA novel that I was previewing for my daughters, but even though I'm 39, I absolutely loved it. It certainly brought me back to my theater days with all of it's show tune references. It does deal with some very tough issues of emotional and physical abuse, but the author does it in an amazingly real, yet tender way. The characters are so real and relatable, and the writing is superb. I highly recommend this!

Faith is a talented sophomore who dreams of making it big on broadway, but she's up against some tough stereotypes and ideals from her parents who treat her as less than worthy because of her creative passions. She encounters Noah, a missionary kid who's trying to make it on his own and make it to broadway as well. But he's so much older...and her mother is bent on keeping them apart even though she refuses to even meet him.

Serena Chase writes this story so beautifully. The characters act and say so many things I thought as a teen and did as a teen. Even the silly, goofy stuff. The stuff that would never mean anything to anyone else, but means the world between the two who shared the moment. Even the awkward in-between situations we sometimes find ourselves in when we know it's not likely to work out, but hoping for the best and most of it anyway. Faith and Noah are respectable role models in making the best out of some bad situations and having the maturity to know when it's time to say goodbye. Faith bends a few of the house rules around a "technicality" but overall makes good decisions as she explores her feelings toward Noah.

I loved the musical theatre aspects but not so much the romance between Faith and Noah.

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Title: Intermission
Author: Serena Chase
My Rating: 5 Huge Musical Stars
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

I've always felt there are just some books that you're meant to read...
Intermission is one of them.

Intermission tells the story of a teen girl dreaming of the spotlight, hoping to make her mark in the musical theater world but soon finding out sometimes the show doesn't go as planned.

When Faith Prescott runs into 19-year-old Noah Spencer while spending time at her secret hideaway, the stage is set for romance. They immediately connect over their shared love of musical theater. And sparks begin to fly for Faith as their friendship builds and turns into something more. But their love is met with resistance. If only Faith's parents could see the innocence of their relationship. If they could see that Noah is one of the good guys. If only they would let Noah & Faith be together. Then maybe Faith wouldn't have to wait two years to see if Noah will show up to the place where they first met.

Will they be able to pick up where they left off? Will Noah even show?

"We are starlight on snow. The reflection of something already beautiful-absorbed, reflected, and remade into something ... more." -Faith

Intermission is one of those books that immediately pull you in. I loved the authors writing style and Noah & Faith's story was executed perfectly! I fell in love with Noah right from the beginning! (He's basically my dream guy!). It was so refreshing to see a young male Christian character in an YA Romance! As a Christian, I thought Noah was an inspiration. To see his faith in the middle of their adversity was encouraging! Major props to the author for including Bible verses! I loved reading how Faith drew closer to God and sought His guidance. And to see God at work in Faith & Noah's story was incredible.
Noah and Faith's relationship was believable and captured the essence of young love beautifully. My heart broke when Faith was forbidden to see Noah any more because of wrong accusations and prejudices. I could feel her pain over losing her first love. I was almost brought to tears over their situation.
When Faith & Noah agreed to meet 2 years later at the waterfall where they first met, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Noah would show. Hoping that their show wasn't over.

Overall:
Beautiful story. Beautifully written. I recommend Intermission to anyone wanting to read a sweet YA Romance that's filled with hope! I know I was blessed by reading Faith and Noah's story.

Thank you to the publisher, Candent Gate LLC, for allowing me the chance to read this book!

~KristaMae

I have mixed emotions regarding this story. It’s unique, that’s undeniable. I’d never read anything of Ms. Chase’s before and hadn’t picked up a young adult book lately, so I decided to give this one a go. I was curious to find out what would happen next, but I didn’t feel I ever really connected with the characters. It also felt over-dramatized at times, but then, the main character is an actress and is planning to major in drama, so it’s really not that farfetched. In the end, it did have a good message, just a bit of an odd route to getting there.
This story is written from a single perspective, Faith’s, in the style of a journal entry or her telling someone her story, and at times felt a bit flat. I’ve read other reviews that spoke about how deeply they were touched by this story, but I really struggled to connect with Faith. She endures a lot throughout the story, from the highs of being on stage and having a “boyfriend” who understands her love of theater, to the lows of arguments with her parents and fighting for the future she’s often dreamed of calling her own. This story encompasses so many of the emotions and questions that teens struggle with as they search to find their place and figure out who they’re supposed to be.
As far as the relationship between Noah and Faith, that was something else I found to be rather unusual. I’m honestly not even sure it could be considered much of a relationship, since it was kept so light and they were kept apart for most of it. I found the idea that they could be “just friends” strange, because that was basically what they were anyway. Though I did appreciate how the author kept reiterating how important it was for Faith to be honest, despite her desire to simply work around her mother’s rules and skirt a few lines. Speaking of Faith’s mom, her character was one that definitely didn’t compute with me. I really thought she was just crazy, or Faith was exaggerating in her retelling. It honestly didn’t cross my mind until I was reading the author’s note that she was supposed to be an example of verbal and mental abuse. I’m not really sure how much reading the story with that in mind would change my opinion or perspective.
Overall, this is a story that is unique in several respects. It contains a good message and a strong sense of morals, and I would definitely recommend it as a clean, Christian read for any teen.

This book....wow. I love musical theatre, so was keen to get my hands on a copy of this book. I had such high expectations of this book, and I was not disappointed. My heart soared throughout, and the blossoming love between Noah and Faith was adorable. I despised Faith's mother as a character, but towards the end, my heart began to thaw. I recommend anybody who has a slight interest in musical theatre to pick up a copy of this book!