Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jess, Mo' Books LLC for my copy of They Call Me Gomer… by JC Miller in exchange for an honest review. It published November 5, 2020.
I thought this would be a fun companion read to when I was reading Hosea in the Bible and it ended up being a little too raw and ultimately I had to DNF it. I’m sure there are redeeming qualities, but I was not comfortable reading this book.

They Call Me Gomer is a modern retelling of the story set forth in the book of Hosea in the Bible. Hosea, a prophet of God, marries a prostitute at the Lord's direction, and his marriage to her mirror's Israel's relationship with God.

The story is told from Gomer's point of view. Go-Go, as she is called by those close to her, seems destined for a life of trouble from the get-go. Her family life has its issues, and even at a young age, she yearns for the streets - dangerous men, loose women, drugs aplenty, and the promise of the luxe life. Hosea Felix, or Zee, as she calls him, is different. He is a young man with a strong faith, and he is drawn to Go-Go in spite of her fast ways. Go-Go longs for him, too, but she keeps chasing what she sees as the life she really wants. Even after she and Zee are married, home and family isn't enough to hold her, and she keeps doing the things she wants but knows she shouldn't do. She can't even be sure Zee would want her back after the things she's done.

The author does a good job of drawing the reader into Go-Go's world. Go-Go doesn't necessarily WANT to do bad things. She just can't STOP herself. Just like Gomer in Scripture, she dashes after men who are nothing but bad for her and flaunts her marriage vows repeatedly. The man she really thinks she wants is her sister Rah's husband, Jeri, and Jeri is rotten to the core. He may do nice things for Gomer and her family, but he has his own agenda. Gomer may have to learn that the hard way.

Like the book of Hosea, this is a story of rebellion and redemption. Go-Go is a character you alternately want to shake and to hug. Her actions are driven by the hurt, broken little girl hiding deep inside, and she just doesn't know how to change, even when she realizes that she should, even when she wants to. Zee's love doesn't fail, though. He remains faithful, even when Gomer is faithless. When she returns, he loves her enough to set boundaries and expect her to abide by them.

I love how the author weaves Scripture into her story. It's a part of the narrative, not a thump over the head. This book really was a joy for me to read, and once I got into it, it was tough for me to put down. I love retellings of Scripture, and this one does not disappoint. Hopefully you'll read it and be inspired to open the Bible and read the story of the real Hosea and Gomer.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Jess, Mo'Books, LLC. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up.
This was a great modern representation of an old story.
The book starts out a little disjointed, but soon you get sucked into the drama and it no longer matters.
I didn't care for Go (but that's the point isn't it?) and found it hard to feel sorry for her when she made so many many many bad choices.
I loved Rah and am so excited that there are three books the author previously published from her POV.
Definitely digging into this authors past!
FYI: This author is a faith-based author, so if that's not your thing you likely won't enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley & Jess, Mo' Books LLC for my DRC.

this was a interesting read, the characters were great and I enjoyed going on this journey. I look forward to more from the author.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review so thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.
Gomer also known as Go-Go throughout the book follows a young lady growing up with an extremely difficult childhood. There are several scenes of child abuse, drug abuse, and rape. Go-go Was lost in all of this tragedy and honestly didn't want to be found she chased the money by stripping and doing drugs instead of continuing school and getting out of the mess that had been created. It was a good quirky read and all the characters were well developed and extremely relatable.

I read the ARC from Netgalley and while the premise is enticing and hooks you it's a book with a lot of sadness and heartbreak that makes it hard to get through. Reading about trauma is always though but it's one after the other making it even harder to get through. You keep hoping for things to pick up which keeps you reading the book until the end. With likable characters and a quirky story, it's a good read.

It was hard to read, it was hard and rough to read about difficult childhood, drug and alcohol abuse. Every moment that Gomer and his brothers tried to figure out their walk in the world and something strong fell on them, just breaks more deep.
I do not usually enjoy this type of reading, each page turned gave me hope that there was something else ahead for them, an unexpected turn but it was not.
Some characters like Tim / Tam seemed beautiful and full of hopeful brilliance but I can't get hooked, I guess it's because it's not the type of book or ya book that I usually choose.
A story with well-assembled characters who rely on faith to get ahead with their life and are proff that they can find a good ending un spite of everything they go through.
Thanks to #NetGalley and JC Miller for give me the chance to read #TheyCallMeGomer for a honest review

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
A fun read with a quirky yet sweet story. A tad predictable at times but not majorly. I found it sloe to start but this improved on moving through the book. The characters are likable and well developed, making them relatable to the reader. Overall a good book.