Description
Sixteen-year-old Chloe Gabriels has dreamed of going on an overseas mission trip for as long as she can remember, so when the opportunity arises for her to go to Thailand with Teen Missions International she jumps at the chance. Working at an orphanage, learning new skills, experiencing a different culture, making lifelong friends—what better way could there be to spend her summer vacation?
Of course, the trip will have its challenges—living in close quarters with seventeen other teens out of their comfort zones has a way of doing that—but it will be worth it. She’ll finally be serving God in a practical way.
But while the orphans and their stories break her heart, it’s someone unexpected who has the biggest impact on Chloe’s summer and leaves her wondering if maybe there are just as many people who need her love back home as there are overseas.
mgtnelson –
I’ve read Currie’s princess books, and enjoyed them a lot, so I was eager to try out her new young adult book, Because of You, even though it’s not a princess book.
This book brought back so many memories of teenaged me – trying to fit in, trying to apply my faith, going on missions trips, feeling awkward, and really growing in my relationship with Jesus. Currie has done a fabulous job making the story come alive, along with the various characters (some of whom really are characters!) And, since I ended up as a missionary in Asia, I really identified with the challenges Chloe faced in learning how to survive and thrive in a different culture.
You don’t have to be a young adult to enjoy and appreciate this book!
I received a complimentary copy this book from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Barbara Szyszkiewicz –
When 16-year-old Chloe sets out on the mission trip she’s looked forward to since the age of 10, she doesn’t know what to expect, and the boot camp held by the Christian organization running the trip didn’t prepare her much. But when she arrives in an extremely primitive orphanage for girls in a remote part of Thailand, she’s also not prepared to lose her heart to the 40 young children who’d been rescued from traumatic situations and, in some cases, saved from lives of human trafficking.
Chloe has to learn survival skills like washing her dishes, clothes, and hair in an icy-cold river—and her ability to make friends is tested by one of her fellow teen missionaries, who spends most of the time crying and complaining that she misses her mom. Some of the most valuable lessons Chloe learns have nothing to do with orphans, Thailand, or survival: they’re lessons of trust, faith, and friendship.
Definitely recommended for any teen hoping to participate in a mission or service trip! This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I’ll be checking out her backlist after reading this one.
Kathryn Bochman –
Hannah Currie knows how to write a compelling young adult novel that even season adults will enjoy. Her latest, Because of You, brought me back to my own teen years as I delved into the story of Chloe, who is embarking on a mission trip to a girls’ orphanage in Thailand. I related completely with Chloe as I recalled my past mission trip experiences – the joys, the challenges, the discoveries, and the widening of perspective to a painful world in desperate need of hope.
Currie penned a story full of meaning with a plot that kept me engaged from start to finish. I especially loved the message of this book – for we never know how much our small actions can impact others in a huge way. And this is a timeless message of love we all need to be reminded of.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
chosengirl15 –
Because of you by Hannah Currie was a great book. The book is about Chloe who is in high school and has always wanted to go on a missionary trip. So now she is able to go. After all the preparations with the team they are on their way to Thailand. Once there they are introduced to the people in charge of the orphanage and the children. They were told of the project that they were to work on but it has now changed. This book is filled with joy, laughter, excitement and friendship. I could not put it down. This boom was given to me by the publisher. All thoughts are my own. This was another wonderful book by Hannah Currie and I will be !looking forward to her next book.
bethany.aich –
Because of You is a book I consumed in shorter increments than normal. It took me DAYS to read it instead of hours- and not because it dragged (it DIDN’T) but because it fit the book better than my usual sprint through a story. I was reminded loosely of my time in Southern Africa so it was a bit nostalgic-feeling. While fictional in nature, it reads more like a nonfiction to me; it feels real.
Told from 16-year-old Chloe’s point of view, we get to see her inner thoughts here. While I wouldn’t label them snarky, they frequently made me smile and chuckle. “Curious as I was…I thought it best not to ask…this was likely one of those cases where the less I knew, the better.” I loved glimpsing Thailand through her eyes, hearing a testimony similar to my own in her voice.
I feel like I highlighted half of the book. While technically fiction, this book has so much of its story found in the real life experiences of its author. I laughed, cried, nearly gagged. I also contemplated parts and had times of letting it just simmer. Because of You was amazing, but not in a well-done-action-movie type of way. It’s a quiet and humorous telling of living life for God, of perspectives being changed in unexpected ways, of joy found after hardship. It’s beautiful.
While I have read several of Hannah’s other books (and enjoyed them), she really hit it out of the park with this one.
Romance and violence-wise, completely clean, though possible trigger warning could include human trafficking and struggling with infertility.
candideweekes (verified owner) –
Because Of You by Hannah Currie was a great read!
I really enjoyed reading Because Of You and I was easily able to relate to the main character : Chloe.
Shes was born in a christian home, like me, and felt like her testimony didn’t have a great impact on people.
The stoy was well written and touching.
The description of Thailand makes me want to go there for a visit 🙂
The story felt real even though it is fiction. I feel like all the event could have happened in real life (and I know some did 🙂 and that made the story even more powerful.
— I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. —