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Stay With Me Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 163 ratings

Finalist in the 2016 IAN Book Awards (Romance)!! With her sister Abby’s encouragement, Rebecca has moved out of their overbearing father’s home. When a chance encounter with Chris ends with an invitation, Rebecca says yes. The authentic way Chris lives his life attracts Rebecca and garners her affection. Chris loves Rebecca and her innocence, but he’s confounded by the emotional scars she bears from her parents and an attempted assault. Her father’s disdain for Chris’s faith and career only make matters worse. With the counsel of their friend Father John, can Rebecca and Chris overcome every obstacle and bridge the deepening gulf between them and her dad? Or will a crucial lapse in judgment and its repercussion end their relationship? Reviews: This is a warning: the book you hold in your hand is compelling and well-written and you may find it, as I did, impossible to put down. It's a romance that's not trashy in any way, one that illustrates what a novel of this sort should inspire in its reader. When you're finished, you'll be a better person. (And probably a very tired one, because you'll have stayed up all night to finish it.) You'll also be sharing this book with every woman you know! - Sarah Reinhard, author and blogger at SnoringScholar.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a warning: the book you hold in your hand is compelling and well-written and you may find it, as I did, impossible to put down. It's a romance that's not trashy in any way, one that illustrates what a novel of this sort should inspire in its reader. When you're finished, you'll be a better person. (And probably a very tired one, because you'll have stayed up all night to finish it.) You'll also be sharing this book with every woman you know!"Sarah Reinhard, author and blogger at SnoringScholar.com
"A romance of rare quality. It takes you to the heart of passion, through various trials of a real life relationship, and into the power of sincere love. And it's hilariously funny!"
A.K. Frailey, author,
The Deliverance Trilogy

"... a beautiful Christian love story that will put a song in your heart. It will make you hungry for Rebecca's bakery but also hungry for true love that can best be understood in light of John Paul II's Theology of the Body."
Theresa Linden, author
The Liberty Trilogy

"... a poignant and believable love story about two young adults from very different backgrounds. The characters are richly depicted and memorable, including the secondary characters.The story is sprinkled with humor and contains the perfect balance of reality and sweetness and her writing entertains while radiating substance and depth. Stay With Me is a journey of discovery, forgiveness, and redemption--a beautiful journey of two hearts that long to beat as one."
Therese Heckenkamp, award-winning author,
Frozen Footprints

"A tale packed with desire and determination, pain and longing, healing and hope, not to mention peopled with flesh-andblood characters who sweep the reader away into a world we all know with struggles so much like our own, Stay With Me delivers the very best of the inspirational romance genre. Highly recommended!"
Erin McCole Cupp, author,
Don't You Forget About Me

About the Author

Carolyn Astfalk was bitten by the novel-writing bug in 2010 during National Novel Writing Month. Since then, she's been cobbling together free moments at her computer writing contemporary edgy inspirational romances. Stay With Me is her debut novel. She lives with her husband and four children in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015GAH77M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ FQ Publishing (October 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2012 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 335 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 163 ratings

About the author

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Carolyn Astfalk
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Carolyn Astfalk resides with her husband and four children in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where it smells like either chocolate or manure, depending on wind direction. She is the author of the contemporary Catholic romances Stay With Me, Come Back to Me, Ornamental Graces, and All in Good Time, and the coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours. Carolyn is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild, Catholic Teen Books, Pennwriters, and is a CatholicMom.com contributor. True to her Pittsburgh roots, she still says “pop” instead of “soda,” although her beverage of choice is tea.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
163 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book and found it an enjoyable read with beautiful themes. They appreciated the well-developed characters with strong Christian values. The storyline was believable and relatable, with a deliberate development. Readers appreciated the honest portrayal of Catholic beliefs and customs, especially marriage and chastity. The plot moved quickly and the time passed smoothly.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

21 customers mention "Readability"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it a good read with enjoyable themes and writing. The romance is described as inspirational and fun. Readers praise the author's talent and say it's a lovely debut novel for young couples.

"...Surprisingly, thanks to the author's deft and talented hand, none of this comes across as heavy-handed or "preachy," which has largely been..." Read more

"...Catholic theories of marriage and chaste living will find this a refreshing romance that shows that couples can strive to have a chaste courtship..." Read more

"...This is a very good read! From the moment I met the main characters, Chris and Rebecca, I wanted to know more about them...." Read more

"I love a good romance, especially when the characters have strong Christian values...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters with flaws. They appreciate the strong Christian values and find it fun to spend time with them. The characters are described as human yet kind.

"...Chris and Rebecca are well-rounded characters who have flaws but work past those flaws in order to love each other...." Read more

"I loved the characters in this book. Well most of them...." Read more

"...quite a bit of time passes in both novels, which allows the characters to develop and mature...." Read more

"...The supporting characters were equally well written with intriguing personalities to balance out and contrast Chris and Rebecca...." Read more

7 customers mention "Story length"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the story relatable and believable. They appreciate the deliberate development of the storyline, which is easy to follow. The book portrays real-life situations with passion.

"...of this genre raising their eyebrows, but I loved it because it was relatable and real...." Read more

"...Though both stories are long, they are quite different in tone and this particular book might resonate with a younger..." Read more

"This wasn't a bad book. It was a very realistic book. Christians are not perfect. We struggle in our daily walk with God...." Read more

"...The story line was easy to follow and the fact that everything was not "the perfect bed of roses" made the characters that much more likeable...." Read more

5 customers mention "Catholic belief"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's Catholic beliefs and customs refreshing. They appreciate its honest portrayal of Catholic marriage and chastity.

"...Those well versed in Catholic theories of marriage and chaste living will find this a refreshing romance that shows that couples can strive to have..." Read more

"...It has decisively Catholic elements, which I like; though in some instances here it felt a bit forced...." Read more

"...in any way but it did point out many beliefs and customs of the Catholic religion...." Read more

"Starts a tad slow. But ended very well. A lot of Catholic belief which is very solid and not overbearing." Read more

3 customers mention "Pace"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the fast pace of the book. They find the plot moves quickly and the time passes quickly, allowing the characters to develop.

"...take their time to get to know each other and quite a bit of time passes in both novels, which allows the characters to develop and mature...." Read more

"...The plot moves quickly and with every new challenge, I couldn’t help rooting for both of them to find their way to each other...." Read more

"...This book was a great read and the story moves along at a good pace so you really won't want to put it down because you don't want to miss a thing!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2016
    Stay With Me**Disclaimer: I am acquainted with this author via social media, through mutual membership in a large online writing group. This in no way detracts from the honesty of my review.**

    Stay With Me stayed in my to-be-read pile for quite a while before I finally got around to reading it. I don't usually read straight romance or inspirational fiction. But I grew to admire Ms. Astfalk's online presence, both on her blog/website and through conversations in our online writing group, so I finally bit the bullet and started in on her debut novel.

    I wish I hadn't put it off so long. This book has almost everything I'm looking for in a romance. Chris and Rebecca are well-rounded characters who have flaws but work past those flaws in order to love each other. What begins as a simple love story transpires into a complex tapestry about the human experience. Ms. Astfalk manages to tackle big topics like propriety, communication, theology, sex, love, family relations, marriage, and the nature of sin, all within the context of this deceptively light book. Surprisingly, thanks to the author's deft and talented hand, none of this comes across as heavy-handed or "preachy," which has largely been my experience in faith-based fiction.

    The ways that Chris and Rebecca mess up might have some more ardent readers of this genre raising their eyebrows, but I loved it because it was relatable and real. She handles the subject of repentance and grace so, so much better than other well-known Christian authors does. I wish this book had been around when I was twenty, and I recommend it to all unmarried Christian couples who find themselves struggling with temptation.

    The only thing I wish was present in this book was more details about Chris and Rebecca's courtship early in their story. While we are told they bond quickly over great conversation, the reader is left largely out of the loop when it comes to those conversations. I would have loved to have more insight into those long talks.

    Other than that, this book was an absolute joy to read. Ms. Astfalk is supremely talented in her use of emotional language--I think I went through my entire range of feelings in this relatively short read, and I know you will too. Whenever I find myself in need of a good, healthy cry, I know this is the book I'll turn to.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2015
    I loved the characters in this book. Well most of them. I didn't care for her overbearing abusive father who never changed even at the end of the book. The author did a good job of making the reader despise him.

    I loved Rebecca and Chris. They were from completely different religious backgrounds but fell in love anyway. Both were devoted Christians but Rebecca has some baggage due to her abusive father. Chris is a new Christian who loves the Lord and wants his family to know the love of Christ too but he doesn't push. Even though Chris and Rebecca love the Lord they are not immune to sin but they are repentent. I loved Father John. He was so wise and gave Chris godly advice.

    I enjoyed this book even though I am a Christian Protestant and Chris is a Christian Catholic and would desire for his wife to share the same faith.

    One thing that bothered me in this book was Rebecca's sister, Abby. Abby had no filter on her mouth and some of the things that came out of her mouth was just not appropriate. Not swear words or anything but just inappropriate comments. Another thing that may possibly bother some people is the use of alcohol.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017
    This is the second book I read by Carolyn Astfalk, though it is her debut novel. One of the things I like about both her romances is that the characters really take their time to get to know each other and quite a bit of time passes in both novels, which allows the characters to develop and mature. Though both stories are long, they are quite different in tone and this particular book might resonate with a younger (not young— there is mature subject matter here) reader.
    Chris and Rebecca struggle with both their differing faiths and their physical attraction to each other, and as the plot develops, it is clear that the author is straightforward with the struggles faced by young adults hoping to stay true to vows of chastity before marriage. I think cradle Catholics and Catholic converts would enjoy this story more than everyday Christians, as there is quite a bit of Catholic Theology of the Body and marriage beliefs and ideals here, and the one openly Christian character is cruel and overbearing.
    Spoiler alert: There is a fall from grace here, but the message of forgiveness and reconciliation is strong.
    I think the addition of the lack-of-filter older sister, the caring but at times careless older brother and the presence of strong and wise parents only add to the sometimes spicy and surprising, sometimes slow and deliberate development of this story. Those well versed in Catholic theories of marriage and chaste living will find this a refreshing romance that shows that couples can strive to have a chaste courtship that is still filled with fun and love.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ann M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on May 12, 2016
    Beautiful story. Character growth and interaction is great. Excellent read.

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