PAST PERFECTION

Book excerpt: Your past doesn’t have to define you. But memories of your history may haunt you longer than you’d like, especially when your life is driven by a consuming desire for perfection and fueled by a life of partying. Leah Gaylord’s attempts to succeed in the social scene of her Midwestern small-town high school leave her wounded after a web of repeated betrayals and broken hearts. Scarred by her experiences with senior Seth Maddux at age thirteen, foolishly addicted to the hope her relationship with Lance Rushford could be real beyond their weekends partying together—Leah repeatedly sabotages her chance to get it right with the good guy, Connor Waverly. A three-sport athlete and farmer’s daughter, Leah finds some comfort in the cyclical nature of sports and the seasons but is convinced that escaping the swirling rumor mill of Arrow City would free her desperate soul. She leaves for college, expecting her future to unfold flawlessly once Connor returns, but Leah must learn she’s not in control, and everything works out according to God’s perfect plan, not hers. With raw transparency, this young adult autobiographical novel highlights God’s redemption after a messy tangle of teenage turmoil, but also demands that you guard your heart because even in God’s goodness, lingering layers of scars may follow you forever.