If you’re going to get acquainted with Mayla Strong through this second book in Virginia Smith’s Just As I Am series, there’s one thing you need to know.  Mayla is going to reach out and draw you close—it’s what she does.  Be you lost bunny, estranged grandmother, martyr-in-love aunt, runaway teen, or alternative-lifestyle friend, Mayla looks past the labels to the lonely soul inside. 

            Mayla has her own problems, and they pile up like the snow that blankets her Kentucky home.  When the going gets tough, she dreams of basking in the sun and hops on a plane to make her wish come true.  A trip to paradise (Florida) to visit a grandmother she hasn’t seen in thirteen years sounds like the perfect remedy.   

But that’s not the way life works.  As for leaving her worries behind, who knew trouble traveled?  About the only person who doesn’t show up on her grandmother’s door step is Pastor Paul, whom Mayla adores from afar.  He’s a great guy.  The e-mails he sends are caring and compassionate—if you’re simply a member of his congregation.  Mayla wants more, and she sends her mother a carefully noncommittal e-mail that just happens to mention a get-together with the cute Florida pastor.  She fails to mention it’s for a Bible study, and she banks on the robust church grapevine to spread the news to Paul.

What about the bunny, the grandma, the aunt, the troubled teen, and the alternative-lifestyle friend?  Virginia Smith gives each one life and warmth.  You see Mayla’s friends and family as clearly as you see Mayla herself.  I lost count of how many times I laughed or teared up.  Smith’s attention to detail is remarkable, too.  It was a pleasure to ‘see’ the story unfold, and not only to see it, but to hear it and smell it and feel it.  She surprised me by describing little moments we’ve all experienced but seldom noticed.  Smith plays fair with Mayla’s life, too; there’s a perfectly plausible reason as to why she can suddenly leave her two working-woman jobs.

I loved everything about this book—even the cover is the essence of summer.  Take Sincerely, Mayla with you to the lake, the mountains, the beach, or wherever you go to get away from it all.  You will meet someone big enough to help you face your life head-on. 

You can buy Sincerely, Mayla at Amazon.com:

         http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825436923