ANYTHING

A college freshman struggles with PTSD as she adjusts to university life and fights her attraction to a dreamy fellow student in Welch’s YA novel.

After a horrible senior year of high school, Kit relocates from Colorado to attend college at Mayberry University, a Christian school in rural East Texas. When she hears loud noises or encounters other triggers, Kit experiences visceral flashbacks to a traumatic event that occurred in her last semester in Colorado. Kit refuses to talk about the event to anyone, but it is known to be related to her ex-boyfriend Aiden, a popular boy at her high school. Her issues lead Kit to decide to steer clear of Levi Whitaker, a boy who catches her eye on her first day at Mayberry (“He’s just a guy. I have to get a grip”). According to the gossip of her new friends, the wealthy and attractive Levi is a junior, notorious for not dating despite legions of interested girls. Kit seems to have caught Levi’s eye as well, and she runs into him everywhere, from the cafeteria to Sunday night prayer group. Like Kit, Levi seems devout and sincere in his Christian beliefs—this is confirmed for the reader by Levi’s occasional narration. Both Kit and Levi regularly pray, which is signified by the use of italics in the text; they also “hear” God’s responses, which are rendered in a bold font. These responses typically take the form of paraphrased Bible verses and fit seamlessly into the narrative. Kit and her friends continuously make references to films and music that sometimes feel dated, such as the 2005 film Hitchand comedian Brian Regan, who stopped doing standup in 2015. Still, Welch succeeds where some Christian authors fail by advocating for therapy to deal with emotional issues. While some devout narratives might insist Kit needs to pray more, Welch makes it clear that, while prayer does help Kit, she also requires care from a professional to combat her PTSD.

A sweet, gentle romance for Christian readers, unique in its engagement with trauma.