Reviewed by Sharon VanderPol and Arlene Martin
When Jodi Baxter attends a weekend Christian women's conference near her home in Chicago, she is randomly placed in a prayer group with several other women. Their first meeting is stiff and unorganized and it is apparent that the women have little in common. That is, until one of them experiences a seriously critical incident. Deepest concern and help is poured out toward the family, and the prayer group decides to at least keep in touch by email. Before long, their lives are intertwined by many events that draw them closer to one another and to God.
The Yada Yada Prayer Group was an easy read. I felt myself identifying with the situations, some of them pretty funny, and growing fond of the women as if I had made some new friends. It was enlightening, too, watching the various ways these women worshipped.
On the down side, I felt that minor incidents were treated with undue attention, whereas real life crises were trivialized by being articifially solved. For example, Jodi goes ballistic when her husband brings beer into the house, but the tragedy that she creates late in the book is dismissed in court. Also, there are some loose ends to some of the ladies' situations which, of course, begs a sequel. Indeed, there are seven Yada Yada books that follow.
Great for summer realistic fiction reading!
