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Dixie Chambers' life has been transformed. She's been hanging around with Heather and Tammy, the most popular girls in school. Now she's busy with shopping trips and parties. For the ultimate escapade, they sneak out to see the most popular rock band in the area, and Dixie catches the eye of lead guitarist Vince Evans! He's so suave, so good-looking and mysterious, that none of the boys at school can begin to measure up to him. She's in heaven, and begins to think that it's love at first sight. All Dixie wants is to be is Vince's girl, no matter what it takes. But then, his nice-guy facade slips away and she realizes his act doesn't end on the stage. Suddenly, she's faced with a very tough decision that will change her life forever.

When Dixie catches the eye of Vince, she s in heaven. She thinks it s love at first sight, and there s nothing she wants more than to be Vince s girl, no matter what it takes until his nice-guy facade slips away.

Recommended by Jordin Sparks, American Idol winner 2007.

My Beautiful Disaster by Michelle Buckman is a young adult novel that pushes the edges of relevance in the field of Christian young adult fiction, possibly beyond the limits of its genre.

As soon as popular, gorgeous Dixie first sees Vince, the lead singer of a cool new band, after sneaking into an adult venue to meet a friend, she can’t keep her mind off of him. She works almost full-time to try to hook her prized catch. However, Dixie’s new crush turns out to be a bad-news drug dealer whose mind is only on one thing. Deceived by his finesse and suave appearance, and craving the position she’d gain as Vince’s girlfriend, Dixie caves to Vince, compromising herself with few thoughts to morality or to the consequences of her actions. When Dixie realizes she’s pregnant, her sky-high dreams plummet to earth with a sickening reality check. Now she must face the reactions of her peers, her church, and her parents as she decides what to do with her life and the child now growing inside her.

I had a hard time getting through this book. I struggled with Dixie as a likable main character because I found her obnoxious. She is obsessed with clothes, boys, and music. Her friends are shallow. She makes bad, even stupid, decisions even though she knows better. It was amazing how much better I liked her after she began to deal, as an adult, with the consequences of her actions.

Because of the amount of foreshadowing Buckman uses, as a reader I could see exactly where the story was going from the beginning. It was very predictable, with no surprises or plot twists.

This book raises important questions. How far is it okay to go in the realm of a novel for today’s Christian teens? No, the book doesn’t deal graphically with the sexual aspect of the story, and, yes, these are issues and choices that, unfortunately, are being faced by today’s teenagers. In a way, this makes the book very touching in its realism. However, especially for a Christian YA novel, this realism goes a little too far. I am not sure that following Dixie’s thought processes, even toward her redemption, is a good thing. And is it possible to attain cultural relevance for teenagers without stooping to the language level of its secular counterparts? This book frequently uses crude language used in insulting ways and even in general conversation.

On the positive side, My Beautiful Disaster makes a very realistic case for abstinence. By watching Dixie make mistakes, the reader understands that momentary gratification is not the important part of a relationship, and that sex can have effects that change everything. Dixie makes very bad choices, and then her life is permanently changed by the consequences. However, a clichéd plot and one-dimensional characters and rough handling of sensitive subject matter make it a difficult book to enjoy. Good message or no, it’s probably not really worth the pain to get there. -- Lyndi Markus, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

“It was amazing. I loved it! Despite everything that's going on, I had time to read another amazing book by Michelle Buckman. With Maggie Come Lately, I was completely drawn in by her characters and real-life issues that she tackled in the story. In her second book, My Beautiful Disaster, she drew me in even more with her compelling story about Maggie's best friend-turned-sister, Dixie. In Dixie's story, she goes through love, loss, fear, and redemption. I can honestly say that I felt Dixie’s emotions when I read her words. I felt my chest puff up with pride as if I knew her myself. I felt connected. I could not put the book down for three days straight. You want a good read? You're looking at it." - Jordin Sparks, American Idol winner 2007

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