The Isaac Project (2015)

The Isaac Project (2015) by Sarah Monzon is a stand-alone novel. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is 288 pages in length. With a full-time job (it was actually quite crazy this week) and a very active five-year old, this novel took me five days to read. I give this novel 5 STARS. This novel is a Contemporary Christian Romance.

About the Book

Becky Sawyer’s life unravels in a single day. Not only does she catch her boyfriend, the man she hoped to marry, lip-locked with another woman, she also receives the gut-wrenching news that her grandfather, the man who raised her, is dying. His last wish? To see her happily married. Heartbroken, Becky seeks inspiration in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. And finds it in the story of Isaac and Rebekah.

If love couldn’t keep his parents together, Luke Masterson wonders what will make a marriage last. He decides to steer clear of all women—especially crazy ones like Becky Sawyer, who employs a friend to find her a husband. But when he feels the dogged promptings of the Holy Spirit to move across the country and marry a complete stranger, it seems love has little to do with it anyway.

With commitment their only foundation, and love constantly thwarted, can an arranged marriage find happiness in the twenty-first century?

My Thoughts

What a great premise for a novel: the Biblical story of Issac and Rebekah set in the modern times. How could that possibly work in today’s America? In this novel, it really works successfully. The main character of this novel is Becky, and she has had a rough go lately. Her beloved grandfather is dying, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and somebody is secretly and nefariously harassing her and her horse ranch. In an attempt to grant her grandpa, Poppy, his final wish — to see her happily married before he dies — Becky and her friend, Lisa, come up with the Isaac Project. Lisa, acting as Becky’s Eliezer, will find Becky an “Isaac.” Luke, a handsome, brave, and noble fire fighter deemed the “Isaac” Lisa is looking for, initially thinks this a crazy idea, but comes to the conclusion after prayer and reflection that this is God’s plan for him. So, he quits his job and moves across the nation from Michigan to California to marry a woman he has never known in any way.

This book is a great book. It really captured my emotions. One minute I wanted to hug Becky so hard — she just goes through so much hardship. How can one person handle it all? But, in the next minute I wanted to smack her and tell her to buck-up, act like an adult! Becky’s coping mechanism is to hide all her true feelings and put on a show of strength. I get that mechanism, I really do. Building walls around your heart is such an easy thing to do. Sometimes it happens so fast, you don’t even realize you’ve erected a wall until you smack right into it! But, the cost of these walls is too high. There were a couple chapters I was getting so frustrated with Becky because the walls she had erected seemed to have zapped her common sense. The mom in me wanted to scream, “Just open you mouth and talk, girl!” I absolutely love when a book gets under my skin and makes me talk to the characters as if they are really there with me.

The “Isaac” character, Luke, is fantastically written. He is so patient, so honorable, and so dedicated. I love his character the best because he is a great example of how we all are to be as children and followers of God. One of the best messages in this book is the concept of Godly love and true marriage. Unfortunately, too many people today jump into marriage because of feelings. They feel like they love someone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing to feel love for your spouse, but that is not Godly love. One point this novel brings up is that Godly love is a choice. Godly love chooses to love even when the feeling of love seems to disappear. Once Luke chooses to love Becky in the way God asks all of us to love each other, his decision to marry her is sealed. I really feel God put this book in my path because I needed this reminder. Life gets so overwhelming! A given day for me is overflowing with responsibilities. I typically feel drained and depleted by the end of each day. I am grateful for this book and its reminder that I need to make the choice to love with a Godly love, or I’m going to become one lonely and sad girl.

The Isaac Project is an excellent story. Not only is it a sweet love story that uniquely modernizes the Isaac and Rebekah story from the Bible, but it is also action packed, bittersweet, and supremely hopeful. I cannot recommend this novel enough. I hope you will check it out — you will not be disappointed!

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