LitPick Review
Afternoon Rebecca is a faith-based book by Mike J. Kizman about a Christian young man and woman searching for love as they stumble upon a dating app that leads to a whole new relationship. Jeff is a young man living alone with his pet parrot called Sparrow. Despite Jeff's handsome features, he seems not to do well with women or relationships due to his lack of self-introduction or pick-up lines whenever he is talking to a woman. In an attempt to try another type of approach, he downloaded a Christian dating app. Rebecca is a young Christian woman living with her female roommate called Max. Rebecca is also single after ending a year-long relationship with her ex-boyfriend. Now after going on dates with various men, she still couldn't find the one she loves. She then came across the Christian dating app. She decided to give it a try, but she did not expose much about herself on her profile. After visiting various profiles on the app, Jeff came across a particular profile with the name “Afternoon Rebecca”. Her bio did not say much, but it was of interest to the young man as he tapped the “Match Me” button in the app and waited for her message. Do you think this would be the start of a new relationship?
Opinion:
The plot is a faith-based romance with scriptures cited from the bible. The characters are said to be Christian and even Jeff's pet, which is a parrot, was trained by Jeff to recite scripture. In the book, we read about the interesting encounter of Jeff and Rebecca on the Christian dating app and in-person on a date.
I feel the plot was easy to understand since the author gave detailed descriptions about the lives of the characters. The characters made the book very appealing, starting with Jeff, a young man in his late twenties. He is a handsome man who is seeking a Christian woman for a relationship. I actually love how he tries to teach his pet to recite John 1:1, and even when the parrot can only recite the first sentence, Jeff would finish it off for it. I also love the fact that he did not behave like the other man Rebecca had been on a date with who was proud and not what she wanted. Jeff was transparent. Honestly, I felt quite sad when he was being so anxious during the date since he wasn't used to going on dates and Rebecca seems to be the first woman he is going on a date with. Rebecca is another lovely character. A young Christian woman with hopes of finding love. Unlike Jeff, she was not shy or anxious and she has been in past relationships. At first when she met Jeff, she had concluded that he would be like the last guy she had dated, but as they got to know each other that perspective changed. Another character I love is Fred, the co-owner of Fred's Fine Dining, the restaurant where Jeff and Rebecca had their date. First, I love how we learn about how Fred got his restaurant. It all got started when he got a small oven as a gift and how he found a secret recipe for his favorite food, which moved him to open a restaurant. He is a very caring boss, and he always lends a helping hand and takes orders for his staff if needed. No doubt, he is an example of a very considerate character.
The book was set in the restaurant Fred Fine Dining in Indiana. It is a small restaurant run by Fred and Irving, who is a baker in charge of the bakery section of the restaurant. The author's description of the restaurant was very vivid. I was able to picture a higher end restaurant with a good menu and service. And again, I love how the author told the story of how Fred Fine Dining came about.
The novel was intriguing because it explores faith through the lives of the characters as it explains their spirituality as Christians. Based on my reading experience, the book would appeal to Christian readers, both young adults and adults interested in faith-based relationships.
