Unbreakable: A novel of relationships, getaways, teep kicks, bacon, nuptials, and the occasional stabbing

As a teenager, I adored reading Christian fiction. Give me a sweeping historical romance or a high-stakes thriller featuring the FBI, undercover agents, hostage negotiators, or the witness protection program, and I’d gleefully chuck every responsibility out the window in order to hunker down and plow through entire books in one sitting. As I eased into adulthood, however, I began to yearn for more relatable stories—stories featuring ordinary women living out their Christian convictions through the inevitable ups and downs of life.

While the central characters in Unbreakable do occasionally face extraordinary circumstances (it’s a book, after all—something unexpected has to happen!), this entire series is peopled largely with relatable women just trying to get through the day together, learning and growing as best they can. And while there’s a whiff of romance on the air, the driving relationships in Unbreakable—as they have been throughout the series—are the friendships; because what sets this series apart is the central trio—Rachel, Lynn, and Ann—and the life-sustaining female friendship binds them together. If you’ve read the books, you recognize that Rachel absolutely wouldn’t make it through life without her friends—and neither would I without mine.

Even as I was plotting the books, I recognized that this series would become my fictional love letter to all the friends who have nurtured, sustained, edified, encouraged, and kept me alive over the years. If that sounds like something you could appreciate, this series—encompassing Collapsible, Flexible, and Unbreakable—is for you.