Book Review: Made To Last

Author: Melissa Tagg
Publication Date: September 15, 2013
Publisher: Bethany House

Miranda Woodruff, star of the homebuilding show "From the Ground Up," will do anything to keep the job she loves. Due to a painful broken engagement and a faith she's mostly forgotten, she's let her entire identity become wrapped up in the Miranda everyone sees onscreen. So when she receives news that the network might cancel her program, she must do the very thing she fears most: let the spotlight shine on her closely guarded personal life. The only problem? She's been living a lie--letting viewers believe she's married--and now she's called upon to play wife to a sweet, if a bit goofy, pretend husband to boost ratings.

Desperate to help his family and prove he's not a total failure, reporter Matthew Knox is looking for a breakout story. When he's offered the opportunity to do an online serial feature on Miranda Woodruff, he jumps at the chance, even if celebrity reporting isn't really his thing. But as soon as he meets Miranda, he knows she's keeping secrets.

When Miranda's former fiancé suddenly appears on the scene again, she doubts her life could get more complicated. Juggling three guys, an on-the-rocks television show, and the potential exposure of her deception is way more than she bargained for. Can the woman who makes things look so good onscreen admit it's time to tell the truth about who she is? And if she does, will the life Miranda's built come crashing down just as she's finally found a love to last?

You’re Randi Woodruff, homebuilder extraordinaire, tool-belt-wearing how-to girl.

You made your bed…Yeah, sure, a bed of nails.

On any other day of the year, in the lull of routine, she could almost forget the lie she lived. But today’s would-be anniversary made forgetting about as easy as building a house from cotton sheets.

Someday when this is all over, God, I’ll be the obedient, meek and mild woman I’m supposed to be. The person Mom and Dad always wanted me to be.

I am sad that it has taken me so long to write this review, especially when I absolutely loved this book! This book had so much hype behind it and really had a lot to live up to, even as a “debut.” The premise behind this book automatically intrigued me, as it follows a woman, Miranda “Randi” Woodruff, who stars in her own homebuilding television show called From the Ground Up. This intrigued me because homebuilding is usually a man’s world, and I love seeing women playing versatile roles and embracing feminism to the utmost degree! She has heard rumors saying that the network is planning to make some cuts, and she plans to do whatever she has to do to boost her ratings and save her show! Then a handsome reporter suddenly becomes interested in Miranda and her show as well. Miranda sees an opportunity and takes it – even if it means pretending to be married to a man she barely even knows!

This book has gotten some amazing reviews all over the web and I really have no idea why I waited so long to pick it up and read it! It turned out to be everything it was promised to be – romantic, funny, and a quick, light read. The plot flows nicely and the characters are introduced and developed as if they were actual people in the author’s life. While reading, I felt as if the scenes being described were unfolding all around me. Melissa Tagg covers real issues within these pages; issues that people like Matthew and Miranda face on a daily basis. This book was a nice reminder not to let your career or job get in the way of a companionship that could last a lifetime. Very light-hearted book, but with a strong message behind it!

Miranda was by far my favorite thing about this book. She is nowhere near perfect, and she doesn’t claim to be by any means. She knows she has made many mistakes in her life, like letting go of her faith and choosing what she thought was more important at the time – her budding career. The mistakes that Miranda has made helped me to connect to her more as a character. Being able to see her redeem herself by the end of the book was uplifting as well. We need more characters like Miranda; people that we can actually relate to and look up to!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Bethany House in exchange for my honest review***