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Reviewed by K T Bowes for Readers' Favorite
Chelsey Elise Young skillfully brings together the tropes of coming of age and coming to faith. Set on a university campus, The Sweet Experiment follows undergraduate Payton’s desire to change who she is to attract the attention of her college crush. Influenced by her friends and crushed by her unraveling home life, she searches for others’ definitions of what constitutes a sweet girl. Her painful journey brings her to faith and she finds out what sweetness really means.
I found The Sweet Experiment incredibly enjoyable. It was grammatically flawless and a pleasurable read. Payton’s battle between the broad and narrow ways will resonate with readers as she struggles to find hope while being repelled by the religiosity of the placard-waving Christians. I liked how genuine the characters are and how Chelsey Elise Young uses their natures and behaviors to guide Payton toward faith. There’s a valuable lesson in Payton’s perception that those friends she reveres as trustworthy are shown not to be, and those she considers too perfect are simply forgiven. There is a powerful theme of restitution throughout and a sense of no one being left behind. But I loved best the subtle, clever humor which lightens the mood and provides laugh-out-loud moments. I appreciated the description of the Hound of Heaven, and my favorite quote is: ‘It occurred to me that I had exchanged the fleeting affections of worldly princes for the unchanging love of a Perfect King.’ This is an encouraging and upbeat novel, offering as much refreshment as entertainment.
