The Reveal by Sarah Anne Sumpolec has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the fourth book in the “Becoming Beka” series.
The Reveal by Sarah Anne Sumpolec has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the fourth book in the “Becoming Beka” series.
Beka goes to Haiti on a missions trip to spend more time with Josh but ends up spending very little time with him. He leaves for college, and she starts her senior year. When Mr. Madison tells his girls, Beka and Lucy, that he and Gabby are going to start dating, Beka uses this opportunity to get her dad to relent and let her date Mark. Mai befriends Lucy and tells her that the only way to popularity is through sleeping with boys. Beka rescues Lucy from inappropriate situations a couple of times, but Lucy still thinks Mai is her friend. Mai wants the editor’s job at the school paper, which is Beka’s position. Mai threatens to reveal Beka’s secret about having spent time in a psych hospital if Mai doesn’t get her way. Beka’s friend Lori catches her dad looking at porn and doesn’t know what she should do. As Beka and Mark are dating, he tries to get too physical with Beka. She is uncomfortable with aggression.
While contemplating all her problems at the beach, Beka ends up rescuing a friend, Gretchen, from committing suicide. Mai eventually reveals Beka’s secret, and Mark breaks up with her. Josh and Beka exchange letters. Gabby’s brother and sister-in-law come to town over the holidays and listen to Beka’s song at the holiday concert. Gabby’s brother likes it enough that he asks her to make a demo for his company. Mr. Madison proposes to Gabby on Christmas. Beka visits her mom’s grave and understands that she is beginning to open up to love others and to let them love her.
Beka is a Christian but struggles with her day-to-day choices and doing things God’s ways. Beka works on forgiving her mother and others. Beka realizes how upset she has been at her mom for dying and how she has been taking that anger out on Gabby. Beka asks for forgiveness from God and Gabby.
Mark says he is a Christian, but he also states that Beka is way too serious in her beliefs. He believes that he can be a Christian but still have worldly “fun.”
Beka’s father consistently is portrayed as attempting to do what is right for his family. When he is confused about a situation, he chooses not to make an immediate decision but rather prays about it before he decides.
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Mark and Beka kiss throughout the book. He pushes Beka further in their physical relationship. When they finally are permitted to date, Mark tells Beka that since they are dating, they are allowed to do more than just kiss. They don’t have to have sex, but they can do a lot of other stuff. Beka does not agree.
When Mark and Beka go to Mai’s party, there is a make-out scene between Mai and Lance. Beka also finds Lucy in a bedroom with Ethan. Nothing has happened, yet, but Lucy believes that in order to be popular, she needs to have sex. David, Lori’s dad, is caught four different times watching pornographic movies on his computer. When confronted, he is angry because he does not think that pornography is a big deal.
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