Mennonite Ella Bayer has a plan for her life. She wants to go to baking school, then join the Amish church and marry her sweetheart, Ezra Gundy. Their families don't like that idea, and Ezra's father decides to send him to a different community, to apprentice at a dairy farm.

Ella wants to leave Lancaster County, too. Her father, who abandoned the family when she was three, has come home, and she doesn't want to see him. She also has a journal, written by her great-grandmother Sarah. Parts of it are written in code, and her grandmother wants her to visit Sarah's home in Indiana, to look for clues to decipher it. Ella finds a room for rent near the Home Place, and plots to get Ezra a job at a nearby dairy farm. Everything is perfect.

Their families are furious. Ezra is sent home, and Ella is all but ordered to stay. She reluctantly moves to the Home Place and tries to fit in, but nothing is going right. Her baking instructor belittles her efforts. Her attempts to build business for her cousin's bakery fall flat. And the only person she knows who's her age, Luke Kline, barely says two words to her. She puts her faith in God and counts the days until she can return to Pennsylvania.

When an unthinkable accident sends her rushing home sooner than expected, she's forced to make a choice about her future. She realizes that she can have her dream, it's just a little different from the plan she started out with.

The title, THE AMISH BRIDE, refers to Ella. She wants to join the Amish church primarily so she can marry Ezra. Through the course of the book, she comes to understand that her decision to join the church should come from her own heart. The decision is less about "what" she wants to be and more about "who" she wants to be.

Authors Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould have done an amazing job of weaving the details of Amish culture and beliefs -- and the differences between Amish and Mennonite communities -- into Ella's thoughts and conversations. The authors have developed complex, realistic characters, whose faith -- or in some cases, lack of faith -- is very genuine.

THE AMISH BRIDE doesn't feel fast-paced, though a lot does happen, some of it quite emotional. The story has mystery, love, dysfunctional families, teen angst, a precocious child, and several life-and-death events, but I believe it's suitable for young readers as well as adults. Faith and prayer are an important part of Ella's story, but unlike some other Christian fiction I've read, it never feels heavy-handed or preachy. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Finishing the book, I felt like I'd really watched a young woman grow up and find her way to the right path. That's a testament to the authors' skill and the story's strength.