Amish Guys Don’t Call – Don’t Bother
As a self-proclaimed amishaholic, I scoured around, looking for any titles with “Amish” in it. When I came across Amish Guys Don’t Call by Debby Dodds, it piqued my curiosity. Just how “Amish” was this novel? Would it stay true to Amish values and ideals? The answer to that would be no. If you like horror films, the movie Mean Girls, and the not-very-Amish reality show Breaking Amish, then this might – might – appeal to you.
Amish Guys Don’t Call tells the story of 16-year-old Sam. Sam has a past she’s trying to get away from. When she and her single mom land in Pennsylvania, drama ensues. She becomes part of an elite clique at her school (see Mean Girls reference), is completely obsessed with horror flicks (this is not a passing theme; it’s throughout the novel – and is completely over the top), and meets a cute guy named Zac, who is (you guessed it) ex-Amish. The novel drips with teen angst.
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. It’s most certainly not my favorite. Perhaps that’s because the premise of the entire book is off. Yes, I suppose an occasional ex-Amish guy wouldn’t call due to no phone. But most teens in their rumspringa not only have phones, but they even text. And if they do not have one readily available, they find one. The horror references were insane and many were just uncalled for. Was the author trying to be “hip” using references such as “AF”? If so, she fails. This novel does more harm than good in representing the Amish. For GOOD young adult fiction that address the Amish, try Kathleen Fuller’s Mysteries of Middlefield series, or Beverly Lewis’s SummerHill Secrets series. Both are classics, and still speak of teens in torment without going overboard.
Susan Ferrell and her husband make their home in the Atlanta Metro area. Although Susan struggles with chronic migraine headaches, she stays very busy as a stay-at-home mom to one very precocious little girl. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature!