What If Love Is the Point?: Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World

In this sweet joint memoir, actors Carlos and Alexa PenaVega (Ocean’s World) detail how they rose to fame, struggled with the consequences, and found salvation in God. Carlos tells of getting a starring role on Nickelodeon’s television show Big Time Rush when he was 19, only for the fame to turn him into “a mess” as he drank to excess and smoked weed constantly. At a low, Carlos acquiesced to the proselytizing of his real estate agent and agreed to accompany him to church, igniting his enduring commitment to Christianity. Meanwhile, Alexa recounts landing the lead role in the film Spy Kids at age 11. “Knowing nothing about health and nutrition, or puberty, or portion control,” she developed an eating disorder and credits her recovery to years of prayer. The actors describe meeting at Bible study while in their mid-20s and quickly forming a deep bond, learning along the way that “sharing God’s love with others is the point” of life. The authors’ endearing account of falling in love (“I will marry that girl!” Carlos exclaims while driving to a trampoline park for one of his first dates with Alexa) and overcoming hardship with faith will hearten Christian readers. This charming volume is hard to resist. (June)