Bethany Jett
Regal, 2013, 208 pp., $12.99

In The Cinderella Rule, author Bethany Jett makes not only a compelling case for abstinence until marriage but a compassionate case, as well. While the traditional modern church message simply is: Wait, Jett’s message is: Wait with intentional purpose…but if you’re already gone too far, there’s still hope for a good, healthy, strong marriage in your future if you’re willing to (re)commit to God’s plan for marriage.

Jett neither dwells on the hard realities many people face in regard to past impurity in romantic relationships, nor does she shy away from them. Instead of belaboring the unpleasant points, she comes across as the loving big sister many girls wish they’d had to help them navigate the strong currents of romantic pursuits.

While encouraging young women to understand God created them as His crowning achievement and for every young woman to insist that her man treats her as the prize that she is, Jett assures the reader there’s a lot of fun in be pursued within appropriate boundaries and that there are appropriate ways to respond when the guy who’s worthy of pursuing her shows up in her life.

Jett says that when we understand who God created us to be, we’re better able to have the confidence we need to set higher standards for ourselves, thereby reaping the rewards held only for those who wait on the Lord with direction and purpose. In doing so, she addresses various aspects such as the external manner of how a female dresses herself to the internal matter of behavior not of playing hard to get but of being hard to get. 

The specific content of this resource is best suited for high school and college-age women, but the general message needs to be heard by those in middle school, as well. It’s never too soon for girls who are approaching the dating age to understand it’s the male’s role to pursue and that both parties are responsible for guarding their hearts.