A teenager of nineteen, I've never had a boyfriend. And as much as it's something I brag about quite a lot to girl friends, it's something that I refuse to talk about with boys. Finding a book that told the story of a girl whose love life is rather similar to mine made me pick the book from the shelf and convince my mom to buy it.

"Torch Red" takes you into the life of Zoë, a seventeen year-old who struggles with being a virgin in a society where making out is "in" and "doing it" even more. She's a pretty girl, smart, cool... and single. "Now here I am, a junior in high school, soon to be seventeen, and I don't even have a boyfriend. So I ask you, what is wrong with me?" Zoe wonders. Though I've never really wondered this out loud to other people, I often ask myself the same thing. I grew up from a rugged tomboy, to chubby goody-two-shoes to rather (ehem) attractive, intelligent, wise and Godly woman–all thanks to God of course. (I never really imagined the combination of my genes would turn out pretty well.) My parents and a lot of my friends remind me of this, and so do second glances and stares I get from guys sometimes. But I've never had a boy friend. Somehow, the guys I liked always liked someone else, and the guys who liked me weren't really my type. So like what's wrong with me?

A guy–a rather attractive one, too–was pretty shocked when I told him that I didn't have a boyfriend and that I've never had one. I've never had a surprised reaction before. I've had silence or a nod but never really disbelief. The silence and the nod made me think that maybe something was wrong with me, and that's why I don't have a boyfriend. And because I've been getting that reaction for most of my life, something being "wrong with me", actually became quite normal. But getting that "Whoah..." when I replied "No" to his "Do you have a boyfriend" question was really very different. Somehow it told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me and that it was even kind of strange that I didn't have a boyfriend.

This sneak-peek into my life kind of gives you a picture of how singleness makes a lot of women, and even men, insecure. Why are so many people in a hurry to be in relationships? In Zoë's case, how come young people are so in a hurry to lose their virginity in fleeting relationships?

Unlike Zoë, a guy that I like has never asked me out before–either no one ever really liked me or they were too afraid to because they were probably one of those who knows either my mom or dad or them both. Or maybe it's because of my relationship with Christ? Not that there's anything wrong with that because IT ABSOLUTELY ISN'T! But I guess it drives the bad guys away most of the time and makes the good one keep their distance, which is actually cool because you see God's protection there.

As I read on, I began to see a little of myself in the other characters like Nate and even Casey. Author Melody Carlson gets you into "Torch Red" from the beginning and keeps you hooked to the end. It shows you both sides of the coin–a person struggling with the impact of God in her life, and a person touched by God influencing others. Through a very casual, non-religious writing style, Melody Carlson does not preach but rather shows how true Christians can help change the lives of others through their love and obedience to Christ.

Will Zoë lose her virginity to first boyfriend Justin Clark? Join her in her journey to finding out what really matters, as she faces her struggles as a teenager in a culture where losing your virginity is preferred to keeping it, and how Christian friends usher her in a world of grace, love and understanding through prayer and friendship.