If you didn’t see the movie, it’s likely you at least saw the trailers for the 2020 faith-based love story I Still Believe starring Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland, The Longest Ride) and KJ Apa (Riverdale). Based on the true story of Christian singer/songwriter Jeremy Camp’s marriage to his first wife Melissa and her fight with cancer, it’s a deeply heartwarming film and an absolute tear-jerker (Mind you, I watched it while in my first trimester of pregnancy. I was bawling over everything).
After I saw the film, I learned Camp also had a memoir by the same name. So, I put it on my To-Reads list and waited for it to come available at my library for several months. I looked forward to a deeper dive into his testimony and his story. There were many things I enjoyed about the memoir, but I also have to be honest and admit it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Because I had seen the film – which did an excellent job in terms of accuracy and a faithful adaptation – Camp’s story wasn’t new to me. Going into the book, I was expecting to read a more-fleshed out version with more details and information on everything that happened; I mean, it’s no secret movies often have to leave things out in order to get them to the big screen. But I felt like Camp just covered a lot of the same material at even more of a surface-level. And without the emotional display that viewers had the privilege to see onscreen, it all felt a little bit dull. There were a handful of things Camp discussed that weren’t in the movie (his parents’ marriage, his childhood, his second marriage to Adrienne, and the growth of his career), but the only thing that really stuck out to me/moved me was how he navigated dating/marrying Adrienne after losing Melissa. The actual story of him and Melissa seemed a lot more glossed over than I thought it’d be. I also didn’t particularly feel like the book was that well-written, which makes sense as Camp is a musician by trade, not an author.
All that to say, it was still a good book – not too long and an extremely powerful testimony of faith and God working through trials and suffering. Camp, while not super deep, is still honest and raw with the things he struggled through. He talks about how losing Melissa developed fears in him that he wrestled with for years. He also talks about his own spiritual growth and opportunities God used to do some pretty incredible things.
For subject matter, I give the book four stars. For just plain quality and style of writing, I’d probably give it 3. It is a moving, encouraging story that I recommend people read, but it just wasn’t quite as impactful as I thought it might be for me personally. Maybe it would have been more so if I hadn’t seen the movie?
Jessica
Copyright Jeremy Camp and Thomas Nelson. Image from Amazon.com.
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