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Note: This post (and our videos) include spoilers.
We’ve put together a six-episode, book-by-book conversation about The Christiansen Family Series by Susan May Warren — one episode for each book.
This series is for readers who already know and love these books. We’re not reviewing the books or doing spoiler-free introductions — we’re talking about the characters, themes, relationships, and moments that stayed with us, and why this family series continues to be such a comfort read.
Quick Links
Book 1 — Take a Chance on Me
Book 2 — It Had to Be You
Book 3 — When I Fall in Love
Book 4 — Always On My Mind
Book 5 — The Wonder of You
Book 6 — You’re the One That I Want
Themes Across the Whole Series
Bonus Reading: Novellas + Extras
Watch the Full Playlist
What This Post Is (and Isn’t)
- It is: a companion guide to our YouTube series, with quick notes + links.
- It isn’t: a spoiler-free introduction or a formal review.
- It’s for: people who already love these books and want to talk about them.
Buy the Complete Series
If you’re new to the series (or ready for a reread), you can grab the full collection here:
The Christiansen Family Series – Complete Collection (Amazon) (affiliate)
Christiansen Family Series by Susan May Warren (Books in Order)
- I Really do Miss Your Smile (Prequel Novella)
- Take a Chance on Me (Book 1)
- It Had to Be You (Book 2)
- When I Fall in Love (Book 3)
- Evergreen (Novella)
- Always On My Mind (Book 4)
- The Wonder of You (Book 5)
- You’re the One That I Want (Book 6)
- Have Yourself a Christiansen Christmas (Christmas Novella)
Book-by-Book Episodes (Videos + Companion Notes)
Book 1 — Take a Chance on Me
Quick snapshot: The foundation book — Derek’s story closes out the “before” drama and stabilises the family so the larger series arc can unfold.
Watch Episode 1
Get the book
- Buy Book 1 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Derek as the responsible eldest carrying grief and guilt
- The tangled high school history and Felicity’s death
- Ivy as the outsider stepping into an unresolved situation
- Jensen & Claire’s subplot romance and shared guilt
- The in-laws and custody tension around Tiger
- Forgiveness, second chances, and self-forgiveness
- The fire at the end as a shift moment for the series
Book 2 — It Had to Be You
Quick snapshot: Eden’s book — and the turning point where Owen becomes the catalyst for the larger saga. At its core, this story is about identity and being truly seen.
Watch Episode 2
Get the book
- Buy Book 2 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Eden feeling stuck and overlooked in a loud, high-achieving family
- Owen’s accident as the inciting incident for the wider series arc
- The Minnesota hockey world and team dynamics
- Jace’s “bad boy” reputation vs. his already-formed faith
- Eden not “fixing” Jace — and why that matters
- The hospital thread tying together Owen, John Doe, and the subplot
- Identity as the core theme (Eden, Jace, Owen, even “John Doe”)
- Casper’s protective moment toward Jace
Book 3 — When I Fall in Love
Quick snapshot: This is the midpoint hinge — the “holiday” pacing shift plus a huge emotional turning point that sets the trajectory for the rest of the series.
Watch Episode 3
Get the book
- Buy Book 3 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Grace & Max in Hawaii — a different pace and setting
- Courage as a theme: fear, risk, and letting someone love you
- The wedding scene fallout — the midpoint “black moment”
- Casper & Raina’s subplot begins to carry real weight
Book 4 — Always On My Mind
Quick snapshot: The aftermath book — the tornado has come through and left, and everyone has to deal with what’s been broken (and what can be rebuilt).
Watch Episode 4
Get the book
- Buy Book 4 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Casper returning after six months — walking back into chaos
- Raina’s vulnerability and the weight she’s carrying
- Why this book isn’t about falling in love — it’s about learning how to stay
- Redemption, selfless love, and allowing yourself to be loved
- Derek’s revisited struggle: patterns returning to test real growth
Book 5 — The Wonder of You
Quick snapshot: Amelia’s book — and (for us) the “break in the massive saga” before Book 6 comes back to tie everything together.
Watch Episode 5
Get the book
- Buy Book 5 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Amelia as the youngest (and why we find her harder to connect with)
- Rourke as a totally different kind of hero — British, wealthy, dramatic
- The “big secret” and the whole question of flashy gestures vs. small faithful love
- The love triangle with Seth (and why love triangles don’t usually work for us)
- The lumberjack competition (yes, really 😅)
- Subplot: Grace & Max secretly married — the “We’re already married” reveal
- Yulia, adoption, and what it means to become a family
Book 6 — You’re the One That I Want
Quick snapshot: The resolution book — Owen’s redemption arc, the forgiveness questions we’ve been carrying for books, and the story coming full circle.
Watch Episode 6
Get the book
- Buy Book 6 on Amazon (affiliate)
Conversation highlights
- Owen’s “missing for two books” arc and how he’s found
- The crab fishing / lost at sea setup (and why it’s weirdly hilarious)
- Scotty/Elise and the life raft: humour as survival
- Casper dropping the “you have a daughter” bomb in the messiest possible way
- The forgiveness tension: Owen, Casper, Raina — and what’s best for Layla
- Forgiveness, redemption, restoration — and Owen learning to forgive himself
- How the series lands (and why you can’t help but love it by the end)
Themes Across the Whole Series
Forgiveness & Redemption
- Forgiveness isn’t just emotional — it has real-life consequences inside a family.
- Redemption doesn’t erase what happened; it reshapes what happens next.
Courage
- The courage to face the truth, to stay, to be honest, and to let yourself be loved.
Family as belonging
- The family keeps expanding — and the people who marry in often come from broken backgrounds.
- It’s a picture of what chosen family can look like (and even, in a broader sense, what church-family can look like).
Old patterns returning to test real growth
- When characters reappear, the same issues resurface — not to punish them, but to prove what’s changed.
Bonus Reading: Novellas + Extras
Ingrid & John’s story (novella)
Evergreen: A Christiansen Winter Novella (Christiansen Family)
- Get the novella (affiliate)
A Christiansen Christmas / set years later
- Have Yourself a Christiansen Christmas (affiliate)
Watch the Full Playlist – The Christiansen Family Series Deep Dive
Prefer to watch straight through? Here’s the full playlist:
Join the conversation
- Which book is your favourite — and why?
- Favourite character?
- Which pairing worked for you (or didn’t)?
- And honestly… what do you think the theme of Book 5 is?
If you enjoy this discussion, you can browse more of our Christian fiction book discussions here.
