The plot thickens as the chapters continue and characters begin to interact and interweave. The primary focus of this (like most novels) is on interpersonal relationships, particularly romantic interests, not on the Amish belief system or way of life. Readers are given detailed insight into the thoughts of all the characters, making them all easy to relate to in one sense or another. There are only a few "bad" guys and no one is presented as without flaw, in fact, a fair amount of text is devoted to telling how the characters reflected on and analyzed their own actions, rather than only reacting to others in the story line.
Despite being set primarily in an Amish community, there are still the tell-tale "soap-opera" scenarios such as teenagers drinking and having a pregnancy scare, a cheating boyfriend, multiple references to superstition, witchcraft, and supernatural "premonitions", a natural disaster to stir things up a bit, etc. Although most of the book implies that hard work and honesty are valued character traits, not all instances of wrongdoing receive consequence, and there is not single "good" character who is portrayed as without making a decision that would be labeled as questionable at best.
If you are looking for a wholesome, entertaining book that upholds Christian values, this one lands in the gray area. I would certainly recommend reading it before presenting it to a teen. One line in the book which really stuck with me was, "She hated pretending to worship a God who, at best, didn't like her any more than she liked herself." While I appreciate the honesty with which the characters emotions are presented, it didn't sit well with me that there was no further follow-up on this character's thoughts about God. We never find out if she knew God loved her or if she blows Him off as being a condemning-man-upstairs. The way the plot moves forward will keep your interest, and there is the infamous little taste of a big change/event in the last chapter (because this is the first of the series, so it can't possible end with an actual conclusion).
In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to mention that I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of reviewing. I wasn't obligated to give a positive review, the opinions are mine.