This book was WILD and I really enjoyed it (even though I had NO CLUE what I was getting into!) — think Gossip Girl meets How to Get Away with Murder with dashes of Gone Girl and Sherlock Holmes...

It tells the story of privileged teenagers at an elite private school, cliques that are next level, outsiders trying to be insiders, secrecy, drama, suspense, huntin' shootin' and fishin', and a whole darkness underneath it all that's nothing like you would expect... It completely had me hooked from start to finish.

If you like teenage dramas and thrillers and books that you’ll fly through on the edge of your seat, grab this one!

Thanks to Blogging for Books for this one!

I first heard Jill Briscoe speak at IF:Gathering 2017, and I instantly fell in love with her. She's a brilliant, witty, wise, and passionate woman of God, and that same spirit shines through this book. I did miss hearing her British accent as I read this one, but I imagined it which kind of helped. :) This book focuses on the first few books of the Old Testament, and I'm glad I recently read them all so I had as solid context for this book. (If you aren't familiar with the OT, you'll be a little lost reading this one! I recommend reading it either alongside a reading of the OT, or right after reading through it, so you're familiar with the characters and storylines.) I loved the theme of this one and how Jill carried the "Here am I, Lord, send ___" idea throughout. This one didn't completely wow me, and I think I prefer listening to Jill speak, but I enjoyed it and found it encouraging and uplifting!

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This cookbook is AMAZING. As a gluten-free vegan, I'm always looking for recipes that are a great balance of healthy, delicious, and enjoyable, and these are PERFECT. It takes the thinking out of eating, and makes it so easy to enjoy a balanced and hearty meal without complicated ingredients or insane cooking time. I'm a huge fan of this cookbook already and know I'll be devouring these recipes for a while to come! From bowls to bakes to skillets to salads, this cookbook has it all and keeps food interesting without being overcomplicated, and every single recipe looked absolutely incredible. With cookbooks, I'm usually used to seeing just a handful of recipes I'd actually cook and enjoy, but this one, there wasn't a single one that didn't look GREAT to me. What a win!

I loved every word of this book. It’s been a while since I’ve truly wanted to savor a book and not just fly through it, but this one was one to read slowly and soak up. It was absolutely the book I needed to read in this season, and I’m so grateful for @josaxton’s heart and wisdom and love in #thedreamofyoubook. The way she wrote the letters that opened each chapter, the way she brought stories from Scripture to life in fresh ways, the way she shared her own story... all beautiful and deeply meaningful to me. All the love for this one.

This is SUCH a helpful and relevant book chock-full of applicable advice on how to fight fear and anxiety through faith. I loved Alli's first book Breaking Busy and knew that this one would be no different (props for alliterative titles too, girl!) -- it was fresh, helpful, fun to read, both light and deep at the same time, and really just a powerhouse book for women.

Each chapter addressed a new question that I think every one of us worries about at some point, and included such easy to remember lists of tools and reminders for how to fight back and find freedom. If you aren’t a person who loves lists, this might not be the book for you, but I know so many of Alli's strategies here will be game changers for me personally! Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me this one.

The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life from Louie Giglio is an excellent resource if you’re curious about worship and what it means (it’s so much more than singing at church!). Throughout this book, he focuses on different lines of his overall definition of worship: “Worship is... our response, both personal and corporate, to God— for who He is! and what He has done!” — it’s helpful, honest, easy to understand, and a short read with great discussion questions included too (perfect for reading with friends or a small group). Thanks for this one, Blogging for Books! (While helpful for many, I’m sure, I didn’t personally find much about this book to be new or terribly exciting.)

Selah is one of my very favorite things. It was my word of the year in 2015 and it still resonates so deeply in me, this idea that we are to rest in Him, to pause and praise, to stop and listen. Kristen Kill writes about it all beautifully here, and this book reads like rich poetry. It’s absolutely lovely and it’s inviting and it’s a gift.  

This book chronicles seasons of Kristen's life and her family, while weaving in this idea of finding peace and rest and moments of worship in the midst of the chaos. Even though my own life looks different from hers, there was much about this book that resonated with me. The way Kristen writes is so soothing that even reading this book felt like selah to me.

 ps— thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me this one!

I have followed Emily Ley on Instagram for a long time, and while her style is VASTLY different than my own, I appreciate her heart and business focus so much. I love her emphasis on simplicity in all areas of life -- personal, home, work, faith, eating, etc. This book is beautifully organized, with incredibly high-quality and genuine photos throughout that make it feel more like a coffeetable book than just a normal read. I appreciated that there were journaling prompts and places for to-do steps and reflections throughout this book, although it almost felt too pretty to write in! I left with so many new ideas about how better to organize and prioritize things in my life, without feeling pressured to spend a lot of money on silly solutions or make massive overhauls to my systems. I can imagine this book being extremely helpful for mamas, homeowners, women balancing home and career lives, and really anyone craving simplicity and calm.

I was SO pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was so well crafted, and the story was so engrossing and well written. I have loved reading fiction books like this one throughout this year that clearly address current events and hot topics in America right now without beating you over the head with it-- it was subtle yet incredibly powerful. Addressing racism, segregation, education, relationships, marriage, adoption, and all the aspects of family and community life in such an artful was is incredibly impressive, and this book did it VERY well. The varying characters in this story all won me over and I connected with them easily, despite them being very different. The struggles in the plot felt real and believable as well as relatable even though my own life looks different. I really, really enjoyed this one and didn't want to put it down! I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for sending me this one to review!

This book will change your life. Enough said. ...But I'll say more... This book was one I have heard about for years, but resisted reading. (That totally should have been a sign I needed to read it!) No matter who you are, what relationships you have, or what your personality is like, this book will absolutely help you to create boundaries in the best ways, in order to help you (and others) live your best life. It's helpful, encouraging, wise, and thorough. This book helped dispel any myth you might be believing about setting boundaries, and it gave such helpful perspectives on what healthy, solid boundaries look like. I appreciated how many stories and anecdotes were included-- it made it feel like there was less pressure on me, and that I wasn't alone in the need for creating better structure and boundaries in my own life, work, and relationships. I'll be changing and implementing so many things in my life because of this book, and I know I'll be so much better for it.

Thanks so much to BookLook Bloggers for sending me this one to review!