Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

It Was Me All Along {book review}

It Was Me All Along
by Andie Mitchell

About the book:

All her life, Andie Mitchell had eaten lustily and mindlessly. Food was her babysitter, her best friend, her confidant, and it provided a refuge from her fractured family. But when she stepped on the scale on her twentieth birthday and it registered a shocking 268 pounds, she knew she had to change the way she thought about food and herself; that her life was at stake.

It Was Me All Along takes Andie from working class Boston to the romantic streets of Rome, from morbidly obese to half her size, from seeking comfort in anything that came cream-filled and two-to-a-pack to finding balance in exquisite (but modest) bowls of handmade pasta. This story is about much more than a woman who loves food and abhors her body. It is about someone who made changes when her situation seemed too far gone and how she discovered balance in an off-kilter world. More than anything, though, it is the story of her finding beauty in acceptance and learning to love all parts of herself.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you’ll know my journey hasn’t been an easy one.  From losing nearly 100 lbs. to gaining quite a bit back during years of sickness.  When someone speaks of the sadness that comes from being overweight, I get it.  And not just like I kinda get it, like I totally deep down in my soul get it.   When I saw this book up for review, I was so excited to get it and read about someone else’s journey.

Andi grew up with an overworked mother who nurtured through food and a detached alcoholic father who died while she was still young. Definitely not an easy life for a young girl to lead. I thought she was completely genuine and sincere with her readers in her detailed description of her experiences – she has a big heart.

Andi does lose the weight, losing more than 130 pounds. She ends up becoming obsessed with food, developing obsessions over eating the right, healthy food, before she makes peace with herself and finding balance.

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for this honest review as part of their Blogging for Books program.

The Unveiled Wife {Book Review}

The Unveiled Wife:

Embracing Intimacy with God and Your Husband 
by Jennifer Smith
About the book:

As a young bride, Jennifer Smith couldn’t wait to build her life with the man she adored. She dreamed of closeness, of being fully known and loved by her husband. But the first years of marriage were nothing like she’d imagined. Instead, they were marked by disappointment and pain. Trapped by fear and insecurity, and feeling totally alone, Jennifer cried out to God: What am I doing wrong? Why is this happening to us? It was as if a veil had descended between her and her husband, and between her and God—one that kept her from experiencing the fullness of love. How did Jennifer and her husband survive the painful times? What did they do when they were tempted to call it quits? How did God miraculously step in during the darkest hour to rescue and redeem them, tearing down the veil once and for all? The Unveiled Wife is a real-life love story; one couple’s refreshingly raw, transparent journey touching the deep places in a marriage that only God can reach. If you are feeling disappointment or even despair about your marriage, the heart-cry of this book is: You are not alone. Discover through Jennifer’s story how God can bring you through it all to a place of transformation.

Imagine how ridiculously excited I was when I received an email saying I was chosen to be part of a book-launch team. I know, right? And to make it even more exciting, it was for Jennifer Smith’s new book. Jennifer has the Unveiled Wife blog. I’ve been reading her blog for quite some time now. So yeah, crazy over-the-moon excited!!!

Download The First Chapter Free by clicking HERE!

As I began reading the book, I was blown away by how much I could relate.  I wish I could put into words how this book spoke directly to my heart.  I absolutely couldn’t put it down, I felt as if I was reading my own story.

Jennifer’s story spoke such truth and honesty.  She was completely raw and real about the experiences she and her husband had in the early years of their marriage.

So many times I had to cry with her.  The feelings she experienced and the situations they were in, I could relate to.  Her insecurities created so many other problems in her marriage, my oh my could I relate to that!  She so bravely opens up and allows you see the heart change that she allowed God to do in her.  How wonderful to know if we allow Him, He can do the same in us!

Jennifer has definitely used her trial as her testimony.  I cannot tell you how amazing it was to know I’m not alone.  I’m not the only one who struggles with certain issues.  

I absolutely love Jennifer’s willingness to be raw and unveiled.  To share those parts of her heart that the rest of us would hide from the world.  She doesn’t shy away from any topic, no matter how sensitive.  Jennifer and her husband Aaron are willing to be transparent for the sake of helping other marriages.  This book is such an encouragement to wives!  Let’s face it, we all have struggles.  We may not want to admit it, but we do.  And with those struggles come choices.  We can choose to be unveiled and allow God to do an amazing work in our heart, or we can hide from Him.  

Order your copy here!

Jennifer Smith began UnveiledWife.com, a web-based ministry for wives, in March 2011. She publishes weekly marriage articles including encouragements, devotions, and prayers of the day. She authored The Unveiled Wife, Wife After God, and 31 Prayers For My Husband. She is passionately devoted to encouraging wives all around the world to develop God-centered marriages. Jennifer and her family reside in Central Oregon.

Social media is a large part of Jennifer’s ministry for Unveiled Wife via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, where she serves a community of over 450,000 wives. Connect with Jennifer on social media @unveiledwife!

Walk to Beautiful {Book Review}

Walk to Beautiful
The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way
By Jimmy Wayne

About the book:

Imagine being thirteen, in a strange city, hundreds of miles away from home, and your mom abandons you at a bus station, driving off into the night with her lover. 

It’s a miracle Jimmy Wayne survived his growing-up years. Hungry, homeless, and bouncing in and out of the foster care system, Jimmy spent more nights wandering and sleeping in the streets than he cares to remember. His father left before he was born. And his mama, when she wasn’t in a mental hospital or behind bars for various small offenses, was simply too overwhelmed, trying to survive herself. 

Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s childhood and the unconditional love and acceptance Russell and Bea Costner gave to Jimmy. This elderly couple provided a stable home and the chance for him to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.” After his high school graduation, Jimmy went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice because, as he says, “I knew a lot about it.” But in his heart Jimmy wanted to write songs and sing. 

A music company opened its doors to Jimmy, and he moved to Nashville to pursue his dreams. He had several memorable hits, such as I Love You This Much, Paper Angels, and Do You Believe Me Now, which remained at #1 for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard Chart. 

But success was not satisfying. Jimmy remembered where he came from, and he wanted to give back. With his Meet Me Halfway campaign—a 1,700 mile walk from Nashville to Phoenix—Jimmy walked halfway across America, raising awareness for foster children. Along the way he not only found a lot of crazy things, such as coins, keys, a plastic Jesus, and a Lucille Ball ashtray; but he also found himself. And more important, he found a way to forgive the people who had hurt him. Jimmy learned how to walk to beautiful—and so can you.

Wow, can you even being to imagine what it must feel like to just be abandoned along the road by your mother.  How heartbreaking.  Y’all already know I had tears running down my face while reading his story.  My heart broke for his little heart.

Jimmy is generous in sharing his personal details.  He wrote this book in a very factual, yet optimistic way.  His story is horrid, without a doubt, yet he tells it with kindness and grace.  You won’t be disappointed with this book at all!  It sure does deliver.

Jimmy took his life and turned it around, striving to get awareness out, about foster kids, through his courageous “Meet Me Halfway” campaign, a 1,700 mile walk from Nashville to Phoenix.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.