I’m so excited about the book I’m reviewing today! It’s written by Allie Beth Stuckey, the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Relatable. I’ve been listening to her podcast for the last year and a half, and I’ve learned so much – I love that she covers so many topics, from politics to culture to theology. That’s why I was so excited to read her first book!

The Basics

Title: You’re Not Enough (and That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love

Author: Allie Beth Stuckey

Release Date: August 11, 2020

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: Is your quest to love yourself more actually making you miserable?

We’re told that the key to happiness is self-love. Instagram influencers, mommy bloggers, self-help gurus, and even Christian teachers promise that if we learn to love ourselves, we’ll be successful, secure, and complete. But the promise doesn’t deliver. Instead of feeling fulfilled, our pursuit of self-love traps us in an exhausting cycle: as we strive for self-acceptance, we become addicted to self-improvement.

The truth is we can’t find satisfaction inside ourselves because we are the problem. We struggle with feelings of inadequacy because we are inadequate. Alone, we are not good enough, smart enough, or beautiful enough. We’re not enough–period. And that’s okay, because God is.

The answer to our insufficiency and insecurity isn’t self-love, but God’s love. In Jesus, we’re offered a way out of our toxic culture of self-love and into a joyful life of relying on him for wisdom, satisfaction, and purpose. We don’t have to wonder what it’s all about anymore. This is it.

This book isn’t about battling your not-enoughness; it’s about embracing it. Allie Beth Stuckey, a Christian, conservative new mom, found herself at the dead end of self-love, and she wants to help you combat the false teachings and self-destructive mindsets that got her there. In this book, she uncovers the myths popularized by our culture of trendy narcissism, reveals where they manifest in politics and the church, and dismantles them with biblical truth and practical wisdom.

My Thoughts

One of the topics Allie covers a lot on her podcast is the toxic culture of self-love and “trendy narcissism.” She has really opened my eyes to how prevalent it is in our culture, so I was excited to hear she was covering the topic even deeper in her book. She covers five myths that self-love culture tells us, and lays out the truth from God’s Word that is so much better. It really is so freeing to know that we are not enough, but God is!

Allie does such a great job pointing out and dismantling the lies that can be so subtle, but are so pervasive, even in Christian culture. I really appreciate her emphasis on Biblical truth and sound theology, and how she addresses each of the self-love myths in the book from all angles – political, cultural, and spiritual. I highly recommend this book and Allie’s podcast, Relatable, to all Christian women, especially young women, as we are so easily influenced by social media and the culture around us. You can see videos of her podcast episodes on YouTube, too!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, but I also purchased a physical copy – that’s how much I loved it! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Basics

Title: Saints: Becoming More Than “Christians”

Author: Addison D. Bevere

Genre: Christian Spiritual Growth

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts

What does it mean to find the good life, the abundant life Jesus promised? Addison Bevere explores this question by taking us through what it means to be saints. The good life, paradoxically, is found in death – both through Jesus’ death and sacrifice, and through our dying to ourselves. That death allows us to find life in God, to be remade into the people He made us to be: people who look and talk and act like Jesus. Our identity as saints means we can live out our eternal identity now, bringing His kingdom and His holiness to our world and the people around us.

This book is challenging and convicting, tackling familiar topics like fear of God, sin, and holiness in a fresh, insightful way. It leans much more heavily on Scripture than on the author’s personal stories, which I appreciate, although I enjoyed his stories and the glimpses of his life. I really enjoyed the study of this “old-fashioned” word, saints, and how learning what it means gives us a new perspective on basic, familiar gospel truths. This book is thought-provoking and encouraging – a book I think every Christian would benefit from reading!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Revell!

The Basics

Title: Once We Were Strangers: What Friendship with a Syrian Refugee Taught Me about Loving My Neighbor by Shawn Smucker

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

From the Back Cover: In 2012, Mohammad fled his Syrian village along with his wife and four sons, escaping to Jordan through the wilderness. Four years later he sat across from Shawn Smucker in a small conference room in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Though neither of them knew it, Mohammad had arrived in Shawn’s life just in time.

This is the story of a friendship. It is the story of a middle-aged writer struggling to make a living and a Syrian refugee struggling to create a life for his family in a strange and sometimes hostile land. It’s the story of two fathers hoping for the best, two hearts seeking compassion, two lives changed forever. It’s the story of our moment in history and the opportunities it gives us to show love and hospitality to the sojourner in our midst.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book – honestly, more than I thought I would! Once We Were Strangers is an authentic, vulnerable story about friendship: the sacrifice it requires, as well as the meaning it brings to our lives. It’s a beautifully written account of two strangers learning what it means to be friends and neighbors.

There were so many things that could have kept Shawn and Mohammad from ever becoming friends – cultural differences, language barriers, different religious backgrounds – but they chose not to remain strangers. This book reminds us that, even though it’s hard, loving our neighbors is worth it. That is a timely message that we all need to hear.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Revell!