Book Review: Spoken For

Hello! Today I have a new book to share with you: Spoken For by Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke. I received a free advance reading copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. This book will be released on April 15, 2014 and is available for preorder now.

P.S. Be sure to check out my giveaway for a free canvas from Printcopia, now through 3/15/14!!

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

Say Yes to the Love Story of Your Life

A great romance was set in motion before you were born. A relentless Lover is pursuing you, and He has made His intentions clear. He wants you to be His forever. How will you respond to the One who longs for you to be His with your whole heart?

In Spoken For, Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke speak to your heart about what it means for you to belong to Christ, who you are because of His love, and how that affects the way you live. Drawing on biblical promises and their personal experiences,   these two friends share what it’s like to live out God’s unfolding love story.

You are not up for grabs. You are spoken for.

And as usual, my five point review:

• First of all, I will fully admit that despite knowing this book was written for young women [even teen girls], I wanted to read it because Robin Jones Gunn wrote it. She’s the author of of my favorite preteen/teen reads of all time: the Christy Miller series. So, I was just curious what she had to say in this setting… and I was just a bit curious if the ‘love lessons’ I learned from Christy would translate to this book. And let me tell you… they DO! Yay! So, even though I’m a little beyond the intended age range for this book, it spoke so much truth to me. So good. Robin Jones Gunn knows her stuff, as does Alyssa Joy Bethke.
• The authors’ love stories with their husbands–and with God–are interspersed throughout their reflections on truths related to our lives, truths about how God sees us. Unlike Altared, this alternating love story with Biblically based truth is not annoying and is done very tastefully. Each chapter is devoted to one truth and covers the following topics: You are… wanted, pursued, loved, called, of great value, a peculiar treasure, set free, covered, promised, and spoken for. Out of that list, I related to the first few chapters the most, but truly found life, hope, and encouragement on every page of the book, from reading scripture to reading these women’s personal love stories with the Lord and their husbands.
• I think Spoken For would be a great book for a high school or college girls’ small group to read and discuss together. Each chapter includes questions that can be discussed in a group or considered individually. The emphasis of the discussion questions isn’t just on relationships so it really is applicable to a wide range of life experiences–a plus in my book.
• My favorite thing about this book was that it is written in such a conversational style that I walked away from every page feeling known and loved. The authors did a great job with this. I know this style of writing is popular now because of blogs, but to me, it came across as genuine and not cheesy… and I didn’t think that the authors had everything “figured out” either, which as a young person I know can be quite annoying! Life and faith, for all of us, is a constant path of learning and growth and I felt this book emphasized that so well.
• Though this book is written for young women [maybe ages 13 and up, approximately?] I think any woman, no matter her age, can relate to the need to feel loved, or wanted, or called. The easy-to-read, more simplistic format of this book is a welcome change to some books in the Christian living genre, without downgrading the Biblical validity of the book. I highly suggest you check it out when it is released on April 15th! I highly recommend this book to youth leaders and parents of teens as well. Good stuff!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the chance to read this great book!