“Mishaps and miracles on the road to happily ever after” aptly sums up the plot and message of this book by blogger and author Mandy Hale. Mandy chronicles the ups, downs and loop-de-loops of her life from high school into her thirties with candour and sass. Ultimately her story shows that it is possible to find happiness even if all your original expectations for life go unmet, and I really enjoyed reading this account of a woman finding her identity in God, not in a career or romantic relationship.
Even though much of my life has gone “according to plan” in terms of milestones I dreamed of as a little girl (getting married, having a baby), I related to the author’s struggle to find an identity in God and to trust Him in all circumstances. I have not felt lost because of losing a dream job or relationship, but I have felt lost trying to live up to my idea of good Christian girl and wife, and I have wrestled with disappointment and frustration when things have not gone my way. Mandy is an engaging writer, and it was easy for me to read the entire book in only a few days. It was a little bit cheezy at the end because everything seems to be going so amazing, but I think that’s just the byproduct of her highlighting a number of great achievements and dreams that came true in a fairly short period of time. It seems like the plot suddenly veers from drama-drama-drama to success-success-success, which is great for Mandy but almost made me feel disappointed in my own life (“maybe if Matt had dumped me instead of proposing I’d be a published author by now”). That’s my problem though, not the book’s!
I would recommend this book as a light read, especially for women aged 15-30, and especially for women who aren’t quite sure of their path or place in life – this is a really inspirational story of resilience and destiny starring a single woman who has come to realize that “your life, your path, your journey – it isn’t going to look like everyone else’s. And that’s okay.”
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not compensated in any other way.