My Review of Authentic Beauty

Here's a description of the book from Waterbrook Multnomah:

"Inside Every Young Woman is a Princess…In Search of her Prince

In a culture that mocks our longing for tender romance, in a world where fairy tales never seem to come true — do we dare hope for more? For every young woman asking that question, this book is an invitation. With refreshing candor and vulnerability, bestselling author Leslie Ludy reveals how, starting today, you can experience the passion and intimacy you long for. You can begin a never-ending love story with your true Prince. Discover the authentic beauty of a life fully set-apart for Him. Experience a romance that will transform every part of your existence and fulfill the deepest longings of your feminine heart."

My Review:

This book is full of authentic, beautiful truths, and so much to take in that it's almost overwhelming! One of my dear blogging friends, Amanda, put it so well when she said that the author and her husband leave the reader "blessedly convicted" through their writing. So true! I certainly felt convicted seeing how short I fall of truly living every moment fully for the Lord. How often I allow myself to get distracted, even while knowing how important it is to passionately guard my time with the Lord--praying, reading the Bible, and worshiping Him. But I also felt blessed to be reminded of the preciousness of the relationship I have with God.

There is so much to glean from these pages! Leslie Ludy does a wonderful job of pointing readers to God and reminding them of their need to focus always on Him. It is so easy to get sidetracked in this world, and so hard not to dwell on earthly romances (or the lack thereof). But God is so good, and there's absolutely nothing that can compare with spending time with Him and knowing Him!

One of the few things that perhaps frustrated me a little about the book was the repetition. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with repeating important points so that the reader is sure to understand the main message. However, I think the repetitiveness of specific words and phrases was a bit overdone, although this is just one reader's opinion!

Overall, though, I have been inspired by the Ludys' example. The inclusion of Eric Ludy's articles was helpful in gaining a good perspective of masculinity and how that affects femininity. And now that I've finished the book, I know I have so much I need to think about and actually apply to my life! If a book challenges you to draw closer to God and encourages you to put Him first and seek His will, then it's a book worth reading--and this book was both very challenging and wonderfully encouraging!