A Lighthearted Take on Friendship Advice | Review of Better Together

About the Book
(from Moody Publishers)

Being a mom is hard, but it doesn't have to be lonely. 

Are you trying to do this mothering thing alone?
So focused on the kids that you're hungry for friendships of your own?
Have good friendships, but you want to enjoy them more?

Jill Savage, mother of five, knows those challenges well, and she's here to help. Presenting a compelling vision of motherhood as a group effort, Better Together shows how you can:

• Combat isolation and enjoy a supportive mothering community 
• Increase your social confidence and stop the comparison game 
• Deepen your friendships as you share life with others 
• Strengthen trust and build friendships without fear 
• Increase your joy and thrive as a mom 

All these things are possible. Dive into this storehouse of creative ideas for how to make mothering easier, richer, and more fun than you ever thought it could be.

Available Now!

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My Review 

Better Together is a fairly light read that covers the basics of being a good friend. It provides ideas for reaching out, getting together, being there, showing grace in the difficult seasons, and blessing others (and being blessed). I appreciate the scope of the book, and it was fun to take the personality tests included in the back, which correspond with a particular chapter. :)

I confess the tone felt a little too young for me, given the audience is supposed to be adult women. I realize it's probably meant to be fun and and provide mothering cheerleading, but there were a lot of exclamation points, along with labeling categories of friends and reference to putting on "big-girl panties"—that sort of thing. Some readers might appreciate the lighthearted nature of the book, but it was a bit much for me.

Some of the ideas also felt a bit much for me in other ways, like the co-op suggestions for cooking lots of meals at once, trading babysitting, etc. But that's probably more a personal issue! Some of those projects sound overwhelming, with a lot of work and prep involved that could be fun when tag-teamed but could also be stressful and difficult to plan.

I did appreciate chapters like "Helping Together" and "Caring Together"; I love how the authors encourage community and thoughtfulness and ways to be there for someone who is going through a painful time or simply could use a helping hand. It's a good reminder to be on the lookout for ways to love others better.

On a note that's unrelated to the content, I really like the look and feel of the book! The cover is pretty and the size of the book is great for a paperback. While the tone and some of the ideas in Better Together weren't completely up my alley, this book does have thought-provoking tips and relationship reminders.

*With thanks to Moody Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.*