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sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
If you like your Christianity served up with a heavy dose of humor and centered on God's love for all of humanity, then you'll love Jen Hatmaker as much as I do.
I believe this is the first book Hatmaker wrote after publicly proclaiming herself and LGBTQ ally, promptly losing the more conservative part of her Christian fan base. The other things that these people seem to be bothered by is that her family drinks, and it's no big deal, and that she's willing to make jokes about Jesus. If you're shocked by a writer, who's known for humor, making jokes, then clearly you just didn't read the packaging.
So basically, if you're a Christian who's a bit put off by "church ladies" and wants to get down to the business of loving Jesus while having a sense of humor about the messy world we live in and all the crazy ways we can come together to share love in His name, Jen Hatmaker is the girl for you.
This book spends a lot of time talking about the messiness of parenting, with especial emphasis on the teenage years (since most of her kids were in these years when the book was written), but there's plenty useful for parents of younger kids, too. Jen's a bit of a rambler, but she has fun getting there, and hidden in all the stories of crazy things that her family or her friends' families have done, there are some real nuggets of truth about how God meets us throughout our chaotic lives.
My quibbles with this book are minor, and mostly centered around the times you can feel the divide between Gen X and Millenials. She's a pretty progressive Christian who talks to her teens, so sometimes she's more hip than this lady who's been knee deep in preschool drama for over half a decade, but sometimes her default worldview comes out showing a slightly less progressive default setting than I've got. She certainly comes from some privilege, but acknowledges that readily through the book and mostly avoids being tone deaf on those issues. My biggest issue is with the use of the word tribe that has become so popular with charismatic female leaders in vaguely Christian spaces. She's not Rachel Hollis levels of using the word literally every time she talks about her online fanbase, but often enough that it really started to grate by the end.
Christian ladies, I like to read, please, for the love, stop culturally misappropriating the word tribe. It does not belong to you, even after Seth Godin wrote that great book. Pick a different word to describe your group of like-minded fans.
That aside, I adore this book and Jen's caring voice. A few times I went back and forth between this book and her podcast, and I still wasn't sick of listening to her tell stories. If you can do this one in audio, you should because she adds occasional audio-only asides that just make it even more charming.
I believe this is the first book Hatmaker wrote after publicly proclaiming herself and LGBTQ ally, promptly losing the more conservative part of her Christian fan base. The other things that these people seem to be bothered by is that her family drinks, and it's no big deal, and that she's willing to make jokes about Jesus. If you're shocked by a writer, who's known for humor, making jokes, then clearly you just didn't read the packaging.
So basically, if you're a Christian who's a bit put off by "church ladies" and wants to get down to the business of loving Jesus while having a sense of humor about the messy world we live in and all the crazy ways we can come together to share love in His name, Jen Hatmaker is the girl for you.
This book spends a lot of time talking about the messiness of parenting, with especial emphasis on the teenage years (since most of her kids were in these years when the book was written), but there's plenty useful for parents of younger kids, too. Jen's a bit of a rambler, but she has fun getting there, and hidden in all the stories of crazy things that her family or her friends' families have done, there are some real nuggets of truth about how God meets us throughout our chaotic lives.
My quibbles with this book are minor, and mostly centered around the times you can feel the divide between Gen X and Millenials. She's a pretty progressive Christian who talks to her teens, so sometimes she's more hip than this lady who's been knee deep in preschool drama for over half a decade, but sometimes her default worldview comes out showing a slightly less progressive default setting than I've got. She certainly comes from some privilege, but acknowledges that readily through the book and mostly avoids being tone deaf on those issues. My biggest issue is with the use of the word tribe that has become so popular with charismatic female leaders in vaguely Christian spaces. She's not Rachel Hollis levels of using the word literally every time she talks about her online fanbase, but often enough that it really started to grate by the end.
Christian ladies, I like to read, please, for the love, stop culturally misappropriating the word tribe. It does not belong to you, even after Seth Godin wrote that great book. Pick a different word to describe your group of like-minded fans.
That aside, I adore this book and Jen's caring voice. A few times I went back and forth between this book and her podcast, and I still wasn't sick of listening to her tell stories. If you can do this one in audio, you should because she adds occasional audio-only asides that just make it even more charming.
ginabyeg's review against another edition
3.0
I chose this book, because I really been enjoying Jen’s podcast series “for the love.“ Many of the vignettes throughout this book are absolutely on point and beautifully written. I had several instances where I found myself thinking “yes, this.“ That being said, I also found some of the vignettes to have nothing to do with mess OR Moxie (e.g. her thoughts on football culture); they seemed out of place for the theme of this book. Additionally, as I am not a foodie, I ended up skipping all the recipe pages – there were a lot, also something I feel was outside the scope of this book. I also thought the ratio of “how-to“ lists was too high – the humour wore off fairly quickly, and I ended up only reading lists that were one or two bullet points long. I have already ordered her other book, “For the Love,“ so I am hoping it takes the richest of what she had in this book and spreads it over every single chapter.
jennifergamradt's review against another edition
4.0
While some of the chapters don’t apply to me (ahem motherhood and weekly churchgoer) the book overall is highly relatable. I continue to love her sarcasm, wit, humor, and wisdom. Jen Hatmaker- keep writing for the love of all women.
smallafterall's review against another edition
3.0
I think I preferred For the Love as it seemed to have fewer of the ‘fluff’ chapters (which I enjoy but also feel like I have already seen in one version or another) and more of the ones with meatier discussion. I’d love it if Hatmaker would go slightly deeper with her theology but also recognize that’s not her shtick or aim with these books. I am still pretty sure that we would have a great thoughtful discussion about scripture in person and I admire her heart. I was starting to skim at the end but the last chapter ‘Rewoven’ was particularly strong: would love to see more of that.
deedralapray's review against another edition
First of all, people, this is my 71st book to read this year. 71! True, I have probably only read about 5 physical books this year, but here is another thing you should know. Repeat after me: AUDIOBOOKS ARE NOT CHEATING! There I said it. Please don't tell me you don't have time to read.
Now, about Of Mess and Moxie. This one has me scratching my head a bit. I guffawed! I shook my head a lot. I shed a tear. There were so many truths in this book that were just punches to the gut. I think I loved this book. However, and I know this is where I lose some of my friends, there was a bit too much religion in this for my taste. I know many good people who are not religious. People who do not cite God as their source of compassion, nurturing, and loving manners. I know, Jen Hatmaker is in the ministry. Well, now I know that. I didn't exactly know it going in. But I will say that she handled many issues in this book - such as LGBTQ issues and racism - in a manner in which I personally believe all good people should - Christian or non-Christian. There were a lot of general truths in this funny look at life, and those were the fundamentals I choose to focus on.
Here's another one that I cannot decide on stars though. Still weighing the good with the bad.
Now, about Of Mess and Moxie. This one has me scratching my head a bit. I guffawed! I shook my head a lot. I shed a tear. There were so many truths in this book that were just punches to the gut. I think I loved this book. However, and I know this is where I lose some of my friends, there was a bit too much religion in this for my taste. I know many good people who are not religious. People who do not cite God as their source of compassion, nurturing, and loving manners. I know, Jen Hatmaker is in the ministry. Well, now I know that. I didn't exactly know it going in. But I will say that she handled many issues in this book - such as LGBTQ issues and racism - in a manner in which I personally believe all good people should - Christian or non-Christian. There were a lot of general truths in this funny look at life, and those were the fundamentals I choose to focus on.
Here's another one that I cannot decide on stars though. Still weighing the good with the bad.
barbaraskalberg's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audio, which was super fun as it was read by Jen herself and I am pretty sure we got a couple of random remarks that she ad-libbed as she recorded. Short essays ranging on topics from "how to have sexy time with the husband when you have a bunch of kids" to "the Sovereignty of God." I laughed like a crazy person walking my dog and listening in the car and waiting for my hair appointment.
tressaarb's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not religious at all but Jen Hatmaker is so relatable that I love to read/listen to all her stuff. This book had me laughing out loud and crying a little on my flights.
schray32's review against another edition
5.0
I love Jen Hatmaker. I laughed, I cried, and I also learned that I want to live a life filled with moxie. Her definition of moxie is a "throwback to women with pluck, chutzpah, with a bit of razzle dazzle. It says: I got this... we got this together."
Amen!
Amen!
trayceebee's review against another edition
5.0
I saw Jen Hatmaker at the Farewell tour of Women of Faith. I had never heard of her before, but she thrilled me to my soul. I recently read some comments she'd made that got a bit of news.... I don't even remember completely what the comments were. I just remember seeing, "Oh, she's got a new book coming out, I'll watch for that." Next thing I know, it's available for me to listen to on Hoopla Digital. Yay!!!
I. LOVE. This woman! I want to be one of her BFF's out on her porch, drinking wine and laughing and crying and watching our kids run around and play. Jen's snarky-yet-sweet sense of humor sings to me. I found myself laughing out loud so many times, and then I'd be in tears minutes later, commiserating with her about one of life's many lessons. How refreshing it is to hear someone like Jen telling me I'm not doing this Mom/Wife/Christian thing wrong! I will come back to this book again and again!
I. LOVE. This woman! I want to be one of her BFF's out on her porch, drinking wine and laughing and crying and watching our kids run around and play. Jen's snarky-yet-sweet sense of humor sings to me. I found myself laughing out loud so many times, and then I'd be in tears minutes later, commiserating with her about one of life's many lessons. How refreshing it is to hear someone like Jen telling me I'm not doing this Mom/Wife/Christian thing wrong! I will come back to this book again and again!