My Book Rating: 📔📙📕📗📘
5 out of 5 Books!
(Instead of stars 😉)
A Book Review of
Girl, Wash Your Face (Rachel Hollis)
I chose to read Girl, Wash Your Face, because it came highly recommended by a friend of mine, who happened to know a little about some of the struggles I face daily. So, call me curious, I looked up the synopsis of the book and the first thing to come up was the YouTube Preview of Girl, wash your face and let me tell you- I had GOOSEBUMPS! I knew then, that I had to read that book!
Now, to be fair, I had never heard of Rachel Hollis before then, let alone that she was an author, but the overwhelming feeling I got from the preview demanded I give it a try. I will also admit, that (as I waited for my new book to arrive) I did a little research on the author and the book. I found that Rachel Hollis has several podcasts, a blog, an event business, cookbooks, novels, you name it! Gosh! She is just the epitome of my dream life!
After listening to a few episodes of her RISE podcast I knew this book would be amazing to listen to on audio- ESPECIALLY if it was narrated by Rachel, herself! But I digress! This review is based off of the hardcover edition (as it is less likely to get destroyed by the hands of my toddler than a paperback..). So, without further a do, here are my thoughts on Girl, wash your face.
Overview
Girl, Wash Your Face is considered to be a Christian Self-help book that helps it's readers "break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled life they were meant to have." (R.Hollis) Rachel inspires women to live with passion, have faith, hustle, and be tenacious when it comes to reaching your dreams and goals.
The chapters are short and funny making it a quick and entertaining read. The beginning kind of dragged on a bit but after the first chapter it picks up speed and stays pretty steady. This author's writing style is what makes the book seem like a real conversation between her and the reader. She writes like she talks and keeps everything honest and carefree, as if she doesn't care if you agree with her or not, she's going to say what's on her mind anyway.
There are so many take-aways I got from this book that it was hard to choose just a few, so I wrote them all down- there were at least 60!! No matter where you are in your journey, there is something in this book that will speak to you.
I do want to mention one area of discussion- the mixed reviews on the "Christian" aspect of the book. I was wary of what I would find because I, myself, am a Christian- but I needn't have worried. Rachel Hollis touches on the same beliefs as me and even made some things clearer for me. I think that as long as you keep an open mind, you'll love this book too.
Thoughts
What surprised me the most about this book is that I could relate to most of what she wrote about. I literally felt like she was sitting in the room with me, talking directly to me. Giving me the most funny, encouraging, heart-to-heart "chiding" yet inspirational talk ever...in my life! I actually got up and WASHED MY FACE!
I cried through several chapters because she seemed to speak directly to me and using my issues and past experiences as examples- not her own. As if she was giving me the permission I've been looking for to MOVE- "to get through- to pull up my big girl britches, turn up my music and SLAY."
This book came to me during a low point in my depression (a story for another time) and for the first time in a long time, I felt..for lack of a better phrase- washed clean; as if I could start brand new. After drying off my face I opened the shades to let the light in, figuratively and literally. It wasn't sunny, in fact it was quite gloomy outside but I still wanted what little daylight I could get.
Once I did that I took a good look around, took inventory of what needed done and got to work. My newfound motivation kept me going for the rest of the day! My home was clean, my life was organized, and I felt as if I could finally breathe.
Lastly, after reading this book, I was left thinking about my own journey, my own life choices, and what I can do to improve upon them. Topics such as, vision boards, time management, and forgiveness were areas I wanted to delve deeper into after and it has led me on the most amazing journey of self-discovery, self-discipline, confidence, you name it! Rachel Hollis just released a follow up book called Girl, Stop Apologizing! and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
Have you read, Girl, Wash Your Face? What are your thoughts on it? Leave a comment and let us know!
Want to see what else I've been reading? Check out my other book reviews in the, 'Have You Read..' blog series!
Want to see what else I've been reading? Check out my other book reviews in the, 'Have You Read..' blog series!
Stay Awesome Bookworms!
~Shannon
