Last year I started reviewing all the books I read. I post those reviews on Goodreads, and sometimes on Amazon, but I rarely post them on Noveltea unless they’re for books I received to review them.

This weekend I set aside to catch up on some reading – Friday through Sunday I read two books, plus about a half of another book and a third of another. And I found a gem. I wasn’t surprised at all when that one book turned out to be a five-star wonder, because I’ve read a book by this author’s husband and am fantastically inspired and delighted by their outlook on life.

So, I’m posting my review so y’all can read it, too. As you will soon be able to tell, I’m a lot less formal with my reviews that I write for Goodreads compared to the reviews I write because I’ve agreed to write them.

If you want to check out the books, you can find them on Amazon:

Love Does 

Love Lives Here

And, here’s my book review for Love Lives Here:

AHHHH! This book. This author. The people behind the book. Where do I even start? I read Bob Goff’s book, “Love Does” around two years ago and found it to be incredible. “Love Lives Here” is written by his wife, so of course I bought it the day it came out. It arrived in the mail yesterday, and within twenty-four hours of starting it, I had finished reading it.

The outlook on life, the lessons taught, the WAY the lessons are taught…. Everything is just wonderful and amazing and makes me want to live my life more fully and be totally engaged and not hold back. There was so, so much I could relate to with this book. Mrs. Goff is the quiet, behind-the-scenes, steadfast anchor that is necessary for their family to accomplish so much. Seeing life from her perspective was so refreshing.

She talks about how God gives each of us a different place in the world – a different way to live – and when we try and compare ourselves to others or live a life that wasn’t intended for us, then we will be stressed out. I can relate to that so much! I look at others who are changing the world in magnificent ways, and my own life seems paltry. But! In reality, when I live life the way God has called me to, then He will bless what I do, no matter how small it seems. Nothing else in the world could be more important than being right where God has me.

Mrs. Goff talks about trust, and rebuilding, and knowing that no matter what goes on, we can count on God to make our lives beautiful when we are surrendered to Him. It’s not always easy or fun or exciting, but it’s always worth it.

“Love Lives Here” is a perfect blend of funny, serious, and downright hard. She doesn’t make light of life, she doesn’t gloss over hard things, and yet she talks about them in such a way that the book always lends the feeling of hope to the reader. It was beautiful. There were multiple times that I laughed out loud, there were times I wanted to cry, there were times I wanted to hug the book.

Mrs. Goff’s extreme honesty in the book was so special to read and made me feel like I personally know her. I could relate to her in so many ways, and I’m very thankful that she choose to write the book and share herself with so many people.

I’ve already bought several more copies for gifts, and look forward to reading this book again before long. I highly recommend it, and am giving it 5 out of 5 stars.