Cover Image: Of Mess and Moxie

Of Mess and Moxie

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Member Reviews

"Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life" by Jen Hatmaker is a heartwarming, insightful, and often hilarious exploration of womanhood and the messy beauty of life. With raw honesty, Hatmaker shares personal anecdotes that reflect universal experiences, offering comfort and guidance to readers navigating their own complexities.

Hatmaker's candid writing style ensures that this book feels like a conversation with a close friend. She doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life, addressing topics such as failure, loss, and self-doubt. Yet, she counterbalances these heavier moments with uplifting messages of resilience, faith, and self-love, demonstrating the 'moxie' necessary to confront life's challenges.

"Of Mess and Moxie" shines in its ability to blend humor, practical advice, and spiritual wisdom. It's a book that acknowledges life's struggles but also uncovers the joy and beauty that often hide within them. Whether you're a fan of Hatmaker's previous works or a new reader, this book offers a refreshing and empowering perspective on embracing life's messiness with courage and grace.

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I’m squarely of the Jen Hatmaker tribe. I’m a Married Mom - progressive Christian married to another Christian. I loved Jen from “go”. I have zero qualms about Jen’s “theology”.

I got about 1/3 of the way through and found that this was neither inspiring or thought provoking. I felt like all she did was talk about herself and her story.

I love her blog and posts on social media but did not really love this book.

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I received Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker from NetGalley. I've heard about Jen Hatmaker for years and have listened to some of the episodes of her podcast but had never read any of her books. In this book, she tells the truths about being a mother and makes you realize that you are not alone in your struggles. I enjoy her humor and truth about life.

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Jen Hatmaker's writing, while upbeat and relatable, is not something I can recommend anymore. She has bought into the lies of a progressive Christianity that twists the Gospel and tries to make it "relatable." The Gospel isn't meant to be relatable. It never was. The Gospel is meant to change your life, to convict you of your sin, and to move you closer to God in holiness. Jen Hatmaker would have us believe that God loves us in our sin in a way that doesn't require us to change because it's "who we are." Wrong. While I'm sure many people will look to her for hope and encouragement as they do others like her--i.e. Joel Osteen--they will not find the true Gospel here. I do not recommend this book.

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As always, I love Jen Hatmaker. One of her finest yet. Sassy, but kind-hearted, truth speaking. Everything I would hope out of her books, and more.

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Jen Hatmaker could write anything and I would read it. She is smart, funny and her books are enjoyable. This is my favorite one yet, but I am sure I will say that again when her next one comes out! This book made me proud to be a woman in the church at a time when it's sometimes hard to feel and say that.
Jen is like the girlfriend you go to when you are hurting and you want to find you way. You already know the truth in your heart but sitting together helps confirm what you know and gives you the strength to do the next right thing. And you will laugh-cry on the journey.

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I loved this book! Jen Hatmaker never disappoints. Her writing is on point with today’s culture. I love how she describes each season of life so accurately, like you are back in time living the memories with her. A woman’s journey is so individual, yet so mirrors every other woman on Earth. I love that God had gifted Jen to write so uniquely!

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Jen Hatmaker has done it again. This book is delightful. Jen has such a way with words. She is hilarious, encouraging, and full of great ideas.

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I understand that Jen Hatmaker is very popular with many women my age, but I don’t care for her writing at all. I know that she’s very “hip” in the “cool Christian” circuit but I am not impressed by her snark or her inaccurate Bible interpretations. I would not recommend that anyone read this or any other book by Jen Hatmaker because I don’t think she can be trusted as a “Bible teacher” and I don’t find her funny.

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This book was uplifting and very funny! I love how I received inspiration and humor all wrapped in these wonderful pages!

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I'm giving this book a 3.5 star rating but rounding it up to 4 stars because I liked it more than my average 3 star but it isn't quite what I would consider a 4 (picky, I know).

This was a funny, relatable, and meaningful read. I think it would suit a variety of age ranges and in different stages of life. Whether you are young, old, married, single, with kids, or without kids, I think there are parts of this book that will be relatable to all. I will disclaim though that this book is mostly geared towards women. There probably will be some men that would enjoy it also but hey, when a section references "This One's For The Girls", it probable is more directed toward the female population.

This book was the perfect combination of humour as well as topics that are difficulties in everyday life. Jen Hatmaker really did come across as a friend (or the inner workings of my own mind). Also included are recipes making this quite the well-rounded book. It includes serious introspective chapters, funny chapters to relate to, and laughable lists which are also relatable.

I will definitely be looking out for more written by Jen Hatmaker in the future!

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This was my first book by Jen Hatmaker and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is fun and refreshing. She does a great job of tying in the Word with her personal experience.

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Part hysterically funny how to guides, part genuine encouragement and advice for mothers, siblings, wives, and all women, with a recipe thrown in to simplify your life on grocery shopping days.
I would recommend this book most of all for any woman who feels defeated, downtrodden, tired, or less than. It is highly encouraging and empowering for women of all ages and life stages, and will remind you of how powerful you are to effect positive change and improve your life and your perspective on your situation, whatever it may be. All women are mighty, and this book will remind you why and empower you to embrace the mess and go do that thing, with moxie.

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First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book. I enjoyed reading this so much, and will read again many times in the future.

Reading this book, author, Jen Hatmaker was able to make me feel like we were two best friends, sitting having lunch together, and her just sharing thoughts and stories to help me feel like I was not alone, and could get through this thing we call life, not just struggling through, but with purpose and a smile on my face!
#NetGalley #OfMessandMoxie

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I enjoyed the individual stories, the flow between chapters felt a bit lacking, well, flow, maybe this is one best read on paper and not in a digital format, I struggled with the format; not the content. I hope Jen writes a cookbook someday!

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I wanted to love this book. I follow her on social media, and she's warm and funny and sometimes makes me cry. She's one of those social media personalities that you feel like you know. I was excited to read this book; I was expecting it to be both funny and meaningful, and it was kind of both. Kind of. There were moments. But mostly it felt both preachy.

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I loved this book’s honesty, laugh out loud humor, and “keeping it real-ness!” It was like reading a good friend’s blog or Facebook posts. You keep going back to read more! There were some tough conversations, too. I enjoyed reading her insights and perspectives. I loved the snark, but I also appreciated her sharing the real mess of life- not the perfect moments only.



(Posted on Amazon and Goodreads too)

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INFO:
Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker
Published: August 2017
Pages: 224 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, Spiritual
Source: NetGalley

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: “New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker, with playful hilarity, shameless honesty, and refreshing insight, assures readers they have all the pluck they need for vibrant, courageous, grace-filled lives.

Jen Hatmaker believes backbone is the birthright of every woman. Women have been demonstrating resiliency and resolve since forever. They have incredibly strong shoulders to bear loss, hope, grief, and vision. She laughs at the days to come is how the ancient wisdom writings put it.

But somehow women have gotten the message that pain and failure mean they must be doing things wrong, that they messed up the rules or tricks for a seamless life. As it turns out, every last woman faces confusion and loss, missteps and catastrophic malfunctions, no matter how much she is doing "right." Struggle doesn't mean they're weak; it means they're alive.

Jen Hatmaker, beloved author, Big Sister Emeritus, and Chief BFF, offers another round of hilarious tales, frank honesty, and hope for the woman who has forgotten her moxie. Whether discussing the grapple with change ("Everyone, be into this thing I'm into! Except when I'm not. Then everyone be cool.") or the time she drove to the wrong city for a fourth-grade field trip ("Why are we in San Antonio?"), Jen parlays her own triumphs and tragedies into a sigh of relief for all normal, fierce women everywhere who, like her, sometimes hide in the car eating crackers but also want to get back up and get back out, to live undaunted "in the moment" no matter what the moments hold.”

MY THOUGHTS:
Jen Hatmaker is hilarious. Hi-lar-i-ous! I loved her so much while I was reading this book! She is so relatable and fun. She made me want to be her best friend. She speaks to a number of topics that face women specifically, in this book. She talks about motherhood, careers, families, faith… She lets a lot of her flaws hang out there and she makes you love her for it. It will make you say Aha! It’s not only me! Or FINALLY, someone said it out loud! But the thing I loved most about her was that she was just a great example of a loving Christian. If every Christian presented the face that she presents to the world, I think we would have a lot more Christians. I strive to present this face to the outside world. The face that says: Jesus loves me and I’m a hot mess! And He will totally love you too, no matter what. Not only that, I will demonstrate that love to you without judgment. Some people think that Christians need to just teach the world how to behave, but the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts people, we are called to LOVE. And I think that Jen Hatmaker shares Jesus’ love to the world. And she shares her love with those of us who sometimes feel like we are doing a terrible job at everything! She lets us know – it’s OK, we all feel like that sometimes. We are all sisters.

FAVORITE QUOTE: “People may hate us because of Jesus, but they should never hate Jesus because of us. The way we treat others should lead them to only one conclusion: ‘If this is how Jesus loves, then I’m in.’”

YOU NEED THIS BOOK IF: You are a woman! This book just made me sigh with relief so many times as she reached through the pages with her relatability.

RATING:
Entertainment Value: 5
Character: N/A
Voice: 5
Plot: 4-4.5
Overall: 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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I have wanted to read this one ever since Jen started talking about it. I knew it would be funny, along the lines of For the Love, another book of hers. It was funny, despite covering topics not necessarily of great importance in the life of a late 20something girl.

It felt at times as if she gave advice to younger girlfriends, letting them in on the ins and outs of life, but without scaring them. This is only the second of Hatmaker's books that I've read, and after having followed her on Instagram for a while now, I know her sense of humour. Be warned, it's not for everyone. She talks in long sentences, uses not-for-everyday-speech words, and sometimes you need to be in a certain mood for it. But the good news is that often you can relate to her stories, which is always desirable from authors.

I appreciated that she mixed three important aspects in this book: she approaches serious topics in one chapter, then switches to a lighter one, a pattern kept throughout the book, and every few chapters she shares a recipe because food is one of ther love languages. I skipped those because I most certainly don't see myself cooking them anytime soon, despite the dismissive they-are-easy-to-make-just-try. Nope, ma'am.

I don't agree with her on all she talks about, but I like her personality, her normal-ness, and her willingness to talk freely about what she cares about. She is bubbly, despite being an introvert. Her large family is quite a tribe. All her family stories are adorable and I appreciated her sharing them with the reading public. I do believe she has a knack for the written word, more so than for podcasting or public speaking; she seems more free to share what she needs to in writing.

I will definitely read more from her if given the chance.

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Listened to this as an audio book and found the author just as hilarious and even more real and deep than her other works. There were literally chapters where I had to pause the audio to laugh out loud (even while I was running!).

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