I couldn’t really get into this book. It seemed disjointed. I was excited to give it a try because I had listened to Ivey’s podcast, but I didn’t jive with the writing or figure out the common thread between the chapters.

This book was life changing for me. Jamie has a wonderful way of connecting to her listeners or her readers. She isn’t afraid to let her honesty help change the way others may think. I love her style in writing. I received this book before it published back in 2018 and had no idea how to navigate NetGalley. I’ve not only gotten myself more than one copy so i can loan out to friends or family but I also gift this book often in hopes it changes other peoples lives as well. Thank you Jamie Ivey for this incredible book!

You can feel the way Jamie personally experiences Jesus from every word she writes. It makes the reader want that for themselves and want to know how to get it. When I first heard about this book was about Jamie's story and choices she had made, I thought "her? There's no way it can be that bad," I kind of thought it was going to be a book with small slips along the way and then she quickly changed course, found Jesus, and everything was all right. But she has real trials she went through which make me think about those times in my own life and the kinds of choices I was making. This book reminds me of the quote by Brene Brown, "tell your story to people who have earned the right to hear it." Jamie includes advice about sharing your own story in later chapters. 
You can feel how significant and challenging it was for Jamie to put all of this into a book that lots of women especially would read. This book is for anyone who needs to hear that they're not alone, that their sins and mistakes are not unique to them, and that there is a path to feeling free of all of the guilt and shame that comes with it. This is Jamie's first book and I will buy every book that she writes going forward.

Each Wednesday, I look forward to sanctioned eavesdropping on conversations between Jamie Ivey and an invited friend on her podcast THE HAPPY HOUR WITH JAMIE IVEY. I love that Jamie is authentic and funny. Her voice makes me happy and her guests are always insightful and real too. So when I learned of her book "If You Only Knew", I was just as excited to get my hands on it.

Jamie did not disappoint. I read an electronic copy of her book but felt as if Jamie herself were sitting across from me at a happy hour and sharing her story. Jamie is vulnerable, honest, and truth giving in the retelling of how she has come to know true freedom in Christ. Her stories are incredibly personal and also relatable.

Reading Jamie's book you can't help but be changed. Because "vulnerability invites vulnerability" I want to up my game in sharing my own story and being known. And I want to be a woman who listens without "sin shock" speaking truth in love. Jamie rightly shares that no matter our choices, when we are in Christ, our identity is secure and God's character is unchanging.

Knowing "Jesus is better" is true freedom. Jamie Ivey offers us perspective, real life examples, an invitation to know Jesus, a call to remember and more in this book. She does it all in her unique and inspiring voice. Jamie weaves her own personal story with God's truths helping us to see our own stories more clearly. Highly recommend this book for women who are shackled by their past (which is all of us in one way or another) and want to live in the freedom that is already available in Jesus.

I’m in Maine and Jamie Ivey is in Texas. yet somehow I walk away from this book feeling like I was just in a coffee shop chatting with her for a few hours.

I’ve been to Austin. It was a marvelous trip to If:Gathering when my third child was mere months old. It was a refresher for body and soul, both the gathering, and the sights and sounds of Texas in February – did I mention I’m in Maine? So having physically walked Jamie’s streets for a few days, having eaten Avocado’s on top of everything, driven to Waco on a bright day, eaten at Torchy’s and grabbed coffee, well basically everywhere I could, reading If You Only Knew felt like getting to dip my toes back into that refreshing vacation again. How do mere words accomplish this? Jamie’s words, are fresh and true, but they stir something deep within. Her stories are particular to her, but speak to so many of our struggles. She tells her story, even the horrible parts with poetry in her soul, and with every step along the road you can see the hands of a loving God leaving his mark on her bit by bit.

I have not walked her walk, but I walk with the same God. The same God has pursued me, from my parents house, to college, to church, to marriage, to church leadership and out again, and reading through Jamie’s stories, through her struggles, trials, temptations was a sorely needed reminder. You see we may all look different, and vote differently, we may all have different paths to tread and histories to deal with, but you guys, THE SAME GOD PURSUES US and pursues us relentlessly.

Jesus tells us in the book of Matthew that if a shepherd loses one sheep out of a hundred, that shepherd will leave his flock and go after the one. What he does not describe, is the bare knuckled veracity with which a shepherd in those days would go after a sheep. He does not tell you of life on the hillside, fighting off the wolves to protect that sheep. Of going without food and water when you run out, just to stay where you can see your flock.

But this tenacity is how God pursues us, and reading Jamie’s story, that is so very evident.

I keep hearing these words everywhere I go, in spiritual circles and from Oprah, that the best thing we can do for the world is tell our stories. The more of these spiritual memoirs I read, the more I realize that not a single one of our stories is boring or bland, they are all laced with God, they all hinge on the workings of the holy spirit in our lives. And in If You Only Knew Jamie tells her particular story, oh how she tells her story. She bares her soul, soft belly and all. Like watching a movie I found myself yelling along with her better angels, “Don’t do it Jamie!” when she fell off her wagon. I found myself screaming “He’s the one! Marry him!” when she talks of meeting Aaron. Many times I found myself clutching at my breast crying “Me too!” Her passion and talent for storytelling intersect perfectly in her rendition of the story of her life as it interweaves with the holy.

“What I’m saying is that it’s taken me a while to experience and taste what I’d call real freedom. To own the story of how Jesus chased me down and rescued me. And how even today He continues to pursue me, and to work with me, and never seems to grow tired of me or frustrated with me, or with the lengths I’ve required Him to go in getting through to me and molding me into someone who, I hope, is starting to look more and more like him.”

It will make you want to tell your story, and I urge you to do so. But first, go read this one! Start a book club. Gather with your people. Start telling each other your stories in real life. In our stories, the God of the Bible comes alive, leaps of the pages and into hearts. In our stories, He takes up residence and weaves us into the grand narrative of His. Go. Read. Tell.

I appreciated the message the author was trying to convey. The power of secrets to hold us in shame and paralyze our spiritual growth is explored. Ivey encourages readers to share our stories, because instead of isolating us, it will free us. Sharing stories allows others to say, 'me too,' or "if you only knew....' 

I feel the book would have benefitted from some research regarding shame and forgiveness. The writing was adequate, but also clearly a debut.

I love Jamie's words of honesty and grace. She shows the vulnerability of herself and the great love of Christ.

Jamie Ivey hosts a wonderful podcast "The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey." Her podcast was my gateway to loving listening to other shows that have brought me much joy. I was thrilled to get ahold of her book! I thought I knew her story, but reading it in one continuous tale was enlightening. She reveals the common struggle with owning a personal faith as a teenager. She laments her missteps and details her attempts to be the perfect preacher's wife. As much as her story is about Jamie, it's a universal examination of the way the Christian church appears to want their participants cleaned up and without flaws. This is an impossible task. How many people sit in the pews (or chairs) thinking the same thing - "If they only knew the real me, the things I've done, the things I've thought, the things I didn't do?" How many people fear entering the church building for fear of others judging them for those same things? Jamie goes first and says the words others dread and opens her life to show that your past mistakes, and current struggles, cannot seperate you from the love of Christ. No questions, no qualifications. Just love.

This book is phenomenal and everything young girls and women need to hear today!

Jamie Ivey openly and freely shares her testimony in this book and uses each element of her past to point back to a life of redemption and hope in Christ!

Jamie shares what many women in the church think when it comes to opening up about our struggles: sometimes it is scary, but we know it is necessary. If we do not seek to be vulnerable with each other, we miss out on the beauty of redemption and sharing in life together.

Whether you have been following Jamie on her podcast, The Happy Hour, for sometime or have no clue who she is, I encourage you to pick up this book and let your heart be open to hearing the gospel truth throughout it. This is one book that I know I will be re-reading throughout different seasons in life as it is filled with beautiful reminders of God's grace and sufficiency for our sins.

Just like Jamie says: Jesus is better. You don't have to live in a cycle of guilt and shame - God called you to so much greater, if you would only rest and trust in Him! God can use your unique story, broken pieces and all, to reflect His glory.

Some favorite quotes:

"Knowing where to find the sermon on the mount and truly believing what Jesus meant when He said it are two vastly different things. Spending time at church and living like you are the church are not the same."

"And while His beauty does come shining through us when we trust and obey Him, we actually proclaim His excellencies the loudest when we tell people how we used to be in darkness, how He brought us into the light, and how He continues to love and pursue us even when we fail."

I love books that tell and honest and vulnerable story. Jamie certainly does this here. Her book was an easy read that is easy to connect to. 

It isn't the best written book I've ever read. It honestly could have been blog posts instead, but I enjoyed diving into her story well enough despite some of the styling challenges. 

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts

Jamie Ivey's story is impactful and I extremely value that she shared things so personal but desperately needed to be heard by our culture.

On her popular weekly podcast, Jamie Ivey has a conversation with a female guest and invites the woman to share her story. In her book, Jamie shared her own story of past regret and shame, as well as the freedom she found in Christ. She used the same transparency and conversational style in her writing as she does in her weekly podcast. In fact, I felt like I knew a lot of Jamie's story before reading the book. Overall, I am giving this book 3.5 stars. I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

Jamie Ivey tells her story in all transparency and vulnerability. You walk with her through her life journey and see how Jesus loved her through all the ugly in her life. There are two things I left with after reading this book. Both are things I already knew but were impacted stronger through this reading. First, everyone has a story and we need to share it. Second, Jesus is better.

As someone who has followed Jamie Ivey for years, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It did not disappoint. Jamie goes first in sharing her story from a broken confused high school student, it a confident woman in God know finds her identity in Him alone. She is honest and vulnerable as she chronicles how Jesus pursued her over and over again. Even though our stories may not all look like Jamie's, she shares how Jesus is better and He came to redeem the lost and broken. From this book I learned how important and valuable sharing your story is because stories really do change the world. This is a book I will read over and over again because it is packed with truth. I would recommend this book for any woman who is pursuing a life that follows after Jesus. I want to tell Jamie thank you, over and over again

Really enjoyed this book. If you have ever listened to Jamie's podcast, her voice comes across so clearly through her writing. I really appreciate Jamie's vulnerability and openness.

Honest, real and vulnerable are the three words I would use to describe this book. I’ve followed Jamie’s journey for years, and can say that her honesty and openness are so very admirable. Jamie consistently encourages women to share their stories and how God is showing up in their lives. If You Only Knew, is no different. It’s a call to break free from the chains of sin and struggle that weigh us down, and to live out our redemption in Christ. As Jamie would say, “Jesus is better.”

If You Only Knew is a book every woman should read...Jamie is so open, honest, and so vulnerable about her past and how she came to find freedom in her relationship with Christ. We are so scared of telling our "ugly" stories and the things we struggle with because we fear what people may say or think about us...I know I do. This has been a big struggle throughout my whole life thinking "what will people think of me"...and there was a sentence that stuck out to me and has had me thinking on it ever since I read it, Jamie said "When we spend our days living in fear of what the world would think of us, if they really knew us, we haven't yet believed and trusted the truths He says about us." Wow...how powerful is that statement?!?

The older I get the more I realize what true grace is and what a gift God has given us by gifting that to us. Here is another quote from the book that really got me..."He is more concerned with drawing our hearts toward Him, not getting us put together enough so that we're capable of coming to Him. The reason He wants us acknowledging and repenting of our sins is so that we can follow Him, not so He can confirm why He's rejecting us. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:17)" If you aren't a follower of Jesus, know that He isn't asking you to get your life together before you follow Him. He wants you to follow Him, worship Him, and give Him your all. And when we do that, our life does start to get together. Our picture of this is pretty much all wrong - that we need be perfected before we come to God. In reality, the exact opposite is true. He does the perfecting in us the more we come to know Him." I had heard that verse my whole life growing up, but not until reading this book did it truly come alive for me and made me realize that God sent His Son so we could have a better life and love Him.

This book is possibly one of my favorites I will have read for 2018. I could go on and on with truths that Jamie shared that has made an impact on me and that I am still thinking on and processing. This book is so freeing on so many levels and I am so thankful that Jamie took the brave step that so many of us are scared to do and told her story. I am learning that there is freedom in telling and sharing about your struggles and while I am honestly not there yet...it is something I am going to be working towards with God's help.

Please go get this book...you will not be disappointed and I believe it will make a difference in your life and living with freedom that comes only from Christ.

This was the first book that I've read by a Pastor/Preachers wife where they had a REAL past .  Jamie shares her very real very flawed and very forgiven past - and it truly gives hope to the rest of us.  She doesn't try to explain it away or sugar coat it - just gives us the hope to overcome our pasts and reminds us of our Loving FORGIVING Father.  I absolutely loved this book!!!

Jamie Ivey has given us a glimpse into what it’s like to be a Christian in today’s society. If You Only Knew is a courageous, honest take on why our past mistakes and choices don’t  have to dictate our future. I think we all can relate to wondering how on earth God could ever love someone like us. Thank you, Jamie, for being real and sharing your story.

I discuss this book with the author, Jamie Ivey, on episode 74 of What Should I Read Next: "WSIRN Ep 74: Finally falling in love with reading – at 30!"