Cover Image: In Bloom

In Bloom

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Kayla Aimee has a way of connecting with her readers and relating to them like I’ve never seen before. Even though her personal stories, some hard to read and others laughing my way through the chapter, may not have been word for word like my experiences, she conveys the emotions that followed so well that I automatically associated a memory or feeling to match hers. This book is heartbreakingly encouraging in a sense that it forced me personally to take a look back at previous years and evaluate them. It helped me look forward and pull those insecurities to a place of light where I can recognize them when they occur and choose a different path, rather than to wallow in them. It so importantly reminded me that I am not alone in my fears or my shortcomings or in circumstances that were beyond my control. After reading, I feel as though I can be a better more insightful mother to my daughter and hopefully help her to see herself as God sees her. I was continuously amazed at how Kayla put herself and her experiences out there with such a raw honesty. You could see that her heart is for God and to break these feelings of loneliness and needing to be loved off not only her readers but every woman.

With her honesty came these hilarious, laugh out loud, until you are crying moments as well that kept the book light and readable. There were many moments I didn’t want to put it down! There were even more moments that I just wanted to be her friend and let our little ones have a play date! This is a beautiful book that I honestly think every woman needs to read. I can’t wait to pass it on to another woman and get this book moving through my generation. Kayla truly has a gift and it was a privilege to read her truths.

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A real & personal look at comparisons & becoming the person YOU are meant to be - with humor & tons of smiles, but insight & deep words of conviction of God's Truth. I love her honesty and encouragement! I would recommend this book to women, as it makes us realize we are all so much alike and encourages us to love one another for who we are! It was such an honor to read and I’m pretty sure Kayla was in middle school with me! I love this book and every woman should read it!

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In Bloom is a great book for women of all ages. Kayla Aimee shares wise insight into the sources of insecurity and ways to gain victory over this issue almost every woman deals with a some point. And she does it with well written, easy going humor and wonderful, purposeful storytelling. It’s a book you don’t want to miss.

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I like how this author writes in a very conversational and relatable tone. After reading some of the chapters, I wanted to slow down my reading to really marinate on the things the author was saying. As a mother of young boys, so much of what she was conveying was relatable and recognizable in my life. Great, uplifting book!

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A few years ago I picked up a book called Anchored by a teeny tiny woman called Kayla Aimee. I took the book camping with me to Acadia National Park, and while my two boys ran around like crazy, I devoured the whole thing. When I got home I gave it to a dear friend, then we went on to give it to about 150 people.

We have a ministry in our church called Brave Mama, a few times a year we put together and deliver gift baskets to families staying in the NICU at our local hospital. So when I read this book, in which Kayla lays bare her heart and soul during her half year in the hospital with her daughter, we knew we had to include them in the next baskets.

Fast Forward to February 2018, and Kayla’s second book is coming out. By this time we have given out more copies of Anchored than we can count, hosted Kayla and her husband at an event in Maine, and fallen in love with this teeny tiny person with the big heart, big sense of humor and big talent. She’s everything I want to be when I grow up, and I think I have a few years on her!


In Bloom does not necessarily pick up the story of Kayla’s life where Anchored left off, but it does follow some of the same spiritual trends that resonated so deeply in her first book.

Shame is our captor and we were never meant to be held captive. We were meant to be captivated.

I didn’t just want to know it… I wanted to be able to embrace it, believe it and live it.

The gift of our presence is the most eternally significant thing we can offer one another.

With the wit of a Brit, the hospitality of a Southern gal, and all the 90s pop culture references you could hope for… and then some, Kayla talks about the insecurities of being a wife, a mother, a woman, a friend, a church goer but doesn’t leave you to wallow in anything. She shows you an enormous YOU ARE NOT ALONE way out of all those things we hate to admit we are feeling. That our friends secretly don’t like us. That our husband is disappointed in our cooking skills. That our church thinks we should be more ashamed of something. You are not alone, and those things that whisper to you, they are just not true.

While Beth Moore can tell you these things aren’t true and turn you to Jesus, only Kayla Aimee can tell you they aren’t true, turn you to Jesus, and compare your life event to an episode of Saved by the Bell so that you truly understand it’s meaning. It’s a gift.

This is not a book with a ten step plan out of your insecurity. It’s not going to give you fifty Bible verses to memorize to fight against your depression, though it is littered with scripture and makes me more convinced that a familiarity with God’s holy word can support and sustain you. It is however going to show you that you are loved beyond your wildest dreams, by a God that knows everything about you, and not only still loves you, but is enamored with you, is pursuing you. The subtitle of this book is “Trading restless insecurity for abiding confidence” and after 20 years following Christ, 15 years of marriage and 3 babies, that still something I seek after everyday.

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Kayla’s writing style, actually her in person style too, is such that she jokes about making out with her husband being an incentive for marriage on one page, only to turn temple tables on the next and lambast the church for “enslaving our girls to a prescribed ideal of womanhood.” She finds a voice for the lighter things in our stories, the hard things, and the truly awful things.

But for all the pop culture, for all the marital anecdotes, for all the stories about her adorable and utterly mischievous children, at the heart of this book is the story of a woman who has half lived and who has lived her life full and is not going back to the former. A full life with God, this is what she wants for everyone who reads this book, a life of Grace, and Hope, and Joy, and Forgiveness. She puts words to so many things I have felt and felt held captive by over the years, it’s like she’s in my brain.

What I wanted was an easy answer. I wanted magic, I wanted prayer to work like a wand, passing over my insecurities and transforming them into something better, desirable, But magic is only the illusion of things. Ball gowns and carriages turn back into rags and pumpkins at the stroke of midnight. We are transformed by our faithful laboring, the repetition of sowing life-giving words back into our souls to take root deep within us.

I cannot wait to see what Kayla writes next, as long as she stays out of my brain!

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This book felt like a warm hug from a friend.

Kayla does a wonderful job at speaking from the heart and telling you over and over and over again that you are not alone. She uses personal antidotes that are funny one moment and #metoo the next.

This book is a Christian read and I say that not to dispel you from getting this book (because you absolutely must!) but rather to give you a heads up on the author's perspective and one that I wholeheartedly agree with. Through her knowledge of scripture she is able to reassure the reader not just with her words but also God's. "..what I know about God and the faithful depth of His love is that 'he will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea' (Micah 7:19) What I know is, In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Wow. And that is just one of the pages upon pages that I highlighted. It is THAT. Good.

Strongly recommended for you to read this with your older teen. There are even discussion/study guide questions in the back to guide the talk you most certainly want to have when you finish reading!

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Kayla Aimee's writing is a wonderful mix of beauty and humor.Her words have equal power to make me laugh and cry with remembered grief and loneliness. As you read through this book you will see that not only does she want to heal herself, she truly wants the same for you. It is rare to find someone who truly wants to use their gifts to lift up others. You will find that here, within the pages of In Bloom.

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This book has all of Kayla Aimee’s southern charm and wit as she tackles a subject that most women deal with; insecurities.

Kayla used her own struggles as a way to make herself relatable and the reader believe that she can empathize.

If you want to read a humorous and relatable book about shame, marriage, parenting, and those closest to us in our lives, you should definitely be reading this book.

Kayla Aimee has such a way with words and I chalk it up to Southern charm and incredible humility. I can't wait to read more books by her!

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I have loved Kayla's writing style for years - this book is heartfelt, funny and full of emotion. I appreciated her story and how sincere she was in telling it. A beautiful book that celebrates women, insecurities and all!

3.5 stars!

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Meh. I keep hoping these books with promising titles dig in to God’s word. They end up being “here’s some funny stories about my life, with hysterical pop cultural references and oh yeah this is supposed to point to the God of the Universe....here’s a few bible verses for you!”

However this is the type of book most women just eat up!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

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I believe this book was written for such a time as this. Women today of all ages had or have dealt with shame, brokenness, feeling unwanted/ left out all sorts of insecurities. In In Bloom, Kayla Aimee shares personal stories of her life of brokenness, shame and feeling unwanted, but God makes all things new and that is what He did with Kayla. This book gives a great message that you are a new creation in Christ. That He alone makes beauty from ashes. And He can use your past shame and brokenness for His glory.


I received an e-copy from netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

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In Bloom is a beautiful, hilarious, and thought-provoking book; a book women can certainly relate to. Kayla Aimee is a gifted storyteller who draws you in to her funny stories and life. I highly recommend this wonderful book.

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I really enjoyed this book because of the way Kaylee shared her struggle with self esteem through snippets of her life. She shares the joys and pains on being a teenager, mother and wife in such a humorous and impactful way.

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High hopes for help in this book, given the promises in the description. The cover is beautiful, and the promises of digging into figuring out inadequacies, etc. was a great hook. What woman doesn't feel those things? I love authors who are relatable, and even better when they are funny. Kayla is both of those things. Her writing style is engaging and fun.

However, what fell flat for me was the fact that she doesn't go into any depth about how to get over these issues in our lives. Jesus and the Word of God have to be our focus in overcoming any type of perceived shortcoming. Funny anecdotes of her life are great and relatable, but ultimately the book reads like a memoir, and not a devotional, or even a self-help book. There just wasn't enough basis in scripture for me, and some quotes from sources outside the Bible are fitting, but cannot be long-term help in overcoming struggles. Our relationship with God has to be the foundation, and she shares that, but she doesn't go any further. That was disappointing for me.

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In Bloom is an amazing book about overcoming our insecurities, depending on God to find our security and how to do that. Kayla shares from her own experiences and her own insecurities, bringing you intimately close to her heart, and her story.

The book is well designed, well thought about, well put together.

This book is more of a self-help book and if you're looking for something with scripture spread throughout, this isn't that, but she loves Jesus and brings her faith into it constantly. I mean, if you want a devotional, buy one of those.

I love how Kayla shares her heart and life with us. I love how she shares how she overcame insecurity and found truth in who she was as a person. Kayla makes you laugh a lot too, and relate, to her stories and words. I think you will enjoy this book, too, if you like things like this!

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I've been a reader of Kayla's blog for some time now. And after reading her first book, Anchored, I was very excited to learn she had another book coming out. This book was fun, like getting coffee with a friend and just sharing your heart. If anyone needs a bit of a pick me up, or needs to see they aren't the only one who struggles with insecurity, this book is a great read.

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Do you know a woman that is not insecure about something? Let me answer that for you. No, you don't. Women are insecure about many things, but we usually won't tell you that. I go to the gym and work out with some pretty amazing women who compete in body building competitions, and they are insecure about their bodies too. Let's be honest, I could give each of them part of my body fat and they would still look good! But they see flaws in themselves that I just don't see. We are insecure beings.

Kayla Aimee reminds us of several scriptures that God says about us, such as: "I am a place where God's Spirit lives. (1 Cor. 6:19) I am God's incredible work of art. (Eph. 2:10) I am a whole new person with a whole new life. (2 Cor. 5:17) I am greatly loved. (Rom. 5:8)

She tells it like it is, but in a way that we can all relate to. She doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. In fact, she shares some of the moments in her life that we have probably all experienced but, don't have the nerve to talk about in public. I can see myself hanging our with her, and being able to let my hair down.

There were several times that I laughed out loud. 1) The cheesecake skidmarks. 2) When she yelled, "Stop, drop, and roll, Mom!" and 3) When she stuffs her bra using balloons filled with Jell-o pudding. I can't help but giggle as I type this.

You have to read this book! I could go on, and on about this book, but I will leave you with this... You are not alone in your insecurities. Many of us have the exact same ones, and we are just too embarrassed to talk about it. I have talked to friends, after reading this book, about some of our insecurities. Some different and some the same. If Kayla hadn't opened that door, we might have walked those crazy paths alone. I have to say, it is much more fun when someone else is on that path with you.

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As I began reading this book, I had this feeling that the author must have been looking into my own head, reading my mind. That is how much I could relate to what she was saying! Yes! I've struggled most of my life with feelings of insecurity. I suppose I've always been what's considered "too sensitive". Someone made a comment, and even though it might not have been meant as an insult, it sure felt like it. A comment about my looks. Or something I did. Or feeling pushed back, not included with the other girls...and so it goes.

Reading this book caused me to recall some of those feelings...things that might have been pushed down under for years already. Things that I need to uncover and give to God.

We all have a deep longing to belong. To be wanted. Needed. Loved. We cannot allow things done and said to us by other human beings, especially immature ones, to influence us for the rest of our life, or even our eternal destiny. And yet, way too often, we tend to rely on those actions or words rather than trust God and believe in His Promises that can be found in His Word.

This book is written in a way that resonates way down deep. It's especially geared for younger women. I found it to be fresh and easily related to, and yet, also a bit humorous and sarcastic. Very inspirational and hope-filled!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

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Definitely an uplifting read! I found myself laughing out-loud so many times while reading this book! The subject matter is something so relevant to our current culture and something the majority of women struggle with.
Can't wait to read Kayla Aimee's other books!

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I don't mean to sound too harsh, but I just don't think this book works. I wanted to read it because the title says it's about insecurity and confidence - but I didn't get any help from what I read of it. To be honest, I didn't even finish it.

I really liked the author's personality, but this book is REALLY not what it claims to be about. It's supposed to dive into the root of our deep-seated feeling of inadequacy, but all I read were cute stories of her daughter. Not really what I (or many other women probably) expected.

Another problem I had with it is that it seems A LOT like a sort of watered down version "Uninvited" by Lysa TerKeurst, just not as in-depth.

I really don't mean to sound harsh, just trying to give helpful advice on how to maybe improve the book?

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