2.5 Stars!!! I overall found this to be an insightful take on contemporary Christian faith and culture. Because I’m not in ministry, or in what this author describes as the “church bubble,” I was fascinated by what I recognized to be church concept-speak. I understood the concepts but they’re not words that I use frequently and so perhaps they were more interesting to me as ideas and concepts than they might be to someone who reads a lot of books similar to this one.

I’m not familiar with this author but in the course of reading this, I found out she’s a popular speaker and reading this, you can tell because it reads and presents like a talk or a sermon in the stream of consciousness-style of the narrative, which is at times a little hard to follow as it’s very wordy, long-winded and repetitive as we all can be when we’re talking. Additionally, this is probably not a book for new Christians or people who aren’t in what the author refers to as “the church bubble.” I’d even go ahead to say this book would be perfect if you are the “ministry bubble” or the close to that (PKs, youth ministers, people with friends in seminary or people who’ve attended seminary themselves or are ministers or and Ministers spouses or people who do a lot of this kind of reading). I’m not in any of these “bubbles” so I often couldn’t relate to the scenarios and anecdotes depicted.

I feel like this was a fairly theoretically weighty book backed by biblical contexts which was good. But then when the author tried to make these contexts contemporary with anecdotes, the part that should have been the easiest, that’s when this book was at its weakest. The anecdotes did not match up with what the depth this book was calling for. They lacked vulnerability and were very surface level and not at all matching the biblical contexts- like the sort of surface stories you tell if you go on a tv show or a job interview and you’re asked about your weaknesses and you give some non-weakness answer. By the end of the book, I realized why the author was being reserved with her vulnerability and brokenness, but it also made the book feel less relatable especially with the level of vulnerability she was asking for the reader to access in Christ.

This book also places a lot of focus on how the author came the her conclusions she’s drawing, ensuring that they are bible-based. This is excellent for this sort of book. However, very little energy is spent on the practicalities of living the calls to action. And I understand that a bit because the author states that she wasn’t out to write a prescriptive book. Unfortunately, I think that’s what this kind of thesis needed. Because if not, it leads to the continuation of the self-obsessive “am I doing this right or aren’t I” that this book speaks against.

I also at times struggled to understand the subtle nuances the author was trying to distinguish between what contemporary Christian culture says and what her own thesis was. I think some of it was a little to semantics-driven and incredibly-nuanced for me to make the necessary distinctions.

Lastly, my perception reading this book is that it was written for a specific category of Christians who are similar in background to the author- and maybe that’s a major reason why I struggled to connect with this book. I do think this is a good book to read because not many books are written for long-time Christians or Christians that the world might already perceive as being “christianly” or “not struggling” because they’re in ministry or they’re ministry-adjacent or live in a small homogenously Christian community where people seem to believe the same things and appear to be mature Christians. Those are the people I would recommend this book to.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from B&H Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you have never listened or read anything by Whitney Capps you need to start now and this book is a great place to start. She really stepped on my toes in the first two chapters and throughout the whole book. I cannot wait for it to come out on Audible so I can listen to it. Whitney has a way of explaining scripture that really sticks with me. I highlighted and took notes on so much in this book my highlighter pen ran out! Great book, great author. You need to order it today.

This book is so well written
I am in awe of Him and how He sends us exactly what we need , exactly when we need it. The words that @whitneycapps has written are as honest, raw and Christ centered as anything I have read in a very long time. I am in a season where I am so weary of hearing my own voice and focusing on my own brokenness. I am trying to focus on more Jesus, less me. And it is hard stuff. Sanctification is renewed in me in a way that I have never felt in the past. Or at least been aware of. The pages are underlined, highlighted and dog eared. A game changer for me. I highly recommend this book

This book was received as an ARC from B&H Publishing Group (B&H Books, Holman Bibles, B&H Español, and B&H Kids) in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was very looking forward to reading this book due to Self-Help being one of our most popular areas and areas in need of some new material. I loved how this book took the modern world and used the latest trends and fads to help convey the message that your own personal persona should be what only matters and not to let the judgment and views of others define who you are. Basically, I wish this book was around when I was in high school because this was the ultimate message that I have learned from when I was a senior in high school until today. I can not wait for the release of this book for our next teen book club to share my story and to have backup that defines my experience such as Sick of Me.

We will consider adding this book to our Self-Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I really loved the different point of view this book brought to me. I was pleasantly surprised and really loved this book!

I don’t do this very often, but I read this book in one day! I love how Whitney is able to breathe new life into words like “justification” and “sanctification” to better help us understand what it means to live a life reconciled to Jesus and not to ourselves. Because let’s face it, we’re living in a social “me”dia age and a life with Christ will never be about me, but it will be all about Him. Awesome read!

The book Sick of Me is a life-changing,down-to-earth identifier of a spiritual problem that most importantly gives ways to rectify said problem in a serious, yet understanding and forgiving way; what every lost sheep needs! Once I started reading, I identified with it and could hardly put it down, as I found answers I had been searching for myself.Sick of Me is for anyone who feels they should be further along in their Christian walk, or feeling static where there should be growth and joy. This book is both encouraging and correcting all at once- a treasure.

Nothing in Whitney's latest title is wrong, it had just been said many different ways, many times before. As a Christian, I get bored easily when reading the same concepts over and over. This has no malcontent towards the author in anyway, she is a wonderful and nice woman.

While I have not yet finished reading this book, I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying it! I am trying to slowdown my reading of it to really chew on the message Whitney is giving.
From the first chapter it is like meeting your best friend for coffee and having the best conversation. A conversation with substance, one that really matters. If, like me, you are a highlighter of books, arm yourself! Bring all the colors. I have tagged so much of the book and have audibly responded "Yes!", "me too!", "so good!", and many more!