If you only read one Christian non-fiction book in the coming year, make it this one.

This readable, practical, insightful, and totally honest book has the potential to change your own personal outlook, your family, and the community around you. It’s already had an impact on me.

Big statement about a book? Yes. But it will help you take a very clear look at the grumbling that we all do; how it affects us personally; and the effect it has on everyone around us. The Bible has much to say about grumbling and gratefulness, and the author does a wonderful job of sharing those Scriptures with us.

Author Tricia Goyer and her husband, John, decided to take their family of 11 through a “Grumble Free Year” and document the course of their year throughout the book. It’s all there in this book: Their successes; their struggles; the events that shook their world during the year; but most of all, their love of family, their faith in God, and the results of determining to develop hearts filled with gratefulness instead of grumbling.

I took my time reading this book to let their lessons soak in. I had tears in my eyes as I finished the last chapter. It’s easy to identify with the Goyer family and the events in their year. The chapter “The Day that Almost Changed Everything” especially touched my heart and filled my heart with God’s goodness to their family, but also the goodness He’s shown in my own family’s life. There’s good questions at the end of each chapter to think through if you are using this book for devotional reading. I would love to discuss this book with a book club or book study.

My thanks to the Goyer family for leading us through their own experiences. They will be a blessings to many. And one more thing: This book has much to say about the blessings and challenges of adoption, as well as taking care of elderly family members.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I have read a lot of Tricia Goyer's fiction works over the last several years and even a few of her non-fiction books. I always seems to enjoy what she writes so I jump at the chance to read whatever I see by her. I felt this book got off to a slow start, but that is because the grumble free year at the Goyer house also got off to a slow start- which makes sense in such a large family, even my family of 5 would take a while to get used to such a big change. We are wired to be negative so we have to fight those urges to get to a place to be positive. I thought the book gave some great advice on how to be more positive, how to complain less, and how to takes life's punches as they come in a better way than just always focusing on the bad of difficult situations. I appreciate the Goyers letting us learn from their year long project and their willingness to be open about their struggles to get there. I enjoyed the discussions questions at the end of each chapter. I recommend this book to anyone looking to be more positive.

Complaints and grumbling are all around us today, and inside of most of us. Tricia Goyer and her family set out on a year’s effort to stop the grumbling they had come to fall back on. In it, they learned more about the cause of complaining, and how God has much better things than grumbling in mind for us.

When I saw this book, I was immediately interested in it as I have been doing something along those lines. It has not been as formal as theirs, but I’ve noticed how my grumbling stops me from being thankful to God for what I have. Reading along with their journey gives me a different perspective on the situation, and seeing things that worked for them gives me ideas to try in my own life.

Each chapter is easy to understand and, though not necessarily easy to put into practice, they are easy to understand. The book is aimed at parents and families, but the idea of replacing grumbling with thankfulness will help in any relationship.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Trisha Goyer has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, although this is the first of hers that I have read. Grumbling is a proverbial problem in many families and I wish I had been able to read this book when my children were little. This book is a great combination of memoir and application, especially for those who still have young children in the home. Each chapter starts with a segment of memoir. Goyer also includes scripture, Bible stories, and quotes from authorities. Each chapter ends with reflection questions for the reader and some suggested actions for the reader to take.
I highly recommend this book for any Christian who has a problem with grumbling. Even if this is not such a problem, or your children are grown, I think you will enjoy Goyer's tales of homeschooling seven adopted children and the challenges she and her husband had.
I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine challenging yourself and your family to a year of no grumbling! That's what Goyer did - and then she wrote about their experiment. She offers suggestions and steps on how the family faced the challenge and took the opportunity for transformation. An interesting practical look at how life thrives with appreciation, honesty, and no grumbling.

Well worth reading, whether you are single, married, or have a family. This book will give you opportunities to change your trajectory from grumbling to gratefulness.