I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Just not my thing. I appreciated the sentiments of the book, but to me, at least, there was nothing deep or abiding about this book.

Journey Together by David Hawkins is a nonfiction title sharing advice and anecdotes on how to create a successful marriage for life. The book uses a lot of journey metaphors for marriage throughout the book such as making the choice to travel a new path each day with your partner or having to take u-turns away as things change in your relationship. However, the metaphors got a bit cheesy and repetitive towards the end. The book does a good job recognizing that there are things that should be worked on both together and independently, which sometimes can get ignored. The book also highlights the importance of addressing how your past affects your present relationship and being cognizant for when there are triggers happening during conflict.

One topic I found very interesting was being proactive with preventative measures in your relationship rather than a more reactive approach that is common in some marriages. For example, the author discusses recognizing your emotions and trying to reflect on what strong emotions that appear like they are coming from nowhere actually mean. The book shares a lot of stories about different couples which can help to consider real-life examples. However, many of these examples are over smaller things so I would have appreciated some deeper, more difficult topics such as discussing differences in upbringing, political beliefs, racial experiences, etc. Overall this is a decent book for those looking to work on their marriage and focus on listening and communicating skills, but may not be the best for those with serious marriage issues.

Many thanks to the publisher Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

In JOURNEY TOGETHER, David Hawkins has distilled years of compassionate, creative leadership in developing, improving, and saving long-term relationships. His work with the troubled, the hopeful, and the desperate individuals struggling to connect and live with their loved ones is framed in the metaphor of journey, of traveling together and making it as smooth, rewarding, and pleasurable as possible. Put plainly, Hawkins shares ways to consider the journey and to continue to focus on what is in your power to realize, the change, and to develop in yourself in order to be an excellent traveling companion. Clear prose and terrific stories make this a journey with Hawkins eye-opening and a genuine inspiration. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

Journey together was a great read. It felt helpful and encouraging from the very beginning and the whole way through. I will recommend and gift this book to all of my married friends. The tips and information shared is helpful in all sorts of relationships, good or bad, married or friend. This book is excellent information on communication, listening, thoughtfulness, and much more

That mentions of scripture and God seem a bit disjointed. I think the book would be just as helpful and reach a wider audience without them. However, if they are to be included I think there should be more references and religion. I found, as a non-religious individual, that I would be going along reading what seemed like a general relationship book and find myself a bit startled by a note from scripture. They just seemed a bit like an afterthought or a "necessary" addition that may not have really fit.

Overall, Journey Together was very inciteful, and I plan to buy myself a copy to reread in the future.

Hey, you gotta work if you want love. In short, marriage is a journey and you have chosen your travel companion and if you want a smooth journey then compassion is the key. Check yourself for any faults from time to time and if the road is still rocky do not hesitate to take a new path - it may lead you to new discoveries. Pride solves nothing!


"And we don’t find love as much as we create love. Then we build on that love, day after day. We work at it just as we work at anything important to us. We focus on it, dedicate ourselves to it, and nurture it."

The tone of the book is quite pleasant. It shares anecdotes and cases and how marriages can be healed again if both parties are willing.

I picked up this book thinking, "Sure, let's give you a try. I think I have a pretty great marriage, but there is always room for it to be even better." This, the journey began and I started reading this book.
Within a matter of mere pages, this book was calling me out me out on things I didn't realize needed to be worked on. I was humbled and disarmed early on and more than willing to read more to learn about what I could do to better myself and my already wonderful marriage.
I found the stories he tells about about himself and his wife to be not only extremely relatable, but often made me smile. They remind me of a fluffy romance novel, which I am a big fan of. Yet, after he tells a story, he then talks about the wisdom he learned from that moment in his life. I liked this aspect because I have always found myself more likely to take advice from people who learn from experience.
Something else that is frequently done in this book is repetition. It is common in a lot of these learning books and I was almost on the edge of annoyed at first, but once I got a couple of chapters in, I was easily remembering things without copious amounts of notes...though I did still take copious amounts of notes. But I appreciated knowing that what I learned in reading this book would stay with me no matter what.
The view on love in this book is refreshing and realistic without coming across as judgemental or preachy. He goes in depth with many things that I myself have felt like is commonplace views on love but they shouldn't be. The quote, "We don't find love as much as we create it." Was a wonderful example of this and one of those quotes I can see being used often by readers when referring to this book.
The really cool thing about this book, is that while it has a focus on relationships and marriage, the things taught in this book can be applied to all areas of relationship in your life. When you get healed and healthy, you attract healthy people into your life. The book has a focus on marriage, but it can help you more than just your marriage.
I would venture to say that I had a pretty healthy and happy marriage even before I read this book. But this book still made me realize things I needed to work on inside myself and my marriage and taught me a lot. There are so many tools in this book that I can use now to have a deeper and stronger connection with my husband. I genuinely feel that this book should be read by anyone getting ready for or in a marriage, happy and healthy or not. It helps no matter what stage you are in.