I thought this book was really enjoyable. I liked how both Kevin and Marcia share their insights and experiences throughout. Their honesty and vulnerability was refreshing.The principles they use are great and Biblically centered as well.

This book is rich with examples of ways a couple can come together and learn how to be selfless in a Christ-centered marriage. This couple shares practical and transparent lessons that could edify those who want to experience a blessed and fulfilled marriage. I'm grateful this book was written and that it emphasizes prayer, among other functions for the protection of the marital relationship.

Kevin & Marcia Myers have been married for 40 years. The marriage started out happy, as most do, after a joyful romance and honeymoon period. Yet as as the first few years progressed, they found themselves in a not-so-happy marriage. As a result, they made a choice and discovered seven practices to help them the joy and life return to their marriage and life. With wisdom, they share how these practices help them experience The Second Happy (Nelson Books, 2021).

Each practice is described in a chapter and thus topics often discussed in multiple chapters are combined in unique fashions. Likewise, they sometimes use uncommon "categories" compared to other marriage books. Nonetheless, their discussion of voluntary mutual submission in Practice 4 (chapter 4) and the personal story was superb!

Each chapter concludes with helpful "Conversations for a Couple" and "Discussion for a Small Group" questions.

I’m new to these authors but definitely a great marriage book! One I will keep in my marriage library!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

The Second Happy
by Kevin and Marcia Myers
Pub Date: 09 Feb 2021
Good advice for couples no matter what stage you are in. We all need to work to make our marriages happy. This book gives sensible tips (depending on your stage in life). It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it did have some sage advice.

I admit that the title and the cover of the book got me thinking in a different direction and, when I started reading, I was expecting to find a more behavioral, psychological, social study type of book. That was not the case - the book being more of a thought and positivity exercise on how to power through difficult situations and give what appears to be a failing marriage a second chance.
I had to force myself to ignore the frequent faith and God references as personally I am interested in data and science and I needed to find a way to relate to the message of the book. While the authors offer good advice on how to avoid judging a situation by what it appears to be and how to think of all the aspects, I found the key principles overly simplistic and focused exclusively on positive examples, which does not agree with what I believe real life to be.
By replacing the word "prayer" with verbs like meditate, introspect and know yourself - I found some good behavioral habits and advice in the book, which are common sense.

This is a must-read book if you are married! Kevin Myers, the author, a pastor and a husband who has been married for over thirty years, details many of the strategies that he and his wife have used in their marriage to not just survive, but thrive together. What I particularly loved about this book was that each strategy is an easy to remember word picture. These word pictures stayed in my mind long after I finished the book, and I have talked about them to my husband many times. This book kept my interest and is full of stories of couples who are in different stages of marriages. I found the stories to be relatable and honest. The Second Happy is encouraging, engaging, and easy to read and remember.