*I received this book as an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I don't think I could've clicked the request button any faster than I did for this book. Setting boundaries has become a pretty big area of my life that I've chosen to really grow in (hi, I'm a Type Two on the enneagram) so Making Space was absolutely perfect for the current season I'm in.

This book had a solid flow to it and I liked how Hardy broke up the sections into different areas of your life where you can apply boundaries (work, relationships, etc). The last chapter threw me for a loop because I didn't fully see the connection between boundaries and fighting for change, but her words were impactful nonetheless.

I wound up making an album on my phone to organize my highlighted screenshots I took while reading. Below are some of my favorite nuggets of advice that stood out to me:

* "...what has worked for us may not work for someone else; our answer might not be their answer."
* "Those yeses of our are valuable because they're a gift of our resources to another. Don't scatter them around like confetti."
* "...you deserve your own kindness, even when you've messed up."

There were many times where I felt like Hardy was calling me out, but I needed it and I appreciated it. There's a particular section when she's discussing how others might react to your boundaries -

"Newly found boundaries often highlight the people in our lives who prospered from our having none. The resistance can be symptomatic of their self-interest. Their reaction says little about our boundaries but quite a lot about their character and their lofty expectations of us, not to mention what they stand to lose when we get our boundaries into shape."

My jaw dropped. You see, since I've started to be more intentional with setting boundaries, I've had people react negatively; I've had to tell myself that their reaction was a reflection of them and not me; I've had to remind myself that boundaries are okay and they are necessary. Making Space only further drilled this message into my brain.

Another action I took that was inspired by the book was shutting off all my phone notifications. Not only has it reduced my screen time significantly, but I have noticed a decrease in my anxiety as well! I feel more in control and it's pretty amazing.

I would highly recommend this book to my fellow Type Twos and anyone who is curious about or wants to grow in the topic of boundaries. Overall, I'm giving Making Space 5 leaves!

Wow. Thank you Jayne for writing a book that feels like a letter from your best friend or your inner self. It not only validates all your feelings of self betrayal and people pleasing - it lovingly nudges you towards a path of self love (both easy and hard truths). It gives a variety of examples and life scenarios were boundaries are not respected and where they can be strengthened and how.
This book was easy to read and including exercises to reflect on the content which I find important. You can't expect to change without integrating what you learn.

As with many "self-help" books, I felt that there was not quite enough content for an entire book here. That being said, there were some nuggets of wisdom in the beginning of the book that were worthwhile.

I struggled a bit through the section on making space culturally, societally, and environmentally. If a person is reading this book because he or she has issues with boundaries in personal circumstances, I don't know that they should also be encouraged to shoulder the burden of trying to improve the world in the same breath. While I agree that you can't totally shut out what's happening in the world, I think you need to spend time on developing your own personal boundaries and energy reserves well before you get to this stage.

Overall, I think this would have been an excellent article, but went on a bit too much in book form for me since it all felt very general. I think it could have benefitted from some more concrete examples and a walkthrough on how to handle sample situations. Personal stories from others could also have contributed to help keep the reading interesting and provide more specific content.

Making Space was a perfect crash course on appropriate boundary setting. I especially loved the font, which seemed to make the words even more important. The activities at the end of the chapters perfectly complemented the lessons learned. I feel more armed in appropriately setting and keeping boundaries at work and at home. I know this will help make my life even better!

I received an advanced readers edition of this book, but all views are my own.

Making Space offers some pearls of wisdom that will resonate with readers however the flow is, as the writer likes to say, a bit "wonky."