Ever read a book that had you eager to read more, to turn page after page desperate to see what happens next?

A New Thing by Lydia Lucas was that book for me. Everything about this book from introduction to the last chapter was an amazing read for me.

In the introduction Lydia starts off with a story of some of her not so exemplary lifestyle which was before she became a Christian. It surprised me that she chose to start with that story.

She started off with the story to explain that she was not perfect and that she had thought God was not for women like her “women who have lived too hard” . I found this relatable as there are times in my life that I thought there was no how God would want someone like me.

She shares with us stories of her heartbreak which broke my heart, and somehow in all those stories, I learnt so much!

While she would sing in Church and attend church as a young girl she revealed that she was in fact not a christian. And even though she went to church and listened to heartwarming sermons and heart moving songs she was still not ready to surrender to God.

In her defense, she thought to be a Christian , one had to have no sense of humor and be judgemental. Something I cannot blame her for I mean people these days try to make Christianity something else.

She would later give her life to Christ. And this part is where I started loving the book even more.She explained that even though she was moved to give her life to Christ , right after that she continued on with her regular bad habits.

I loved that she wrote this part cause most people usually think once you give your life to Christ you automatically become some perfect being and everything just becomes perfect.

As the book goes on, she gives instances of how she would disobey God and of course the stories of men she had begun dating.

In the end , though it wasn’t an easy one she finally found her path and shared her love story that had me grinning from ear to ear.

I would recommend this book to anyone! I absolutely loved it!!

This book had a very strong message In regards to focusing on your purpose, Listening to God and having patience. The author was very transparent in her struggles and mistakes and the book has a very powerful for any young person that has been wondering if God is really going to listen and answer their prayers.

It's written in a tone that is not condemning, but comforting. The author did a very good job with this book, and it's something you can refer to more than once.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Lydia Lucas had me at "The person you thought was truly "the one" may have turned out to be heartache" and when I saw that she was writing it from a faith-based perspective, I knew I had to request a copy for myself. This book was an easy read that had me nodding along in agreement from time to time. When I finished, I wanted to be her friend! (Is that weird..?)

A New Thing was just what I needed to start 2021 off right. It reiterated how important and perfect God's timing is, reminded me of how beautiful a deep relationship with God can be, and helped fuel my fire of passion for Him. Lucas is vulnerable throughout the book, but is able to keep it light. She's real and authentic, but not whiny nor does she complain about her hardships. She's encouraging without being so in-your-face about how to change your life.

Towards the end of the book, I couldn't stop highlighting her words of wisdom. Here are some of my favorites:

* "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."

* "The God we serve is not a God of 'almost good enough.'"

* "... stop speaking so negatively and making long-term decisions based on temporary feelings."

Don't tell me those aren't straight fire! Speaking of fire, one of Lucas' themes throughout her story is being in the refiner's fire having her faith tested, but coming out of the fire as pure gold. She encourages the reader to stay in the fire, trust the process, and strive to become the gold God designed you to be. Because of this, my Bible verse of the year to focus on, pray about, and reflect on is 1 Peter 1:7 (thank you, Lydia)!

I would recommend this book to Christian women in their teens and twenties and I also think it could be used as Bible study content for young women as there are reflection/discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

This memoir is such a delight, the author takes us from hitting rock bottom to having a change of heart, to love and finding the abundance that's always been there from God yet she just didn't see it and it got my wheels turning as well of all the times I thought I could do it all and how much it weighed me down until I let God in.
I love the cover and the tone of writing is pleasant as well.
This would inspire Christians and young women to live to their highest selves and love themselves more. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.