I love Emily Lex. This book feels so true to the person/artist I've come to know through social media over the years. It is authentic and beautiful. Speaks to the soul.

I loved hearing the authenticity in Emily's voice as she shared about her struggles of "not being enough". I think all women identify with this at some level.. It was beautiful seeing how the Lord brought her out of these feelings, replacing them with the knowledge that she is who He created her to be.and how that transformation has changed her thinking and the way she lives her life.

This is a really cute audiobook and memoir. Freely & Lightly is a quick and light read that delves into the reality that in order to find your own identity, you need to know and understand who God is. I enjoyed Emily’s personal stories and vulnerability sharing her own struggles in each area she addresses. I particularly liked her “table of contents” Bible journaling method - I can’t wait to try it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. While listening though, my mind wandered at times. The author did a really good job at story telling but the focus seemed to drift. It didn’t feel complete but rather like pieces of a devotional without true depth.

How to categorize this book?! Even the author didn't know how to do so! Memoir/spiritual teaching/coffee table book. But really it's a beautiful mix of all 3. I read and listened to the book, so I got the benefit of Emily Lex's sweet spirit as she read it aloud for the audio, while also getting to see her beautiful art that fully inspired me as both a writer and artist.

Most nonfiction books I read start out strong and begin to plateau in their repetition or just become dully written. But not this one. I actually found it ramping up and becoming more and more relatable as the pages and chapters went on.

The highlight for me was toward the end when Emily laid out her Bible reading plan/journal. I immediately decided I wanted to try it. Get a journal, write out a table of contents for each of the chapter of all 4 Gospels, read a chapter a day and journal it, leaving space for a title of that chapter out of what you gleaned from it. You'll have to read her full description, how she did it, and what beautiful take-aways she includes. But it inspired me to definitely do the same thing. And not just through the Gospels, but through the whole Bible. What a wonderful and simple way to study the Word of God.

Another highlight for me, simply because I am a writer and entrepreneur who has newly discovered my love of creativity extends to art as well...was when God spoke to her and said, "Be an artist" not just do art. So she committed to a painting a day. As a writer, we always hear "Write every day" whether we are inspired or not. Well recently my brain has been too foggy to write but my creativity has come out in art instead. So why had I never thought to treat it the same way I did writing. "Create every day" would be just as easily said. I am giving myself this same challenge.

I highly recommend the book (probably even more than the audio, simply because of the beautiful illustrations) for you to take your own highlights from it.

Highly recommend this book for focusing on God's grace. Easy to read and understand, brings calmness and peace as you read.

This book was sweet and had a lovely message; it was pleasant enough. I didn't feel like it had a lot of substance to it. I kept expecting her to dive more deeply into the subject, but for some readers, her message is probably radical enough as it is. I was looking for more practical solutions and suggestions. I found her voice a little annoying. The cadence was tiresome. I'm told that the hardcover included her watercolors which would have been nice to see as a companion to her words.

Emily Lex takes you along on her faith journey. From believing to truly surrendering to God, she doesn’t shy away from the often uncomfortable ups and downs that believers encounter in their spiritual life. What she discovered is that a life surrendered to God is the fullest and freest it can be. I’ve been a fan of Emily Lex since her days as Jones Design Company and this book didn’t disappoint. This book is for anyone who is an Enneagram 9, enjoys biographies or loves reading about faith.

*I received an advanced reader’s audiobook copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I have been a fan of Emily's blog for many years, and was excited to have the chance to listen to this audiobook. Emily is so generous with her art. I love her style (basically my whole StitchFix inspiration Pinterest board was pins of her What I Wore posts) and how she shares her faith.

I really appreciated her honesty about her struggles with insecurity (despite being beautiful inside and out!) and her thoughts on the Enneagram. As a fellow Peacemaker, it's always good to get a gentle nudge to remind you to not just let life happen to you.

This was such a wonderful book to listen to. Every chapter, the author talked about her life and you felt like you were sitting on the couch or running errands with her. Her focus was on her family and her relationship with God. I needed to hear this and I know that others would love hearing what she has to say.

This was an audiobook for me and the author narrated it. She was lovely and easy to understand. She invited the reader see who they are and delight in it. She shared her personal experiences and scripture to make these points.
She talks about things that might cause stumbling blocks in our growth. Examples like vices, controlling behavior and false idols. ((Ouch)) She encouraged a new way of thinking about these things.
And I loved what she said about the definition of beautiful.
This was a great reminder of who we are in Christ.
Thank you Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my review.