This book is filled to the brim with hope and practical optimism for believers. Our lives are short, and Ms. Clarkson wants us to believe that finding joy and happiness is perhaps nowhere near as complicated as we make it out to be. I thought the chapter on being like Mr. Collins was an unexpected delight! But "Believe in God" and "Accept love" were my absolute favorites, I think in part because those chapters reflected on God's character the most, and what that means for believers as they navigate this complicated, broken world. This book is filled with well-written anecdotes and beautifully crafted sentences about the truth of the Gospel, and I am grateful that I got a chance to read Joy's words before the books drops mid-February!

This book was absolutely delightful. I love Joy's writing, which I'm familiar with from both her Twitter (which is the best, just saying) and a book which she wrote with her mother and sister, "Girls' Club", which I adored. So, I was very excited for this book, and it did not disappoint. The writing felt like chatting with a friend.

Pretty much all of her advice is incredibly sound, and I love the way she puts things. The analogies and anecdotes she uses are always very much on point for the point she is trying to make (pun not intended) and I found her insights into human nature very fresh.

The relevant art listed after each chapter was such a wonderful and unique idea, and I was very proud that I'd already seen/read/heard some of them! XD She has good taste, that is what that means.

I loved all of the chapters, but some of my favorites were "Flounder Well", "Tell yourself a good story" (I still am thinking about this one, and it's been about a week since I finished the book), "Accept love", and "Expect the end of the world". The one about Mr. Collins was also really insightful!

I'll be coming back and referring to this book! Joy Clarkson is the best!

I truly enjoyed this book and am now a huge Joy Clarkson fan. Highly educated and trained in the theological world, she was able to create a book that read like memoir but offered Christian advice, wise counsel and the story-telling and warmth of a long trusted friend. Aggressively Happy is one of those books that will draw you in and make you feel better equipped to handle the days ahead, both the good days and the bad. Thank you NetGalley for this beautiful reminder of just how beautiful life is.

I loved Joy’s book so much! Reading the description, I wrongly assumed that the inside content would be filled with tired cliches on living a better, more fulfilled life. However, her thoughts on happiness are fresh and interesting. I enjoyed her writing style, laid back but informed and inspired. I liked how she ended each chapter with suggestions of art to feast on in order to gain a fuller appreciation of the topic. Reading this reminded me of a quote I once heard: What if our act of enjoying life is one way to worship the Lord? I will highly recommend this to anyone!