This Was An Interesting Book For Me…



I am a huge reader and read to my kids all the time. This book caught my eye even though I don’t have young children.



Jennifer makes many good points and shows how classic stories can help shape us and our children. She brings us on a journey where we learn about things she faced and look at ourselves… asking many questions and answering them honestly to ourselves. 



Many books she has mentioned and she has you read aloud or read yourself have been books I’ve read through the years and already made a an impact on me.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Thank you for the ARC! This was a different type of parenting book with many great insights. The author clearly relies on her faith quite heavily so for those who may feel differently this wouldn’t be the best read but there are many insights worth pulling.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

This book is packed full of great book recommendations and stories of how each of the books listed impacted the author and her family. I thought this book would be more about reading aloud in general, but it was more about overcoming fear in motherhood, and how the author learned to do so through the examples and lessons she learned while reading aloud to her children. This book was clever, informative, and since finishing it I have collected a few of the titles listed. I am excited to pick up this author's other works!

Ahhh, I didn't realise this book would be so godly when I started reading it, but maaaaan it's a lot about faith ect. Not my vibe, sorry

Couldn't even finish this book because it felt completely self centered. This was entirely different than what I expected and was not the book for me.

“But I am calling on us as mothers to create joy even when we are afraid.”

This book came at the perfect time. I found so much joy and freedom and peace reading through the author’s love for literature and the way the Lord spoke to her through it. I went into this book expecting it to be more practical and about reading to your kids, but instead found a beautiful memoir about the impact of literature and the beauty of God’s love through it. I enjoyed the writing style, reading recommendations, and study guide. This book is full of encouragement for mommas. It made me want to soak up the season I am in and not wish it away. I was reminded that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s green here and now. This book helped me recognize some of the fears I have in motherhood and how to let go of them. Will definitely be purchasing a copy of this for my shelf.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

*I was given a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Jennifer's book, Mothering by the Book, introduces moms to different facets of our mothering that can be nurtured and grown through diligent abiding in Christ and by observing great role models found in literature. She shows through many examples no one mothers perfectly, and that the best moms are those that press forward even when inevitable trials occur.

I appreciated the book suggestions that Jennifer wrote at the end of each chapter. I even ordered a few of the titles for my home library. I had the Kindle version of the book, but I would recommend this book be purchased in print to utilize the reflection questions and answer space at the end of each chapter.

What I liked:
I was wary that the book might push reliance on self or on fictional characters in a book for mothering guidance, but those role models served as inspiration only and the book held a firm foundation of reliance on Christ. The role models mentioned were also not selfish and the book suggestions at the end of each chapter were great.

What I didn't like:
The author wrote from a perspective that most mothering issues stemmed from fear. I agree to some of her points about fear, but I think selfishness and pride are also pitfalls of mothering that can't be re-labed as fear and should be addressed too.

I'm not a mom to little kids anymore, so I think I would have gotten more out of this book in my early mothering years. I can think of some of my friends who have little kids that I would recommend this book to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House for this complementary book in exchange for my honest review. My review is in no way influenced by the publisher.

I have received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This author lost credibility for me in the initial chapter, when she repeatedly referred to Pride and Prejudice as "Edwardian", and made a rather sloppy character analysis of Mrs. Bennet to illustrate the point she was trying to make. A survey of the "about the author" did not reassure me. Rather than mentioning her (probably at least twenty years worth) of experience in homeschooling her seven children, Mrs. Pepito chose to highlight the publications that had featured her writing and her status as a podcast host and "certified life coach". The first credential impresses me, the latter do not.

While "Mothering by the Book" did contain some points of wisdom, it kept getting upset by dynamic changes in tone. I had no qualms about the tales of household woes or the use of abolitionist or WWII literature in the illustrations. The problem for me was the uplifting advice interspersed with descriptions of the author's perineal massage, her traumatic youth, and the grisly suicide of one her children's peers. I also took issue with her describing her daughter's (whom she names!) struggle with an eating disorder. There surely must have been a way to get her point across without such details.

In conclusion, I think this book needs more editing. There is good material, but it is distracted from by the concerns listed above. If the mentions of sexual assault, suicide and eating disorders remain, there ought to be a warning so mothers reading this can decide for themselves if they want to continue.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jennifer Pepito walks through multiple struggles we may/will face as mothers and shares how reading aloud to her children helped her through some of her toughest times. Aside from the wonderful advice and encouragement, I also added many books to our read aloud list!

Stories are powerful. And their power reaches us in unexpected and delightful ways. They especially did for Jennifer Pepito. I connected with so much of Jennifer's story - a propensity toward fear, a bookworm wanting to raise readers, struggles in motherhood... Jennifer tells her own story with whimsy and heart. I loved hearing how familiar stories were a balm in someone else's life. I also got lots of ideas for incorporating books into my own family's rhythms. An excellent read.

As a homeschool mama who practices some of the Charlotte Mason lifestyle, I appreciate a book devoted to this topic. The author did a wonderful job putting these thoughts into encouraging, motivating words.

This book contains a great deal of encouragement for mothers who want to raise children in joy and courage, rather than fear. The author draws lessons from various books that she read during her homeschooling years, that impacted her life. She has several good reading lists sprinkled throughout the book, some of which I have previously read and enjoyed. She has many helpful quotes pulled from other great authors, such a Sally Clarkson and N.D. Wilson. There were some theological points that I don’t quite agree with. But, on the whole, it was a good book and I found it to be an enjoyable and uplifting read. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, but all the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’d heard of Mothering by the Book from a homeschool moms’ group that used it for their book club. I hadn’t participated in the club, but when a few months later I saw the book was available on NetGalley as one of their “Read Now” books, I decided to give it a try.

I tend to be a pretty slow reader when it comes to non-fiction. And I often find myself stopping mid-book, losing interest or just finding something else that interests me more. Although this was a really slow read for me, I persisted and finished!

Some of the chapters were interesting and I felt like I was getting some value out of my reading time. A few chapters felt like I could just about have written them myself! But several of the other chapters either didn’t pertain to me in my life-season or felt like the author was just sharing a lot about her own life experiences, many of which I just didn’t relate to.

For a Christian nonfiction book on how to fight fear, I would have liked to see more Biblical examples alongside the author telling us about her life experiences and how reading books helped her fight fear. Although some of the example books were quite familiar to me, several others were not and those chapters were much more difficult to connect with because I didn’t have any real understanding of the story as a reference.

Overall, for me, this was a just-okay read. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t feel like I came away from it with much of value either. I’m sure I’ve probably gleaned a few useful things. I know I was reminded of some of my own life-lessons and experiences that have helped me fight fear in similar ways, but I guess I was hoping for more.

I was able to read Mothering by the Book free via NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher for making it available. All opinions expressed in this review are my honest thoughts about this book.

I loved this book! A book about books and the treasure they are…what’s not to love?!

I thoroughly enjoyed how Jennifer used her personal stories of how the books she was reading brought here through life’s ups and downs and taught her many lessons. Now I’ve got a longer “to-read list” but I’m not complaining!

I appreciated how although many of the books mentioned are not Christian books, there are plenty of Biblical concepts to draw from them. I also appreciate how Jennifer sprinkles Scriptures throughout the book and gives a specific verse to focus on relating to each chapter’s theme.

*I received a free digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I really enjoyed this read. As a mother and a bookworm this was right up my alley. It’s easy to read and full of wisdom. I will definitely be looking to add this to my keeper shelf and revisit.

For the mamas who are, or desire to, home educate their children with life giving books...here is another book to add to your growing bookshelf. Author Jennifer Pepito provides the encouragement you need to read classic literature to your children without fears or worries that you are doing a bad job.

But here's the thing - this is not a step-by-step guide on how to read aloud to your children, this is a slow and steady inward-journey where we tackle the fear of educating our children. For the mothers that sit with their children, reading stories with noble characters and lovely settings, we hope that by reading these books, we can help shape our children to crave what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. What if we opened our hearts to be shaped as well? How can we use these classic books we are reading to our children to change how we mother?

Jennifer says early in the book that "Fear looms large in our mothering journey. It comes in so many different packages, but when we fixate on fear, we become blind to the beauty around us." and ironically enough, that is a fear of mine. That my own fears will blind me to the beauty, goodness, and blessings that I have right now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwBX5U6Of8W/

Mothering by the Book by Jennifer Pepito was a memoir about her life as a homeschool mom and her fears as she’s raising her children and the books she used to help with those fears. This wasn’t what I was expecting when I picked up the book and kept finding myself skimming it as it’s fairly depressing and repetitive in places.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

The information provided for mamas who are feeling alone or stuck is amazing! Highly recommended! Will be sharing with my other mama friends and recommending to new mamas who are looking for a relatable read!

I just finished Jennifer Pepito's Mothering by the Book. I thought from the subtitle the book would be focused on literature and incorporating it into your homeschool life. It was more a memoir with stories of her marriage, and life struggles. Some of the theology felt flawed to me and it was more focused on self than I think is biblical.. For example, suggesting you write a letter to yourself from god and the ideas of finding your "true selves". The part I was most interested in were the short lists of book recommendations at the ends of the chapters. She provides lists that are good for read alouds and books that are just for mom.

I personally wouldn't recommended this book. 


Thanks Netgalley for a copy of the ebook.