"Not What I Signed Up For" is the book I didn't know I needed. Gosh, this hit me right in the heart. All the feels! A little backstory: my daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia in 2021. She was 9 years old at the time and is the 4th child out of eight. We were in the height of covid, so my other children were not allowed to visit her at the hospital. She was there for so long and so much was unknown. By the grace of God, she has finished 2.5 years of treatment and is now in remission. However, my youngest child has been diagnosed with a very rare and severe form of epilepsy. So, we now have 2 children who are facing life threatening diseases. To say I needed this book is an understatement. This is NOT what I signed up for.

Through the story of Joseph, counselor and author Nicole Unice helps us lean forward when every choice feel impossible. We learn to recognize signposts of hope during our darkest times, and a sense of resilient faith that often feels blurry when you are in the thick of it.

"Persevere when you have no idea how your story will end." This is the premise of this book and the premise of my life.

I was so excited to receive access to this book. It is helping me get through a painful time, and I want to buy it for all of my friends and family who are going through a hard time too. It gives good insights on the life of Joseph as written in Genesis, and how we can apply what we learn from him. While it doesn't say anything brand-new, this book has a lot of good reminders - even the hard truths that I might not have wanted (yet needed) to hear. This is a thoughtful and sensitive engagement with suffering. It acknowledges that people might wonder how God can be good while so many people are suffering - but it doesn't say anything heretical. I'm so thankful to find a resource that acknowledges that sometimes life is difficult, but that doesn't mean everything in the Bible is wrong... because honestly, it's hard to find a book that does is sensitive to sufferers without being heretical. Thank you, Nicole Unice, for the practical tips and timely reminders and prayers, but mostly just for making me feel seen.

I received free access to an eARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions and is posted voluntarily.