Such an encouraging read, especially in a society that feels like I have to do everything and when I can not there is something wrong with me. A great reminder that we can bring those unmet expectations to God.

In When Doing It All Is Undoing You, Alyssa Joy Bethke explains how she came undone and how God put her back together. She was able to obtain her peace back. She begins by sharing how women tend to neglect their hearts, they try and earn our hearts, and we lost our hearts. She breaks each down into different sections and ending with how we need to have a full heart. God wants us to live with our whole selves: mind, heart, and body. She touched on discussing on what things she has control over. She can captive her thoughts, set boundaries, control her words, her behavior, choices, expressing her feelings, and setting her goals. Things she can’t control is the future, other people’s, past, and the weather. She encouraged readers to pray about one thing that we have been trying to control without God assistance and ask three of our friends to pray with us about this issue for 30 days. Another powerful section was the one that discussed what if and how we need to grab a piece of paper and write down all of our doubts. We can use this method to work through our fears. These can include what if I never marry, if I’m never close again to my parents, if my autoimmunity disease never changes, and much more. These are just some of her what ifs.


I would recommend this book to women and they feel like they are always busy doing for others and in the process neglecting their own hearts. She walks readers on how to rediscover the fullness of your heart and to allow God to put you back together again. This book is an excellent read about surrendering and to keep coming back again and again with all of our concerns and this will teach us to trust Him more.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was such a vulnerable and practical book that showed how to lean on Jesus throughout the every day big and small struggles we face.

In When Doing It All Is Undoing You, Alyssa Joy Bethke offers a refreshing and much-needed perspective for women overwhelmed by the pressure to “do it all.” Aimed at those struggling with unmet expectations and the exhaustion of striving for perfection, Bethke’s book is a gentle yet empowering invitation to release control and embrace a life of authenticity, rooted in faith and acceptance.

Bethke draws from her own experiences and wisdom to unpack how the modern drive to juggle multiple roles and achieve success often leads to burnout, fear, and frustration. Through candid reflections, she helps readers identify the difference between what is in their control and what isn’t, encouraging them to let go of striving for external approval and focus instead on embracing their God-given identity.

The book offers not just practical insights but also spiritual guidance, reminding readers that true fulfillment comes not from meeting societal expectations or striving for perfection, but by drawing near to God. Bethke highlights the power of surrender, allowing God to guide us toward joy and contentment, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

When Doing It All Is Undoing You resonates deeply with women who are weary of the constant balancing act and offers hope for those ready to break free from the cycle of perfectionism. Alyssa Bethke’s compassionate voice and thoughtful reflections encourage readers to trust that embracing their authentic selves and leaning on God is the key to a life full of peace, purpose, and hope.

When Doing It All Is Undoing You: Meeting God in Your Unmet Expectations by Alyssa Joy Bethke is a book about what to do when you feel overwhelmed. The author points to Jesus, our source of life and peace. This book serves as a great reminder of how we need to live in life’s busyness. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I was excited to read this book, I did not know much about Alyssa but had recently found some podcasts and books by her husband and enjoyed his work in the men+faith area.
I appreciated the honesty and vulnerability of this book. She describes well-known feelings of exhaustion and inadequacy and each chapter goes into detail about things like why rest matters, the affects of social media and our online life, comparison, and the mental and emotional (and physical!) load many women carry in their lives and families.
I loved the parts where Alyssa writes about Jesus, her relationship with him, how he’s helped her, and how we can turn towards his love and grace.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book.

Alyssa has a way of writitng that makes me feel like we are friends. I love the honesty and vulernability she shares in this book. She encourages us through God's word. What a timely book!

This is a book that mirrors my feelings in almost any way. If you're feeling exhausted this might help you identify why and give some good ideas on how to fix it.

Love love love. This book was so helpful and encouraging. It was insightful and based on Biblical truths. I also found it so relatable. 10/10 recommend.

Didnt realize it was a book for women when i requested it. went ahead and read it anyways. good book with great news for everyone, woman or not. developed the idea of jesus as having n easy yoke and being gentle in spirit! i was encouraged and will recommend to the ladies in my life

This book was a really beautiful reminder of how to quiet the internal chatter and the incessant need to be everything to everybody and rather get quiet with God and remind yourself of His promises and His goodness. I really loved “To Hell With The Hustle”, written by Alyssa’s husband. This book was not a sequel or a complement to that, but I could tell that their ideals are rock solid in their home! I loved Alyssa’s spiritual discipline practices at the end of each chapter. They were easy ideals to incorporate!

This is a great new devotional from Alyssa Bethke, whom I’ve followed for years. There are so many great reminders of how to keep going when the going gets tough (I think I highlighted at least a third of the book lol). I also really liked the “spiritual practices” listed at the end of each chapter for practical steps to take for deeper fellowship with God.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Worthy Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. WHEN DOING IT ALL IS UNDOING YOU is out now!

I really, really, really tried -- but I couldn't get past 35% on this. (I've started and finished 125 books so far this year, dozens of them 5-stars, so it's not for lack of reading.) The writing is painful to wade through... I found more than 50 (!!!) typos, misspellings, and missing words just within the 35%. It's super distracting as a reader, pulls you out of the story, and the writing itself lacks focus and clarity. I just kept thinking, "From the description, this book was right up my alley. But what in the world am I reading? Where was the editing?" As other reviewers have said, it is jumbled, a let down, not engaging, etc. I wanted to love it, but with so many great books out there, I'm not going to spend more time on this.

I wanted to love this. It just felt like the chapters were jumbled and covering multiple topics. The amounts of quotes and citations made it really hard to cohesively read. It also felt very surface level for new Christian’s - especially with the use of the message translation.

I am still in search of an explanation of why we should keep turning to a god when this god doesn't actually appear to do anything or have any power. When the problem is society's overbearing demands and lack of support, the solution can never be a make-believe sky fairy.

While nothing in this book was particularly "mind-blowing" for me, I feel it's a good reminder for those who are going through hard times and are looking for spiritual guidance. Examples used in this book weren't super relevant to the majority of people who could benefit from a spiritual self-help book.

Overall, it was a great concept but just not that engaging for those who are seeking true guidance in this topic.

Unfortunately When Doing It All Is Undoing You was a let down for me. I could see this book being good for a new believer but it was all pretty obvious advice for me. Plus she has references to a lot of what I am assuming is pop culture type things throughout the book that aren't given any explanation and if I didn't get the reference (which was often) I didn't understand what she was talking about.

I enjoyed her other book, Satisfied, but unfortunately this one was just meh.

Relatable and empowering!

As moms it is so easy to get sweeped up in keeping up with the Joneses. Alyssa brings us back to God and reminds us to breathe.

Sometimes Christian authors miss the mark on relatability making their books share it read. This is NOT that and I love it! Well done!

As much as the title says otherwise, I don’t think I’m the target market for Bethke’s books. I do appreciate her honesty and vulnerability. She writes in a candid, conversational way. And the book provides encouragement for her readers.

I give it a 3.5.
If you are newer to the faith and just voyaging into Christian non-fiction this is going to be an excellent read for you. If you are well read in inspirational non-fiction then this book will have many things you’ve read before that might not be life altering, but a good reminder on the hard days.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest opinion.