This book is SO good! With short, easy to read chapters, plenty of real life experiences, and plenty of Scripture woven throughout, Christine has written an excellent resource for all Christian women of all ages and stages of life!
It was a great reminder that friendship is a beautiful gift from God that He desires for us to enjoy. Sometimes when things get difficult or ugly, the temptation is to give up in that friendship and move on, but Christine points out that it is almost always worth it to "push through the awkward" and work through those issues in order to fully enjoy the blessing that God has given us in that friendship.
It was also convicting for me that sometimes we need to step out and make the first move toward initiating a friendship, instead of waiting around for someone to reach out to us. I was also challenged to think outside the box with regard to my "ideal" friendship, realizing that sometimes God has given us a wonderful friend right in front of us, but we haven't even given that person a chance because they are "different" from us.
This book challenged me to really step up my game in my friendships, and really opened my eyes to what a wonderful treasure friendship can be when we really work at it...and most of all, opened my eyes to how I can bring glory to God through my friendships.

I agreed with much of what the author said in the book, and I think that for women who have never seriously contemplated the importance, purpose, and challenges of friendship, this will be a very helpful read. Even for those who have considered it before, this will likely serve as a good reminder. 
 
Hoover addresses some issues that are difficult to swallow, such as: friends don't always come "packaged" the way we want them to; one friend cannot be our everything; our friends will hurt us and we will hurt them and we need to address these conflicts rather than ignore them; as Christians, we need to call out sin in the lives of close friends and be willing to hear constructive criticism from others. 
 
Having said that, I had a hard time connecting with Hoover's writing style. She writes with a vague, intuitive quality; often, her "examples" are not very specific and detailed, which is something my brain needs in order to make connections. I don't just want to hear that her friend was hurt and that they made up... I want to know what happened, why the friend was hurt, which words were spoken to wound and to heal... I want the whole story! 
 
I found the book lacking on the topic of making friends. Hoover believes that if a person initiates enough and does "all the right things," they will naturally attract friends. She doesn't really address the fact that others may never respond or reciprocate. Even God, the perfect friend, is rejected all of the time, so how much more true will it be for us, who are imperfect despite our best efforts to improve? 
 
I do think many women will learn from and be encouraged by this book, but it wasn't my personal favorite.

This was so helpful in looking at how you relate to others. There's such a wealth of ideas & helpful hints on communication

Messy Beautiful Friendship

Finding and Nurturing Deep and Lasting Relationships



by Christine Hoover

Baker Books

Christian

Pub Date 18 Apr 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing Messy Beautiful Friendship through Baker Books and Netgalley:

This book reminds us that many women have trouble grasping the complexities of adult friendships: This book reminds us that even in its messiness Friendship is beautiful.

The author points out that friendship often comes easier for children than adults. She points out too that though only the good Lord is our perfect friend, he wants to bless us with friendship with others. She encourages us to embrace the friendships God brings our way. We are encouraged too, to accept friendships with Grace.

The author goes on to remind us that though hurt is inevitable, fear is not. We are reminded too that though we have our differences, that they are inevitable, insecurities do not have to be inevitable.

We are encouraged to use our words wisely as well.

We are reminded too of the importance of praying for our friends, we may not be able to "fix" what they are going through, but we can pray for them.

I give Messy Beautiful Friendship, five out of five stars,

Happy Reading.

Gospel-saturated, transparent, and relevant read for women who want to navigate friendships in a God honoring way. Christine's book is fun, engaging, wise, and humble. The perfect mix.