For anyone walking through a stuck place or feeling lonely or hopeless--this book is a good step forward. It was encouraging and relatable without being lofty or dramatic.

I really enjoyed that each chapter closes with a prayer the author wrote specifically for the issue discussed. And there is no preachiness to it at all, just welcoming words of solidarity.

Come Matter Here brings us an important message: Stay and matter where you are. Throughout the book we are inspired to stop running after the next big thing, to stop letting fear or pursuit of success in worldly terms run our lives. Instead, come, stay and plant your roots deep. Meaning and making a difference is right before us in the small and simple, not just in the next big happening.

Reading this book is akin to meeting a friend for coffee and sharing deep conversation about real life stuff. It is sharing both the good and the difficult things from every season of life, then sharing the wisdom we’ve gained with others and staying with them as they walk it out.

It’s about not waiting for the next best thing before you invest yourself, but investing yourself full throttle into those around you right now. The writings in this book will open your eyes to every need to open your heart and stop the running. It will provoke you to refuse the lies, set aside fear, and go deep with the community around you.

Hannah’s honest presentation of her struggles paints a vital backdrop for sharing real wisdom with the generations of today.

This book provoked me to go deeper with my own spiritual family and has grown my passion for seeing the Body of Christ get real with one another with honesty and authenticity. As a result, I experienced freedom from lies I believed that had affected me for most of my life. This is similar to what Hannah experienced as she refused to be fearful or to run, and planted herself in community with those around her.

Do not only read this book, let the experiences and wisdom within read you. Glean all the wisdom you can and set your heart to walk out living a deeper, authentic life with those around you.

Choose to go deep beyond surface living. Live and share in honesty—even at the risk of rejection—letting God love you through those around you. Trust God to protect your heart and come matter right where you are. A deeper, beautiful life is waiting!

* I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *

In Hannah Brencher's second book, she goes deeper into her faith journey as she explains her walk through life with depression. She expresses always wanting to run away from her problems, but in the end she chooses to stay. She explains how her community and her faith uplift her and encourage her to stay even when she wants to run. Brencher's book is very relatable to women in any aspect of life, and readers will feel like Brencher is talking directly to them.

I was drawn to Hannah Brencher's work after watching her viral TED talk about sending strangers love letters. But what keeps me reading her blog posts as soon as they appear on my feed is her obvious heart for people as well as the grace and candid way that she answers reader questions. Therefore, it was a no-brainer that I would be excited about her latest book.

At the core, Come Matter Here is about investing in relationships and building community in an age that encourages putting your head down and working incessantly to get to the next level of success, so that we can be regarded as "important". Drawing from her experiences, Hannah shares with her readers how she was able to build roots in Atlanta, GA despite her struggles with depression and anxiety.

Like Hannah, I have been consumed by the meaning of "matter". She says:

For years, I was consumed by what it would mean to "matter" in this world. to people. To people. To someone special. To God. I used to think you needed to leave if you wanted to change your life or something different. I thought geography could heal the mess that comes from comes from being human- like a clean slate. We all want different things that keep us coming and going and staying and living...Be where your feet are.

Reflecting on these lines, I thought that maybe millennials have drunk too much of the "eat-pray-love" elixir and opt to find quick fixes through escapism. In most cases, they are fuelled by fear. Hence, they do not take time to process life's issues while seeking help from the positive people in their lives. Hannah digs deep into what aided her anxiety while still trying to be a normal twenty-something.

She gives readers glimpses into her life through excerpts from personal notes and quips her profound friends with the hope that they will be able to plug into the church community. (She definitely gave me #squadgoals.) The church does get a negative wrap for not being the most positive place in the world 24/7 365 times in a year. However, we gloss over the fact that the church is a community of flawed human beings who are seeking a relationship with a perfect Being. So there definitely will be bumps in the road while creating communal bonds while on earth.

Hannah encourages readers to ask themselves the following questions when trying to figure out who are you're supposed to hang around with:

>Who do I want to be a year from now?
>What hurdles do I want to overcome?
>What am I good at and how do I bring that into a relationship?
>How do I take care of people?
>What do I value in myself and other people?

Come Matter Here is a book that will leave you feeling like you had a long enriching conversation with your best friend. A deep conversation that reflects on faith, friendship, mental health and life's pressures. As Jess Connelly advises in the foreword, "I'd make sure you have three pens at least lined up to read this book. There's nothing worse than starting with one pen to make notes or doodle in exclamation marks and have to switch to another halfway through."

This is one of those books that you would purchase multiple copies to hand out to friends.

The book is filled with the positivity and warmth that you’d expect from a good friend, the perfect book to give to somebody who is struggling with their faith or life in general. The title is perfect, it really does invite you to “come matter here” with God.