More a philosophical narrative for a way of life than a practical what-to-throw-away guide, this is interesting reading even if you aren't looking to change your lifestyle entirely.

It's been five years since I first encountered Joshua Becker and the concept of minimalism. It has been a slow process and a life changing experience for me. What I love about this book is that is answers so many of the questions I too have answered over the years in a methodical and practical way. The difficult thing to convey about minismalism is that it looks entirely different for each family and for each person in a family. But Joshua Becker does a great job explaining the philosophy without trying to dictate how specifically a person (or family) will determine what to keep and what to let go.
Room by room, the reader is asked leading questions about what they want for their lives and how the style of their home reflects their personal values. Minimalism is more a journey of knowing ourselves and expressing that knowledge than it is about whittling down to a certain number of possessions and Mr. Becker does a wonderful job capturing that vision in this book. It is definitely one I will recommend to people who are seeking a different way of living than the 'American Dream' the advertisers want us to accept.

One of today's most influential minimalist advocates takes us on a decluttering tour of our own houses and apartments, showing us how to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. He both offers practical guidelines for simplifying our lifestyle at home and addresses underlying issues that contribute to over-accumulation in the first place.

Becker is on the forefront of the minimalism movement. I've read his writing over the years, and been astonished by how easy and fulfilling the "less-is-more" ideas are. What is the emphasis of our life - to live, or to acquire things that make us seem like we are alive?

With this book, he charts a course for creating a fulfilling and pleasing home. I enjoyed the charts and research put into this book (for example, the needs of various ages of children). Also, I felt that the practical tips could be personalized for each reader.

I recommend this and will be putting some of his ideas into action in my own place. Thanks, Joshua.

Having read a few books on minimalism by this point, and having a favourite that I actually reread regularly for inspiration, a lot of this book felt a little re-hashed to me - stuff I've read before and know about fairly intimately.
However, it was clear how much research had gone into the writing of this book, and the testimonies sprinkled throughout, and at the very end of the book, were absolutely wonderful.

A definite winner for those new to minimalism who want a guide to clearing and decluttering the family home, room by room. The testimonies are great for those already familiar to minimalism.

This is a practical book with some good tips for creating a more minimalist home. I appreciate how the author was careful to draw a line between currently popular minimalist decorating/design styles and actual minimalist lifestyle/philosophy. Joshua Becker’s advice about involving the whole family and working room by room was helpful too. There are some aspects that reminded me of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up but overall this is a welcome entry to the minimalist homemaking cannon.

I want a minimalist home! I have de-cluttered time and again, only to find my home cluttered a year or two later! I haven't given up hope yet though. I liked this book, step by step, room by room instructions for reducing the clutter. I really need to do this as I am planning on retiring next year and want more space! Good book!

Thank you for granting me access to this book.

I have read many books on declutting and was pleasantly surprised to find this book offered new insights to both decluttering and the possible benefits of having a meaningful life.

I will leave 5 star review on Amazon under name Connie

I've been slowly trying to organize our home, and when I say slowly I mean sloooooooowly! We've lived in our current home for over three years and still had unopened boxes in basement storage from our move. I requested this book from NetGalley in the hopes that it would motivate me to finally do something about all this stuff. While some of the book and the minimalist movement is not for me (I need to live with more than two towels and one plate and fork per person), some of it was incredibly helpful and motivating. I asked my in-laws to watch my children for one day and was able to tackle that basement storage room and open every box and the majority of the contents immediately went into the garage sale pile. I've managed to make it through the children's toys and bedrooms and have removed so much stuff! I still need to tackle the kitchen, and master bedroom and closet this week but I know I will be as ruthless as I was with the rest of the house. I'm planning an epic garage sale for this summer!

"A home that is filled with only the things you use and love will be a home that you love to use"

(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)

I am a fan of Joshua Becker. One of my favorite books of his, that I re-read often, is Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life. I've also read The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own & Inside-Out Simplicity- both great books.
This book focused specifically on decluttering and minimizing in each individual room of one's home. I can see how this could be a fabulous reference guide for someone new to the minimalist lifestyle or someone who is overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start. I appreciated how he went from room to room with step-by-step instructions/suggestions on where to start in each room. At the end of each room chapter he gave a "Minimizing Checklist"- much like a summary checklist of what he had gone through in the chapter. I thought that was helpful.
Overall the book was exactly what the title says - A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life. Having read several of his other books, this book seemed to repeat a lot of what I've already read and have put into play in my own life, but that is understandable when it comes to teaching about minimalism. He had a lot of quotes that I highlighted because they spoke to me. If you are thinking of minimizing or need help decluttering your home, this book can help. He has it set up in a easy method to follow and he doesn't force anything. A person can minimize as much or as little as they feel comfortable with during that specific season in their life.
A few quotes I liked:

"Ask yourself what is really important and then have the courage to build your home and life around that answer."

"Just because you have the space doesn't mean you have to fill it with stuff."

"Never organize what you can discard."

"A home that is filled with only the things you use and love will be a home that you love to use."

Source: Netgalley

A good practical book that will definitely inspire you to tackle all that clutter and add a new sense of meaning to your life. I preferred the first part of the book more, as some parts were quite specific to the US market. I liked all the case studies and enjoyed the way the book was written. The process offered is similar to many other books on the subject but the authors enthusiasm adds a new dimension.

I like how the book goes through the different areas of a house. A helpful book on an important subject.

Joshua Becker has written the newest book that will encourage Americans to have less stuff.  Joshua encourages us to realize that having less stuff will allow us more time to pursue other interests, as we won't spend the time cleaning and organizing the things AND we will easily be able to find those items we really need.  What I liked most about this book was that he encourages you to get the whole family involved and talk about what to get rid of and why it's important.  His advice on talking about it as a family was very helpful and his method of looking at stuff as Benefit or Burden was insightful.  

The Minimalist Home sets up a plan to tackle your home room by room or space by space.  There are checklists and action plans for each room that I found really helpful. 

After having done the 40 Bags in 40 Days and reading about the Kon Marie method, I thought I had decluttered, but this book actually made me take a closer look, which I greatly appreciate and I feel much lighter as I scheduled a pickup of goods I will donate.