Baker's writing style is open, honest, and conversational, similar to online blogs. It is easy to read, not preachy, and you can immediately sense the love she has for her family, friends, and God. However, the book is not what I expected. The subtitle of this book is somewhat misleading. It should say "Why that (extra)ordinary life looks really good on me." (Not you.) It is a collection of essays and vignettes about the author's life as a 40ish middle-class wife, mom, and Christian woman. Extremely personal and specific, the stories do not cross boundaries into the varied and differing lives of other middle-aged women. I am middle-aged, a woman, and a Christian, and while a few of the stories resonate with me, most of them do not. I am not married to the same kind of man and my children are unlike hers in every imaginable way. I was disappointed and skimmed many of the sections. If you are aware of this, however, and are interested in an up-close view of the author's life, then this book is for you and you will absolutely love it.
I received an e-version of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a lovely read, which felt like talking to a friend about all the ways life changes in this middle stage. Baker’s writing is warm and deeply personal so this is part memoir part exhortation. I read it quite slowly, a few chapters at a time and think I’ll dip in and out of it again.

Title: The Middle Matters
Author: Lisa-Jo Baker
Genre: Christian, Self-Help
Rating: 4 out of 5

The best-selling author of Never Unfriended opens up about midlife and what it feels like to have outgrown those teenage jeans, but finally grown into the shape of our souls.

For everyone who is still caught off-guard when someone calls you ma’am—even though you don’t recognize the newest tween celebrities or have a prayer of fitting into those old jeans. You’re an adult now. You’d think you’d be used to that…

The Middle Matters is a look at an “ordinary” life—from the inside—and just how extraordinary it can be. Because a life well-lived is where the beauty is. No matter how ordinary you think your life is.

The stories and anecdotes made this book so relatable! I enjoyed every single page, even the ones I truly couldn’t relate to (not having kids will do that to you sometimes). This book is like your best friend or your older sister giving you solid advice as she talks about the realities of life.

Lisa-Jo Baker is a former attorney and an author. The Middle Matters is her newest book.

(Galley courtesy of WaterBrook & Multnomah via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Lisa-Jo Baker is a gifted writer, there is no doubt. Her words flow in all of her writing as if her heart is guiding every word, and it shows.

This book is a welcome addition to her other already-adored works, with a focus on life in the 40s. It’s a reflection on personal anecdotes, relatable concepts, and universal truths.

It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly it is that’s so magnetic about Baker’s writing - the best way I can describe it is it seems like she’s speaking from deep in her soul. Her words are like poetry, God-driven and -given, and a pleasure to read. She is courageous, and funny, and real. You feel like you're hanging out with a dear friend when you read this.

Throughout, she touches on some tricky and challenging concepts, like what happens when Mom is the one that messes up; how to handle the devastation your child can and will likely face; happy moments, trying moments, and sorrowful moments.

I get the strong feeling that this will be a book I pick up repeatedly over time. She is gifted as a writer, and her words are a refreshing take on motherhood in a world where it's easy to get immersed in hot-mess mommy culture.

I was so excited to hear about this book. I had quite a few laughs and thank the author for her honesty. As I read I could relate as now in experiencing those middle years also. I would definitely recommend this to anyone going through those middle years.

Before requesting this book, I hadn’t heard of Lisa Jo Baker. Since I also blog about my journey through midlife, I’m always on the lookout for books that relate to the subject. This book isn’t a self-help manual as I thought it would be. The Middle Matters mainly shares stories of Lisa’s plight with her marriage, parenting, and relationships. I am glad to know that I have been through similar situations (so have my friends). We are learning there is a light at the end of this middle-aged tunnel. You will find all of the chapters refreshingly honest accounts of her life. There are religious references and talks of her faith. If these are an issue, this book may not be the best for you.

Love the humor, love and honesty if this author! Well written manifesto of her love of God, her family and life. She’s honest about her struggles and makes you laugh and think.

This is the first book I've read by Lisa-Jo Baker. I was hoping I'd like it more than I did because I am "in the middle". I was hoping for more helpful info on this season of life...not just stories about her kids. There were some good parts but it's not my favorite for this type of book.

To be quite honest, I wasn't sure where Lisa-Jo Baker was going in the first few paragraphs of her book. But I kept reading (I have enjoyed hearing her on podcasts and dabbling in her books in the past), and I'm SO glad I did. She named Truths that we women need to hear. She was concise and direct, but also full of grace. This book is definitely geared towards moms, but I think any and all could benefit from the beautiful words captured in these pages.

Sadly I had difficulty getting through this title as I do not think and feel as if I was the target demographic.

I love this authors’ writing style. She writes as if you are sitting with her side by side, chatting as close friends would pouring hearts out to each other, discussing things like being middle-aged, changing bodies, marriage, parenting, friendships, life, failures, faith etc.

What is the middle and why does it matter? The middle is that place you find yourself wanting to be on autopilot. Living “life” in the mundane, and in the middle of unexpected messes does matter. It’s hard, we struggle with our physical body and spiritual matter of things as we are working, raising a family and finding time for yourself, your spouse and God. None of us get it perfect in this life’s journey. She’s vulnerable, real, makes you laugh and think!

This author had me look at life a little differently. I was glad to know I wasn’t alone in life’s challenges. I highly recommend this book. It’s an encouraging, hopeful, inspiring read you don’t want to miss.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Catalogue front page www.bookfun.org

n her newest book, The Middle Matters, author Lisa-Jo Baker shares some of her insights and wisdom about middle age. Through personal stories and reflections, she shares how middle age sometimes gets a bad rap. With our bodies showing the passage of time, but our minds still feeling 20 years old, middle age can be rough. But it can also be the sweet spot where we finally embrace who we are: wrinkle, gray hair, strong opinions, and all.

This was my first exposure of this author. And she is a wonderful story teller. Baker writes with humorous insight into marriage, parenthood, and love handles. However, what I didn't realize is this: The Middle Matters is a collection of short essays and personal stories. It really has more to do with the author herself than communicating truth about women in middle age. That's ok if your enjoy a collection of essays. I do not. This book felt like "light" Christianity: full of fluff, without a lot of substance.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this book. There really wasn't enough there to make it worth my time and I ended up skimming a majority of it.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

In The Middle Matters: Why that (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You, Lisa-Jo Baker provides inspiration and support to women who have reached middle-age. Rather that approach these years as a time to get through, Baker explains that this is a time in life when women can thrive. She builds on the premise that God loves and values you, so you should endeavor to do the same. Baker walks the reader through physical changes, evolving marriages, parenting as your children age, strengthening friendships, and building on your faith. Each section provides encouragement and food for thought and reflection. This book would be an excellent read for any woman trying to juggle family, friends, home, and self.

Order this book! Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Just order this book and hold a treasure!

If you have ever navigated the rocky waters of marriage or parenting, frustrations with finances or your physical body, failures or friendship, or simply the exhausting ups and downs of your own fickle heart in its deeply personal dance with faith in Christ, this book will meet you right where you are! Lisa-Jo welcomes you in with a generous bear hug, abundant smiles, genuinely compassionate eyes . . . and maybe her favorite tacos!

I’m talking about "The Middle Matters." I devoured it in a matter of days. Then immediately turned back to the beginning to read it again. I highlighted so many sections that I quit taking notes and just let the beauty of (extra) ordinary wash over me. Her words are memorable enough to declare careful record-keeping unnecessary!

I nodded, I chuckled, I sighed. I let the tears fall freely. I broke into heaving sobs. I laughed out loud.

Lisa-Jo Baker’s new book will take you on that journey. You will visit completely opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, and every point in between. Why? Because it is a collection of stories about life. Real life. And that is exactly the glorious, mysterious, maddening, terrifying, but also thrilling and wondrous adventure each and every one of us are traveling!

Lisa-Jo throws open her bright blue door, urging us inside to hang around her kitchen table with the remains of last night’s art project still lodged in its cracks! To join the conversation, unabashedly sharing our own stories! Encouraging us to look around, notice, and celebrate the smallest to biggest moments. To tell it like it is! To welcome others to step into our moments, give words to sights and sounds and smells and ALL the feels that make connections with perfect strangers and declare them sisters!

Months have passed since I first read this book, yet essay titles and catch-phrases from "The Middle Matters" keep popping into my head, offering understanding and clarity to so many of my own (extra) ordinary moments!

Friendly reminders:

. . . that it’s more than OK to “love like superglue,” to treasure a “pocket full of friends” that grows fuller and deeper with each passing year, and to understand and appreciate any opportunity to give “the gift of words,” especially lingering over a cup of hot tea!

. . . that there is a never-ending wedding “ring” that surrounds me more than any band around my finger, and that extraordinarily ordinary moments are truly the romantic and sexy ones in our marriage!

. . . that “parenting is do-over times infinity,” whether I am the parent looking for grace or the daughter offering it to my own mom and dad, that there are other moms who really do “sob in the mini-van” when their son or daughter finally, FINALLY overcomes their toughest challenge, and that a mother’s heart can promise things like “I will always come for you!’

. . . that the true beauty of a woman is not measured in inches or pounds or wrinkles or saggy arms, but in first breaths and steps, gotcha days, late nights, misunderstanding and forgiveness, heart-to-heart conversations, strength and never, ever giving up…

. . . that more than anything, we have a Savior who loves us like crazy, is big enough and strong enough to field any fiery question we launch and still offers truth and grace, who will always (always!!!!) be so thrilled when we seek His face, who will stop everything to meet us where we are with a jubilant and convincing welcome of “I’m just so glad you came!”

"The Middle Matters" is a keeper! It is worth reading again and again and again. Share a chapter with your hubby, your son or daughter, your girlfriend. It will give you words for ALL the THINGS you want to say. It will help you grieve what breaks your heart, but also help you rejoice in the smallest to biggest gifts! Lisa-Jo’s heart and insight will alter your own, helping you to celebrate and treasure it all – the good, the bad, but especially the in-between. Because the middle matters!

"The Middle Matters" by Lisa-Jo Baker, published by WaterBrook, is available wherever books are sold (also in audio, voiced by Lisa-Jo, herself!). Be sure to listen in to the "Out of the Ordinary Podcast" on Wednesdays, with Lisa-Jo and her long-time friend, Christie Purifoy, to enjoy more and more stories that will touch your heart!

#whythemiddlematters #bookreview #itsakeeper #buythisbook #tellyourstories #connectandencourage #extraordinary #outoftheordinarypodcast #HewelcomesusHome #truebeauty #lovelikesuperglue

I’ve enjoyed listening to Lisa-Jo Baker’s podcast with Christie Purifoy, and that’s why this book caught my attention. I’m also firmly in my middle years, which are full of challenges that surprise me. My parenting approach needs to change, my body has a mind of its own, and responsibilities keep piling up. Lisa-Jo’s bright cover and smiling face won me over–I craved a laugh with her.

And this book delivers. I was hooked by her warmth in the very first chapter. She talks about a pair of jeans that she once loved, before the middle years, but she’s embracing a different viewpoint now. We busy.busy.busy women caught in the middle years need her affirmation! She tells us exactly why God values the middle years, so we can feel free to do so ourselves.

This book stirred up a happy, relaxed feeling in me that I didn’t realize I needed so much. Sometimes our hearts are crying out for affirmation, and this book delivers. If you are a women who feels trapped or discouraged in middle life, run (don’t walk) to pick up a copy of this book. Then savor it guilt-free with a bubble bath, piece of chocolate, and your favorite yoga pants–Lisa-Jo approves, and so do I.

I received a preview copy of The Middle Matters from Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this book. Maybe I expected this book to be able to give me some takeaways that I can apply to my own messy middle. But it is more of a memoir. In the end I asked, ok, now what? I just couldn’t relate.

This was an awesome read! Unfortunately my "middle" kept getting in the way of my reading time so it took me a bit to finish it as I wanted time to chew on this one as I read it. I loved the chapters on Faith and Friendship and the parenting chapters were spot on. Lisa has masterfully crafted a read that reminds us of the beauty of our everyday lives and that every memory matters! The "middle" is an important part of our lives and I know I needed that reminder. I highly recommend this book!.

This passage really struck me:

I'm not the first one to stand desperate in a boat, desperately afraid of the storm, wondering why the heck Jesus is asleep on the job. Those first shaky disciples and I, we look out at the waves and the dark, angry clouds and we're so afraid of what's coming. We want to control it or outrun it or survive it. And all our faith is slipping through our fingers, and out boats are wobbly and our Savior is asleep.
Jesus wasn't asleep because he didn't care.
He was asleep because He wasn't afraid.


I received this book from the author and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

This is a collection of essays about midlife - in marriage, in parenting, accepting your body, etc. That set up made this feel like a Jen Hatmaker book (complement) with less humor (not necessarily a criticism). While I didn't laugh as much with this one, I felt almost every essay related to me to some degree just by the virtue of being in that target age range and season of life. And several of these left me in tears.

There are faith references throughout, but few Bible references, specifically (again, not a criticism - just a statement of fact). I enjoyed this, I would read sections of it again, and I would definitely put this on a book group list because I think the format lends well to use in a group setting.

"The Forties are the love story of life in the middle-in the middle of kids, faith, doubt, marriage, failure, wonder, and the muffin top, And all of these are good things."

In my opinion, the quote above from The Middle Matters sums the book up perfectly. The intended audience of this book is definitely women in their 40's Lisa-Jo Baker does an excellent job meeting women where they are. She is very honest, transparent, and relatable in the book. As a woman in my early 40's, I found myself laughing at a lot of her stories I could relate to and celebrating this stage of life that is unlike any I have experienced before and will experience later in life. The middle really does matter!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishers through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed Lisa-Jo's essays in The Middle Matters! Even though I'm past (way past!) the middle of parenting as an empty nester, there was so much enjoyment in reading how she paddles/races through life when the whole household needs to go in different directions. I appreciate her teaching to look to find the extra in the ordinary days. It is easy to read as you are waiting at a ball game (we are a non-sports family), or for music lessons, or one just before bed!