Simple and Free, published in 2021, is a revision to Hatmaker’s 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess which was published in 2011. Hatmaker shares how she and her family tried to combat overindulgence and excess. They chose seven areas of excess they would fast from and try to live as simply as they could: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress. The best thing about this new edition is Hatmaker's annotated reflections on how she has changed and thinks differently about some things now.

I don't love the writing style, which felt more like a stream-of-consciousness kind of blogging style. I'm sure some people will enjoy this book more than I did and get more out of it. It just wasn't the book for me.

The original text of Simple & Free (formerly titled 7) comes across as a little bit naive, probably because the author was younger than me when she originally wrote it and her faith and worldview have matured and shifted a lot in the ten years in between. But what I appreciated the most about this re-release was Jen's parenthetical commentary on what she thinks, in the present day, of what she wrote back in 2010. She doesn't edit herself, but she does criticize in some places, as well as share how she has grown and matured. Her self-reflection and vulnerability in those parentheticals was the highlight of the book for me.

Thanks to Convergent Books and NetGalley for the free copy.

I enjoyed the original book 7 but loved the updated one even more. We are a society that tends to accumulate stuff. If you need proof, we just search to see how many storage units are in a 10 miles radius of your house. This book was easy to read and included lots of simple tips that inspired me to tackle my accumulating clutter. I would recommend this book to anyone feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you have.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Simple and Free wasn't what I thought. I had a different expectation when I read this book. It wasn't bad, just definitely not for me.

What a good book! I'm a Jen Hatmaker fan, but this may be my favorite of hers. It definitely gave me ideas for ways that I can challenge myself to simplify my life. This was delightful and inspired a lot of great dialogue.

This revamp of “7,” is Jen Hatmaker’s Taylor Swift moment. No one is going to hold her back from owning her own words! This noon is fantastic and just what you need when you feel like the world of consumerism has been holding you back. Open the book and find your path to being free.

Everything you loved about Seven but with new commentary and notes! Love Jen Hatmaker and love that she is accountable for past comments that seem cringy in retrospect. The meat of the book is still there and the updates make it even better.

It's Jen at her best. Snarky. Opinionated and loving. Absolutely a necessary read for any Jen fan even if it is a slight rehashing of the original of "7" which I also own

Jen Hatmaker is funny and feeling all at once. It's easy to identify with her essays. She will make you laugh until you're all of a sudden crying over a sentimental story. I love her writing style and her candidness, especially with her (and our general) struggles in life - growing older, staying relevant, parenting, and spirituality.

Absolutely enjoyed this book. She writes humor and a love of God. 7 ways to declutter your life and open up a space to live life more fully. Especially loved. the last one

I'm not a re-reader, but this is one I could continue to come back to. I read 7 a few years ago and it left a mark on me. This updated version now feels a little dated since I've followed Jen pretty closely and have watched as her life and theology have evolved. But I think the 7 model has staying power and it's inspiring and motivating for the person who wants to simplify their life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A thoughtful and creative approach to analyzing the life of a family, bit by bit. I love the approach that this family took in embarking on this journey of self-discovery together, and the disclaimer that what worked for them might not work for you! This book is less of a "how-to", and more of a "how we did it".

I’m a huge Jen fan and have literally read all her books. Simple and Free was amazing and I recommend it to everyone,

I had read Seven years ago and was hoping this would be different than it was. Essentially it was the same book, just with a few random sentences added in in brackets, but nothing radically new. If you didn’t read Seven, then I highly recommend! But don’t come to this book thinking it’s anything brand new if you have.

After Ms. Hatmaker's original publisher of 7 pulled the book from its inventory, she was given back her right to re-publish it under a different title and publisher. Hatmaker gives updates to her original writings and what has transpired in her family's lives since 7 was published.

Recommended for public libraries and small group discussions.

Jen Hatmaker helps lead us into a conversation that I think a lot of people are having post 2020- how do I have less? Less anxiety, worry, stuff, commitments, etc. Hatmaker is a trusted voice and leads by example.

This book was an update to Jen Hatmakers earlier book 7. I really liked seeing her comments on what she has stuck with or what has fallen to the wayside. Jen Hatmaker has a great gift for challenging you and making you think but she is so funny that it doesn't feel like work!

My mistake, I did not realize when accepting the offer that this was classified as a Christian book. I love books on minimalism and simplifying, but this was not for me.

I'm giving it 3 stars as it's no doubt helpful to many readers. I'm just the wrong reader.

A convicting and thought-provoking book about taking a look at where we spend our time and money and our struggle with excessive consumerism. It’s about truly caring for humanity and the earth and finding ways to be a good steward of what we’ve been given. Jen tackles seven areas in her life to fast for a month and see how her life is affected.

I've been meaning to read Jen Hatmaker's book "7" for years, so I was glad to see it was available on @netgalley a while back. It took me a long time to read it, but it's the sort of book that makes you want to stop and think about what you've just read.
The book follows Hatmaker and her family during a year when she chose seven big areas where she wanted to make changes and remove the excess of contemporary life. The areas she focused on are: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, stress. She approached this from a Christian perspective, but it could very well be seen as secular decision to simplify and reevaluate. I am so glad she focused on the spiritual aspect a lot, and she didn't shy away from being honest and admitting her failures & errors.
The seven aspects she's tackling in her book are important and relevant today, just as they were back in 2011 when she first wrote the book. There are some funny parts, just as you'd expect from a Hatmaker book, but through funny she draws home tough points. I also liked the edits she wrote throughout the book pointing to the changes that intervened since she first wrote "7", and how things changed or stayed the same.
All in all I liked this books, although at times it was slow paced. It did help that for each of the big seven parts she structured the book on days, which made the reading easier. It was fun seeing the good and the bad days string together. I do recommend it to readers who feel the same way she felt when she decided to do this experiment: overwhelmed with too many options and stuff. It's relatable and fitting to our daily life.