*received for free from netgalley for honest review* As a fellow gen Z, i dont connect with this book at all :l granted im older than the author but i just dont agree with many of the things in this book that generalizes our generation. Also pretty annoying to hear how someone who lives close to the Amish talk about them in such an ignorant manner as well , you'd think fellow religious people would understand why they choose to live the simple live. no need to insult them.

A great book for teens ( maybe even younger children) that inspires to use wisely technology. As an adult some parts did not seem so interesting, others were amazing! Overall a great book for parents and children to read together and discuss the changes that are necessary

Tech Mostly Wise.

First off I want to say this book is an impressive feat, written largely by a 19 year old and her dad. Amy manages to make many great points and I suspect this book will be good especially for the audience (which appears to be teenage girls). There were also a number of memorable examples that I won’t spoil in this review as I suspect they will be more helpful to hit home for those in the target audience.

I particularly enjoyed the letters from her dad included in each chapter. But they were largely sentiments rather then adding another full perspective on things. I also found the author’s perspective helpful because she made it very clear that social media is not necessary. Although, she was also willing to address how to have better habits. She took on some tough issues and addressed them head on. Her perspective was largely evidence based on a number of issues thanks to the involvement of Barna group. Despite this I still struggled with recommendations being more emotionally inspired when it came to advice. Which wouldn’t have been an issue aside from the fact that the author made it sound as if she was largely distanced from social media.

To be fair I think this book fills a space that may validate her father’s book on a tech wise family (which to be fair I have not read yet). However, I still see some gaps particularly in this work. Specifically, it misses some key areas that could provide insight to those who may not be in a good place with technology. Also, it is not written from a perspective that will be of much interest to most boys in this age range it just doesn’t present the issues in a way that will relate.

All said it was still worth the time of the listen (I had the audiobook). Production was good and it provided insight into a young adult perspective of someone who has lived a life with limited social media and restrained technology and importantly she turned out OK. My biggest gripe is the audience seems significantly limited and it doesn’t offer the full picture to those who haven’t read her dad’s book.

This book was written from an extrovert person's point of view, urging everyone to put down our phones and having real conversations (which I agree). But, sometimes, introverts just need that quiet moment and we should be able to avoid pushing them into situations they aren't comfortable with.
I do agree with some of the authors´ ideas but I think the book could use some writing improvement.

Have you ever looked at your phone's screen time? It can be shocking to see how many hours we actually spend looking at our devices. What's worse is the amount of time we spend scrolling when we have other, more pressing, tasks to be done. If you're anything like me, you try to be disciplined, but social media's easy accessibility is too tempting when the day is going slowly. Thankfully, Apple has created app limits which have been a huge help to me, though it's still too easy to click "ignore limit" for fifteen minutes... "Wait, I didn't get to finish the video. What can fifteen more minutes hurt?"

Where are the boundaries when it comes to technology? How do we stop allowing notifications from running our lives? What are some tools we can use to stay off our phones when we're with friends or trying to rest?

“We don’t need to live a life of 24/7 focus. We simply need to stop slouching into the easy posture of distraction. It might feel fine, but it’ll leave us sore.” ~ Amy Crouch

You'll find the answers to all of these questions and more in Amy Crouch's debut book, My Tech-Wise Life. While the concept of living a tech-wise life might be a completely foreign concept to those being raised in the tech-centered world, it is not a difficult one to obtain. Having grown up with parents who put rules on all technology, Amy Crouch has learned to appreciate the world around her without needing to stop to take a dozen pictures to capture the moment. However, that doesn't mean temptations and insecurities have not threatened to steal Amy's peace and time. Like every teen, she has struggled to balance social media in a world full of comparison and followers. Highlighting key lessons that have had a huge impact on her life, Amy breaks down a few encouraging steps on how to get the most out of life without the constant nagging of technology. Accompanying Amy, her father, Andy Crouch, shares his insight in a letter to his daughter at the end of each chapter, perfectly summarizing the content while bringing a parental look on the practices Amy encourages readers to try.

“Devices are captivating in a way the real world is not. And, consuming is captivating in a way creating is not.” ~ Amy Crouch

Though this book's focus audience is teens, I think it will be a great source of encouragement to people of all ages looking to become more present with those around them rather than distracted by the entertainment available at our fingertips. The world around us is so much greater than what is in our tiny screens have to offer, and the relationships we make in person are far more fulfilling than the ones formed through comments and likes on our social media posts.

“The cure for boredom is not distraction; it’s wonder.” ~ Amy Crouch

As someone who has relied on technology during years in isolation, I can totally understand our devices' necessity. With the development of video chat and social media, I have had the incredible opportunity to meet people from all over the world and create friendships that have lasted more than a decade. Nevertheless, while technology has been an incredible tool for my life, it has also become a habit that is hard to break. Wherever I go, my phone needs to be with me; when I get tired or have to eat alone, Instagram is a comfort blanket to surround my time with noise and humor. Over the last year, I've noticed how reliable I am to my devices, and though they are still needed in most of my work-life, I am striving to break these patterns, and Amy's book was a confirmation of this desire.

“Our devices don’t encourage one-time moderate distractions; rather, they encourage a posture of distraction.” ~ Amy Crouch

My Tech-Life does not tell us to throw all our devices away and go completely off-grid; rather, Amy gives readers tools to no longer allow our days to be ruled by technology. A special moment does not always need to be photographed. Being with friends and giving them undivided attention is so much easier without the distraction of technology. We can get more work done in less time if we would just stop getting side-tracked by social media or YouTube! I commend Amy for being brave enough to share these truths, though they contradict what today's society teaches the younger generation. I would also like to thank Andy for being a fatherly voice in this book, surrounding his words in love and inspiring other parents not to allow technology to rule their family-time.

Technology does not need to control our lives, but it takes discipline and strength to break the habits so easily formed in a world where everything is computerized. If you're struggling to focus in school or work, listen when friends talk to you on the phone, or switch your phones off when taking a Sabbath rest, My Tech-Life might be the best book for you!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a pre-release copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!*

boring & unoriginal, and those are 2 separate complaints. boring bc it was neither gripping nor well-written. unoriginal because DIGITAL MINIMALISM is this & so much more. so many good books re: social media & technology that this book didn't contribute value. sure it's co-written by gen-z, but her worldview is Christian-centric, privileged, & generally not insightful. I'm at a loss for why the reviews were positive. further, the narrator was even worse!