Mary Katherine Backstrom is relatable and down to earth. I enjoy reading her books and blogs because she’s open, honest and does it all with humor. You don’t feel alone when she speaks or when you read her books.

Mary Katherine Backstrom might be the most relatable Christian author out there and I am so thankful. Throughout my journey of faith, I have resonated less and less with white evangelical Christianity as I've gotten older. As a wife, mother and ally, I appreciate MK and her willingness to put the mess out there for consumption - because it is real and it is true and authentic.

This was a wonderful book to read. I loved the anecdotes shared by the author. The author makes it easy to fall in love with, laugh with, and feel a connection with.

Do you ever feel alone? Perhaps like you are the only one who can't get this thing called life, right? Do you ever feel out of place in the world, always comparing your mistakes and mishaps to the perfect lives of others we see on social media?

Mary-Katherine Backstrom is here to tell you that you are not alone! She, very candidly, shows us the most intimate details of her life, and how, by grace from both God and herself, she has learned to laugh over things that once made her feel inferior.

This book is a gem! You will laugh and perhaps shed some tears but you will finish it feeling like all is ok, welcoming the fact that we are all a Holy Hot Mess!

5 stars to Mary-Katherine Backstrom. This book is life-changing!

Mary Katherine Backstrom wrote Holy Hot Mess with humor and heart and a tone of vulnerability and relatability. I started it on a whim – I’ve had a NetGalley ARC sitting on my Kindle for a month or two – and thought why not? Before I even got to the end, I had ordered a hard cover copy. It should arrive this week and I’ll need to pull out my actual real life sticky notes and highlighters – digital markup just isn’t the same.

Within the first few chapters, I had laughed and cried and snorted diet pepsi up my nose. Because this book feels authentic in a way I really connected to. If you’ve ever felt a bit on the outsides, craving acceptance or grace or normalcy, you’ve got to read this book – and remind yourself that we didn’t come off an assembly line like perfect Stepford wives, all the same, all flawless in the eyes of society. I devoured this beautiful creation of a book in one evening.

MK, my new best friend, reminds us that even in our day to day messes, there is a purpose and a plan. She may not be to everyone’s tastes – she has a distinctive voice (but if you don’t love her, you’re wrong), she comes across a little crude (if you’re a stuffy old biddy), and well, quite honestly, she doesn’t have it all together. I may not agree with all the “theology” behind her words, but I completely understand her heart and this book was an absolute sweet and refreshing balm to my soul. It’s beautifully written, a compilation of personal experiences almost crafted as parables, reflecting us back to our Creator.

I received a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley with thanks to Worthy Publishing. Opinions expressed are entirely my own .

Holy Hot Mess
Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life
by Mary Katherine Backstrom
Pub Date 03 Aug 2021
Worthy Publishing, Worthy Books
Christian


I am reviewing a copy of Holy Hot Mess:Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life through Worthy Publishing and Netgalley:



There are a lot of people who struggle with the concept of being Holy. But the fact is even the hottest of messes are being shaped—right now—into Jesus' likeness. In this book, Mary Katherine shares the sometimes-hidden evidence of God's work in her life and shows you that it's okay to embrace the hot messes.


In Holy Hot Mess Mary Katherine shares both hilarious and vulnerable stories about faith, friendships, motherhood, marriage, and depression. She will cover the topics that plague our hearts every day with raw, honest truth and a side of laughter. Mary Katherine invites you into her story as a friend, encouraging you to embrace the hot messes in your life. Because we are all a work in progress, and as long as we are alive, we are under construction—and construction sites tend to be messy.



I give Holy Hot Mess I give five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I have followed Mary on various social media platforms and she is such a sweet, funny, and down to Earth woman/wife/mother and couldn’t wait to read her book. It definitely didn’t disappoint! She tells her stories with heart and humor. I laughed. I cried. If you haven’t read this, you need to!!

Mary Katherin Backstrom is my soul sister. Her book is seriously something I needed in my life. It's 100% not to be that perfect mom and she lays it out for ya. You can also love Jesus and still be a little bit of an a**hole. That thought is something I can definitely go along with.

I had never heard of Mary Katherine Backstrom before requesting Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life. I requested the book based on the title and the cover – and I am glad I did. What a great – and much needed – read! Loved this quote, “When we share our messy, honest selves with one another, that’s when we find our deepest communities.” #HolyHotMess #NetGalley

This was a very relatable book with lots of personal stories relating to how God loves us no matter what and with no requirements. It was inspiring without feeling like I was being hit on the head about having to be better all the time.

I really enjoyed Mary Katherine Backstroms first book, Mom Babble. This book just didn't hit the same way for me. I couldn't get into it for some reason. It began much slower or just wasn't for me. I will refrain from reviewing this book on other platforms and wish MK much success with her book. I am still a follower of her and enjoy your many stories and videos she provides on her platforms. I hope to enjoy her books moving forward.

I've never laughed so hard and yessed so hard than i did with this amazing book. In Holy Hot Mess, Mary Katherine shares relatable stories on Family, Friendship and life in general whilst encouraging and pointing us to be ourselves and God's love- Mess and all.
I highly highly recommend this book to anyone doubting themselves or thinking they're such a mess. This book is for you.

This was a lovely book. Backstrom tackles serious and everyday issues with humor and Grace. A wonderful read!

Mary Katherine Backstrom is a down to earth, caring, Christian woman. Her stories with her parents, husband, children and other family members are too preposterous to be fiction. They, in fact, comprise her title for this book Holy Hot Mess. If you love humanity, and having a good time, reading this book will not disappoint.

I could not get into this book. I kept waiting to feel like I was reading something I could connect to, but that moment never arrived for me. It almost felt a little disjointed and because of that I had a difficult time connecting to the author's story.

First, Mary Katherine Backstrom is hilarious! She is so open about her life, including the good, bad and full-belly laughs. She's captured all that in her collection of thoughts, essays and experiences. Yes, she's a Christian author, but most importantly she's a mom, wife and cancer survivor. Because she's willing to share her crazy, messy life with her readers, men and women alike can find something to smile about no matter how rough their day is.

The author, in clever language unfolds everyday stories, some are heartbreaking and some are hilarious, but all are stories of how God uses each "mess" in our lives to bring us closer to Him. She demonstrated how one can celebrate even while standing in the middle of a holy, hot mess.

The author shares evidence of God's work in her life through faith, friendships, motherhood, marriage, and depression. She covers topics that plague the hearts of most all women. She reminds us that we are all a work in progress, and as long as we are alive, we are under construction. And if you’ve ever been to a construction site, you know they tend to be messy.

Below are just a few passages that are indicative of this fun and inspiring book.

“Now I’m homeschooling kids while working from home, which is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. On a national scale, our politics have been playing out like an episode of Maury.”

“How beautiful that God has embraced our worst and presented it as His best. He loves us, adores us, and has a plan for.”

Doesn’t that last quote just make you want to love the Lord even more?

I wanted to like this book so so much. The author seems so fun and my goodness, as I began the book I just felt like GOT me, you know. I mean even said, “I know you,” then began to describe me. She talked about the “Lie of Curation” so visible on social media but also in real life. How we have begun to compare ourselves so fully to a filtered, curated world that we won’t ever be able to match up against.
Wow.
She just got me.
Plus she was fun and pretty funny.
But then came a few think that made me pause. I mean it started out with some simple doctrine differences, which isn’t a deal breaker in books, so I kept going.
But then came a reference to something that kinda sounded like evolution…”sand and water with a million years gone by.” *scratch my head*
But then, oh boy. She actually got a very common Bible story completely wrong and even quoted it wrong. So much so that I second guessed myself and looked it up. (Not in a weird translation either, mind you, but NKJV.) She says that when Nicodemus asked Jesus about being born again that Jesus talked him “and the crowd that day” then references that he was also talking to other rabbis in that conversation. Ummmmm, no ma’am. It very clearly says in John that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and alone. In fact, all three times that John mentions Nicodemus, he references him as having “first come to Jesus at night.” (John 3, 7, and 19) Kinda a big mistake not only for the author but also for the editor. Especially considering how much she talks throughout the book about reading your Bible and getting deeply into it. Well, please check and recheck your references, ma’am.
It didn’t completely ruin the book, but left it kinda tainted for me.
Plus, some of the chapter felt kind of choppy for me. Like jumping from childhood story to adult life and raising her kids for like two paragraphs then back to her own childhood with zero transition between…..almost like it was actually placed in the wrong spot of the book. A few choppy moments like that actually. Maybe they meant to be flashbacks or flash forwards, but they were actually very distracting and a bit confusing.
I know a lot of people will love this book and the author. She reminds me a bit of Jen Hatmaker (which many will find to be attractive and complimenting, even though I’m not a big fan). So I know she will get a lot of buzz. It just wasn’t all for me.

I was intrigued by the concept but could not enjoy it since I couldn't relate to anything she said. The book is fine, but it isn't relatable if you don't have kids. I understand how having children is a big part of your life, but I wish she wrote more about herself as an adult woman than as a mother with kids.

This was a fun inspirational read that’s title caught me right off that bat with its title Holy Hot Mess.
Premise

A lot of people struggle with the concept of being holy. But the fact is, even the hottest of messes are being shaped—right now—into Jesus' likeness. In this book, Mary Katherine shares the sometimes-hidden evidence of God's work in her life and shows you that it's okay to embrace the hot messes.

I love how the book teaches readers to embrace the messes in their lives and how it helps shape us and molds us into who we are.