I just love this woman!!! Mary Katherine's story(ies) will make you laugh and feel like you have found a friend!! She writes so effortlessly about her struggles, her faith and her victories and does so with honesty and humor. Flew through this book in just a little over a day and it really gave me a sense of peace!!! Pick this one up!

I will confess that I started off in good cheer with Mary Katherine Backstrom's "Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life," a Worthy Publishing release in which Backstrom explores with heart and humor and remarkable transparency her own stories about how God has taken the holy hot messes of her own life and turned them into something weird and wonderful.

Backstrom is a relentlessly engaging author. She's quick and easy with sharing her own stories, whether it's that collegiate period where past traumas rose to the surface and influenced her behaviors or her increasing awareness of parenting, marital, and faith struggles.

While Backstrom grounds "Holy Hot Mess" in faith and vulnerability, she mixes in an abundance of humor, insight, and her own journey toward accepting the entire journey warts and all.

"Holy Hot Mess" is filled with stories about growing up, making choices, motherhood, parenting, marriage, and even depression. It's a breezy, engaging read and the kind of book that will likely have you running over to social media to look up Backstrom if you're no already familiar with her active social media presence.

I enjoyed virtually every moment of "Holy Hot Mess," though I'll also admit there were moments when I found myself wanting just a bit more.

For example, at times it found like I was getting to know Backstrom's story more than Backstrom herself. There's a fine line here, of course, but at times it felt like humor was being used as a defense rather than as a healthy mechanism for sharing the story. In these moments, I felt like the story only skimmed the surface of what was really going on.

Similarly, a late "Holy Hot Mess" discussion about her marriage felt just a tad jarring almost to a "Glennon" degree. While it certainly doesn't manifest the same way, it almost felt like when a Marvel Comics Universe movie gives you a glimpse of future films. This felt like "This is what I'm going to write about next." It just felt weird.

These are minor quibbles, really, for a book that I truly enjoyed and appreciated. I mean, seriously, it's hard not to absolutely love someone named Mary Katherine (though I'll confess I was a little bit surprised when Baptist was mentioned rather than Catholic. I mean, c'mon. Mary Katherine practically screams out being a Catholic name).

Backstrom is an up-and-coming author whose works I will undoubtedly continue to follow. With honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Backstrom takes us into her own challenges in trusting God's presence in the details of our lives and reminds us that through it all we're truly not alone.

Mary Katherine Backstrom may be a holy hot mess, but she's certainly a warm, funny, and talented writer as well.

Mary Katherine is speaking the truth in her book, Holy Hot Mess. She is real, and she isn't holding back. Her stories in this book not only are totally relatable but ones that we all have been through. I love how she doesn't hold back and shoes the hot mess side of herself. We all are hot messes, but Jesus and God love us. Hot messes and all!