Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

An easy, enjoyable read. I would have preferred this to be an audible version but overall I enjoyed it reading it.

I loved reading this book. I felt so seen and validated in my feelings and saw some of my favorite Bible stories in a different light in regards to singleness. I love the mix of personal stories and practical faith based application.

I received a complimentary copy of A Single Life to Live and it was so good, it has viable information for single people

Of the 3-4 books on singleness I've read, this is the best. That said, many of the people in Scripture that Hannah talks about briefly seem like a stretch.... as if she really needed to find a storyline to match what she was already looking for. which ends up feeling forced. Still, it isn't cheesy or full of cliches -- other than what felt like 50 mentions of your "season of singleness" -- and that's saying something compared to other books on this topic.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of "A Single Life to Live," by Hannah Schermerhorn. I liked the story and it resonated with this stage in my life. I liked how it was short and to the point. I felt very connected, uplifted and "seen." I would be interested to see what other books the author writes in the near future.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I’ll start with the positive. I loved Hannah Schermerhorn’s heart in this book! You can tell that she really wants single people to understand the love that God has for them and divorce their understanding of that love from their relationship status.

Hannah does this by choosing a particular theme to focus on every chapter and tying that theme to an individual from the Bible. She does a character study on the individual and their circumstances, weaving their experiences with the readers’ and helping them to see God’s goodness in it all.

The book has a reflective element to it as well. In many of the chapters, Hannah encourages the reader to answer some questions or do some exercises that go along with the chapter’s theme. Each chapter also ends with “deeper dive” questions to help the reader process their experiences of singleness and what they’ve learned in the chapter.

All that said, I found myself struggling to finish this. Here’s the main reason: while she spotlights single people from the Bible and shares parts of their stories, I felt she played up certain elements of those stories that fit the point she was trying to make. It seemed really forced at times. I fear that this could set the reader up to evaluate the Bible based on their own circumstances and the relatability of a Bible passage versus its true meaning and intent if they don’t know any better.

Honestly, I think the book would have been stronger if she’d just sought biblical wisdom on singleness versus trying to make biblical stories fit into the theme of the chapter in order to encourage the reader. As I said earlier, I love Hannah’s heart—the book just fell flat for me.

This is a great resource for brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle with their “gift” of singleness. It had scriptural backing and was careful not to be too self-centered. I wish a few parts had gone a bit deeper, but I applaud that this book wasn’t super repetitive. This book definitely gave me some good things to think about and some spiritual truths to be reminded of! The author also had me laughing quite a few times.

4.5 Stars rounded up. :)

I found this book really encouraging, and I liked how the author used biblical character profiles as examples of how God can use people in their singleness.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A Single Life to Live covers many topics such as struggling with contentment while being single, letting go of your past, dealing with insecurities, and healing from past experiences. I really appreciate how honest the author is about her own experiences and struggles with being single. In this book, she covers the highs and lows of being single in a really relatable way. She writes in a way that makes you feel like you are talking with a friend which I really like! I liked how throughout the book, Hannah included Bible verses to read as well.
Overall, I really liked the message of this book! It was the reminder I needed to embrace this season of my life and surrender everything to God. If you are a single woman who has struggled with being single, I think you will really like this book!

*Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy to review! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Single Life to Live
Stop Waiting for Your Life to Begin and Thrive Where God Has You Today
by Hannah Schermerhorn
Pub Date 14 Feb 2023
Baker Books
Christian



I am reviewing a copy of A Single Life to Live through Baker Books and Netgalley:


A Single Life to Live reminds us that God has a great life planned for us. But what you may not realize is that if you are single you are already living it. Right now. Today. Your God-designed life doesn't start when you say "I do" or when you get engaged or even when you meet "the one." It's been happening as long as you've been alive even if you're still single and wish you weren't.




Hannah Schermerhorn knows exactly what it's like. She was months away from getting married when her wedding was called off. She hated the idea of being single again, but in the following years, God taught her many hard lessons that transformed her bitterness to authentic joy



In this book Hannah Schermerhorn draws from the diverse experiences of single people in the Bible, she debunks common myths and misunderstandings about singleness, including the pervasive feeling that a person can't really begin their life until they're married. If you are lonely, hopeless, or impatient, let Hannah be your guide through the internal battles and external pressures you're facing.



Readers are reminded that God has a special purpose for singleness, whether it lasts for only a season or your whole life. Let Hannah help you discover God's best for you in your single life.



I give A Single Life to Life five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I absolutely loved this book! As someone who has never been partnered up, I often feel inadequate. There are times I have felt lonely and left out, and other times, especially within my profession, that I feel like a bit of a fraud. There is an expectation that as a romance author, I must be married or in love, or have some epic love story of my own. Sadly, that isn't the case.

This book really opened my eyes and allowed me to set my own definition of what I want single to look like for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.