This was an enjoyable read that I felt easy to be able to apply to my life and then make adaptations where necessary. I am recommending this to my friends too.

I chose to read this book on a whim and so glad I did. Build Your Village is a book full of insight about the importance of building a strong support system of friends and family. The author argues that everyone needs a "village" of people who can offer them love, support, and guidance throughout their lives. Sure you likely knew that already but as a trainee counsellor I find that many people aren't active in or know how to build and nurture the village they need. Some don't have one at all for many reasons. This can leave many in a position where they struggle without that support or think there's something wrong with them. The book's exercises were helpful, providing readers with tools to help them identify the people who are already in their village, as well as how to find new people to add to their village. It gave me a chance to reflect on my own relationships, identify areas where I could improve and to realise how important community is to me as a core value.

I loved the book's conversational style. It's full of personal stories and examples which make it really relatable. Romano's writing is engaging and she does a great job of making the reader feel like they are part of the conversation. I appreciated the way that Romano talked about the importance of reciprocity in relationships. She stressed that it is important to give as much as we receive, and that we should be mindful of the needs of our friends and family. She describes the different types of people who might be part of our village, identifying six different roles that people can play in our lives.

Build Your Village is a valuable resource for anyone who is looking to build a stronger support system. The book is well-written, engaging and full of helpful tips and advice. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for ways to connect with others and build stronger relationships and it is a book that I will definitely refer to again in the future.

A really interesting and valuable resource! As more of us focus on community and belonging, I find ideas and voices like Romano to have valuable input,

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Intentionally building a support network is not a topic often discussed, so this is a very helpful resource! I was a little concerned at first that the focus would be more on taking and getting from social relationships, but the author was very careful to illustrate the reciprocity needed in having a village and being a good villager. There is a lot of great food for thought here. It is full of interesting stories, and chapters include questions, gut checks, and action steps, but there is a lot of unbroken text. It may be rest read in small chunks to really process fully and absorb the most out of the message.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This was such a great book! I live in a rural area and am not a lot like the others in our little town. I have been longing for more community for a while now and this book really gave me actionable steps to build more of one. I love that she focuses first on how we can be “villagers” for others — how can we use our strengths to build relationships and be there for others.

She talks about the 6 types of villagers we all need and they are so true. We need the cheerleading type who motivates us and convinces us we can make it, but we also need the organizer type who can arrange a meal train when you end up on bed rest and the nearby villager who may not be a best friend but is close if something happens. It helped me remember what I can do for my neighbors and that even though I’ll never be the type to throw a fancy party I am the type to send texts reminding you how awesome you are and to take your kids for three days while your dad is in hospice.

I have all kinds of ideas now and am excited to further build my village. Highly recommended.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This book gave so much food for thought, it was well constructed and I really loved the questions and the gut checks. You could use this book repeatedly and go back to reassess and evaluate where you are at, at that point of time.
I adore the whole notion of building a village and it was great to hear real world examples from the author. I will definitely call upon this book again in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This serves as a roadmap to building a village for life. Inspired by the phrase "it takes a village" -- usually about childrearing, Romano highlights what kinds of villagers you need and how to identify them. I love that this didn't solely focus on a village for childrearing, but for anything -- getting through illness, career crises, or just the day to day. Thinking holistically about the roles villagers serve and how you fit in your own village (and others') was also helpful. I do wish the author had gone into what to do if you're missing some of the villagers from your life, but overall I thought this was a helpful look at how to create a holistic community.

This was an interesting book on how to build a community that I thought was well-written and utilized the "village" example throughout. I liked the gut checks and action items at the end of each chapter that gave good steps and actions for building your own village.

Build Your Village by Florence Ann Romano is an amazing how-to for the age-old saying that "it takes a village." Instead oh a psychology look, Romano is a business woman and philanthropist and offers advice from a practical and lived-in perspective.