As a long time fan of Emily P. Freeman's podcast, social media, and other work, I was so excited to read her latest book. And this came along at the perfect time for me. In her characteristic way of thoughtfully approaching decision-making, Freeman provides support and encouragement for discerning the spaces to occupy in our lives.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarperOne for a free copy of #HowToWalkIntoARoom by Emily P. Freeman. All opinions are my own.

This is a book I feel should be on everyone’s shelf. I hope the author is receiving invites to give talks and appear on other podcasts not just her own like crazy! I once heard Jerry Seinfeld say he knew a person had the part not by how their “reading” went but simply how they walked into a room. I am still working on mastering both how to enter and leave. My current age has helped me realize more on not wasting time and it’s ok to leave a room, whether it is a job or a relationship. This book will help people not wait until their 60s to learn this!! Again a must read!

An excellent book for someone faced with big decisions. A guide in discernment, written with the compassion Freeman is known for.

HOW TO WALK INTO A ROOM by Emily P. Freeman is a timely read for so many seeking discernment. Freeman is a spiritual director offering a framework to those finding themselves at a crossroads; she uses the analogy of rooms to explain both physical and metaphorical spaces we occupy. When times are easy, it's not hard to stay, but what is the best path forward when difficulties arise? How do we know when the trials are worthwhile and we could make a difference, and how do we know when it's best to leave? And when we leave, what can we do to mark that moment?

The book is structured in three parts: 1) On Leaving; 2) On Pausing; and 3) On Entering. Pages are replete with questions to guide readers through thought processes; anyone who would reflect honestly should find clarity in their situations.

Freeman offers wisdom and transparency to readers, giving concrete examples to model walking through the process. I first heard of this title after a recommendation from Shannan Martin, where she wrote honestly about severing from a church where she and her husband were deeply involved, and this book allowed them space to reflect on tough questions to gain clarity. Due to a combination of what I -- in turns serious and not so serious -- refer to as my midlife crisis, as well as outside stressors pushing me to pause and reflect on where to invest my time and energies, I couldn't wait to read this for myself.

Leaving spaces isn't easy, and there is often grief afterwards, but approaching a situation with a steady presence and acting thoughtfully can have its own comfort. If you, too, are at a watershed, Freeman's words and guidance might be just what you need to process the moment.

(Thank you Harper One for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away by Emily P. Freeman is a thoughtful approach to timely discernment. This author consistently produces work of great quality and substance. This book is no exception. Here, she takes the mystery out of decision making, giving the reader concrete practices to try. Personally, I really found her ideas freeing in their simultaneous simplicity and depth. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

A helpful guide for anyone trying to decide on whether they should stay or go; decisions to never be taken lightly in life.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperOne for an ARC of this book.

Emily Freeman is a kind guide through hard places. Through her words, she takes the reader's hand and guides them with careful thought and gentleness to consider the areas of their life that may no longer serve them. How to Walk Into a Room starts by helping the reader examine the things that feel off. Then she guides you through understanding why that might be and how to change that. Even as you read the pages, it feels like a loving friend listening to you and your thoughts, taking your hand to help you find the way to something better.

Smart, easy to follow and relatable. I love Emily P Freeman and appreciate her take on everything. I think this book also works for introverts and extroverts and would make a great graduation gift!

Tender and practical, honest and encouraging, I cried and nodded by head and marked up many (many) paragraphs. This is one I'm going to buy and re-read, for sure.

This is a book I wish my past self had to help me process and walk through difficult transitions. My one slight complaint is that Freeman waits a little too long (in my opinion) to give an important disclaimer about walking out of unsafe rooms. Otherwise this was thoughtful and helpful and personal and I’d highly recommend it!

Emily P. Freeman brings her calm, spiritual director voice to the complex questions that accompany our comings and our goings.

Freeman portrays our commitments, roles, and relationships as rooms, and sometimes, in the business of living, we manage to pass from room to room without incident. Other times, however, we get stuck, or maybe we are evicted from a “room” before we are ready to leave! Sometimes we leave one room and find ourselves in a hallway between rooms looking for clarity and closure.

How to Walk into a Room resists providing simple answers, and it gives the reader permission to ask the hard questions. What we think we want is a detailed floor plan, but maybe what we really need is a hand to hold and solid reassurance that we’re not alone in our wondering.

Many thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

How to Walk Into a Room offers insights and and a process of discernment for ending existing commitments and entering new ones. She's very transparent about the role of faith in her life and process, but you don't have to be a Christian to benefit from Freeman's suggestions. Freeman's selective, unsentimental detailing of personal experiences that illustrate the discernment process developed in this book was very helpful.

An excellent resource for anybody contemplating life changes-- And that means everyone, since by choice or not, change is inevitable.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

My overarching review is that this was a good and very helpful book! I liked the metaphor of our decisions being like entering and leaving rooms. Emily P. Freeman is wise and insightful, and she writes in a unique, almost melodic style. I love that she shared her personal experiences throughout the book as examples for what she was teaching!

This book is not for the faint of heart; it has a LOT of information and was dense at times. Still, it was worth it! Buy the book and highlight it up…you’re going to need that! I definitely think I need to read this book again so I can absorb more of the information inside!

Overall, I would recommend this book, especially if you’re at a time in life where you are currently or will soon be making a decision!

*Thank you Net Galley and publishers for the advanced copy of this book!

This book took me a while to get through. It was a the story of leaving a church, but could relate to anything you need to walk away from. I think it would be a book I would go back to in a time of life transition.

If I had to describe this book in just a few words, I’d say it’s helpful, gracious, and balanced. Freeman’s faith-based self-help guide to decision making is a lovely mix of personal stories illustrating her points and clear, helpful practices for discerning when it might be time to make a change. Freeman’s role as a spiritual director shines through as she creates space for the reader to think, explore, and question. There is no dogma here. There is room for uncertainty. There are plenty of doable practices and questions to ask yourself and no unrealistic promises for how just following these ten easy steps will revolutionize your life! Instead, there is a realistic, even-keeled, yet hopeful look into our pasts, presents, and futures. I found myself journaling or highlighting and noting passages to revisit. Whether you have a decision you need to make soon or just want to expand your toolkit for listening to yourself and others, I highly recommend this title!

Thank you to HarperOne and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

It was hard for me to get into this book, although I'm interested in the topic. I think the style of writing and memoir bits did not appeal to me and I wasn't inspired to finish it this time. I will give it another try later on, perhaps.

How to Walk into a Room by Emily P Freeman is part memoir and part self-help. It's about transitions and how to walk into and out of rooms in our lives. I enjoyed The Next Right Thing and hoped this would be similar but it's different but as someone going to some transitions in my life it is a helpful book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper One for my review copy of this book.

Author Emily P. Freeman shares a combination of self-help advice and memoir in her newest book, How to Walk into a Room. I found many helpful things to ponder as I read through the book and applied it to my own life. The author shares parts of her own story, to give a frame of reference and how she applied each part.
As a Christian book, I was hoping for more reference to Scripture.
I did enjoy the book, though I think it should be marketed as memoir as well as Christian self-help. I've run into this with quite a few self-help books in the last year or two - going in expecting self help and getting mired down in the author's own story and my own forgotten. I was able to finish this one, though, and found it to be applicable without getting bogged down by the author's personal details.

This such a great book for how to gracefully walk through life’s changes/rooms. Emily P. Freeman is the friend that comes along side you to help you make decisions and cheers you on through this book.

I have never read a book like How to Walk into a Room, but I understood Emily Freeman’s reasoning in using this format in the book. She gives her readers advice on life and stages we all experience.
Her format of “rooms” is that we are born and that is a “room” where that stage of life is at. We move to different rooms as life continues, some we choose, and some life chooses for us. Emily’s wisdom comes when she explains how we to know when it’s time to move to a different room on our own.
Even if you are not experiencing a change in “rooms” in your life, I think this book will help you for when you do need to make a decision in which “room” you will choose. For many, it will be a book they refer to often.
I received a complimentary copy of this book thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.