Go ahead and buy a new highlighter when you start this one because you’re going to need it.

Filled with tons of practical advice from Allen’s personal and family experiences.

Overall I thought this book was really great! It gives a new perspective on how Christians should be allowed to feel all of their emotions without any guilt. I really liked that Jennie gave readers a clear path to begin to understand and label their feelings, especially if they've never been to therapy or have been taught to do this! With that being said, I had a really hard time getting into this book. I finally had to switch gears and listen to the book verses reading it on my kindle because I could not get into it. The layout of the book (chapters within chapters) made it awkward when reading. I felt like I understood it more listening to it. I would recommend listening to this book, especially if you're a Christian and trying to understand what it means to be emotionally healthy.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This book is so good! I have recommended to multiple of my friends already! It lays out a map to healing trauma from as early as childhood. I have had lots of conversations about what I learned already and am implementing her methods already. The only thing that's a little bit of a negative is there are so many stories and narratives. I would rather skip most of those and just get the meat of the book.

Jennie Allen has a gift of not only telling her story but touching our story and encouraging us to dig deeper into our why we do what we do and how we can better embrace our emotions for good. This book was exactly what I need right now in this moment of my life.

3.5 ⭐️ I wanted to absolutely love this book and did love some parts of it, but also didn’t get as much out of it as I’d hoped. Up until about halfway through the book, the author frequently says to “feel your feelings” or “untangle your emotions” without any practical suggestions as to how to go about doing this. That said, it’s an incredible raw and honest book; I greatly respect the author for the vulnerability she displays through her words. At times, the book is so personal that it feels like reading the author’s diary. It’s also told in a very conversational and relatable manner.

It had moments that would make me stop and reflect that I greatly appreciated, but other times it felt incredibly repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jennie Allen, and WaterBrook for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Untangle Your Emotions is a valuable book for any Christian who is seeking to understand their emotions. Growing up I heard a lot of talk about controlling your emotions. Allen shows how this is not helpful. She gives a good balance on understanding and recognizing emotions without becoming overly emotion. We don't want to be ruled by our emotions, but they should be recognized and seen. I highly recommend this for all Christians who want to have a better grasp of the role of emotions in their lives.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy.

I connected to some parts of this, but I don't think it was necessarily for me. Glad that there is a focus on mental health!

I thought I was going to love this title but ended up DNF’ing it about a quarter of the way through. I feel like the majority of what I read was about the author and her feelings, which made it hard for me to identify and try to work through my own emotions.

I loved this book! It’s so helpful, practical, and needed in our world today. Jennie is such a wise voice for those who want to grow their faith. Highly recommend!!

I really enjoyed this book. Jennie had a lot of good things to say, even if at times it felt like she was saying the same thing over again or saying something I have already heard before. I really liked how much she connected our feelings to the Gospel and the many reminders that we were created to feel and it's not bad to feel, it's bad to act on those feelings in a sinful way.

If I could give 10 stars for this book I would. I didn’t know what to do with my emotions. This book has given me permission to not ignore them but to feel them. It also helped me recognize the true emotion that I’m feeling. When I do this, I am able to figure out why I’m feeling the way I do. Before, I would just have a feeling and not know why. Because of this book, I am keeping track of my emotions. It turns out that I feel several emotions every day and it’s not just feeling sad or happy. It goes deeper than that. I discovered that I am a fixer as well! Although I was given an advanced copy of the digital version, I ended up reading the hardcopy. I’m so glad that I have this to add to my bookshelf. I definitely will be reading this one again!

This is the first book I have read by Jennie Allen, although a couple of her other books are in my TBR pile, and now that I have read this one I am looking forward to reading the others even more. I am working through depression and anxiety in my own life, and how that plays into my emotions and thought processes, and having grown up in the church I am also trying to unlearn some of the habits I picked up there. This book speaks with empathy into those issues, and gives biblical and concrete processes to help out with this work. I enjoyed the personal stories that were shared, as they took the lessons from a simply academic aspect, and allowed me to see some of the practical aspects of what I was learning. I hope I can put what I read in this book to good use. I did have one problem with how she shared that her GP will ask patients to make some lifestyle changes before prescribing antidepressants. Although I understand the rationale, as someone who is currently working through a bit of a downward turn in my depression journey, I don't have the mental or even in some cases physical ability to make the lifestyle changes without the help of the medication. This may be what Jennie meant, but the way it was worded it gave me a little bit of concern that someone might read it and think that if they haven't started exercising, eating better and reaching out to God more they shouldn't be trying antidepressants yet. In my life antidepressants aren't a last resort, they are a resource that has allowed me to make better use of all the other resources available to me.

I really love Jennie Allen - however if you have done therapy and have an understanding of emotions then you can probably skip this book. This is more for people who haven’t already but in the work in therapy

Another great Jennie Allen book that makes you confront your issues and get to work resolving them so you can be a healthier human! This is one I will definitely read again!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions in this review are my own.

I'd like to start my review by saying that I think Allen's heart for this topic is so important. The American church has been known to belittle or even vilify emotions in a non-biblical extent. I'm rating this book 3 stars because I don't think there was anything inherently wrong in it. (Although I didn't love the use of the word "joy" as a starting point for all positive emotions but... semantics.)

Unfortunately I found this book promising lots and delivering little. I kept waiting for new revelations from the content, but it all felt very basic. There was also little scripture to be found for the points that were made. While I agreed with a lot of what she said, I can not think of a new concept I learned or new perspective I was shown.

There were multiple times in this book that Jennie mentions wishing she should have a cup of coffee with the reader to hear their story in relation to the topic at hand. With this, I think she illustrates the problem I had with this book, that it is too broad and surface-level to invite much conversation or deep thought. Overall, I think it would have made a much better podcast subject or long-form essay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. However in full disclosure I decided to wait until the audiobook was available to listen.

I loved this book! Jennie is vulnerable about her and her families journey with their emotions. She is relatable in her vulnerability. She also provides practical ways to untangle our emotions, and encourages us to not avoid our emotions but to connect first with God through them and then others.

Do you know what you're feeling right now?

Last night, when you said something stupid you didn't mean because you got angry or confused

... or today when you went into another meeting with that "hostile" person or topic and didn't know how to respond?

HELP!

Allen offers insights for identifying and using your emotional life for good rather than harm. She encourages the reader to use the power of emotions to understand, assist, and boost you personally and professionally.

Highly recommended. Check out all the podcasts she's done (interviews with influencers) to get a sense of what you're missing if this is still on the shelf. It's been an instant bestseller. When you read it, you'll know why.

This book felt like talking to a friend, and I loved that. This was my “bathtub book”, and every night, as I soaked in my bubbles, it felt like a friend was telling me, “of course trying to figure out how you’re feeling is hard. But let’s just look at it this way at first: are you feeling good or bad?” (Very paraphrased)

I think going into this one, you need to know what to expect. It is NOT a deep theological book and it doesn’t go super deep into emotions and feelings and the “why’s” behind them. It’s a short book, chock full of friendly encouragement and wisdom.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has trouble knowing their feelings and/or condemning feelings. There are light ties to God and faith.

Favorite quotes:
“It turns out you can’t feel feelings while you’re preoccupied with fixing them.”

“Your feelings aren’t trying to control you - they are trying to tell you something.”

“Controlling our emotions is not the goal. Healing them and expressing them in a healthy way is.”

“Feelings show up in our minds. Feelings show up in our bodies. Feelings show up in our actions.”

“We think God us waiting for us to pull ourselves together, but actually He is waiting for us to come to Him and fall apart.”

“We can’t be present with God and others when we’re refusing to be present with ourselves.”

Overall, an encouraging, easy read 💗

As with every other elder millennial it seems, I'm learning how to feel my feelings and this book was really helpful. Jennie Allen lays out how to process emotions and feelings without either succumbing to every whim or shoving down every feeling and refusing to acknowledge them.
Perfect reading for those of us trying to better ourselves.

I needed this book. I feel so wrapped up in everything going on around me and it helped me channel my emotions. Jennie is an incredible author that knows how to reach each person's heart in an unassuming way. If you are trying sort out your feelings and balance your plate, this is the book for you!