Member Reviews
Jennie Allen truly hit the mark on this one. Such a needed book in this time and a topic that is not talked about enough. Everyone should read this book.
Jennie Allen has once again written a book that is well researched, scripturally based, and deeply honest. Untangle Your Emotions is both challenging and informative. I will read it over and over just like Get Out of Your Head. Thank you Jennie for this guidepost to embracing a healthy relationship with my emotions.
I’m grateful to NetGalley and Water Brook Multnomah publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
“Feelings don’t heal when we ignore them; they heal when we are wrapped up by the people we love in the middle of them.”
Loved this book. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we have permission to feel our feelings.
Jennie always writes in a relatable way without sounding like she’s trying too hard to.
Jeannie bring great insight and perspective in this novel, proposing that we view our emotions as gifts. She gives tips and tools to utilize your emotions for your benefit from a biblical perspective.
Of course I thinking I'm fine I don't really need this but it's Jennie, so I'm gonna read it anyway. Boy was I surprised first few pages right off the bat. Kinda got me thinking and feeling and maybe even some crying Sometimes there's a little things that make a snap yell or just wanna pull the covers up over ahead at night. Those are feelings, feelings, that we deny feelings we pushed aside feelings we just stuff down, pretend they're not there, and we move along to the next thing until we can't!
This is just what I need to break down and learn how to process things and deal with them instead of just brushing them under the covers and pretending they don't exist.
God definitely put this book on my hands at the right time!
Untangle Your Emotions by Jennie Allen
Jennie Allen writes a new book on becoming a healthier version of you by feeling your feelings rather than fixing them.
After reading Allen’s book, “Find Your People,” with a bible study last year, I was so excited to receive this ARC! It did have a few good one-liners about emotions and how we should be using them as a way to connect to ourselves, people, and God. But overall, this book was not what I thought it was going to be. When I am reading a Christian author, I hope that the information that I am reading is based on Biblical teaching. Much of what I read was Allen’s own thoughts and experiences, most of which I could not relate to. It almost felt as though she was speaking to people who picked up the book not realizing she was trying to spread the Gospel through it. I have no problem with this, but I just didn’t see it going much deeper. She put a lot of emphasis on what her therapist said rather than what the Bible says. I was almost a quarter into the book before a verse was quoted. When there was scripture it seemed to be used out of context. What was said was very repetitive and throughout the book she kept making promises for later in the book. I don’t feel like I ever got to those promises. All in all, this is not a book I would recommend. It just fell flat for me, but I really did enjoy her previous work and ongoing efforts towards a gospel-centered community.
I loved this book, how honest she was about her and husband's stories. As in her previous books she gave a workable plan and tips, backed with Scripture . She points back to Jesus and helps people to see how The Bible is basis for all emotions
This book was phenomenal! I didn't realize I had been concealing and controlling my emotions, instead of feeling them. This book is helping me notice what I feel, name those feelings, and to FEEL those feelings. I am starting to feel present again, instead of just trying to get by every day and focus on what's coming next. I highly recommend this book.
If you are struggling to allow yourself experience your emotions and learn from this then this is the book for you. Jennie shares her story and embraces vulnerability to teach us how to honor God and the emotions He created.
I devoured this book in less than a week! Jennie writes from a place of experience and humility about a topic often misunderstood in the Christian community— feelings! I appreciated her practical, biblical take on the God-given purpose of emotions and what to do when we have them. I have been putting the wisdom of this book into practice for the last month and it has already brought me closer to God and others. This is a book I will revisit for years to come!
I love the way Jennie write and connects with her audience. She invites you in. You feel as if you’re in her own living room sharing a cup of coffee. If you’re feeling like you need a refresh from the ordinary things in life, this book will give you the tools to work through your emotions and know what you feel, is normal.
I wish I had this book years ago to help me with my emotions. Jennie explains better than a therapist what stuffing feelings can do and how doing so leads to depression and anxiety. God feels deeply and is there right along with us on the journey. Thank you, Jennie!
This book invites the reader in a conversational, casual tone to name and feel emotions. I appreciated the emphasis on emotions being natural and good to have, and then what to do with the emotions upon feeling them. While the content was a bit more introductory and anecdotal for my writing style preference, there are several takeaways I expect will stay with me and I know this book will be helpful to so many people.
Thank you NetGalley and WaterBrook Multnomah for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺, 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵 -𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭- 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.”
“𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.”
“𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.”
I love Jennie Allen and how she approaches mental health, discipleship, Scripture, and now our emotions. Her book Get Out of Your Head was among my top reads in 2020 and her latest is a continuation of what she started in that book.
Our mental health and emotions are so deeply tied to one another and to our life experiences. Allen approaches these things with compassion, honesty, and accountability. As a believer who works in the behavioral/mental health field, I appreciate the depth to her books. She offers research, science, and Scripture to support her words of insight and encouragement. A lot of what she says sounds so simple but with further reflection I dare say we all struggle with it; the tendency to want to fix or hide our emotions rather than feel them because they make us uncomfortable. Allen reminds us that emotions are a good thing! They are valid and the Bible even validates them. It’s okay for us to have them, to feel them, and there shouldn’t be shame about them or a need to suppress them as they provide insight into ourselves. I mean, Jesus Himself felt anger and grief and He is our example. What is important is 1) understanding why certain things cause us to feel the way we do and 2) learning how to manage them in healthy ways.
Regardless if you’re a Christian or not, her words of wisdom are worth reading. Thanks NetGalley and Waterbrook Multnomah for the gifted advanced reader e-copy.
This book has been an incredible read for me. I have been a 'feeler' all my life but was always so ashamed of my feelings. Then becoming a Christian meant I needed to learn to put faith over my feelings. I love how Jennie says that "the point of life is connection - with God, with our own hearts and with the people God puts in our distinctive corners of the world." We are supposed to be feeling our feelings and encouraging others to do the same, not immediately kicking them to the curb like they were something sinful. Connection is truly one of the greatest gifts God has given us and it is forged and maintained through emotional connection with ourselves, God and other people. Something I never thought of before is our emotions are proof that we were made in the image of God. I love that truth so much! I highly recommend this powerful book, we all need this! I will be letting all my friends know about this awesome book! They will love it as much as I did!
Y’all, this book!!! I already knew Jennie Allen, as I had completed her “Get Out of Your Head” study, and I did enjoy it. But, after reading her newest book, I want to be her best friend!!! “Untangle Your Emotions” really hit me at my core. I am an emotional human for sure, and the permissions this book gave me to feel my feelings, to share with others, to give it to God, to seek help were life-giving!
This book read like a conversation with a friend, and I truly appreciate that in non-fiction. And, this conversation couldn’t have come at a more fitting time for me! Thank you, Jennie, for sharing your wisdom and your heart and your life with us in these pages!
Y’all, go buy this book!!! You won’t be disappointed!
(Thank you Net Galley for sending me an Advanced Reader’s Copy.)
Whether you are a stuffer (like me) or you feel all your emotions, this book is for you! You'll learn or be reminded how emotions are gifts from God to help us to notice if we're OK or not OK. We learn to name, feel, share and choose. By doing those things, we invite the opportunity to draw closer to God and others!
Allen’s book was really timely for me.
I have never read the Bible specifically looking for examples of emotions, so I was fascinated by the examples Allen provided in well-known stories. The steps of identifying your emotions were helpful, if not repetitive to help set the habit of regularly being aware of your feelings. Sometimes I felt that the narration that states that Allen is writing the book or specifically speaking to the reader made the matter feel less timeless. But in this case, it feels right, knowing that Allen is a public speaker and is accustomed to directly addressing her audience.
My biggest takeaway from Allen is that rather than just practicing verbalizing and recognizing my emotions, I also need to tell my safe people, so we can journey to growth together. I look forward to spending more time reflecting on the questions on various topics to go deeper on my own emotional journey. If you’re interested in learning how to identify emotions, to share feelings and to act on them without sin on this is a book for you.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.
Jennie Allen's exploration of emotions was super relatable to me, as I often let my emotions lead my actions. I have enjoyed Allen's commentary for years and this book was no exception. Her writing is insightful, biblical, and gives the reader call to action. Looking forward to Allen's other books!
I felt like this book was a great start to exploring your feelings and faith. It touches on a lot of things on the initial process of learning about yourself and your own story.