I liked this a lot. Gina managed to write a book that was very relatable and she was so honest about the challenges in her life that it was very easy to understand her context and where she was coming from.
The only thing that annoyed my to no end was the overuse of the word "season". I know, once you find a word that fits precisely what you want to say, it is hard to think of another but since this is a book and not a live sermon, it deserves a bit more attention.
Nonetheless, I recommend this and I really enjoyed it.

4 stars
Making Peace with Change by Gina Brenna Butz really challenged me and spoke straight to my heart. I appreciated her many uses of Scripture accompanying her advice. This would make a wonderful gift for anyone who is going through a difficult time or struggling with a change in their life. It really is a phenomenal little book.
The only negative is she droned on quite a bit about how hard it was to return to the states. The bulk of the book was very good. But she surely had other examples to draw from.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.

Making Peace with Change: Navigating Life’s Messy Transitions with Honesty and Grace by Gina Brenna Butz

3 stars

“A friend of mine told me that when you move a plant, even from one room to another, it’s bound to wilt. It needs time to acclimate to its new surroundings. And so do we.”

Change is a given in life. Everyday you wake up, there is a new change to adjust to. However, there are also transitions. Huge life changes where your world is shaken up and everything you were planning doesn’t happen or you realize you were the planner and not God. Things fall apart or they come together. Transitions bring sorrow and joy. They can feel bad, but they are always for your own personal good. I am entering a huge season of transition. In all honesty, I feel like last semester and this current semester of college has been nothing, but major transitions. My first transition happened last semester when I started teaching twelve hours a week in a classroom with a mentor teacher while still being a full-time student. My second transition happened when I finished my last season of color guard and it’s weird after eight years to finally have closure while at the same time feeling like I had overstayed my welcome. My third transition has been teaching full-time this semester and barely being on my university campus which is hard for me because I don’t see my friends during the day or have autonomy anymore. I follow a strict and regimented schedule. These changes have been hard. Sometimes they have straight up sucked, but there has been more joy than I can even comprehend. God has been so good and loving to me while I struggle through these transitions. When I saw that there was a new Christian Living book coming out about finding peace with the transitions and changes in life, I jumped on the opportunity to pick it up. I read the opening introduction and thought I had found a new favorite book. My heart soared as Butz discussed change and growth while comparing it to flowers because that’s my Jesus jam and it will always make me giddy with excitement. It’s how God speaks to me. I hear His whisper in the flowers. However, most of the chapters in this book are mediocre chapters laced and buttered with sweet white girl Christianity. There are some beautiful sentences and great statements of encouragement, but I never really felt like Butz was calling me out and calling me to action. She was placating my already quiet soul and I was hungry for something besides what she provided. I would equate this book to eating a vanilla cupcake after you’ve eaten the icing. Once you lick it all off, it’s kind of sad while still being satisfying enough to finish eating. You just aren’t thrilled and you will probably forget that you even ate the cupcake by the end of the day. That was my experience, but it may not be yours. For that reason alone, if you feel an urge to pick this book up then DO IT.


“In choosing to grieve, we learn to worship the God who grieves with us.”

Betz really does have some great points on navigating hard situations and why staying in them can be beneficial as well as numbing and choosing to feel numb instead of processing emotions. My personal favorite chapter and why I truly believe God wanted me to read this book was Chapter 9: Navigating Grief. This chapter wrecked me and helped me process situations in my life where I had grieved, but refused to acknowledge that they were moments of grief. I would suggest picking this book up for that chapter alone because it was just that powerful. Betz is still a developing writer, but she has moments where she shines. I look forward to reading something else from her in the future.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 3

Cover Thoughts: I love this cover so much! I love the striking yellow leaf with a teal background. It automatically caught my eye when I first saw it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Our Daily Bread Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

We rarely look forward to change with open hearts and open minds. Butz does a masterful job of giving practical tools to help you in whatever new normal you might be facing. Making Peace with Change is a guidebook for those of us who are approaching change in the form of an empty-nest, new job, or new city. I am looking forward to sharing her words with many who are stuck in the past and not ready to embrace the future. Butz's writing style is easy to read and approachable which is encouraging.

Where was this book when I was going through... There was a time when I didn't do so well with change (good or bad). Okay, sometimes I still don't. However, reading this book put a finger on my sore spots (in a good way) to help highlight exactly what it was about change that had the potential to completely unravel me.

While the entire book is worth a read, Chapter 5 was a standout for me. I drank it in from the very first sentence. . "I hate messes..." Running after a life, career, relationship etc apart from God resonated deeply with me. I appreciate the author's honesty with her struggles ( in a world full of pretense) and how she managed them.

This would be a great book to work through with an intimate group of friends.

I don't usually give feedback on covers but this cover really drew me in. The yellow leaf... signifies a time of change, but trees don't fight it because somehow spring always returns.

This book was incredibly timely for me as I am currently re-entering America after serving overseas. The perspective of change not being something merely we have to endure but can be a gift to our spiritual growth was both comforting and refreshing. The ability to recognize the hard while also leaning into God's goodness as our anchor was a helpful reminder. Sometimes in the midst of change you just need to know that you are not alone but also have a "friend" speak the truth in love...this book was that friend for me. Thank you Gina Brenna Butz!

The author's personal stories make her relatable to the reader. So many of us are afraid of change and the author wrote a book that lets them know that it is ok to be hesitant and then offers personal stories and insight as to how her relationship with God has helped her in times of change.

I flew through the text in this book, because I just couldn't stop reading. While I don't directly relate to Gina's story and the situations she found herself in, I found I felt the same feelings with my own story. I loved how she took all the hard emotions that we have to sift through and brought them back to the gospel. The only way we can make it through the waves is by turning our eyes to the One on who we can build a strong foundation. Gina hit a home run with this reminder!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my opinions on the text.