5 Love Languages (Singles Edition) by Gary Chapman

Simple ways to strengthen any relationship

With more than 10 million copies sold, The 5 Love Languages® continues to transform relationships worldwide. And though originally written for married couples, its concepts have proven applicable to families, friends, and even coworkers.

The premise is simple: Each person gives and receives love in a certain language, and speaking it will strengthen that relationship. For singles, that means you can:

• Understand yourself and others better
• Grow closer to family, friends, and others you care about
• Gain courage to express your emotions and affection
• Discover the missing ingredient in past relationships
• Date more successfully
  and more

Whether you want to be closer to your parents, reach out more to your friends, or give dating another try, The 5 Love Languages®: Singles Edition will give you the confidence you need to connect with others in a meaningful way.  

"Nothing has more potential for enhancing one's sense of well-being than effectively loving and being loved. This book is designed to help you do both of these things effectively." — Gary Chapman

Includes a quiz to help you learn your love language, plus a section on the pros and cons of online dating.

My Review

I've always heard such great things about Gary Chapman and his Love Language books, but this is the first time I've been able to read his works. And it couldn't have come at a better time!

Seeing as I'm a single young woman, I was excited to see a "Singles Edition."  I liked the idea that this would relate to me more than one that gear towards to the married stage of life. Though the message of love is the same, the stories are more relatable because they're about singles; even single mom's.

Everyone one has their own love language. What does this mean? We each have a way that we feel loved by friends and family and those around us. For me, there were so many insightful things to consume I had to take breaks between most of the chapters simply to digest, review and reflect.

Relationships with friends and family or coworkers, whether strained or almost non-existent, Gary Chapman goes through some scenarios and resolutions to paint a portrait of love, to encourage those like myself that it can work/help. If we just try and don't give up hope. We want those around us to feel loved.  

Gary Chapman's 5 Love Language's hit home on a very deep personal level. Not a word of it wasted. Now I just have to find courage to work on speaking the love languages in the relationships in my life.

I've taken the Love Quiz before but unless you read the whole book you don't truly understand their meanings!

I'll share one of my top 3 languages:

• Quality Time

I really can't rave enough about this book; I'm even curious to read the other books just to gain more knowledge on how to love other types of people!

I give this book a 5 out of 5!

I received this book for free from the publisher’s in exchange for this honest and unbiased review as part of Moody Publishers Bloggers Review program.

Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson

Book Description

Your Grace-Filled Guide to Relationships

It's hard, sometimes, to get over that thing your husband said weeks ago; or to resolve that tension with your colleague at work; or to fix a lifelong friendship that's taken a bad turn. The biggest problem with relationships is they always seem to involve sinners--including ourselves. So how can we form strong, resilient bonds with people who, like us, are bound to mess up? 

Thankfully, it's not all on us. Through stories and biblical teaching, Jessica Thompson helps us move beyond trying to "fix" the people we interact with, and shows us a better way. Though our relationships may be marred by tension and frustration, because we are welcomed and known by Christ, they don't have to stay that way.

My Review

I wish I could go through every chapter and have a deep discussion about every subject in this book. I've only felt that way about one another author. This is the first book I've read from Jessica Thompson, but I absolutely love what she shares in this book.

Starting with a foreword by Elyse Fitzpatrick, Jessica's mother, you get a great feel for where this book is going. It's not a quick-fix, "how to" book on relationships. Instead, it's about Christ, how much he truly loves us, and how that can change our lives, especially our relationships. Extending the same grace God gave us to those around us an in our lives and relationships.

"If there's one commodity in this world that's rare, it's got to be grace. Let's face it, we all live in a quid quo world, a world in which we're taught to believe that "what goes around comes around." ⎼ Elyse Fitzpatrick.

Jessica shares stories from her and some of her friends lives to paint portraits of grace and how we all fail at relationships but because of God's unfailing love we Him to help us and love us through it, and teach us how to show love and grace to others. I found myself constantly looking to my Bible at the verses Jessica references throughout the book. It was wonderful!

This is a book every woman, and truthfully any Christian, should read and buy for their friends and family! I felt truly encouraged and inspired after reading this book! I will be reading this book again (which I don't do very often!)

I give this book a 5 out of 5! (I wish I could give it an even higher rating than that!)

I received this book for free from the publisher’s in exchange for this honest and unbiased review as part of Bethany House Review program.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

Book Description

Tired of the game? Kiss dating goodbye.

Going out? Been dumped? Waiting for a call that doesn't come? Have you tasted pain in dating, drifted through one romance or, possibly, several of them?

Ever wonder, Isn't there a better way?

I Kissed Dating Goodbye shows what it means to entrust your love life to God. Joshua Harris shares his story of giving up dating and discovering that God has something even better-- a life of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness.

My Review

Timeless is the only way I can describe Joshua Harris's books.

Almost 18 years ago, Joshua Harris decided to write a radical book on dating or saying goodbye to it. Now I know what some of you might be thinking "giving up dating? How am I supposed to find the love of my life?"
Here's the thing, he's not saying goodbye to the love of your life, he's saying "find the love of your life God's way, not the worlds way"! This book is not filled with rules and regulations on what to do and not do but rather opens our eyes to the way the world is dating.

"The world takes us to the silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "this is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love." 

~ Joshua Harris. 

 I kissed dating is about God and how we can honor Him and love the people he has graced us in our walk on this earth. Worldly dating is selfish and hurtful. Not just for you, but the people you are involved with too. How are we to show the love of Christ to others if we're in such a hurry to take the very hearts intended for God and unwrapping them like they were just a simple candy wrapper for this amazing piece of chocolate? If we're not committed to eating the chocolate then why are we unwrapping it before it's time?
Joshua Harris covers just about everything, even questions I hadn't quite reached yet he answered. Like, "how should I get to know someone if I'm not dating?" And he goes beyond that. Treat all people of the opposite sex as brothers and sisters first and foremost and then if you are interested in someone, pray about he/him and see where God leads you.
He even asks you questions like "where are you in life? Are you ready to be in a committed relationship? Are you ready for marriage?" He even covers commitment and recreational dating and staying pure in the relationships we do/will have.

"Just because something feels good doesn't mean we should pursue it now. We have to remember that the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing." 

~Joshua Harris 

What I loved about it all was I didn't feel pressured to follow, rather I was inspired to follow and honor God! It made me realize how much I want a relationship that will glorify and make him happy. I almost forgot I was reading a book on dating, which is a good thing. So many people focus on  one aspect in a book that you don't learn what really matters and why it's important. Joshua Harris widened my spectrum to God's love and what I can do to love him back, as well as love and cherish that special someone I have yet to meet and take as my own.

"I encourage you to write a love story with your life that you'll feel proud to tell." 

~Joshua Harris

I am encouraged.

Checkout his second book I reviewed Boy Meets Girl. Saying hello to courthship. You will love it. A beautiful continuation, yet stand alone book, to this wonderful book. You won't be able to put either of them down!