Popular Christian blogger and author Kampakis’ latest offers daily doses of biblical teachings and anecdotes aimed at teen girls.
The opening author’s note acknowledges that “the comparison game is exhausting, isn’t it?” Insisting that a unique path—found through God—awaits them, Kampakis encourages readers to discover what’s real and remarkable about their own lives rather than comparing themselves to others. Each chapter highlights a particular topic, such as love, loneliness, boys, body image, trusting God, people-pleasing, faith, anxiety, humility, confidence, and hope. Each section contains a personal anecdote from the lives of the author, one of her daughters, or someone she’s crossed paths with. Specific tips, illuminating or comforting scriptures, and reflection questions (with ruled lines for recording your thoughts) follow. The accessible text, written in a friendly, conversational style, contains advice that refreshingly avoids emphasizing self-sacrifice or tenets of purity culture. Kampakis advocates for setting healthy boundaries, offering oneself grace, and seeking help from therapists when needed. Some examples from the author’s life, while supporting the lessons being conveyed, may be hard for younger readers to connect to, such as the stresses of overseeing home repairs following a natural disaster and the ups and downs of securing a publishing deal. The book’s physical design in pink and white is visually appealing, with takeaways and calls to center God and Christ highlighted in pink text.
A pragmatic and inviting Christian self-help resource. (endnotes) (Nonfiction. 13-18)
