In Bloom | A Book Review + Giveaway
DISCLAIMER: I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. Want to be a B&H/LifeWay blogger too? Apply at bhbloggers.com. The giveaway at the end of this post is done in partnership with Kayla Aimee, this books author, in celebration of the launch of In Bloom.
In Bloom:
Poignant, laugh-out-loud-funny, a must-read book for any woman who has ever felt like she just doesn’t measure up.—Crystal Paine, New YorkTimes best-selling author Every woman is intimately acquainted with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Whether fueled by a culture of makeover shows, by the lingering memories of mean girls, or by events much more wounding to the soul, we can become so conditioned by self-doubt that it becomes our inner monologue. What we want is to be free of shame and comparison, to turn our uncertainty into a bold confidence. But to flourish in our own skin, we first have to rewrite the narrative. In this fearless, funny, and refreshingly relatable chronicle of her own metamorphosis from the insecurity that once held her captive, author Kayla Aimee unfolds the blueprint for women to: • Identify the deep-seated sources of our assumed inadequacy and replace them with steadfast truths of scriptural affirmation • Replace our need for approval with the enduring promise of acceptance • Uncover our purpose, unlock our potential, and celebrate the God-given gifts in our unique personality To every woman who longs for belonging, this journey through Kayla’s inviting prose, biblical promises, and journaling prompts will help guide her from restless insecurity to a beautiful becoming. Poignant, laugh-out-loud-funny, a must-read book for any woman who has ever felt like she just doesn’t measure up.—Crystal Paine, New YorkTimes bestselling author
Every woman is intimately acquainted with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Whether fueled by a culture of makeover shows, by the lingering memories of mean girls, or by events much more wounding to the soul, we can become so conditioned by self-doubt that it becomes our inner monologue. What we want is to be free of shame and comparison, to turn our uncertainty into a bold confidence. But to flourish in our own skin, we first have to rewrite the narrative. In this fearless, funny, and refreshingly relatable chronicle of her own metamorphosis from the insecurity that once held her captive, author Kayla Aimee unfolds the blueprint for women to: • Identify the deep-seated sources of our assumed inadequacy and replace them with steadfast truths of scriptural affirmation • Replace our need for approval with the enduring promise of acceptance • Uncover our purpose, unlock our potential, and celebrate the God-given gifts in our unique personality To every woman who longs for belonging, this journey through Kayla’s inviting prose, biblical promises, and journaling prompts will help guide her from restless insecurity to a beautiful becoming.
As women, we often fight what seems like a never-ending battle with insecurity. I am one of those women who has fought the uphill battle with insecurity my whole life. I was bullied as a kid, and honestly, the things that were said to me and about me back then left scars. Scars that, to this day, I am still working on healing from.
In the world we live in today, and the era of social media, we are being constantly bombarded with false images of perfection. We have been infiltrated with Hollywood’s idea of of what women should look like, talk like, act like, and be like. Kayla Aimee offers a refreshing perspective on overcoming the constant battle of insecurity by providing Biblical truths about insecurity that are both actionable and practical.
When I was reading this book, I have never related so much to a book or its author as I did with In Bloom. Kayla’s words are beautiful, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable. This is most definitely a book that every woman should read that battle’s with insecurity. I felt my heart saying “me too” and “she totally gets where I am coming from” over and over again.
But it doesn’t stop there. Kayla combats the insecurity lies with the Biblical truth that we can live in freedom and have confidence in who we are because of what Jesus says about us. We often chase after temporary satisfaction through the views of others. We try to “measure up” to the world’s unrealistic and unattainable standards of what it means to be somebody. To be known. And, when we don’t find the satisfaction that we so deeply crave, we end up insecure because we keep falling back into the deep hole of comparison and can’t get out.
I love what Kayla says about this in the book. She says that:
“When we chase validation instead of sanctification, we never find a reprieve from our own self-doubt. It’s an excruciating thing to seek acceptance where it should be given freely, and it’s a freeing thing to find an everlasting acceptance that doesn’t have to be sought.”
When we dig our heels into the affirmation and love of Christ instead of in latching on to what the world says of us, we are free. If we look for satisfaction in the things or people of the world instead of the thoughts and ways of Christ, we will walk away empty every time. Earthly love and standards will utterly fail us every time, but God’s love is steadfast, and His ways are pure, true, and reliable for our fragile hearts and minds, and we can fully trust Him.
At the end of chapter 8 in In Bloom, Kayla has this to say:
“You are never abandoned. You are never alone. You are loved to the end of the age.”
No matter what we face, we can rest assured that God is steadfast, He never leaves us, will not abandon us, and loves us unconditionally just the way we are (flaws, insecurities and all) to the end of the age. There is no human alive that can measure up to God’s standard of love, which is why He is trustworthy.
Us humans will utterly fail every time we try to “measure up” or “fit in” because we aren’t perfect. We were never created to be that way, and our standards of each other and of ourselves will never ever be satisfactory. Reading In Bloom gives you a refreshing sense of freedom, because Kayla tackles all of the issues we face with insecurity. I said earlier that her book was relatable, and it is. Here’s why: Kayla is so relatable in her book In Bloom, because you get the sense that she either read your diary, or was hanging out inside your head listening to the thoughts and cries of your heart. There isn’t one thing in the book that I couldn’t relate to because insecurity is something that I know for a fact all of us women struggle with.
We think that by living someone else’s life or having someone else’s things is going to make us happy, and when we get those things and they don’t satisfy us, we are left feeling empty and insecure. The reason for this, is that each of us were created by God to fulfil a unique purpose. We each have a God shaped hole inside of us that only God can fill. It’s our deepest heart cry. When we try to fill that God shaped hole with earthly things like possessions and standards of other humans, we are left completely and utterly empty. But, when we stop trying to fill ourselves with the false promises of humans and instead fill our hearts with the eternal, completely satisfied promises of Christ, we are completely fulfilled and those insecurities we once had of ourselves fade away into the background because we are seeing ourselves through a new lens. The lens of the Gospel and the way Jesus sees us, and that, my beautiful friends, is what matters.
If you are wanting some practical and actionable tips on how to turn that insecurity upside down, then you have GOT to read Kayla’s book! You can buy it on Amazon, at LifeWay, Christian Book , Barnes & Noble, and anywhere else books are sold. Now, here’s the fun part you’ve been waiting for. It’s time for the GIVEAWAY! If you or another woman you know battles with insecurity on the daily, then this book would be the perfect gift for them! Especially this close to Valentine’s Day! *This giveaway will run from 2/9 – 2/16 at 12:00 am EST. Please enter fairly and be honest in your tasks! All entries will be verified before the winner is chosen on 2/16. If you lie about completing task, you may be disqualified from future giveaways that I host. All giveaway accounts will be automatically disqualified from the drawing. Thanks for understanding, and have fun! May the odds be ever in your favor. 😉
