Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely

Great content but crazy monotone voice reading it!! Read the book, the audio will put you to sleep.

I absolutely love this book! I have read other books by Holley Gerth, and loved them as well, but Fiercehearted is on a whole different level. Holley is so genuine, vulnerable, and down to earth in this book. She shares past experiences from her life, and no matter what experience she shares, she finds a way to bring it around to God and gives Him all the glory. From meeting her husband, to going through the pain and heartbreak of infertility, to adopting her daughter when her daughter was 20 years old, and even now, the joy of being a first time NaNa! Through every joy, every trial, every heartbreak, and every blessing, Holley gives God all the glory and continues to strive to be a fiercehearted woman!Holley has a heart for helping women become comfortable in their own skin. She is not only an amazing writer, but also a counselor and life coach. In this book, she shows us how to avoid the "comparison trap", embrace our lives, be the women that God created us to be by using the gifts He blessed us with. To live fully and to love bravely, and to be a fiercehearted woman!During the launch of this book Holley had a giveaway and one lucky winner would receive an hour long phone call from Holley! That lucky winner was me! On the evening of the scheduled phone call I was a bit nervous, wondering if I could think of enough things to talk about for an hour. I was so blessed and touched by our phone call. Holley was so easy to talk to, and seemed like I had known her for years! She prayed for some specific things for me, and it was the most heartfelt, beautiful prayer I have ever heard! Thank you Holley! You truly touched my life through that phone call and through this book!This book is written in short chapters and is such an easy read. I had a hard time putting it down, and plan to read it again! I have already bought copies to give to other women in my life that I know will be just as blessed as I have been by reading Fiercehearted! I give Holley Gerth and Fiercehearted 5 stars!!!!!I was given a free copy of this book from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my honest review. This is my honest review.

Holley bravely tells a story in every chapter of "Fiercehearted" that is honest and vulnerable. She takes readers into different parts of her story, shares lessons she learned, grace she received, and unexpected joys she experienced. She shares her journey to becoming a fiercehearted woman and invites readers to do the same.I am surprised at Holley’s definition of a fiercehearted woman. Instead of, “I am woman, hear me roar,” I am challenged into come from a place of hurt, brokenness, and uncertainty. To consider the smallness, the ordinary, and the mundane. I am an Enneagram #4. I fear the mundane and run from the ordinary, but I learn that being fiercehearted means opening myself to the very things I fear and allowing Christ to change me. To live fully and love bravely from the rhythms of life I try to run from.“I am slowly learning to be a woman who has the gumption (as we say in the South) to set things down so she may move forward, so she may be present.” (Holley Gerth, "Fiercehearted").This is also where I am at the moment. Throughout her book, Holley encourages us to view being fiercehearted as being in the state of slow learning, or showing up in pajamas, or fighting battles through counseling. We don’t have to be put together, big hair, flawless makeup, and making all the money to be fiercehearted. Holley shows us how to be fiercehearted just as we are.Another thing I love about this book are the word art. Poignant reminders like: "Let’s make this our declaration: instead of trying to have it all together, we will dare to do real, messy, imperfect life all together." (Holley Gerth, "Fiercehearted").I recommend "Fiercehearted" for your next read. Holley will encourage you and challenge you to look at being fiercehearted in a different light.I received a free Advanced Reader’s Copy of “Fiercehearted” as part of the launch team and in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I believe this is Holley's best book yet! She had me hooked from the very first page. This book is like a conversation with a down to earth friend over a cup of coffee.Here is a little quote from chapter 14 on prayer. "I think maybe this is how prayer is too. It's really just a lifelong conversation with someone we love. When we forget that, when we make prayer a task to be done in a certain way, we can miss the point entirely. And all the while, God is standing right there in front of us, holding out his hand to us because he just wants to walk us Home." (pg. 73) Such a beautiful picture!I do have to admit that chapter 7 was probably one of my favorites. She tells about a favorite story that her mama told as she was tucked into bed at night. It helps us to remember that we shouldn't be afraid to get messy and that we should have a childlike faith. Here's how she ends the chapter: "Little else is as compelling and glorious as a giddy child, mud-covered and grinning, because they know how loved and safe they are even while thunder sounds in the distance." Doesn't that make you want to read it?This book has been a blessing in my life and I hope that you will consider getting a copy for yourself and all of your friends so you too can sit down and discuss all that God has in store for your lives.

This book seriously grew on me! I had just happened upon it on Kindle, had heard briefly of the author, thought I'd try it and loved it!Very down to earth, personal and practical. I wasn't too impressed initially as I'm not to keen on what I call fluffy descriptive writing or waxing lyrical e.g. (these are not in the book, just my description) "the colours were like a floor of scattered autumn leaves" or "air smelled like freshly baked cornbread on a cold morning" etc etc. But once I got past that and the first few chapters, she slowly became so real, so familiar (could see my story in her stories and experiences) and so practical (which I like. Raise a point then give a solution) that I couldn't put the book down once I had started! Well selected experiences shared, relevant life lessons and applications (beautiful quotes from other authors), poignant and real ending and the hand and heart of God seen through every page. Thanks for sharing your heart and life Holley. Will definitely recommend (already have!🙂).

This book is just so real and heartening, beautiful and biblical. I feel that I want to start again at the beginning.

Thank you, Holley, for a book that was written just for me!! Women, read this book and become more fiercehearted!!

Fantastic book, really enjoying journeying with holley.

I have so many lines in this book highlighted! Some because they’re comforting, encouraging, or challenging, and others because the word pictures are beautiful.With short, conversational chapters transparently reflecting the author’s life experiences, Fiercehearted touches on topics common to many women: conflict avoidance, identity, self-worth, insecurity, success, perfectionism, expectations, failure, work, depression, friendship, and more.Highly recommended for Christian women, and especially for those who appreciate the writing of Emily P. Freeman, Carolyn Watts (Hearing the Heartbeat), and Ann Voskamp.