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If My Husband Would Change, I'd Be Happy by Rhonda Stoppe - A Review

Just reading this title (and its subtitle) was a little reassuring to me.  I have thought those very words a number of times.  Obviously I wasn't the only one that had thought those ridiculous words. 

If My Husband Would Change, I'd Be Happy: And Other Myths Wives Believe is not quite what I was expecting, but that was a good thing!  I am not a great wife and mother, but I truly desire to BE a great wife and mother, so I have read a number of marriage books, and this one is actually different than most of them.  Although all the "Good Wife Guides" I have read are definitely Christian based, most of them still focus on the practical steps you can take to be an excellent wife.  This book truly focuses on the fact that you will only be fulfilled through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

From the back of the book:

Like most brides on their wedding day, you no doubt were filled with love for your husband and the hope of a happy life together.

But perhaps today, as the realities of life together have settled in, those happy expectations are going unfulfilled. And it's tempting to think, "If only my husband would change, I'd be happy."

That myth is but one of many that Rhonda Stoppe dispels in her easy-to-read exploration of what it takes to experience a truly happy marriage. In the process, she addresses such important topics as

-understanding your husband's need for your unconditional respect
-rekindling the love that drew you to your husband in the first place
-refusing to believe the lie that you'd be happier married to someone else
-learning to be content in the midst of financial struggles
-thinking about sex from a biblical worldview
If you desire to rekindle the love and hope you felt on your wedding day, this book will go a long way toward making that dream come true.
Contains discussion questions and personal reflections at the end of each chapter.

Rhonda Stoppe is a good author, from the very beginning of the book she is engaging and non-judgmental.  She opens with humor, which is something I always appreciate. 

I read the book in just a few days (and not only because I needed to finish it in time for my review date!), and enjoyed it.  My only complaint about the book is that she is rather self-promoting sometimes.  Each chapter ends with an invitation to look at something on her website.  She also hints at some stories and ideas she has, but has already covered in other books, so she doesn't mention them here. 



While at first I didn't appreciate the fact that she was urging us to buy her other products while reading the book, after thinking about it a little I realized that she was avoiding a huge flaw that many prolific writers of non-fiction have: writing the same book over and over.  How many times have you picked up a new book because it was by an author you respected, only to find that half the book is the same stories or lessons you have read a handful of times before, with only a little bit of new information thrown in?  As an avid reader of non-fiction, I have noticed this a few times.  By just explaining that she wrote about that in her other book she is letting you know that she has more to say on the topic without boring people that have read her other books.

Overall I think this book is a meaningful, but still fun, read. 

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2a9Izc6

http://litfusegroup.com/author/rstoppe

I received a copy of this book free of charge to review from LitFuse.  All opinions are my own.

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