Well hey there, Beloved! Today I’m excited because the only thing I love more than mac and cheese, rollerblading in the dark, or garlic powder is a good book and that’s exactly the topic of this post. There’s a lot of background information and review-like stuff below, so let’s get started on the scroll BUT FIRST:
Have you seen our new merchandise?
this is so snazzy 
as is this one 
and wow so double snazzy
Well, now you have. And, as you let that simmer . . . enjoy this book review. Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn actually released today so good timing, Amanda!
AN ENTERTAINING ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY
There’s a lady and she’s a mom who’s been through a lot and, like the lot of us, deals with The Left Out Syndrome and feels like none of the ladies around her accept her for who she is but then she saves a lady’s life and bakes cookies and they all become friends and bake more cookies.
MORE ENTERTAINING SHORT SUMMARIES
lots of peanut butter cookies
CRYING
lots of parties & gift exchanges
crazy rich aunts
freaky intelligent daughters
CALLING 911 AND DELIVERING A BABY
staying calm
not staying calm
pretending to be calm but #innerturmoil
cute old people at diners who eat pie and provide for unpayable bills (hello i’m right here will you help me too)
thoughts
We all have uncertain seasons of life. But God puts them there because we’re becoming us (See what I did there??? So witty).
I started reading the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn when I was 14 or 15 (it’s crazy to think that was only four years ago! It seems like forever). These books are just so relatable and encouraging. They don’t say anything we don’t know; but the truths presented in them are so foundational and uplifting. Stuff like
- God is with us
- God has a plan for us
- God gives and takes away
- blessed be His name!!
Becoming Us (purchase here)is kind of like a Hallmark movie. It’s feel-good and pure. It is a little fluffy, so it’s a good, light summer read. You could probably even get away with reading it in between classes. (if we were in class rn) (but most of us aren’t) (because THANK GOODNESS it’s summer)
If you haven’t read the Christy Miller series before you read Becoming Us, it will still make sense but I think you lose a bit of it because some of the characters make comments regarding their previous experiences.
(It’s kind of like when someone asks Do you know Mary Jo? And you don’t want to be lame and say no so you say Yes so they start telling you about something she did but you have no context so you’re just sitting there nodding your head acting like you know what they’re talking about but no you don’t)
Also, part of the appeal of this series was because I could relate to the season of life it was written in.
Even though I read The College Years during high school, I could at least relate to the idea of being in school.
Becoming Ustakes place when Christy and her friends are settled in their adulthood (they don’t think they are, but from a 19-year-old’s point of view, having two kids and a husband is pretty settled). The moms made lots of jokes and comments about being moms and I was sitting on a couch eating goldfish with Fixer Upper turned on and I was just like:
GIVE ME THE SECRETS I WANT TO BE IN ON THE JOKES. But #spoileralert I am not a mother.
It’s kind of is humorous to me that the women in this book are always having cutesy parties and giving themselves cutesy names. Reminds me of my friends and I; we LOVE going out and finding cute coffee shops and breakfast nooks.
It’s like a celebration of life.
However, even though I have a really close group of friends, we are just The Friends. Unfortunately, WE HAVE NOT THE CUTESY NAME.
If you haven’t ever read The Christy Miller series, I highly suggest you start. Hey: you have the whole summer in front of you. NO. EXCUSES. Then, bip on back to this book and you’ll be all like MANNNN I know all the background material for all these characters. Look at me. Such a boss.
(also, I was given a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for this honest review)
Make sure to grab your copy of Becoming Us!! Release day is a huge deal for authors, big and small, so I know it would mean a ton to Robin.
