Go Bravely is a personal testimony from Emily Hussem on her religious journey. Thought-out this book she goes over several  accounts of her personal growth and how it can directly correlate with your lives. Not only faith, but the struggles and insecurities you have as a women are brought up and fleshed out. I love the how beautifully made this book is and the message she shares. My favorite aspect of the book is at the end of each chapter there is a  "Take Action" section. Not only does she explain on how to improve your relationship with God, but gives you real world tasks on how to achieve those things.

The books cover initially drew me in it was so pretty. This book is actually about faith, bravery, as a woman in modern times. 

This book is mainly for younger Christian woman with the message: love yourself, be brave, chase your fears away. Don't let insecurity get you down. Well done book but I wouldnt read it twice.

*I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Like others below, I did not read the synopsis carefully enough because this was a very Christian themed book, (which is fine). I grew up Southern Baptist, so it was very easy to follow. Another reviewer commented that the themes seemed much more Catholic, and they very much do after reading this book, so keep that in mind. I think this will appeal to many Christian women out there, as it relates to the issues many women face in today’s society. The “Take action” sections at the end of chapters will definitely stick with me for awhile as they were empowering! I have never read a book like this before but I was grateful to receive this copy.

I have not enjoyed a book this much in a long time. I totally feel like god literally sent me this beautiful book on purpose. I needed this marvelous wisdom in my life. I found so many similarities of myself to the author. For one we are both named Emily, singers, Christian, and lived in Phoenix near ASU. I found her story very relatable to my own life. I am now inspired after receiving this beautiful arc. Thank you for sending it to me. This was my first arc and I could not have been gifted a better novel. Four stars from this book nerd.

Emily's authenticity, honesty, and faith are truly inspiring. She brings up so many crucial questions and topics that are not often talked about in today's society but are so important to remember and strive toward in order to live God's plan of happiness for our lives. Although it is easy to feel outnumbered living a virtuous life in pursuit of Christ, Emily reminds us that we are not alone on this journey. After reading her book, I have answers to questions and worries that have been on my heart for so many years. This book helped strengthen my foundation in faith and I feel prepared to live it out bravely.

* I received a e arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I originally picked this book due to it cover and synopsis. Unfortunately I should have read the synopsis more thoroughly since I did not see that this was a christian book. I think that someone who is actively religious would really enjoy this although it wasn’t for me. I found the writing to be very well done and would recommend if this is the kind of books you renounce reading.

This book is full of motivation and encouragement to be true to who you are, to be comfortable in your own skin, and to love your body from within. Being written by a Christian author for Christian females, there are scriptural quotes and encouragement to live in a way that pleases God, but I not being of the Christian faith still found the majority of the text to be uplifting. Emily Wilson Hussem is open, letting us into her life and experiences. She is full of pragmatic realistic advice. And most importantly she is not preachy, judgey, or pretends to be anything other than human. A book I would recommend for all who are working on developing the inner voice of compassion regardless of faith. Thank you to netgalley, the publishers, and the author for this beautiful piece of work. I finished reading inspired to reflect and improve on my own life journey. The book is peppered with highlights and I know it is a book I will be returning to when I get stuck or need to be lifted up.

Even though I have a really feisty relationship with the catholic church and its dynamics they stand for and how christians make their faith a shield to protect themselves against others or just rebound the blame for their actions or indirect influences, such books as this gives me hope that not all of those who preach staying sober are drunkards.

I had bad experiences in my life no matter where ive lived with the churches. faith is something I consider with a pinch of salt. but this book did a good job staying borderline contemporary.

It is a mix of self-help, a tad bit traditional, and most of all girly autobiography of the author. I say this because she writes about her own experiences. 

My absolute favorite section was the ; Honor those who love you most , it is something I can very easily stand by.
every section has its own meditation segment where you can take a minute to think and reflect on your own circumstances and it does fulfill in my opinion the role of a self-help book better than the step-by-step ones. because it is engaging your mind to think for yourself.

I requested a digital copy of this book from the publisher to review on netgalley. Disclaimer, I am not religious but interested in learning about different experiences of religion.

As a friend of people who practice varying religions to varying levels I was interested in seeing what this writer had to say and how young women may experience growing up as a Christian. It covered many aspects about faith for Christian girls and women. This included marriage, virginity, university life etc. The writer included helpful "Take action" sections at the end of each chapter, encouraging the reader to make small changes. In general this was an encouraging book that aspired to encourage women to retain Christian morals without restricting their lives. 

I would recommend this book firstly to Christian women but also to those interested in learning about how Christianity is experienced by young women.

I absolutely love the beautiful cover. Thanks again to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

Go Bravely
Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be
by Emily Wilson Hussem

Ave Maria Press

Christian , Teens & YA
Pub Date 27 Apr 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Go Bravely through Ave Maria Press and Netgalley:


This book that reminds us that even the smaller acts of Faith require a great deal of bravery.


This book is geared toward young Christian Woman, and reminds us that despite insecurities and pressures we can Go Bravely in our Faith.


This book will help a young woman to grow in Faith.  Emily Wilson Hussem offers the readers twenty pieces of advice and offers encouragement.


I give Go Bravely five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Go Bravely is exactly the kind of book that girls of my generation crave. It contains words of authentic truth, spoken in a way that is honest and beautiful and full of life, bearing no resemblance to the sterile sermons that are so often preached to young people. It's the same message, certainly, but the fact that it's presented by an author who provides anecdotes from her own life brings it down to earth and makes it relatable, realistic, and even enjoyable.

The author incorporates several different elements that make this book a much-needed breath of fresh air. What stuck out to me the most was the usage of examples from the lives of the saints. As a girl who grew up learning about a plethora of saints and falling in love with the likes of Joan of Arc and Therese of Liseux, I loved seeing friends old and new appear on the pages. But if you're new to the concept of saints, don't worry - the saints provided provide practical help and inspiration, and are presented in a way that's not overwhelming or overbearing.

I also loved the author's focus on the relationships between women and how important they are. It's much more common to find books targeted to my age group that speak of relationships between men and women, and while this book does touch on that, it's not to the extent that is common. My friends and I speak often of how important strong, beneficial relationships between women are, and wish that more of an emphasis would be placed on these kinds of bonds. Ms. Hussem speaks on the subject beautifully, in a way that is brutally honest while still being beautiful and heartfelt.

Beyond that, this book touches on many "hot topics" that, surprisingly, are not typically covered by other authors - body image and self-love, chastity, true modesty (dressing for God rather than merely dressing for men), and forgiveness are all subjects that I love reading about but rarely see featured in Catholic literature. Additionally, the author provides "Take Action" points at the end of each chapter - short, simple tips for living the truth presented in one's everyday life. I look forward to using this book as a devotional, and choosing sections to implement in my life based on the virtues that I wish to strengthen.

I would recommend this book to young women who are tired of being spoken down to and told the same things over and over - dos and don'ts that can seem stifling and meaningless. Emily Wilson Hussem speaks words of truth and beauty that many of my generation will find refreshing and welcome. I can envision this book being used in women's groups, as a weekly discussion starter. It's truly a book for our times, and one that I intend to spread to all those I know who have been longing for a book like this for some time.

Not my thing, bu I'm sure others could take alot away from it and would definitely enjoy it more than I did.

‘Go Bravely’ is a really lovely book. The cover caught my eye straight away, a very calming collection of colours and images, and the description hooked me in even further. This book is a faith-centred book for women at every stage of their lives. Chapters include topics on; being kind to and loving yourself, being kind to other women, finding a good support network and following the word of God in our everyday lives to help us live fuller and more meaningfully. This was, what I would call, a note-taking worthy book. I sat and jotted things down as I went, took photos of passages of text to share with friends or to keep in my phone and wrote down Bible references to check out at a later date. A lot of the Biblical quotes are already within the text, but for some sections where multiple references are made, they are bracketed for ease of reading. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of how we deal with failure, and how failing does not make you a failure; relevant in a world where so much is expected of women in careers (and as mothers) as we are compared and held up against these ‘model images’ of women who apparently have it all - including a photographer and a very good set of filters to make their lives seem so good. I really like this book and it's one I would share and recommend to the women in my life. Everyone needs a friend like this author (Emily) to build you up!

This is completely my fault, but going into this novel it was not what I expected it to be. I thoroughly enjoyed the cover art and the concept but it was not the book for me. I was let down by my inability to thoroughly read the synopsis it seems.

Growing up, I was raised Southern Baptist Christian. This book is very Catholic and there were points that I did not wholly agree with. I was not able to really place myself in the authors shoes and see it from her point of view. It was very one sided to me.

Although it is encouraging and a worthwhile read, I believe it would better suit a young woman of the Catholic faith.

Uplifting, inspiring, a must read for all young women of God

I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't have this book when I was younger. Being a young Christian in today's world is not an easy task; in fact it's hard living a faithful life.
Emily shares her struggles and ways forward and gives inspiring advice to all who read this book. Even as a married evangelical women; I found a lot of the advise uplifting, encouraging, inspirational and motivating.

I received a free copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  Unfortunately when I selected this title I failed to realize that it was written from a Catholic viewpoint. As an evangelical Christian, I didn’t align with some of the points the author made, she tied in quotes from the pope more than she cited scripture.  The book seems encouraging but very surface level and I felt that it lacked biblical truth.

An interesting book which provides reassurance to young women on how they can be themselves in a difficult world.

Whilst targeted towards Christian young women, many of the pages will resonate with all ages and people of different faiths or non faith.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ave Maria Press for providing me this book in exchange for a honest review. 

I decided to read this book because of the cover and title, they looked interesting so when I found out that the book was actually a sort of self-help guide for christian women I was really surprised. I've never read a book like this before, I'm in my twenties and I don't have a lot of experiences but I want to give you my thoughts and opinions about this book anyway.
The writer speaks to women, younger or older it doesn't really matter, every woman out there can understand the messages between this pages and learn something from the author. She tells some stories about her life as a religious woman and it was quite interesting to see how her religion influenced her way to see the world. I never talk about my belief online but I have to say that I could relate to some parts of this book and I have friends that would be really glad to read something like this. I can't say this book is for everyone, but there are so many important messages in it and I'm glad I've read it. It's about accepting yourself, your body and your individuality. It's about faith, marriage and life during university years and after that. There are a lot of different things in it and the author connected all of them with her feelings and her belief. My favourite parts were the "Take action" sections at the end of each chapter. When you are first introduced to a subject there is a strong message, then an explaination with examples, but in that last short section of a chapter the "Take action" shows that you can really do something, you don't need superpowers to change your life, everyone can make a difference.
I would recommend this book mostly to Christian women that are looking for a guide and are interested in learning how they can conquer life without denying themselves.

This pretty little volume is packed with great advice for young women. This is just the thing to share with a young lady navigating the drama of high school or college, or for someone a little older who needs a reminder of their innate worth.

Be yourself. 
Do what you know is right. 
Take good care of your body. 
Don't worry what everyone else is saying. 
You are a daughter of God.

Ms. Hussem shares personal stories of how she navigated tricky situations in her young adulthood, and each chapter ends with ideas for taking action. I have not read such a wise and truth-packed advice book in a long time, and I highly recommend it!

In a culture where the phrase "it doesn't really matter" resounds, Emily Wilson Hussem provides a voice of hope and encouragement that our choices and desire to live for Christ do matter.  In fact, she helps us see in twenty relatable points that making decisions based on our relationship with Christ is so important for living a Brave life.