I received an ARC through NetGalley. This was an accessible + practical take on cultivating a healthy relationship in marriage. I would have found this particularly insightful as a newlywed! But it also felt like a book I could pick up every now and then and glean more wisdom from, depending on the season of life we were in.

I got my copy and underlined a lot of things through the pages. If you actually do these simple practices I believe your marriage may benefit a lot. I recommend this book for counselors who need to have ideas of hometown for their patients. It is not the complexity that makes a marriage stronger, but the simple little things doing with consistency. I hope this helps a couple who is struggling to get closer.

This is one of the BEST marriages books I've ever read. It is practical, simple and makes sense. The way the book is divided into sections with exercises to practice is excellent. The way it was backed up with brain science and common sense was great. I will highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read to improve or strengthen their marriage.

This book was a breath of fresh air. I was hooked from the first habit: Play Together. I have found this to be so important in my marriage, and I enjoyed reading about it. The four habits are as follows:
1. Play together
2. Listen for Emotion
3. Appreciate Daily
4. Nurture a Rhythm
Each habit is broken down and we are given an amusing story to relate to the habit. I also appreciated the appendices at the end of the book which provide further exercises to practice in your marriage.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This guide to the four habits of joy-filled marriages contains some interesting information that could be helpful for any couple. The idea of a "joy gap" or falling into the trap of not intentionally creating joy within the relationship makes a lot of sense. Likewise, improving upon or closing that joy gap requires intentionally making space for your partner and working to create moments of joy with them. I also found the four main habits to be helpful:

Habit #1: Play Together
Habit #2: Listen for Emotion
Habit #3: Appreciate Daily
Habit #4: Nurture a Rhythm

That said I personally am unlikely to try their "easy" 15 minutes of exercises a day. I think the main takeaways I would instead act upon are the bases of the habits- integrating more play into my relationship, being a better listener with empathy turned on, expressing appreciation (and not just thanks) and improving the rhythm of our relationship by scheduling in time for us, and not just for our family. Nothing in this book is really ground-breaking, but it is written clearly and simply. It's worth checking out before your marriage is in crisis!

In this book, the authors try to explain why people fall out of love and how to prevent that from happening to you and your spouse.

One of the examples of why we have issues in marriage is that we lack joy. “Falling out of love is all about the absence of Joy.” Couples who allow the gap between times of joy grow will have issues.

They discuss the fact that a problem in finding joy is fear mapping. “This term refers to the habit we develop of scanning our environment for problems to fix instead of looking for blessings to appreciate.”

The examples above and others contained within this book seem so clear and yet many times we do not know where to look when our marriages begin to fail. The authors give exercises that can be done in virtually no time at all in an attempt to rekindle joy and the marriage.

This is a good book for couples who are experience a lack of closeness, as well as, for those who want to keep joy in their marriage and want to be aware of the pitfalls that they may face.


I received an ARC from Moody Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

The 4 Habits of Joy-filled Marriages
April 30, 2019
This book was interesting and inspiring. I received it free for the purpose of review.

The book has four habits the authors want you to practice in order to create a joy-filled marriage.
They explain well what the causes of the joy bond and the fear bond are and what that means.
Their ability to explain it from a physiological and spiritually allows it to make sense.

Marriage is a gift of God that is the picture of Christ and His church. A marriage is a covenant and not to be taken lightly. However, two people, man and woman are wired differently, have different baggage, and different ways of expressing feelings. So, it doesn't take long for there to be challenges in marriage.

Along with describing the differences and giving thoughts about the how to achieve more of a joy-filled marriage they have exercises that are helpful and worth the time. Each exercise is a benefit to begin to transition your marriage from blah to joy-filled. Fifteen minutes a day is what they ask you to start to reengage on a deeper level with your spouse.

This book gives helpful strategies for re-connecting with your partner no matter what stage of your marriage you are in.

4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriage
by Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey


Have you ever looked at a couple and wondered what makes them so joyful? Well you can have that too, in your relationship. With this book and spending a extra 15 minutes a day doing the exercises that are provided in this book you will be on your way to a more Joy filled marriage.

In this book contains 4 chapters that you read, and each chapter has a exercise that you and your spouse will work on together. The P.L.A.N. is yours to use over and over till you feel the you and your spouse begin to feel the Joy growing in your marriage.

I recommend this to to every married couple. A little more joy never hurt anyone!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A good reminder of little things to do to keep your marriage strong.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This book is a great book for those who fear their marriage needs work, those who know their marriage needs work, or for those whose marriage is strong and they want to further strengthen their relationship! So...if you are married...you may need to check out this book!

The Four Habits described in this book include
Habit #1: Play Together
Habit #2: Listen for Emotion
Habit #3: Appreciate Daily
Habit #4 - Nurture a Rhythm

Each chapter offers insight as to why these habits are important, examples of what could happen when these habits are ignored, followed by exercises to increase joy in your marriage.

This book isn't just a relationship building book, but it demonstrates why you need JOY in your marriage because of the brain science directly related to joy.

I highly recommend this book and appreciate the opportunity to receive an Advanced Reader Copy thanks to NetGalley and Northfield Publishing. (and my husband thanks you, too!)

My favorite thing about this book is that it's not written in an overly scientific or wordy way like many other books of the same genre can be. I didn't have to reread paragraphs multiple times in order to break them down and try to understand them. It was very easy to understand, and was a very quick read.

The exercises outlined to help strengthen joy in your marriage are both easily tried at home and very short. You don't have to block out time in your life to implement them.

My husband and I have tried the only a few so far, but we really enjoyed doing them and will continue to try others!

The 4 habits are:
1. Play together
2. Listen for emotion
3. Appreciate daily
4. Nurture a rhythm.

That last one is a bit hard to understand.

Whether you're in a joy-filled marriage or not, this short book can give you ideas that help you.
All relationships require continual improvement and rejuvenation or else they fade away.
This book can help.

3.5 stars.

I'm a firm believer that it's easier to work on your marriage when it's working than when it's in trouble. It's easier to do things to strengthen a solid base than to patch up one that's teetering. I make a point to read these kinds of books when I am feeling like we are in a good place and feeling a lot of love towards my spouse. This way it doesn't feel like the exercises explained in this book are coming from a place of despair but a place of love and connection.

When I saw the title of this book, it sounded like the exact thing that might be a wonderful addition to my life. I definitely have 15 minutes a day and I love the idea of a joy-filled marriage.

This is a really quick read. I finished it in one sitting. But, of course, most of the value of this book is not in the reading of it but in doing the exercises suggested in the book. Much of the science in the book wasn't new to me and was explained in a way that felt too simplistic (though I can totally understand why the authors would choose that path, this is not a science book.) But I really liked a lot of the suggestions in the book and the perspective they added.

Joy isn't simply a choice you make. Trying to choose joy can feel like trying to fall asleep when you have insomnia. Joy is a feeling you get when you're happy to be with someone who's happy to be with you.


I don't know that I agree with all of that (I think it's possible to experience joy when you're alone, too.) but the idea that joy isn't the choice but the outcome resonated with me and I've been noodling on it since.

Brenda was modeling for me what it looked like to keep the relationship bigger than the problem. Since then, we have tried to make that our "go-to phrase" when we get upset. It is not uncommon for one of us to say, "Let's keep the relationship bigger than the problem."


I really liked this idea. While it's terribly hard to do this in the moment of a major disagreement, this idea is a great one to keep reinforcing and baking into the fabric of our marriage.

I also really liked their clear definitions around the negative emotions you feel so that you can recognize your own emotions. Naming the difference between sad, anxious, despair, shame, anger and disgust can be subtle and difficult at times and it's not possible to address your (or others') feelings unless you can connect with them and tell the difference.

I have learned that there is a big difference between saying "thank you" and feeling appreciation.


This, too, was a poignant sentence for me. Often times, even in a gratitude practice i do alone, it can be easy to list things from the day which isn't always impactful. Whereas, if i sit down and close my eyes and really conjure the feeling of that moment I am listing, I can feel the contentment and joy. Appreciation is about feeling the joy, and sharing the joy.

Many of the exercises in this book are about being together, holding hands, sharing stories about your day, your past, your marriage. The exercises are simple on paper. They encourage connection both physically and emotionally (and psychologically.) and I can totally see how it completely strengthens (and adds joy) to your marriage when you do them regularly.

I will mention that this book has Christian-based religious references which wasn't clear from the blurbs. It's not the core of the book but there are many examples. Had I looked up previous books of the authors, I probably would have been able to guess that. I focused on the examples that resonated with me and the concepts they were highlighting.

Overall, this book is a great way to strengthen your already strong marriage. It's also a wonderful way to start a new marriage.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good book for newlyweds or those whose marriages are not yet in serious trouble. It is full of good ideas for staying connected and reading your partners emotional state. It is good to get started on the exercises while your relationship is in a good place as it will enable your to further strengthen it. There are some really good ideas and some real food for thought. It isn't suited to those who are already in serious trouble, and is dependant on both partners being totally open to the process. It should be noted that this book is Christian based and there are lots of religious references which is not stated beforehand. Overall it is a good book and will help many people strengthen their bonds. In a world where the divorce rate is so high this can only be a really good thing. Thank You