My Dear Hemlock

by Tilly Dillehay

For Immediate Release

We have no intention of explaining how this correspondence which we now offer to the public fell into our hands.

Inside you will find letters exchanged between the diabolical Madame Hoaxrot and her junior devil Hemlock, who are scheming against a young woman’s relationship with her Creator.

They plot to sabotage every feature of her life from sex to female friendship to empathy, motherhood, and aging.

Ladies, this book will give you the eyes to see the feminine vices that hide behind feminine virtues.

Genres: Christian, Fiction, Christian Living, Book Club, Christian Fiction, Audiobook, Theology

Audible Audio

First published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[Sam Stotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really admire what the author did in this book. If I were to attempt something like this, I think I’d either write a patient similar to me and justify the heck out of how great she actually is (ha!) or create a patient unlike me, weigh her down with female sins, and end up hating her. Even though this author had to dwell extra on the wickedness of women, she didn’t write with any ounce of disdain. Instead, she has an obvious love for Christian women and a resilient hope in the victory of Christ.

I had the pleasure of reading a big chunk of this book on my 10th anniversary and with that perspective it’s impossible to ignore how a good marriage is a great mercy in keeping female (and male) sins in check. Really thankful!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

No Gospel here: A brave author’s take on CS Lewis’ classic Screwtape Letters but with women in mind. Dillehay related some true insights on temptations of women, specifically wives and mothers. Because it is good to be aware of our ongoing propensity to sin and Satan’s deception, I gave it the 2 stars for accomplishing at least that. But you know…as I age and mature in the faith, I am learning more and more that the Christian’s sin battle is not best fought by much inward sin-focus but instead with a Christ-centered Gospel focus. For this reason, I didn’t find the book all that edifying and worry it will sink the shoulders of young Christian women leaving them staring at their sin while withholding any Gospel hope, power, or motivation as remedy. In short, It shines the spotlight on the Christian woman’s sins only to keep her only joy, life, and eternal hope,the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His glorious Gospel, in the shadows.

[Aubrey Dew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review!!

“My Dear Hemlock” by Tilly Dillehay

The Screwtape Letters by Clive Staples Lewis is one of my most favorite books and so I immediately pre-ordered this when it was announced by Canon Press!

My Dear Hemlock is a Screwtape Letters specifically for women and follows the same style of an elder demon writing to a younger demon about the menacing ways to tempt and drag a woman throughout her life to “our father below.”

Our younger demon, sweet dear Hemlock, is rather inexperienced and ultimately unsuccessful in her mission. The elder demon, malicious Madame Hoaxrot, gives Hemlock all of her helpful advice but doesn't stir the pot just right.

I found this book convicting, witty, and extremely helpful even though I am just barely entering the transition into adulthood. Although this book covers marriage and sex and I cannot relate to that, the principles in the chapters were still good and true. A bittersweet ending tied this book together similarly to how Lewis' did, and I was deeply encouraged to press on towards Christ by living a godly life even in my innermost thoughts.

⭐️⭐️​​⭐️⭐️⭐️​​

“She’ll pull her phone out of her pocket, and it’s not even work she’s avoiding; it’s pleasure. The advantage for us is that our patients can be brought to the end of a wasted life more gently and easily than ever before. As one of our great contemporaries has said, the best state for man is to be “fuddled,” doing neither what he ought nor what he likes. And with that little attention-grabber in her pocket, your patient will slowly learn to “like” fewer and fewer things.”

[Jessica Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dear Hemlock was so good that I plan to listen to it again very soon. Jeremiah 17:9 states, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Dillehay has excellent insight into the deceitfulness and pet sins of the female heart - beware that this book is exceedingly convicting!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is in the top few books of the year for me. Tilly Dillehay did an amazing job getting at the sins in the hearts of womankind - every chapter I related to exactly what the character in the book did - including the sins that go unnoticed! Her chapter on empathy and then the following chapter on the opposite of empathy were spot on. Fun mimicry of The Screwtape Letters! Also, definitely made me cry. 😬

[Inga Bazinga · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the outset, this book invites comparison with C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. That is a dangerous move for any author, and in this case, the gamble does not pay off. While one might admire the boldness of attempting such a work, the result falls far short. I set aside the Lewis comparison and read it on its own merits. Even then, it is difficult to recommend.

The first problem is tone and structure. The narrative feels forced, with little organic flow. Though it traces the life of a main character through various stages, the progression lacks depth. Character development and plot growth are minimal, and each chapter could almost stand alone as a moral vignette rather than a cohesive story. The “sins” the author chooses to highlight feel borrowed and pieced together, padding the book without adding substance.

A second issue is the attempted wit. There are gestures toward sarcasm and cleverness, but they rarely land. Without the backstory or context needed to make the humor meaningful, these flourishes fall flat and distract from the narrative rather than enrich it.

The pacing is another inconsistency. Surprisingly, the bulk of the book lingers on the protagonist’s “easier” season of life, before parenthood, illness, or death. One would expect deeper engagement with temptation and weakness during more difficult stages, but instead those are rushed and underdeveloped. The imbalance weakens the book’s moral and spiritual weight.

A further critique lies in its cultural narrowness. The book assumes an American social framework that isn’t there: in the modern isolationist U.S. culture friendships are shallow, indirect, or passive. This assumption shapes much of the book’s argument, but it fails to account for other cultural contexts where friendship and community operate differently. As a result, the book presents its message as universal while remaining culturally provincial.

To be fair, the opening chapters show promise. They raise good points about the struggles Christian women face and provide moments worth noting. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, its purpose becomes muddled. It begins to feel less like an original work and more like a gendered re-skinning of The Screwtape Letters. That raises an uncomfortable question: does every great work need a “female version”? The Christian struggle against sin is not limited by gender. We all wrestle with pride, temptation, and the need for repentance. By framing it as specifically female, the book undermines its own message.

In the end, this attempt seems to fall into the very trap it critiques—claiming uniqueness and courage while offering little substance to support that claim. The book does not expose sin more effectively than its model, nor does it stand on its own as a work of spiritual reflection.

My strongest critique would be that it doesn’t offer an answer to the many issues it attempts to address—Jesus Christ. Which is a travesty for a Christian book that is supposed to invoke self reflection. For that reason alone, I would caution anyone against reading it.

Still, as a first novel, the effort is not without value. The ambition behind it is clear, and that earns some credit. But as a piece of literature, it struggles to rise above imitation.

[Shannon McGarvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“raised by parents who claimed to be in the Enemy’s camp but were so hassled by our people as to be innocuous. ..But the loyalty markers in her home were all of the right kind: pleasure and worldly ambition were the true household gods…A home of the worst kind. Here she saw peace, and laughter, and the fruit of long years of ministry and commitment.” This was such a call to holiness as a Christian homeschooling mama. Ouch Lord, please have mercy on my home!
And the marriage parts! “Solidify the Patient’s belief that, in order to praise anything about her husband, she must be in total approval of everything about him…They conclude that praising the one praiseworthy thing would in some sense excuse or incentivize the other reprehensible things… For her, to say, “Thank you for taking out the trash,” would be to imply that she didn’t notice how he left his plate on the counter and the toilet seat up. And to say, “Thank you for working so hard at your job; you’re good at what you do; I’m so lucky to have you,” would feel tantamount to whitewashing every sin, every folly, and every idiosyncrasy she’s noticed since they got married…One word of praise would do much more to “improve” him than a hundred critical words ever could. But it would also change her. Giving thanks produces a habit of thankfulness. Gratitude begets more pernicious gratitude…Politeness—one of those things in marriage that can create an insufferably pleasant time for decades and decades of life together—she will want to totally overlook…You can then replace it with real inattention, which will detract from the good times and make the hard times harder…Eventually any human comes to resent living with another human who doesn’t seem to notice or care for them in even the most elementary ways. Resentment will escalate simple inattention to positive rudeness.”
Do not read if you want to keep your pride or your sins 🤣😭😭😭

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

February 9, 2025 — Yeah, I did just review this last week. I read it again. And it won't be the last time. It's that good.

*****

February 2, 2025 — If you can't say, "Amen," you'd better say, "Ouch."

If you CAN say, "Amen," you'll prolly say, "Ow, oww, owww, OWWWW, OWWWWWCH!"

I am a veritable pincushion of rem acū tetigistī.

Just one complaint about the narration: Tilly is entirely too sweet to come across well as a demon. It needed a much more wickeder reader. Could no one tempt her into a bit of method acting? 😈 Yes, yes, I know that their stock-in-trade is coming off as angels of light, but this is a book whose purpose is to lift the veil and let us see that it's a ruse, so a bit of edge would have been appropriate. OK, two complaints: "dupliucitous" somehow came out as "duplicious," but maybe that's because demons find two-facedness particularly yummy. 😉

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, scalding insight into the female psyche and common temptations for women. Immediate application point for me: putting a time limit on social media apps! Definitely keeping this book within arm’s reach—this needs to stay on a yearly rotation or so.

[Abigail Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my most wanted Christmas present for 2024 and it did not disappoint. Dillehay is so insightful when it comes to the temptations common for women. She includes obvious ones but also pinpoints sinful thoughts and desires that may have never been spoken. She is dead on when it comes to the hidden pride in my own heart in relating to others.
This would be a fun/good/challenging book to read with other ladies. 👀

[Ginger ~ Pages from Wonderland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recently incredibly blessed by a book that was recommended to me. It’s not often I find a book filled with so much Gospel joy, grace dripping from the pages. And in a hard season, it was exactly the gentle, motherly encouragement I needed to convict, but also comfort me. One caution the author offered particularly stuck with me…

“Spiritual counsel that has ‘empty calories’ or is devoid of rich, biblical doctrine cannot and will not satisfy a soul that was made to be satisfied only with an infinite God. Can you identify any spiritual ‘junk food’ that you’ve partaken of recently?” -Gloria Furman, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

Indeed, I can. Some of the worst spiritual junk food I’ve read in my life was another recent read, My Dear Hemlock.

My Dear Hemlock is a modern rewriting of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis…although I cringe at naming them both in the same sentence. At best, Hemlock is a cheap imitation of the original, and at worst, it is a harmful, damaging disgrace that Lewis himself, I believe, would have strongly criticized. It may be unfair of me to compare the two, but the author, Tilly Dillehay, invites the comparison and its negative findings upon herself.

In trying to avoid being unfair and unbalanced in my review, I want to say up front that there were some good things in this book. A few passages I really enjoyed, an idea or two worth sitting on and engaging with on a deeper level, and some punchy quotes I saved. She writes with insight on the female tendency to bitterness, ingratitude, and approval-seeking. Her two passages on gratitude were fantastic, and I was particularly helped by some of her writing on the woman’s concern with “what people think” about her children. I am sure that this book has done some good to some readers. But I feel that would be in large part in spite of itself.

Where Screwtape leaves the reader feeling victorious, awakened, and thinking “I never thought of that quite that way,” Hemlock left me completely defeated, discouraged, and, to be frank, feeling quite dirty. My concerns were primarily two-fold. One, her unnecessarily detailed writing on sin. And two, how she writes about God.

Beginning with the sin… Virtually every chapter is steeped in sin. Sin, sin, sin. The more you read, the more the demons’ voices whisper sin, debauchery, and wretchedness into your mind. Far from feeling like it was uncovering secret sins in myself, I felt like it resurrected feelings of guilt for old, dealt-with sins that are covered in Christ. It planted dismay, fear, and even new sins. Where Lewis writes primarily in big-picture ideas and metaphysical terms, Dillehay is much more practical, nitty-gritty, and specific. This would often be a good thing, except, again, we are talking about sin. Lewis’s demons say, “get the patient to think in this manner, or create this habit of viewpoint.” Dillehay’s demons say, “plant this thought, and this lust, and this discontented grumble; have her meditate on this list of difficulties and discontentments,” and then she gives the full list.

In sharing some of my concerns with my husband, he said she seems to write “in instructive detail.” This exactly hit the nail on the head. When my father preached on sins of the mind and guarding our thought life, he often brought up the example of unhelpfully telling someone, “go sit in the corner and don’t think about a little white bear.” This seems to be exactly Dillehay’s method of sin-fighting.

And secondly, how Dillehay writes about God. This is more difficult to explain, but trying to sum it up quickly to start – it’s very confusing and murky; her meanings and intentions get lost, and you’re left squinting at it, saying, “what is she really trying to say here?” This may seem like a small concern. Except, again, we’re talking about GOD. And the author is attempting to speak truth about God through the lying mouths of demons. Both of these facts mean you must be very, very careful what and how you write…and even how you read it.

Lewis’s demons, to my memory (and I re-read Screwtape right before reading Hemlock and writing this review), never speak real lies or blasphemy about God. If they do, it is rare and carefully done enough that it never tripped my alarms. Dillehay’s demons do on multiple occasions, and in such ways that it made my skin crawl to read it. Where Screwtape says things along the lines of, “God is love, He actually loves the human vermin that we hate. We don’t understand why, what He means by it, and what He must be up to,” Hoaxrot (the demon voice of Hemlock) says things much more along the lines of, “God hates them, doesn’t seek their good, and actually wants to hurt and destroy them.”

Examples:

"They’ll deserve what they have coming when He destroys them with a look (after giving them the desire for the look in the first place). More of the same with Him. From the beginning He has done so: forever planting the desire for the impossible into the hearts of his creatures and then punishing us for wanting things."

"He has invited her to forsake other things in order to one day ‘enter into the joy of her Master.’ Take care that she sees the barb in this promise (‘your MASTER’). He would master them, and they can never truly be one of the Fellowship, when He reserves the center spots of that Fellowship for His own self…The problem is that His joy, as He describes it, is entirely in Himself. She can have no part in it, not really."

"The Enemy’s book repeatedly admits the impossible position human cubs are in from birth: ‘Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,’ says the proverb. In other words, the Enemy admits that He spits them out into the world with no sense at all and then punishes them for seeking the only end they are born capable of pursuing. If your patient can’t see the question in that statement, do help her find it…"

If I squint hard enough, I can see the theological truths she’s trying to speak to, though veiled in lies, hatred, and villainy. In response to my criticism, I know the argument is, “Well, that’s the point. You’re reading demons. What else do you think they would say?” But to me, that’s not the point. The point is, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to use in edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Eph. 4.29). In reading Lewis’s demon-voice, I never felt like he was actually giving evil a voice. There’s no other way to read Dillehay.

Lewis took a step back from this kind of entrenchment into the diabolical voice. He wrote much more to mock the demons than to give them what amounts to a fair hearing. Lewis, in speaking for the demons, made them ridiculous, shamed them, exposed them. Dillehay, in speaking for the demons, made them fearsome, discouraging, and at points, almost believable…the only thing left shamed and exposed are the humans, both the fictional Patient, and the very real Reader. Screwtape is often full of dry wit. Hemlock is humorless, and where there are attempts at jokes, they fall far short in comparison to the muck and discomfort of the rest of it.

Other issues I had with this book included portraying some things as sin that I do not believe are, while portraying other things as good that I do not believe are (and neither of these being the case simply because of the demonic inversion). At points, there were even contradictions (harmless enjoyment isn’t sin, but social media is always sin; encouraging your husband in his prayer life is sin, but confronting another woman about her prayer life is not). It began feeling like what the author personally disapproves of is sin, and what she approves of is not.

If I had read this as a baby Christian, struggling with assurance and various doubts and questions, I would have been left completely unmoored. I want to say that this book could help some people. But all I can say is that if a woman has struggled with certain sins, this book would only serve to resurrect those sins or, at the very least, the feeling of guilt for those sins. And if a woman hasn’t struggled with certain sins, if she hasn’t noticed them or been confronted about them, I’m doubtful that even this book would help. Really, any woman seeking to be helped by a book like this is showing a tenderness of heart and conscience that makes her more likely to be harmed by it.

This book is a stumbling block between two covers. Be careful.

Much, if not all, of the good in this book was a simple repackaging of themes that were better done in The Screwtape Letters. (I don’t know what it is about the modern woman that is so incapable of making self-application from universal truths that we have to have a “women’s edition” of everything.) Some passages were so similar to Lewisian themes that it really did come across as shoddy fanfiction.

I think some of the issues with this book could have been resolved if it were maybe half as long. This would have forced the author to stop waxing eloquent and “instructive” about sins best left alluded to indirectly. Or not at all. But really, my honest opinion is that this book shouldn’t have been written in the first place. I believe Lewis would agree. In one of his prefaces to Screwtape, he wrote the following:

"I was often asked or advised to add to the original ‘Screwtape Letters’, but for many years I felt not the least inclination to do it. Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment. The ease came, no doubt, from the fact that the device of diabolical letters, once you have thought of it, exploits itself spontaneously, … It would run away with you for a thousand pages if you gave it its head. But though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp. The world into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness and geniality had to be excluded. It almost smothered me before I was done. It would have smothered my readers if I had prolonged it.”

To quote my cousin, if a book with as much joy and humor as Screwtape was such a burden to the author, “what darkness of mind must Hemlock have produced?” Or if it didn’t…maybe that’s even worse.

In her Acknowledgments, Dillehay wrote, “Thanks to Clive Staples; no one should attempt this sort of thing, but we just can’t help it.” To write such a mess as this book, and then arrogantly call herself “we” alongside Lewis was too much for me. But she’s right. No one should have attempted this sort of thing.

(The second half of a joint book review of this book written by my cousin, author Abby Jones, can be found here: https://www.hearthkeeper.org/educatio...)

[Anna Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

“My Dear Hemlock” is yet another entry in the growing genre of fundamentalist propaganda dressed up as “biblical womanhood.” It cloaks itself in spiritual language while peddling a rigid, fear-based ideology that reduces Christian faith to a narrow set of gender roles and cultural anxieties. It’s not just unhelpful — it’s harmful.

This book is particularly dangerous for new or vulnerable Christians, who may mistake its polished tone and familiar phrases for theological depth. But beneath the surface lies the same tired legalism that’s driven so many away from the church — a system obsessed with control, appearances, and obedience at the expense of grace, nuance, and the actual gospel.

It wants to be a Screwtape Letters for women, but where Lewis offered timeless insight and spiritual depth, this book offers little more than recycled dogma. It’s a textbook example of how fundamentalism distorts faith into a checklist of roles and rules — especially for women — while claiming divine authority for its every assumption.

Cannot recommend enough that you stay far far away from this book.

[Caleb M. Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly excellent book, and incredibly hard-hitting. Dillehay does not pull any punches, and even though I wasn't the target audience, the book was convicting, engaging, and pulled off the gimmick quite well.

[Bekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was poignant and thoughtful. A great insight into the modern female soul. I was convicted, encouraged, and given fresh perspective on a number of things. It was one of those books I kept talking about to my husband, which is a sure sign that it’s stuck deep with me.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A female twist on Screwtape that far exceeded my expectations (Lewis sets a high bar!) Highly recommend.

[Heidi Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my.
I read this book in a few hour’s time because I could not put it down.
Such a sobering yet fascinating look at the possible “behind the scenes” of the spiritual world. Letters between two demons about a woman.

It gave me such sweet perspective into the heart of the Father and how he equips his people if we seek Him.
And convicted me to be freshly on my guard against what seem to be “small” sins, things that seem neither here nor there. The devil seeks to kill and destroy by any means possible.

A book every woman should read.

[Elly Hamby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel very strongly that every female should read this book. I will continue to pick up this book as I enter various stages of life.

Would’ve loved for the author to include a Psalm and/or prayer in between each chapter to remind readers that despite our sin, we can (and should) cling to the abundant grace of the Father.

[Tessa Lomman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t often “devour” books, but this was fantastic. I was looking for a fiction read that would still be edifying- this fitted the criteria perfectly. I was both amused and convicted. Dillehay articulated incredibly the sins and pitfalls of women that are so often overlooked.. or too afraid to be addressed. Loved it.

[Justin Genus · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They saw her secret: that she actually believed what she was saying the whole time.”

This statement from the final chapter of "My Dear Hemlock" by Tilly Dillehay encapsulates the challenging and victorious theme of what will likely be a work I return to again and again.

Dillehay brings a startling level of insight in a collection of 29 fictional letters targeting what is perhaps the most oversaturated and misunderstood audience in Christian publishing: young women.

Rather than seeking to meet felt needs or preemptively compensate for accusations of burdening this “delicate” demographic, Dillehay takes full advantage of the letter format to deliver biting salvos of conviction in each short chapter, clearly drawing on years of experience interrogating her own heart (I was shocked to find that she is only in her late 30s).

By not writing a typical “Christian living” book, Dillehay is freed up to attack the thoughts that women (and many men) know are sinful, but have been unwilling to acknowledge to themselves or others.* Most of these letters are razor sharp, forcing us to consider the sin behind the sins that we’ve been turning from to ease our consciences. Sacred cows are chopped down, but never in a way that makes it seem like the “idol” is culpable for our sin or that the goodness of the things of earth is dismissed.

Yet, I never left a chapter of this book feeling burdened or downtrodden. Granted, I am not a woman. I may be writing from across the aisle at some level. But it seemed to me that, by presenting a narrative of ordinary (but not nearly common enough) Christian growth, Dillehay’s exhortations were tinged with an underlying hopeful expectation:

Madame Hoaxrot will not defeat the woman who “actually believed what she was saying [to herself] the whole time.”

The overlap between the supernatural and the mundane in Dillehay’s thought drives us to consider whether we’ve forgotten that all things are truly of Him, to Him, and through Him. If this is really the case, then activities as simple as gardening and encouraging your husband become venues for glorifying God.

This is a high-concept work in the style of Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters." Its richest insights are reserved for those who have been in Christ for some time and already understand something of the battle with Satan. And remembering that Madame Hoaxrot is a liar each time you pick it up will take some getting used to.

But for young women who want to do ALL THINGS to the glory of God, this is an invaluable work.

10/10

I will read this again later this year with my fiancé, Lord willing. Then again, with my daughters, should I have them.

I starred 22 out of 29 letters as insightful or worth returning to.

Recommended audience: Young women in healthy churches (and older women who want to minister to them). Young husbands who think they understand their wives, but don't.

*I think her avoidance of typical and occasionally limiting frameworks for Christian living titles (ex., a trinitarian outline, identity in Christ, idols of the heart) gave Dillehay room to attack issues with more depth than other works I’ve read.

[Emily Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a challenge to my soul I will surely revisit throughout life. And chapter 28… makes my eyes well up just thinking of being in the presence of my Savior, free of my flesh!

[BrontëKas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She loves, not holiness itself, but the idea of holiness. She loves the idea of becoming more respectable, more knowledgeable, more fruitful, more righteous. It’s love of progress, of dignity, of potential, of “growth.” She still rarely fixes her thoughts on HIM. At her best, she is engrossed with the idea of herself being more engrossed with Him.”


Tilly Dillehay managed to write a Screwtape Letters for women that isn’t trite, annoying, or distractingly derivative. Instead, to quote Shakespeare, “she speaks poniards, and every word stabs.” Using Lewis’ work as a blueprint, Dillehay gets right to the heart of the matter by following a female “patient” through the course of her life. There were several times during the book where I said, “Ooof I do that… and I should probably knock it off.” The chapter on phone use was particularly life changing. I was also encouraged in my walk with the Lord and entertained by the clever turn of phrase (even laughing out loud at times). Not only do I want to get this book into the hands of other women, but I want to read everything Dillehay has ever written.

[Joy Wettstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was illuminating. Every chapter left me feeling convicted. Tilly has a way of exposing the sinful intentions of the female heart that lie behind her thoughts and actions. Struggles in my heart that I have never been able to pinpoint and articulate, she lays out plainly. And it’s eye-opening to see how the enemy of our soul uses our sinful temptations to try and destroy us. This is a thought-provoking book and I recommend reading it slowly in order to repent and apply as you go. :)

By the end of this book, I was so invested in the patient. She is a wonderful example of an ordinary woman who triumphed over the enemy through gratitude and faithful obedience to the Lord. And in the end, she gained the ultimate reward.

There are too many lessons learned to put in this review, but my overarching takeaway is this: Gratitude, joy, and “relentless, militant, and obstinant cheerfulness” are powerful weapons in fighting our sin and the enemy. And I aim to make these virtues my first response when I face hardship, temptation and blessing.

On a practical note, I enjoyed the topical nature of this book and plan to come back to it as a reference guide for particular struggles or areas of suspected sin or wrong thinking.

Book club read!

[Ashley Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Lewis fan, I was really skeptical of this book the first few chapters. It didn’t immediately feel as deep or timeless as The Screwtape Letters (which it’s inspired by). But I was wrong! I felt so much conviction and encouragement throughout this book. I am really thankful to have read it.

[Jordan Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ENEMY DOES NOT WANT WOMEN OF GOD TO READ THIS BOOK. So obviously read it. Seriously. It feels like I have the enemy’s playbook in my hands.

Words cannot describe how this book shook me awake in the best way possible. I am so grateful to serve our God of infinite victory!!!!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From seeing our own pettiness reflected not only in the patient but also in Madam Hoaxrot herself to beholding the "white hot" presence of God at the patient's cancer beside, this book captures the Christian woman's walk of faith so well. Tilly managed to imitate Lewis's style with her own voice without standing in his shadow. My only hesitation in recommending this is that it will be painful to read if you are a woman and a sinner... but this will ultimately draw your heart to the finished work of Christ!

[Ervina Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clive Staples-inspired but masterfully, profoundly brought to life for Christian women today. Expect toe-mashing conviction and tear-inducing reignited challenge to live a life fully given over to the Enemy of the enemy of our souls.

[Olivia Dirkse · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really loved this book!

the author fashioned this after lewis’ screwtape letters but with specifically women in mind.

i’m always hesitant of new books and new authors because time is always the best test of a book’s caliber, but i couldn’t resist a good book club (s/o to the 20s ladies) AND i was delightfully surprised.
dillehay seemed to know and expose exactly how a woman thinks and where she is prone to sin. such insight comes from a good self-analysis of her own naturally sinful heart and motives which, of course, can only be revealed to her by the grace of God. i was convicted and exposed many times, myself, which i appreciate and i highly recommend this to any woman who wishes to kill sin in their life. this could be one of many magnifying glasses that may help with that lifelong process.

this was a very great book… but i must give lewis the credit. the screwtape letters will always be the better of the two. but please read both!!

[Leigha Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crying while I read the final chapters. Some of these chapters were just “okay” and others containing moments so poignant it was painful to read. But the real joy was the artful way the author brought the protagonist to the end, giving real hope and joy to any Believer reading. Well done.

[Gabi Foote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. CS Lewis and Tilly Dillehay have done us a great and convicting service. Life is war, and Dillehay has given women a peek into enemy strategy (and by enemy here I mean the Devil).

Many of the subjects of temptation were not a surprise to me. However, much like The Screwtape Letters, it had me viewing the "Patient" (the one being tempted) as truly living a wartime lifestyle, one of prayer, worship, and fellowship, to name a few. And it took growth, which is why I liked how this book went through stages of a woman's life. So! Let us not forget we know how this war ends, and use this book as a reminder that we are not inactive in it.

[Heather Tully · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written…. but it’s not comfortable reading! I’d like to read again more slowly.