La sagesse des nonnes: Comment les soeurs du XVIe siècle nous aident à survivre à notre époque

by Ana Garriga, Carmen Urbita

An infectiously edifying, not-so-saintly self-help book that dives into the wild, wise, and unconventional lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns, offering advice for our modern age and proving one no matter the century, nuns know best.

When most of us think of nuns, we picture hands clasped in prayer, solemn shuffles down cloistered halls, and that iconic habit silhouette. But what about the nuns who ate spiderwebs, erupted into jealous fights over makeup, or chain-produced manuscripts for extra cash? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. 16th- and 17th-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious, and refreshingly relatable—and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today.

Convent Wisdom is your guide to navigating everything from patriarchal bureaucracy to an all-consuming friend crush with help from history’s most fascinating nuns. Struggling with money? Saint Teresa and her fellow Carmelites have recession-proof advice. Scrolling social media and drowning in FOMO? Mary of Jesus of Ágreda’s miraculous ability to engage in bilocation might help you cope. Confounded by a lesbian situationship? The yearnings of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz contain unexpected insights.

Blending rigorous research with tongue-in-cheek takeaways and weaving pop culture and personal anecdotes throughout, Brown University scholars and best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita spill the juicy inside scoop on monastic life so you can better conquer today’s anxiety-ridden, hyper-connected world, be it work woes, unholy diets, or crises of the soul, the nuns of Convent Wisdom are here to guide you—with a wink and a prayer.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Self Help, Religion, Audiobook, Humor, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Chapters & Chives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convent Wisdom is a humorous book written by PhD graduates, Ana Garigga and Carmen Urbita, who specialize in the lives of Saint Theresa of Avila and her close friends for their graduate studies. They draw parallels between the glorification of nuns in the sixteenth century and modern-day celebrity culture and social media politics. It’s really fascinating to see how feminism, reputation, appearance, social status and “followers” all played a role in the lives of nuns and their convents in the 1500s in a similar manner that they do now for women both on and off social media today! This book is published on November 4th. Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for a #gifted advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are my own.

Garigga and Urbita draw parallels between the drama of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton and Saint Therese’s trio of friends. The authors comment on the current renewed interest in nuns through memes, the recent viral dancing nuns, and met gala / fashion trends. The way that followers of Theresa and other venerated nuns would be spied on through peep holes compares to how we gain glimpses into the lives of celebrities through their social media and paparazzi. Parts of a nun’s body and their possessions would even be taken upon their death, much like the possessions and products of celebrities are today.

The authors also reflect on their own seclusion and discipline during their graduate school days. Their graduate work placed them in a similar environment and scheduled system as the nuns they read about, which created an intimacy between them and a mutual understanding of how the nun’s philosophies are still applicable in today’s world.

It's such a fun concept to reflect on how celebrity culture isn’t just a phenomenon today, but it was very much active centuries ago in the way potential saints were followed and worshipped. The text dives into the personal writings of Saint Therese and her closest companions to illustrate the politics and strategies at work behind the scenes of a convent, such as how the nuns carefully craft how they present themselves to the public, the prayers and services they complete as a performance of their sainthood, their speeches and mannerisms being controlled in order to be the perfect demonstration of philanthropy.

This level of politics in how to dress and present oneself, how to speak, how to carry oneself, and how to act and perform charitable acts, are all performed by those we venerate today in the “cult of celebrity” through their charities, product placements and media training. Hence the subtitle of the book – how 16th-century nuns can save your 21st-century life.

The only weakness I found with the book: the cover and topic of the book suggests an intended audience that is younger (millennial and under), but the style that the book is written in is quite academic and verbose, to the point I sometimes felt an interesting topic or point may be lost on a Gen Z or Gen Alpha reader. I think this book could go far if it was written in a more accessible way to capture attention from a wider audience.

[Gwyneth Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to learn that 16th and 17th century nuns were one of the girls. They had FOMO, worried about their reputation, ate weird snacks, and developed all-consuming friend crushes. I found myself wishing that it was a straight up historical or autobiographical book because I personally did not connect with the self-help aspects of Convent Wisdom. I did fall in love with the authors and their academic struggles; I will definitely be checking out their podcast. It was a 3.5/5 for me, thank you Avid Reader Press for the ARC!! <3

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like half memoir half historical non-fiction. I didn't find any of the insights particularly wowing but it was fun to learn more about the nuns. I might have liked a more hard historical non-fiction but this should be fun for most readers.

[Kenny Albee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part history, part self-help book, part PhD student memoir. I found the self-help angle pretty surface level, and the memoir angle interesting at first but then kind of repetitive ("here's another way being a grad student is like being cloistered"). I thought it shined much more as a history book, and would've liked the balance skewed more in that direction. 3.5, worth a read.

[Savannah Pierce · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really not what I expected. I could do without the modern day references- they really pained me and at times read like a bad Buzzfeed article. I think it’s clear that the authors had fun with this book, but I think I was hopeful that this book would be a deeper dive on nuns and nun culture. Just not quite what I was looking for but this didn’t meet the mark for me.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wavered between a 3 and 4 on this and went with a three because ultimately, I think it tried to do too much and was weaker for it.

THAT SAID: as someone who was also a bit traumatized by completing a PhD in history at an Ivy League school (like the authors, and an experience that frames much of the book), I found this soooooooooo relatable. 😄 I laughed a lot-- so much so that the woman on the plane next to me asked what I was reading and wrote it down, so I clearly was having fun reading it.

I think people without that specific background can still enjoy this book, but if you've survived a similar academic experience, you really should check it out. You will feel extremely seen.

And "greatest repugnance for work" may just become a Monday mantra for our time, not just the 16th century. 😄

[tomatoluver · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book! i think it is geared more towards younger women who enjoy the middle ages, however that is perfect for me haha! i thought it was a great blend of the often dense medieval history with a modern flare that was relatable and informative.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm I really struggled choosing how many stars I should give this book, in the end I think it will have to be a three. Although I do feel the book was quite charming and (very) easy to read , I feel like I could not connect with the constant parallel drawn between the authors struggles with writing their phds and being a nun.
I was very excited and feel this book has a lot of potential, I just wish it was slightly more organized and focused a little more on the nuns.

[Lauren Figg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book. As I listened on audio, I was like “this feels like a podcast episode” only to learn the authors had (have?) a podcast. The research is impressive, for sure. It is primarily historical research, a little bit of pop culture and social commentary, lots of 16th-century-nuns-just-being-girls. and like 1% self-help. I unfortunately did not get the self-help aspect at all, or maybe it just didn’t resonate with me. I don’t know enough about Catholic teachings or mysticism for much of this to make sense to me, so I felt a little out of my depth. Still an interesting read.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Convent Wisdom” by Garriga and Urbita was a book I was excited to pick up because of my own upbringing and fascination with nuns. I learned a lot reading this book, especially fun and weird facts that not a lot of people may know about what nuns were doing back in the day with all of the time they had on their hands. This book covers the authors’ own experience obtaining their PhD’s and the advice they took from the women that they were studying and writing about. I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in the topic, as some of the jargon can be tough to get through. I found myself losing focus with the text as it went on because the differing storylines of the nuns were hard to distinguish as a lot of them had similar (and long) names. 3 stars ⭐️

[Janet Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuns! They’re just like us! This is a delightful read - witty and fresh - and while you’re enjoying the voices of Ana and Carmen, you’ll glean a thing or two about life as 16th c. religious. Their lives were way more diverse and interesting than I’d have imagined. What an accessible way to put all that scholarship on the page. I literally laughed out loud.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I had wished this was more of a series of bios of these women, but I did really like this regardless!

[Fran Romanova · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this while it was half price - despite the book being incredibly new - and I think I've realised why. The book is both exactly what it says on the cover, but also not? Each story of the nuns - usually St. Teresa of Avila - is interspliced with the two authors own personal experiences that tie in with both the situation and the overall statement they're making in the micro-chapter. It was these little anecdotes that really dulled the book down for me. I bought the book called 'Convent Wisdom,' with a nun on the cover, talking only of nuns in the blurb, goodness forbid I expect ALL of the contents to be about nuns and not the two authors wondering whether or not to re-download Bumble. The two authors also don't seem to be catholic themselves or have much reverence for the religion, not that they particularly disrespect Catholicism or catholic beliefs but they routinely call the nuns silly or have a kind of pompous air about it that seems like they constantly think they're better than the saint or faithful that they're talking about. I know I'm being overly negative which I suppose in a way is unfair because I really did enjoy the parts of this book about holy (and un-holy) women throughout history but all the rest of the gunk really brought it down.

[Sabina]

Excited for the Spanish audiobook to be released, and hope it will be read by the authors - this was enjoyable, but lacking something of the delivery that they bring to the podcast.

[Scarlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forgettable and silly, in my opinion. I went into this expecting to get some tangible guidelines from nuns. All I received was the opinion of a girl who likes nuns. Some interesting stories, though.

[Amanda Shrout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Convent Wisdom - Ana and Carmen did a masterful job of weaving together life as we know it with wisdom shared from sixteenth and seventeenth century nuns. Highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

“ we who had become so accustomed to letting words pour forth, to accompanying any trivilaity with four times the amount of adjectives…..”. A sentence from this interminable book that sums up the verbose writing style.
Its too academic to be pop culture, too mired in pop culture of the age of the authors- namely Millenials -to be of wide interest, too much of a stretch of a fun, but ultimately unsuccesful premise, to work.

You should note the authors specialisms on the sleeve if you dive into this expecting a rich seam of wisdom from a diversity of European nuns. The references are almost exclusively Mexican or Spanish, specifically Discalced nuns and after all those soporific pages i still do not what on earth that means.

The device of writing together “ we think this, we did that” etc presents as juvenile and im sorry but they just come across as whiny spoiled Millenials.
I expected to love this but it was a trial worthy of the inquistion to finish it.

[Niniane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

An interesting book, with a flawed execution.

This is a very accessible read, perfect for people who aren't familiar with academic texts. The tone is light, tongue-in-cheek and humorous. One thing that strikes me when studying history is that people in the past weren't so different from us. And this is exactly what we see here, through a kaleidoscope of anecdotes, illuminating how women of the past faced the same issues as we do now.

When we think of nuns, we think of strict routines and hierarchy. We think of boredom and austerity. But nuns were also people. And I learned plenty of interesting, touching or thought-provoking facts. So good for that part!

My main caveat was that the self-help part was poorly executed. Sometimes, it was just one of two sentences and everything stayed superficial.

-Blending personal experience with educational content is a delicate exercice. Here, it was poorly done. The authors tried to appear as relatable™, cool everygirls™. The issue is that what is relatable or not varies from one reader to another. And I just...didn't care about some aspects of their lives.

-Their tendency to cram as much contemporary references as possible was annoying .Their defense of the #GirlMath thing was poorly done. It is sexist, no matter how you twist it. You can't reclaim sexist stereotypes.

-The analysis was lacking in some places. They mention Arcangela Tarabotti's business endeavors. Fair enough. But Arcangela Tarabotti was also known for her fierce defense of women's rights. It would have been a good opportunity to remind people that feminist ideas are nothing new, contrary to what some would like you to believe.

-The analysis of the nuns' dietary habits stayed surface-level as well. Such a complex topic would have required a thorough examination. It's the same for the case of the weeping nuns. It would have been a perfect way of highlighting how showing your emotions is still pathologized in today's society, especially when it comes to women's tears.

-It stayed funny, witty, but avoided more complex subjects, such as the elephant in the room: the fact that the Church is a patriarchal institution that hides violence and sexual violence against women, including nuns. Yes, it mentions religious homophobia in passing, but that's it. In explaining the convent's appeal, they failed to highlight the main contradiction. From the beginning, nuns have subverted the expectations placed on women by refusing to marry and have children and living among other women. That's why the church has always strived to control them and place them under male surveillance. I recommend reading Jo Ann McNamara's "Sisters in Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millennia". She perfectly sums it up. Here, the two authors speak of the convent as a place of female solidarity, of community...But avoid mentioning the fact that joining one means ultimately that you have to submit to patriarchal institutions. It would have been interesting to discuss how nuns tried to navigate and push back against that control.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever read about a historical figure and used what they went through to help you get through difficult times? It is as if you read about their life at the perfect time in your life to help you get through your own struggles. Growing up, for me, it was reading about young Elizabeth I. For Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita, it was reading about 16th and 17th-century nuns, the ones that they were researching for their PhDs. What lessons did Garriga and Urbita find when they were researching two centuries and the nuns who lived during this period? They share the lessons that they learned from the past in their book, “Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life.”

I would like to thank Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am a novice when it comes to nun research, especially when it comes to those outside of England, so when I saw the title of this book, it was intriguing to me. I wanted to see how they could blend the past with the present day.

Garriga and Urbita met while working on their PhDs at Brown University, and this book follows their journeys as graduate students. They choose to pair their life experiences with those of nuns like Saint Teresa, Maria de San Jose, Catherine of Siena, Veronica Giuliani, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. We get to see these nuns deal with everything from extreme diets, feats of levitation, relationships with other nuns, and entrepreneurship to keep their convents and their own legacies going.

While I appreciate what they were attempting to do, I felt like the modern portions did take away from the stories of the nuns and were a tad distracting for me. I enjoyed learning about the different types of Catholic orders of nuns and fun facts about the nuns. I also enjoyed learning about the authors experiences as graduate students. When the separate elements were put together, it did not work as well as I had hoped in this book.

Overall, this was a decent book. A bit too modern for my taste when it comes to a historical nonfiction book, but that is just a personal preference. I do want to check out their podcast, Las hijas de Felipe, and I want to learn more about some of the nuns mentioned in this book. If you want a self-help book with advice from the past that has a modern twist, I recommend you read “Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life” by Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita.

[Erin Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Avid Reader Press for the ARC.

Convent Wisdom is a cheeky, irreverent, and surprisingly insightful walk through the lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns, reimagined as something of a spiritual self-help manual for the digital age. Equal parts cultural commentary, historical deep-dive, and personal reflection, it never takes itself too seriously, but still manages to give weight to its central premise: maybe the cloistered sisters of early modern Europe knew a thing or two about surviving in a chaotic world.

There’s something refreshing about the authors' willingness to treat these women as whole people—not pious caricatures, but human beings with pettiness, passion, ambition, and wit. That perspective breathes life into each chapter. Some anecdotes are downright bizarre (eating spiderwebs?) while others feel strikingly contemporary, especially when it comes to power dynamics, burnout, and messy relationships.

The tone can get a little breezy at times, edging close to pop-history territory, but the scholarship underneath is solid. And while not every takeaway feels earth-shattering, the book delivers plenty of memorable insights with just enough bite to stick with you. Think less “transformative philosophy,” more “intelligent friend giving you weird advice over drinks.”

• Accessible, humorous look at overlooked corners of religious history
• Thoughtful reframing of historical figures as complex, relatable people
• Blends memoir and scholarship in a way that mostly works

• At times, the voice veers a little too modern for its own good
• Might leave readers wanting a more robust academic grounding
• The format can occasionally feel repetitive

Overall, this is a book that’s as smart as it is fun. If you’ve ever wondered what Saint Teresa would say about hustle culture or how a cloistered mystic might handle your group chat, this one’s for you.

[Lucy Seward · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a unique read. Garriga and Uribe, both academics with PhD's from Brown, showcase the biographies of nuns from the 15th - 17th centuries as lifestyle advice for the 21st century. So many delightful features, facts, insights, and quips. For example, after touting a nun, Arcangela, for her business acumen, G&U end this section with the following: "With a thrifty and negotiating spirit, there is almost always a business model to match your freak."

There's a lot here: the misery of academia (and of Providence in general), the divorce and subsequent coming out of one of the authors, the pangs of insecurity and loss of moorings when exiting said academia, FOMO, and, surprisingly, even Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina candle, Bella Hadid's online tears, and Britney Spears's shorn head. If that's not enough, I learned a pithy response to (usually a male's) criticism: "Exasperating me is not a good way to correct me for I do not possess a servile nature that would make me yield to threats rather than to reason."

Some of this discourse is funny; additionally, the nuns' biographies variously inspire and impress. At first, I considered this topic fairly niche, but then the sobering inference struck me: if seeking biographies of women of the 15th - 17th centuries, these nuns were pretty much the only game in town (save royalty perhaps).

While I sometimes found myself daydreaming as I read this short book, I also consistently found value and entertainment in its pages. Moreover, while sometimes the relevance between the nuns' lives to the authors' contemporary tribulations seemed tenuous, I enjoyed reading about all of these fascinating women, regardless of the sometimes strained connective tissue.

Now I wish I could listen to their podcast, but it's in Spanish. Buena suerte to these authors - I look forward to their next text.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convent Wisdom is a highly amusing secular take on the lives of sixteenth & seventeenth-century nuns and the lessons they offer us in our twenty-first century life. It was a high brow stirring read, tea spitting, and quite the scandal.

My sentiments on cloistered nuns are quite rosy and romantic. I envisioned a fragrant blend of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux mixed with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤.

Well it’s not that book. Nor is it a rendition of 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 suited for catechesis.

But as Christ’s bride, why settle for anything less than a life-long dedication to penance and prayer? Certainly, these pious women have much to offer in terms of sainthood. It’s nice to know what I am going through now likely happened to a nun living several hundred years ago.

Inside this book expect be thrown into ecstasy: a miraculous world of aerial acrobatics performed by levitating nuns and incorruptible bodies that even long after death is nothing short of glamorous. Because who needs Botox when you can have sainthood? I’ve learned about their mean girl squabbles, financial troubles, “peculiar friendships” and so much more. And yes there were some in disgrace, particularly the “fake it to make it” ones.

This book was written in a way that made the nuns relevant, relatable, and tangible rather than forgotten ancient history found on holy cards. As fascinating as these Sisters were, they also happened to be nonfiction. I enjoyed the pop culture references, cheeky humor, and personal anecdotes throughout. It was an entertaining spin on some of my favorite nuns and reignited my interest in them.



Thank you Avid Reader press and Netgalley for the DRC.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑫𝑶𝑴: 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑺𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝑵𝒖𝒏𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒏𝒂 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂 & 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑼𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒂 #gifted by @avidreaderpress and out now!

I could not resist this cover! I was also struck by the title and how it drew me into the feelings that maybe the ancients had something to offer me, too.

Rest assured for those for whom a religious figure may incite a higher blood pressure, this book is not a tome for conversion. That said, it is not a complete disregarding of the ancient ways of the cloth.

Mining the topics of friendship, work, money, and even fame, it was quite a fun lesson to see how women have come together centuries ago to find peace, autonomy, and even power in circumstances that seem even more medieval than today. I did chuckle a time or two as the authors came to fascinating conclusions that I wonder what those original nuns would have thought! Regardless of any discrepancies, I do think these women had much to offer and I appreciate Garriga and Urbita collecting this information and sharing it in such an entertaining and engaging way.

I did add the audio which was narrated by Aida Reluzco and that added another layer of enjoyment to the physical book. I do recommend the physical book, however, as it does have some lovely pieces of art included as well as just having it in print made some of the list structures easier to follow.

I think, even if this particular faith is not yours, we can all benefit from the wisdom of the ages!

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Convent Wisdom as a Goodreads' giveaway. The book is a well-researched account of the lives of various nuns throughout the centuries. I am not Catholic, so the information about each nun was completely new to me. I found myself feeling sorry for many of the nuns. For women who did not want to get married and have a large family, one option was to become a nun. The book cited a story of a nun who was born illegitimate. Another nun was anorexic. All of these tales covered in the book were quite interesting.

I believe the authors could easily build a successful business by organizing Catholic-themed travel tours to the convents mentioned in their book. Their deep knowledge of the subject would make them outstanding tour guides!

[Keila (speedreadstagram) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun and so unique! It was funny and the parallels that the authors (PhD graduates) drew between the nuns from the way way past to current times. I loved how the authors went through and thoroughly explained the ties and why they felt that it was relevant. It was very obvious that the authors knew what they were talking about. I do think that there was a bit of a disconnect between the target audience which seemed to be on the young side (like young millennials and below) and the tone and language used in the book. At times it felt more like I was listening to a college textbook which was not exactly what I needed in that moment.


Thank you to @avidreaderpress and @simon.audio for copies of this book! All thoughts are my own.

[Izzy Bohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convent Wisdom was such a refreshing and delightful read! I loved learning about the ways 16th and 17th century nuns handled nepotism, fomo, doomscrolling, know-it-all patriarchs, lesbian yearning, eating disorders, and more. I felt connected to the nuns knowing they had dealt with (and survived) issues that we all deal with today. The mystic visions, gay nuns, and bilocation were all especially interesting.

I wonder what the authors (and the nuns) would think of the recent “shifting” tiktok trend (people, usually teenage girls, would claim to ‘shift’ into different worlds where they would speak to book and movie characters. The process apparently required closing one’s eyes and entering a deep dream-like trance). The chapter on bilocation and fomo reminded me of this.

[FeyRaccoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obligatory thanks to Avid Reader Press for the ARC

This book was not really my thing. I prefer coming away from finishing a book and feeling like I learned something, but with this, despite the historical subject matter, there wasn't much actual history, and what was there felt embroidered or dramatized to maximize reader interest. And while I concede that a book solely about the history of specific nuns from the 16th and 17th centuries would probably have been pretty dry and boring, I still, personally, would have preferred something more like that.

There are a few chapters which I felt needed more work, mainly the first and third. The combination of memoir, self help book, and historical analysis at times seemed only tenuously held together by the thinnest of threads, chapter 3 being the foremost example in my mind.

Also the frequent use of internet slang really dated the text and combined with the references to pop culture phenomena it alienated me as a reader.

However the authors do a good job of holding the reader's interest with drama, and it is anything but dry. Overall, I'd say its a decent book that I think many will enjoy, it just wasn't for me. It very much seems like it was written "for the girlies" and I think most women active on TikTok would enjoy it.

[Kelly S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuns: They're just like us. This was a lighthearted read oscillating between interesting anecdotes of 16-17th century nuns and the struggles of the authors as PhD candidates and modern women. The title was a bit misleading because there's not much by way of actual wisdom being proffered. I also love history and could have used more of that or insight to the different orders. Once you get past those expectations, you can take heart in your shared experiences with convent life.

Disclaimer: I won a copy from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Avid Reader Press!

[Falon Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, lighthearted exploration of sixteenth century nuns and the many ways in which they dealt with issues the modern woman still experiences. It should be noted that you won't find an in-depth scholarly examination of the lives and histories of convent life in the 16th century. It's more like a charcuterie board of historical facts about interesting nuns. I would say the self help part of the book is rather weak. I did like the way the authors made connections between the nuns of the past and our lives today, and there was some comfort in knowing that they had comparable, albeit more extreme, struggles.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I expected it to be, but I ended up loving it! It’s really more of a grad school memoir detailing the friendship of the authors and their shared fascination with sixteenth and seventeenth century nuns than it is a detailed history of those nuns. I heavily relate to the authors’ description of grad school, particularly PhD programs, as a kind of convent among your cohort. It’s also packed with fascinating and weird little stories of nuns who the authors make relatable to modern readers. I read it as an audiobook, so it felt like a breezy podcast and makes a good car listen.