Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God, The

by Jessica Robertson Jep Robertson

Jep Robertson, the youngest son of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their personal trials, their early years together, and the challenges that might have destroyed them both had the grace of God not intervened. Jep describes being molested as a child and his reluctance to tell anyone until only a few years ago, his downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse, and the eventual intervention of his family. Jessica shares about the difficult failure of her first marriage while still a teenager and the hurt that came along with it, much of it from the church. Her insecurities spun out of control as she wondered whether she would ever be good enough or pretty enough. This audiobook is their love story but, more importantly, their love story for God.



"We are desperate to let people know that no matter what you’ve done; no matter what you’ve lived through, you can come out of it. You can be washed clean. You are redeemed."

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Christian, Memoir, Audiobook, Religion, Christian Non Fiction

MP3 CD

First published June 23, 2015

Reviews

[Sheperd Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it so much! A truly interesting love story!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so shocked to hear she’s been married before! I had no idea.
In the beginning, I wish they had said which perspective we were reading in, but thankfully they did for the rest of the book.
I wish the whole book had been like it started off. that was the best part of it. I always love hearing little stories by the Robertsons. it's amazing how his Granny said she was going to go on The Price is Right and win, and she did! that's incredible!
I loved when the first said they passed by each other at Connie Sue’s, and he said later to his roommate that he met the girl he was going to marry. That’s so cute; just like guys in romance books! -however, I remember thinking later, if he said that then, then why after they started hanging out, did it seem like they were just friends? That didn’t add up at all!
I never would have guessed Jessica was a tomboy! &rode fourwheelers, went hunting, and mudding. Really cool how she worked at the nursery at the zoo. It just shows how fake the show is, though. There was this episode where her&Miss Kay went hunting with Phil, and she acted like a girly girl. if she's a tomboy, then don't portray her as something else. she's portrayed on the show completely different than this book does. I would never guess she's insecure about her self image, and has confidence issues.
Wow! I didn’t know Phil was 6’3.
I really don’t like how all these books jump around, though. I wished they went in order. One second she’s in second grade, the next she’s talking about seeing Jep.
Didn’t know Bonnie&Clyde were killed in Arcadia.
I always like finding things in common with people in books; Jessica was fast at running short distances. was a tomboy&liked four-wheeling. &how she’d go to the cemetery, and read names&dates off the headstones. &how Jep &Jess watch murder she wrote, and the golden girls. It was also nice learning she has an eclectic style &likes antique things.
It’s nice getting to know more of their personalities, that she show doesn’t hit on, like how Jep was shy, quiet, and liked reading. &how he stole one thing. I was a little kid, I doubt I was even in school, when I stole a pack of gum.
I was completely tearing up during the scene of the family intervention. I remember tearing up when it was spoken of in another book--maybe Phil’s?--but it was pretty emotional here.
I was so shocked when Jep mentioned that Miss Kay had to watch Phil, Alan, and Si go through alcohol abuse. I knew of the first two, but I had no idea about Si!! I don’t remember him mentioning it in his book either.
That’s so cute that they bought a puzzle the day of their wedding&worked on it.
I could also relate to Jep and how when you’re made, you wanna punch &break things! Obviously the show wouldn’t show that, but it’s nice knowing they’re normal people, and aren’t perfect, and like the rest of us do.
Can’t believe people at the airport line didn’t get out of line and help Jessica after she collapsed.
I liked learning more about Jessica, and how she likes making quilts &wants to pass them down to her kids.
I can’t believe Jep said after they were married that “I just really don’t love you.”
I had forgotten in the description that it said Jep had been through something as a kid, so when it came out in the book, it was shocking!
It’s sweet learning how Jep is a romantic and stages scavenger hunts.
In one of the last chapters, all of a sudden it was thrown out that Jep had pilonidal cysts at age 19. It was really random how that was all of a sudden mentioned, which took place around the time of the intervention. But it wasn’t mentioned in the book when the intervention was. I also didn’t like how they still don’t know if he’s epileptic or not, and only time will tell!
I like how they live down the road from their brothers. It’s nice they all live close to each other.
Out of all the Robertson books I’ve read, I’d say I’ve liked this one the least. When it came down to it, it just wasn’t enjoyable. The subject matter in this book has been my least favorite to read about. So much of it was negative. While there were some funny/heartwarming moments &little stories from their childhood that were enjoyable to read, I wish there had been more. I loved the story of Jep going along with Miss Kay to that older woman’s house &complementing her house. &the story where he almost drowned &Phil rushed out, looking scared, and helped him. This book needed more stories like that.
Also, Jessica didn’t have many stories--definitely not humorous ones--to share. I wish her side of things had been more positive, not so much based on her marriage, her trying to please everyone, and her struggle with herself, and also their arguments after they were married.
In the end, this book was just ok. Because I had no idea about Jess being married beforehand, and Jep’s sexual abuse, Jess’s insecurities, eating disorder, Jep’s addiction to porn, I had no idea this book was going to contain any of that. I imagined this book being so much different, so much better. I knew it would have Jep’s drug addiction, but that was it. And I didn’t like how it was so heavily based on all of those things. It needed more positive things and humor sprinkled throughout it. I also can’t believe that even after they were married for years, and had all four kids, they were still having major problems &fairly recently were on the path to divorce &out of love with each other. I didn’t like how they still seem to have problems with jealousy and insecurities.
The Q&A’s at the end were nice, because it shed light on some things.
However, some of it didn’t sit right with me. ‘established certain boundaries so temptation doesn’t become a problem, such as neither of us being alone with someone of the opposite sex, ever.’ I didn’t like that it was still even an issue. You’ve got 4 kids, and you’re still worried that the other might cheat. I could not live that that.
Missy &Korie grew up together?! I didn’t know that!
Why in the world do people ask Jep “how in the world did you get your wife?” that’s awful! What is wrong with people?
Also I’ve noticed in this book &another one, they mention the show, say it’s a real portrayal, but won’t touch on the fact that it’s obviously staged. I mean, come on, we’re not stupid. Sure, they don’t give them a script, but the situations are staged. Learning more about the characters through their books, it just highlights all the more that tv doesn't show their true selves. It should highlight their lives more, and the way they really are. Also, these books just show that they've all had issues and things to work through, and it would be nice if the show highlighted them. instead of showing us this fake perfect &peachy lives. They come across as perfect and problem-free, which can get annoying to watch, because no one is that way. Some of their stories show that they are definitely not perfect, and have gone through bad things, so why show them as perfect on the show?

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first line: “once upon a time a girl from town met a boy from the woods.” And how when they met they were both affected and Jep asked the hairdresser who she was, and when he went home he told his roommate he just met the girl he’s going to marry.

I couldn’t believe that Jessica was a tomboy and had played outdoors and fished and hunted, because she seems the most girly from watching the show and the one least inclined to do all of those things.

It was funny the part where Miss Kay took Jep with her to bring things to a needy woman and she had worried what Jep might say over there. She told him her house was going to be different and not to make a big to-do about it. He sees the curtain hanging in the kitchen doorway in place of a door and he points to it and says that’s pretty, then he sees the old dial phone and says “I never saw a phone that color before. That’s pretty.” It was so funny picturing him as a little kid handing out these compliments while Miss Kay nervously watched, waiting for him to say the wrong thing.

It was cute when Jep said his dad wasn’t much for hugs but he hugs him often. And he’s the only son that hugs him and calls him Dad. Miss Kay said Jep and Alan are sensitive and the most like her.

Jep’s parents didn’t watch the boys, they let them run around on their own but made it clear they weren’t to go near the water unless they were with someone that knew how to swim. So Jep and a friend went down to the dock and threw sticks for his dad’s hunting dog, Gabe. They were running down the dock to be able to throw the sticks further, but he couldn’t stop and went into the water. He was thrashing around and his friend knew it was serious so he ran for help. In the meantime Jep sees the dog swimming up with his stuck that he had gone after, and Jep grabs onto his collar until they reach the dock. His friend had gotten Phil, who grabbed him up and was patting him on the back. He was white and looked freaked out, and as soon as he knew Jep was okay he said “Son, you’re about to get your butt tore up.”

It was neat how Jep watched Murder, She Wrote with his grandma and still likes to watch it. He considered himself to be awkward and a nerd, and he liked to read. Jep had taken every history class he could at college. It’s nice having things in common with people you see on TV or read about. I really enjoyed reading about them and their childhoods. I didn’t want to put the book down. I was enjoying this one the most out of all the family’s books. I just wanted to know more and more.

I couldn’t believe Jess had ever been reclusive and insecure, after her boyfriend had cheated on her she withdrew from everything and developed an eating disorder.

Jep had been engaged and dated girls, and him and his friend called themselves the kissing bandits, seeing how many girls they could kiss. Jep baptized Jessica. At the blowing alley he flirted with an old flame in front of her. But when she talked to other guys he didn’t like it.

They were playing cards and games, which Jess had never played, and each time Jep taught her how to play them and she kept beating him. He didn’t like losing and so he told her to leave. She did and he came outside after her, and he apologized and said no one had beat him at the games. It was hard to reconcile the guy on TV with being such a sore loser that he told his girlfriend to leave the house because she was winning at cards, but she turned it into a joke that after that they always played on the same team, never against each other.

Jessica had wanted attention from other guys and had been with them after her marriage. She didn’t go into any great detail about it, neither one of them went too deeply into the past like they didn’t want to share too much or bring it back up.

She wore a skirt and top from Dillard’s to the wedding and Jep borrowed Alan’s clothes. For their honeymoon they ate at Olive Garden. The whole wedding cost around $300. They lived in a trailer in Jase’s and Missy’s yard. They’d bought a puzzle to work on over their honeymoon. I couldn’t imagine them spending their honeymoon doing a puzzle, and their wedding was definitely not what I had expected.

It was so cute he said the reason he’s so close to his dad is the time they spent together traveling for the business. And that sometimes when his dad walks by, he slaps Jep on the butt, and he doesn’t do it to anyone else. He takes it as a sign of affection.

Jep is quiet and likes to think things through himself, goes off alone to think about how he feels. He also usually breaks something when he’s mad and it makes him feel better. He thought he wanted out of the marriage, they argued about money and how to spend it. Then she’s pregnant and he still hasn’t told her some things. I found it unfair that she’d written him a letter telling him about her past and he didn’t tell her everything about his.

Phil would thump him so hard on the head he would cry, and he’d say don’t be an idiot, which is really harsh parenting and verbally and emotionally abusive. I don’t think it can be excused that it’s just from the time period and that’s just how they did things back then either. Jep sounded like a good dad in that he loves on his kids and doesn’t call them idiots, he’s affectionate. It’s the first time I heard that Missy and Korie knew each other growing up. I never heard anything about that from the show.

It was so shocking that Jep had an addiction to porn that lasted their whole marriage. Jessica was hurt and mad and thought it was disrespectful to her that he’d been looking at other women, thought she wasn’t good enough. She felt that he had put himself on a pedestal and blamed her for her sinful past. It sounded like he was punishing her for her sins and still wasn’t ok with them, especially when he ran into guys she’d dated. And Jep had been sexually abused on the bus as a middle schooler by a high school girl. Jess prayed to God that she fall in love with Jep again, and I had no idea their marriage had so many problems that they fell out of love and I couldn’t believe they left off to where they’re still trying to get past it. I would’ve never guessed they had such a start to their relationship or that their marriage had so many problems, nothing happened the way I thought it did from watching the show. It proves that everyone has bad things come their way and no one’s life is perfect. I wish they would’ve gone deeper into some things, and I didn’t like how after their marriage all those years were skipped over and how it left off us not knowing what caused Jep’s seizures. It was unfinished, but the questions in the back left off with them thinking of their lives after the show and fame were over.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories told by sweet people. I’ve enjoyed every book by the Robertsons and their Duck Dynasty family.

[Debra Spurrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the show and the values the Robertson Family promotes through both their shows and their books. I felt this book, too, had thoughtful examples of forgiveness in families, marriages and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. With that said, I felt, like others, the text was repetitive, sometimes within the same paragraph. I also felt like it just skimmed the surface on some deep issues, and if truly meant to be a book to help others, should have delved into the issues more,how they caused certain behaviors, how the behavior was overcome and how forgiveness ensued.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this a 3.5 if I could. This book was slow to start. I love the Robertson family and what they stand for, so I had high expectations for this book. There was a little too much backstory, in my opinion, that wasn't really relevant to the story. It seemed like some of the childhood stories mentioned were put in the book just to take up space and add in extra pages. They weren't all that interesting. I would've preferred to hear more about their early marriage struggles and accomplishments.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how to review this book. I love this couple, however I felt like the book was rushed and they didn't take time to really, really tell their stories... the reader was left guessing about a lot of situations, so maybe they didn't want to tell us EVERYTHING, but still. Writing/editing could have been way better. They are a sweet couple trying to share their love for Christ, I can definitely respect that!

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story itself is interesting, but it is told so poorly that I ended up skimming. Lots of repetition yet lack of detail made it seem unfinished, like the first draft was accidentally published instead of the full book.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was and relaxing book to listen to (read). I appreciate their honesty and willingness to share their story to help others learn and grow. I appreciate their challenge to be committed to marriage and the emphasis they put on their faith and forgiveness. I enjoyed hearing about life in Louisiana and appreciate that they want to pass on the old ways of life like cooking, sewing, hunting, and family time....and of course a legacy of faith. ❤️

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the topics and stories meandered (especially on Jess's side, sorry Jess!), I had no idea how much Jep and Jessica had gone through -- together and apart. I am glad they are able to share their stories so honestly.

[hannah ☆ ୨ৎ˚࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me in the best way! I haven't seen all the Duck Dynasty seasons (someday I'll binge them) but I loooooove reading about the Robertsons. I didn't know too much about Jep and Jessica going in to this book, but I loved reading their stories from their upbringings and early married days.

Jep and Jessica are definitely proof that you can't judge a book by its cover. When we "meet" people on TV after they've reached success, it's hard to remember that they started from the bottom. J+J both have been through a LOT in life that I would have never guessed! From health issues to marriage struggles, these two have a ton of experiences to share, and they've come a long way! They really have seen the good and bad in life and I appreciate their transparency.

This is a great, honest read about the youngest Robertson brother and the surprising twists and turns his and his wife's lives took!

[Emily Mcdearmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this overall it was nice to see that people who seem to have it all together int always in fact have it together

[Josiah Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story about a couple finding Jesus and each other. People don’t realize how much everyone is like each other until reading a book like this. The struggles the sins and overcoming by Jesus.

[Gwynette Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the inspirational quotes, and how open the authors were about what they went through and how they got to where they are now. I really loved reading this book and learning how they turned their lives around from really dark places and were able to come out of it. I thought it was truly inspiring that they now live with God as the center of their lives. I am excited to read more about the Robertson family through their other books. I highly recommend this book.

Plot:
The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God is an autobiography by Jep and Jessica Robertson about how they turned to God to help them through the dark places in their lives. Jep goes into detail about his troubled past where he had to overcome an addiction to drugs and alcohol with the help of his family. He struggled through months of waking up not knowing where he is or what happened the night before. He also told people for the first time about his childhood and being molested when he was still very young. Jess talks about her first marriage right out of high school to her youth pastor. She tells about the struggles of being forced into the marriage and then getting a divorce after a year all before she was twenty years old. After the divorce, all of her friends and family acted differently toward her and started to treat her rudely. Jess went into hard times after her divorce without having anyone to talk to about what she was feeling she started to question herself. She thought she wasn’t pretty enough or skinny enough. As an attempt to try and raise her self- esteem she started to sleep around with random guys. They tell about how they got married and kept their marriage strong even through hard times with God at the center of their relationship. They talk about their family and how blessed they are to be where they are today.

Characterization:
Jessica Robertson is a beautiful Christian woman who loves her family and her husband but puts God first. She still struggles like everyone else about self- esteem. She has four amazing children and is in the process of adopting a fifth. She has her dream career of being a stay at home mother. Jessica loves how close her own family is with the rest of Jep’s family.

Setting:
This book takes place current day West Monroe, Louisiana. The reason that the setting plays such a big role in this book is because the Robertson family is always outdoors and they live their lives off of hunting, specifically duck hunting. The reason that the fact this book takes places in current day is so important is because the authors are writing this book about their lives today.

Audience:
This novel would be appropriate for mature audiences (15+) who like non-fiction about people’s lives. This book would most likely be more enjoyed by Christians of either gender due to the basis of this book being on God. Either gender would enjoy this book because there is a female and a male author who give their personal perspectives and experiences on life. The reason that I would recommend this book to mature audiences is due to the detail Jep gives about his childhood and his past of being molested at a young age.

[Itsy Bitsy Book Bits · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC given for an honest review

Pretty much if you have lived anywhere in the world, especially in the United States you have heard of Jep & Jessica Robertson, part of the Duck Dynasty family. If you haven’t heard of them you may be living under a rock and should get out more

In their debut book The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God, Jep & Jessica share their personal stories. Jessica was always kind of a tom-boy and came from a family where hunting and outdoor activities were important. She pushed herself, worked hard, and tried to excel at everything she did. However, it was because in her core she found her self-worth by pleasing other people. She felt if she worked hard enough, got good enough grades, made perfect attendance, than she was worthy of being loved. Sometimes she would go so overboard it would actually do more damage than good. In her quest to be perfect she was easily influenced by those around her and made life decisions pertinent to what others wanted. Sometimes she made decisions she felt were a mistake like getting married, but was so consumed with the fear of letting people down she did it anyway. While she eventually walked away from her first marriage it left her scarred and feeling that she wasn’t worthy of anything good because she had failed.

Jep Robertson, as the baby of the family was just trying to figure out his place in the family and in the world. There is such a huge age difference between him and his brothers that he spent many years searching for who he was. Was it following in his dad’s footsteps with football? Was it being a basketball star? Or was it simply just making sure he was Miss Kay’s true favorite son? He searched in all the wrong places which including drugs, alcohol, and porn. He was once engaged but it didn’t work out.

When Jep and Jess first encountered each other they were both smitten but each was at a low point in life both wanting to be loved and accepted. This is the story of how each of them came into their own, how they each realized they were worth it, and how they each found their true love and relationship with God. They had struggles in their own lives and their married lives. They had fears, let downs, ups, hope, and faith. Through it all they had the love and support of their friends and family. This isn’t a story about perfection or being up on a pedestal. The story was so raw, and they shared their most intimate successes and failures. As the reader I was able to see who they truly are, not just who we see in a 30 minute tv show. I appreciated their honesty, humor, and sincerity.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God' is a very personal look inside the lives of TV celebrities Jep and Jessica Robertson, who are known from Duck Dynasty. If you've ever seen the show or read any of the other books that other members of the Robertson clan have written, you know that they aren't shy about their Christian faith. In this memoir, the youngest of the Robertson brothers - Jep - and his wife - Jessica - speak about some of the hard life lessons they've had to learn throughout the years and how even these tough situations brought them closer to their family and to God.

The book is told in a very natural, laid-back manner - which allows the reader to easily identify with Jep and Jessica from early on. It also reminds us that these 'larger than life' celebrities are just normal people like us, who have struggled with several common issues and who are still learning and growing as they go through life. Being a woman, I found it easier to identify with Jessica's stories - especially the ones dealing with her insecurities. Jep's stories were intriguing and showed me a side of his life I never would have guessed about. Hearing about the horrific events he had to go through - like being molested as a child and keeping it inside for so many years - as well as his drug and alcohol issues - made my heart break a little bit. I haven't been through these situations myself, but having Jep tell his story made me realize how lucky I am and how much worse other people's lives are without you even knowing it. Overall, this was an engaging memoir on Jep and Jessica's trials and suffering, along with their faith in each other and in God. As a fan of the show, I like knowing more about them and now I'll remember what they've gone through and overcome. I definitely recommend this to fans of Christianity nonfiction, biographies, and memoirs, along with fans of the Duck Dynasty franchise.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith and family can help you get through almost anything and can make you stronger. Jep Robertson is a hunter who lives in West Monroe Louisiana, Jessica Robertson is his wife. In the book they talk about their past, Jep had drug and alcohol related problems while Jessica had an eating disorder and much like Jep she also had alcohol problems. In the autobiography they look on their lives before religion, marriage and sobriety. As they write they tell how their religion and faith grew while they improved and how recovery effected their lives and the ones around them. They later explain how Christianity guided them and how they gained a better relationship with God and their families.
This book could help you through a dark time or maybe help you realize how good you have things. I would have never thought that they had these problems until I read the book so it’s kind of an eye opener. Everyone has problems and this book displays an empowering true story of struggle. This book is a true testament to never giving up.
Overall this book was inspiring. I feel even with the strong religious content even a nonbeliever could enjoy reading THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE GRACE OF GOD. I like it because it gives examples of people in self doubt and hatred who pulled their life out of the gutter. It also showed that you don’t have to be born rich to be successful and happy. This book also expresses that everyone goes through hard times and you can always find help weather it’s in the lord, a friend, family or someone else. It also shows no discrimination to ethnicity or beliefs. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. I would rate it an eight out of ten.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received as a free ebook from NetGalley.

I am a huge fan of the Robertson clan and Ducky Dynasty and because of that I wanted to read this book. Although by Jep and Jessica Robertson they do have another coauthor who I think makes the story flow and cohesive. Not to say that Jep and Jessica Robertson, on their own couldn't put something together, as the Robertson's are known for their storytelling abilities. Having said that, I did feel that some of the stories were a bit repetitive. Some of the repetition is due to the fact the book is told from both Jep and Jessica's viewpoints and tend to focus on the same events and I'm not sure if there was a better to avoid that or not.

The Robertson clan has a strong tradition of being a faith based family and it was no surprise that faith played a major role in their story. Some people are turned off by any mention of religion/ faith in any book while others will embrace it whole heartedly. I enjoyed those portions of the book as well and it certainly gave me food for thought.

Although a good chunk of the information was not knew, if you've read or watched almost everything Robertson, Ducky Dynasty, or Buck Commander, I did find some new tidbits. It was refreshing to read about Jessica and Jep Robertson.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never really understood the appeal of so-called reality television; though my grandmother watches about every show that is on cable. She's the one that got me interested in watching Duck Dynasty of A&E a few years ago. While many of the episodes clearly look staged, the shows is funny. Plus, the Robertson clan seem to be nice people.


Anway, the Robertson family has co-written many non-fiction titles over the last two years, including last year's The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God, which is written by the youngest Robertson Jep and his wife Jessica with a little help from author Susy Flory.


Simliar to other Robertson books, this one gives us an inside look of Jep & Jessica's past, marriage and their faith. This includes Jep being sexual abused when he was young and his drug problems, and Jessica's troubled first marriage.


At first glance, all the Robertson family's books might just look like another way to make more cash, but deep down there is a lot of heart and soul thats goes into each title. Here, Jep and Jessica are telling their trials and struggles that they have went through over the years, and hopefully their words will help others that reads this book. Overall, I enjoyed reading The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God and I recommend it to other readers.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Duck Dynasty. I love seeing a family who prays together, eats together, lives by the word of the Bible and holds true to their faith. With that said, I was not a fan of this particular book.

This book is told by the perspectives of both Jeb and his wife Jessica. Both had made many mistakes, from a failed marriage to heavy drug use. Both lost their faith and instead walked down the road of temptations, of rough times in both of their lives and how together they have become stronger both as individuals, as a couple and as children of God.

However, the writing, unfortunately, is lackluster and very repetitive. Many times I felt as if maybe there was an essay question give to both Jep and Jessica to fill out causing each of their chapters to sound forced.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Duck Dynasty and for those who might be walking on a similar path of destruction and need encouragement to find their way back to Christ. However, as touching of a story Jep and Jessica have, the poor writing leaves this book as less than inspirational.

*I was given a copy of this book for review by Book Look Bloggers. The opinions expressed are my own."

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preface this review as I do with each review of a book written by the Robertsons. If you like them, you will like this book. What I particularly love about the Robertsons, besides their love of family, is their willing to share their faith and their love of God in a big and public way. They take a lot of hits and criticism for it too. I completely respect that, especially in our society, that vilifies and tears down people of faith. I also appreciate their openness. I particularly enjoy reading books that lack pretension and that the author (s) are real and honest. Even when it doesn't cast them in the best possible light. That is somewhat the case in this book at times. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable read. I appreciate the themes of overcoming trials, forgiveness, redemption, and sharing the love of Christ.

My Rating: Pretty good.

[Melanie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I am not a huge fan of Duck Dynasty. What I liked most are the memories that both Jessica and Jep have of being raised in the South. Playing outside, big family dinners, church on Sunday, hunting, fishing, etc - all of this was so much like my own experience growing up in South Georgia. I even had a few smiles remembering good times with my own grandparents on their farm. This book was also about the rough times they had growing up and some of the choices they made that shaped their life. It is a religious book without coming across as preachy or judgemental. In my opinion, it is a story of forgiveness and redemption. I only wished they would have included some pictures! Thanks for the ARC from NetGalley.

[Mitch Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this 5 stars because I was able to relate to it in so many ways. I've been through so many of the same things that Jessica has been through and I'm so grateful for how honest they are about their lives. They tell people their story to share and show the grace, faithfulness, and goodness of God in their lives and I think they did an amazing job. I'm grateful that they didn't leave certain things out just to make themselves look good because this book was/is a huge blessing to me!
This book helped me realize that to forgive others I should be more understanding that they did or are doing what they are for a reason that I don't know. Maybe they're hurting, or they were raised a certain way that they think it's acceptable. All in all, this book has strengthened me in many ways.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Together with author Susy Flory, Jep and Jessica Robertson give us another glimpse of the Duck Dynasty family. Written in alternate charters (Jep’s point of view, then Jessica’s), this book tells the story of their early lives, courtship, marriage, and how they handle their problems – Jessica’s first marriage, Jep’s drug use, etc. Full of fun and interesting anecdotes about these reality T. V. stars.

[Tara Kable · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this title from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy watching Duck Dynasty, so I thought I would like this book and I was right. The book is a nice, wholesome, uplifting tale to remind you that whatever happens, you can get through with God. It was a nice, quick, easy Sunday read.

[Bridgit Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really truly loved it. I was waiting forever to read this book and I just loved how open and honest it was. Jessica and Jep are to me, the most relatable couple of the Robertson clan (besides Phil and Kay) the couple who makes mistakes and has a broken past but found Christ through all of that and proves that it will still be all okay in the end. I really recommend this book!

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read almost all of the Robertson families books. I love and respect them. Jase is my favorite and I loved his book, but something about the honesty from Jep and Jessica really resonated with me in this book. I love how they were fearless in sharing with the reader their struggles and how they forgave each other. This was a great book and told with great storytelling.

[Delilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I was right there talking to them. I cried, I laughed out loud at dance class! There were even parts that I put the book down and couldn't read anymore because of how emotional it was. I passed it on to three friends already!! I love this book!

[thecostaricanreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I will be posting this review on publication day. Overall, I liked the book, very interesting and a quick read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read every one of the Duck Dynasty books, except for Jase's. This one is my favorite!!