A Life of Lovely: The Young Woman's Guide to Collecting the Moments That Matter

by Annie F. Downs

Find beauty. Find hope. Find your life of lovely. 

Annie F. Downs wants you to take each next step of life with excitement, heading forward with beauty and confidence. ​But what if the enemy is whispering lies that ​you are not smart enough, pretty enough, or rich enough? Or that ​you are too loud, too quiet, too thin, too fat, too much? What if you feel you don’t have what it takes to be who you really want to be?

Personal yet powerful,  A Life of Lovely  offers young women honest stories, biblical truth, and courageous examples—all to encourage readers to persevere their way to hope. You will walk away excited about who you are becoming and challenged to look for lovely, fight to finish, and find the beautiful in your every day!

Genres: Christian, Christianity

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2019

About the author

Annie F. Downs is an author, blogger, and speaker based in Nashville, Tennessee. Flawed but funny, she uses her writing to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God.

An author of three books-  Let's All Be Brave ,  Perfectly Unique , and  Speak Love , Annie also loves traveling around the country speaking to young women, college students, and adults.

Read more at anniefdowns.com  and follow her on Twitter @anniefdowns.

Reviews

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

For sure what my heart needed. This book was what I kinda expected Aggressively Happy to be like but met my expectations.

[Summer Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It almost felt like from time to time that Annie was sitting right in front of me telling me all her stories and her journey to find herself and her "Life of Lovely". Some stories I could relate to and some I couldn't. I really loved the scriptures she'd stick in there that related to what she was going through. The way she brings biblical truth through her stories was eye opening. The part that spoke the most to me was "GOD MADE YOU ON PURPOSE". That brought on the tears. Growing up we always have some type of insecurities. We don't always see the "good" or the "lovely" in ourselves. But knowing that GOD made us the way we are on PURPOSE and he makes no mistakes is truly amazing. If we all would just trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and KNOW that we were made on purpose exactly they way we are, even with our flaws, the world would be a happier/prettier place. Even in the darkest of times Annie fought. In the beginning she'd quit. She'd run away. That was the flaw she hated the most. She wanted to conquer that. And she did! Walking us through her ups and downs through her stories encourages everyone to find that "lovely" in life. I will definitely be holding on to this book and when my daughter is a little older I will have her read this. I'd highly recommend this to all young girls starting at about 13 and up honestly. To help build their faith in the Lord and to ALWAYS look for "A Life of Lovely".

*Note: I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Marie Bubilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am by no means a “young woman.” I am older than Annie by a few years. BUT I was a young woman once. I was a broken teenager and then a broken young adult. I read this from the point of view of THAT Marie. If had a teenage daughter, I’d make sure she read it. Since I don’t have a teenage daughter, I will tell my friends with daughters to get their daughters this book. :)

Annie follows Jesus’ formula for teaching life lessons- storytelling. Only, the stories Annie told were from her own life experiences. This is NOT a how-to book that will help you solve all your problems and issues. Rather, it is a glimpse inside a real and authentic Christian woman’s struggles and how, by the grace of God, she overcomes them. Teens need an older, wiser, spiritually mature friend who isn’t afraid to speak truth. Although ideally we would want a friend face to face, Annie offers that through this book. She also offers practical ways to find that life of lovely, which I plan on doing even as an over 35 year old woman.

Thank you B and H Publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow. This book was INCREDIBLE! Annie Downs is raw, real, and relatable with every word that she writes. She doesn't reprimand us for our sins - she just talks to us about hers. Her journey is an incredible one that is absolutely inspiring to every reader. Also, Downs is absolutely hilarious, which simply adds to the adorable appeal of her writing. 

The best part about this book was how much I saw myself in her pages. My absolute favorite authors are the ones that don't talk down to me but find a way to relate to me at my level. This is exactly what Downs does with her writing! I am in awe and inspired by her life and her story. I can definitely see myself reading her other books in the future. 

I recommend this book if you love down-to-earth relatability. This book is excellent for exploring what is going on inside of you through the lens of the author's life. A perfect five stars for this read!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that encourages young women to live a life that encourages those around them is an A+ in my opinion. There are so many messages out there that make young girls and women alike feel less than. And I think, too often, women send out these messages to one another too. It doesn’t have to be like this. We don’t have to be each other’s competition. We can be each other’s companion. We can be each other’s community. We should be celebrating one another’s wins and cheering one another on in our journeys.

Annie is someone who is a voice of courage and excitement. She brings biblical truth through her stories. She speaks encouragement to readers who may be fighting the negative messages of the world. She challenges young women to look for lovely in the midst of sadness, discouragement, and losses. She offers hope those who are hopeless by pointing them to Jesus.

[Deborah Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book written for the young women audience, but I enjoyed it very much too. Annie F. Downs has a great sense of humor and a desire to work through hard things in her life and keep seeking answers and trusting God. At the end of each chapter she has a section titled "Look For Lovely" and a suggestion or two for ways to add the lovely in little ways to our lives. I believe this book is a great read for younger women. Annie comes alongside as a fellow friend or big sister!

I received a copy of this book to review and all opinions are 100% my own.

[April Thrush · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book. It also wasn't amazing and life altering. I'm noticing a pattern with books women write sometimes, and it's okay I suppose, but it's just not my taste. They are a lot of fluff with telling stories when the main points of the book could be summed up in one chapter. This creates a kind of journaling type writing. I guess many women like these kinds of books if they sell so well, but I do not find this style very enjoyable...

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this was a version of Looking for Lovely for young women, but I didn't realize how close this is to the original book. There is very little difference, except for a few references in addressing the reader as a younger person, and also, interesting enough, it seems that the stories of Annie's tattoos were removed. It was nice to read some of the stories again, but if you were choosing between the versions, I would stick with Looking for Lovely.

[Community Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie F. Downs is such a breath of fresh air. Her writing in a Life of Lovely is absolutely stunning and leaves me feeling like it was written just for me. Annie reminds us of the importance of collecting moments that matter in a hectic world. I would definitely recommend to women of all ages, but what a gift Annie F. Downs is to our younger generation.

[Aspen Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Annie did an amazing job at making it seem like she was sitting in a coffee shop talking to me. There were so many good take always about about life and faith in general!! The book flowed nicely, but my only ‘criticism’ is sometimes it was hard to tell how old she was in her stories. However, you should give this book a read. :)

[Chattynatty Van Waning · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with some great quotes and life stories that reminded me of how I’d like to make sure I’m living. Christianity and bible verses along with Christian songs referenced throughout this book.

[jacob groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very encouraging and truly sets n example on how to create a life of lovely. It teaches you how to look for lovely things and fill your life with them. I love how the author uses real- life experience sea to teach you how to live life of lovely.

[Lauren Heinsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet and the author seems just as sweet. She writes in a real way, and I think it makes what she says stick a little more. I’ll definitely come back to this book again. Thank you for writing it, Annie.

[Megan Gorecki | wellreadmegs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely not what I expected.

The sentiment was nice, but a little too much Scripture for me. Overall a quick & easy read, just not quite what I was expecting.

[Vicky Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice writing and a great read! Very inspirational!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A M A Z I N G

I love this book! I am a teen and reading Annie's book brought tears to my eyes. I cried and I laughed. A MUST read to all teenage girls!!

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read more like a memoir with a few relatable tidbits.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Annie F. Downs' writing style. It feels like I'm right there with her hearing all her stories and lessons in person. I loved this book!

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely incredible! Super real and relatable.