In this immersive and inspirational book, Grammy Award-nominated singer Kierra Sheard shares her hard-won advice on body positivity, spiritual self-care, goal setting, finding your joy, and living boldly in faith, empowering you to grab the life you’re meant to lead. Every one of us was born to make a difference. But do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the things the world prioritizes, thinking you don’t match up or you don’t fit into the mold? Or do you wish you had a more supportive family, or positive role models, or access to the things you need emotionally and spiritually to keep going? Kierra Sheard sees you and will teach you how Inside Big, Bold, and Beautiful you’ll
Kierra Sheard has grown from child star to a successful business woman. Her story is inspiring and one that not too many can attest to. What I loved about this book was how open and honest Kierra was with her story. She talked about her struggles with relationships and her weight and finding herself and that was admirable. The prayers and bible scriptures really helped to further demonstrate the life lessons mentioned. This is a book that would be great for a young adult or someone that is college aged and trying to find their way. The book is easy to read with enough details and scenarios for readers to understand the life lessons. I truly enjoyed this. I am a huge fan but I learned a ton about Kierra’s experiences but also gained some, “aha” moments. I loved it so much I bought the hard copy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Big, Bold, and Beautiful is cited as an inspirational book for teenagers chock full of wisdom, positivity, and paths to self-care. I am neither a teenager, nor traditionally religious(though that is not a pre-requisite for this book, it is full of references to Christian scripture) I was asked to read this book at the behest of a friend who wanted to get it for her daughter.
As a girl who grew up getting things such as Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul shoved in her face during the Trying Times of my youth, I found the voice of this book incredibly encouraging. Kierra Sheard brings a warmth and a sincerity that I think will speak volumes, especially to teens who share her faith and experiences on an in-depth level. She works here to give advice on navigating societies expectations, on ways to feel solid and at home in your own skin, relationships, friendships, community — this book really touched on a wealth of subjects that I think older teens who read this kind of thing (and maybe even some who usually don't) will be able to gain something from.
A pleasant departure from my usual fair, I definitely recommend this to older teens especially!
A self help book, not my usual fare. But there was a fat lady on the cover so I’m down.
I’m an atheist so all the religious stuff just went *woosh*. The quotes from the Bible didn’t bother me though, I thought a few were quite poignant and I think the same sentiments can be found in secular works.
The author owns a business called Eleven60, named after her mother’s birthday. By the way, her mother is a famous gospel singer. The author is also a successful gospel singer with multiple albums and awards over the years. A lot of her “advice” is predicated on having a lot of money. A lot. Like hundreds of thousands of dollars. It sure helps if your mom is a millionaire.
Start a business! Just start one. Get a revolving door for all the people you can hire. Just get friends, they fall out of trees. Enough that you can pick and choose those too. It helps to be famous already.
On an expensive business trip to parts of the world with extremely corrupt governments that regularly exploit their citizens, pushing them into horrific work environments, with literal child slavery? Fuck it, go to Johannesburg. Then Dubai. Then SEOUL! FIRST CLASS ALL THE WAY BABY! Just live big. Thank God for all the money He has given you to live your best life.
She does make a few good points: that you shouldn’t wait on other people to make you happy, that you can do fun things by yourself. Provided you are as wealthy as she is (wealthy enough to write a vanity book about how wealthy you are), you can go to restaurants, travel the work, and start businesses where poor women in Bangladesh churn out your polyester fashion line for pennies.
“I remember being eighteen years old, getting ready to put a new record out.” Like, you know, the average teenager.
All the god stuff ended up muddling the core messages from me. It feels like filler. This book would be a three page essay without it.
She actually dedicates a chapter to people calling her out for being privileged, saying how hard she does work. Yeah, but you never would have had those opportunities without the privileges afforded to you by virtue of your family. She so utterly misses the point. Of course, she is blessed by God therefore she has all this material wealth. Lucky you.
Overall I found this kind of boring and entirely tone deaf, imparting no new or useful knowledge. I think watching a season of Teen Mom would offer better advice to a struggling teenage girl.
I always been a fan of Kierra from her music to her lifestyle. This was an amazing book to read to her you through life obstacles and to maintain integrity as a follower of Christ.
Get ready to receive a blessing, because that’s what this book is. Big, Bold, and Beautiful gave me so much more than I expected. I’m inspired, motivated, encouraged, and uplifted.
This book is a powerful tool—especially for young women—to build confidence, gain self-worth, and discover who they are created to be.
I love how each chapter is succinct and provides wonderful insight into ways to learn and grow. Chapters wisely close with a prayer and correlating Scripture verses.
I’ve no doubt readers will be motivated and empowered to make changes in their thoughts, actions, and goals after reading this book. From letting go of worldly baggage to gaining Godly insight, this book provides the tools needed to own who we are and the life we are in.
Although the book had some amazing parts and I love her general tone of voice there was so much talk about man and woman that is completely missed the mark for me.
This binary way of approaching subjects excuus such a large audience and downgrades the experience of anything and anyone outside this heteronormative experience. It really written from the point of a cos-gender hetero woman and didn't take in consideration the wide specters of people.
The focus on god and god as a man was to much for me; although there were some great text mentioned, is was a lotttt to ge through.
Won't recommend. I do think there are books about the same subject with a more I inclusive approach.
I absolutely love Kierra! I’m so glad she wrote this book. Her stories/testimonies are so relatable and she’s got so much wisdom.
This book of encouragement was definitely what I needed. From being in her SistHER mentorship, I know just how passionate she is about encouraging young women and sharing her story. It’s truly a blessing. Definitely took a highlighter to these pages. 🙌🏽💯
Baybee, you better know that you are BIG, BOLD, & BEAUTIFUL! ❤️
I LOVE this book. Absolutely phenomenal and important...and necessary. Kelly is truly bold and beautiful for sharing this voice, one that needs to be heard by so many--including myself. Thank you, Zondervan for sending me a copy for review--I didn't realize how much this would resonate with me, and I am so, so thankful I read this book. <3
I started listening to the audiobook in hopes that my opinion had changed from last time and unfortunately it hasn't. Had I found this book in my early 20s I think I would have connected with it more. DNFing it and will not be trying it again. **DNF**
**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
In this immersive and inspirational book, Grammy Award-nominated singer Kierra Sheard shares her hard-won advice on body positivity, spiritual self-care, goal setting, finding your joy, and living boldly in faith, empowering you to grab the life you’re meant to lead.
Every one of us was born to make a difference. But do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the things the world prioritizes, thinking you don’t match up or you don’t fit into the mold? Or do you wish you had a more supportive family, or positive role models, or access to the things you need emotionally and spiritually to keep going? Kierra Sheard sees you and will teach you how to:
Identify your goals, talents, and gifts so you can survive and thrive Deal with societal expectations and focus on what really matters Truly love yourself and find out who you really are as an individual Live your faith loud and proud Inside Big, Bold, and Beautiful you’ll find:
Short and easy-to-read chapters with deep advice for teens and young women on navigating life, and insightful questions to help you find your path Illustrated feature pages containing stand-alone graphics that highlight key topics for easy reference when you need a boost An ideal gift for those who need encouragement, as well as graduates getting ready for a new phase
My Review:
Being a teen is hard work. Parenting one is even harder. So you know theres got to be something going on with a child, in this case a girl for there to be so much push and pull. The author shares her own struggles of becoming comfortable with herself. She shows you how God got her through it and she encourages you along your way navigating this precious time. This book is perfect for teens and young women starting this journey. She needs to know that she isnt misunderstood and God is with her.
A tough journey for sure but easy with God at the forefront.
An upbeat biblical based "you can do it!" without any adequate discussion of benefits of the family she was born into allowing her access to opportunities and connections not accessible to all. Her writing is enagaging and there are many common pieces of wisdom that are useful for 11-16.
Will likely resonate with some teens. A single copy has a place in the classroom library.
Kierra Sheard-Kelly is a wonderful singer and song writer. She is the daughter of gospel singe Karen Clark- Sheard from the legendry group the Clark sisters. Kierra is from Detroit; MI and she is one of my favorite gospel singers. Kierra has put out multiple albums over the past year from 2005 until now. My favorite song right now by her is “Beautiful” I just love the song and the message that is shares. If you haven’t heard it you need to go listen to it, I play this song each morning. I feel like this song goes with her book.
The book Big, Bold & Beautiful came out in April 2021. This book is about owing the women God Made you to be. What I like about this book is that she made it so relatable. I like that after every chapter she ends it with a prayer and a scripture to consider. I highly recommend that you write both in a notebook or a praying notebook if you have one. These Prayers are going to come in handy.
Kierra is open and honest in this book and I love it. The 1st two chapters hit home with me and she was dropping some gems. The 1st two chapters are titled “Self-Care and Squad Goals” and “Finding Your Tribe”. Both chapters I liked because I am in the process of doing my Self-Care and owning it and trying to find my squad as well and know what that really looks like. Finding your tribe of friend can be hard if you don’t already have one, I like how she talk about her friendship with her friend Courtney.
She talks about how and why she started to lose the weight. She stated that she didn’t want anyone else to decide what the definition of beauty was for her. She stated that when she started to lose the weight other things started to fall off like doubt, fear, and a list of other things as well. Kierra is telling it like it is in this book and I am loving it. Things that I am sure you heard many times from friends and family but now you are hearing it from someone famous so it’s going to click right?
“Stop expecting commitment from people who aren’t committed to themselves.”
This quote hit home for me in many ways I can’t even tell you. I am this book review is bout Kierra and not me after all. Kierra breaks the book down into a few different parts. This book has 31 chapters and is only 183 pages. I love each chapter and the message that they bring. I truly had to go back and reread and listen to the chapter “Don’t Rush the process” it talked about how you should rust things and learn how to be okay with being alone and by yourself. She stated that when she did that and was okay with being Single that’s when she met her back then boyfriend now husband. One thing she stated in this chapter was “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” She goes into more detail with this saying in the book, so you need to read it duh.
I also love the chapter “Successfully Single” I love how she talked abut it was okay to be single and embraced in it. She stated that she didn’t have to wait for a man to live out her dreams. She stated that you need to own your voice and know your worth. Know that if a husband came or not you where good. Spend that time to work on yourself and spend that time getting to know you and getting to know God. Do the things that you need to do for you. Spend time getting to know you. Know what you will and will not put up with.
I think I gave you guys a bit too much with this review. But this book was good. If I had to rate this book, I would simply rate this book 5 starts. I loved everything about this book, and I loved the message that she brings. It is so many other chapters that I truly enjoyed, I didn’t want to give up all the tea of the book, I had to leave somethings out so you can read it. It was the perfect book to start the new year to. I challenge you read this book and really study it and the word that she is preaching in this book? I you have read this book what was your thoughts about it? What chapters did you like? What stood out to you?
Kierra Sheard does an amazing job explaining the lessons her trials taught her. This book is pure inspiration! While it's geared towards teens, I think anyone can get something out of this. I really appreciate how transparent Kierra was as she shared parts of her story. As a gospel singer and woman from a God fearing family, people inevitably put her on a pedestal which makes it more difficult to share mistakes. Kierra allows readers to walk through some of the things she struggled with as a Christian woman, but also as a human.
Some of the topics she talks about are insecurities, friendships, family, and finding your joy. Every piece of advice is so valid and important for people to hear. I really enjoyed how the advice was given. Each chapter has a catchy title, she shares a short anecdote, how she learned from it, and what God revealed to her through it. More than anything, I love that each chapter ends with a related prayer and scriptures to consider. Genius! She basically did the work for you in regards to finding scripture that backs up what she taught. The prayers were on point. I consider Kierra a prayer warrior, so I wasn't surprised, but I'm grateful those prayers are included. They're so powerful, and I will continue to reference them during my prayer time!
If you need some encouragement, I highly suggest reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced eARC.
I listened to this on audiobook and now I want a physical copy! I really appreciated the testimony , transparency and openness from this book . The book is so relatable and refreshing . I plan to read it again as more of a chapter a day devotional type . It was like having a real talk conversation with a close homegirl about getting serious about who God has called you to be. The honesty made so much more of a good read because it lets you know you’re not alone in your sin and mistakes but the good news is God has a plan for you already set in stone . This is a great motivational read ! I loved the prayers and scriptures to consider at the end as it goes a little deeper as gives you the opportunity to do more work if you’re really using this book to work on self improvement.
An amazingly excellent and beautiful read. Inspiring and real. Ms. Sheard pours her heart out into the pages of this book. She shares hard truths about her experiences with life, love, family and business.
She leaves no stone unturned. The wisdom, scriptures and prayers within the book will have a positive impact on all of those who read it. Girls and boys, women and men. You will be able to see some of your own struggles and triumphs. Through the lessons shared, you will be able to make better decisions and seek God's counsel for your life and those around you. It is a one sitting read, that you will not want to put down. Brava Kierra. Well done.
Honestly I was expecting this book to be just a self esteem booster, however it is indeed that but so much more! KiKi’s voice on the audio, the real and raw stories she tells, the prayers and scriptures are so perfect! I love how REAL and OPEN she is. She spoke to many young females and we all could definitely relate. Even with her being a “PK” she is still human, still a female who has wants and needs and who falls short like we all do. I have gained so much more respect for her for sharing her story and not sugar coating it! This has instantly become one of my favorite books!
I really enjoyed reading and listening to this book. Kierra is wise beyond her years!!! I love how she use personal experiences and interactions to become big,bold and beautiful. My favorite parts are the scriptures at the end of the chapters. Thank you Kierra for sharing your experiences and life lessons through this book. It makes me love you more.
I think this book is perfect for young adults from 18 to mid 30s. The journey of self discovery and being rooted and ground in Christ really helps navigate the struggles young women go through. The prayers at the end of each chapter was an amazing bonus especially for those that are trying to learn to pray. Love the book but I think it’s target audience is young people which is great.
Loved this book completely. This book was definitely an eye opener for me as it taught me things that I was wanting to work on for myself and it just gave me a total confidence boost and also confirmation. Great tips on ways to deal with relationships, friendships, rejection, failure, love, self love and a few more things.
I read this a while ago honestly. I believe it was last year.
However, I recall feeling encouraged and reminded that I’m created exactly as I’m supposed to be for a specific reason. It provided numerous reminders of self acceptance, self awareness, and self confidence for the woman I’ve grown and am growing to be.
Powerful book well written with many aspects of life often kept in secret as you are on your Christian journey. She reminds us that none of us are perfect and that we must always find our identity in Christ.
I really enjoyed this book. There was some great information and prayers. I purchased the audio and kindle versions, I highly recommended getting both! Kierra is a very wise woman and gives good advice.