I have loved the concept of this book since Sterling Jaquith first brought it up. As I mentioned before, I am a sucker for romance stories, but there tend to be three problems with most of the love stories that society and the media present to us:
- They romanticize lust and impurity.
- They either are problem-free or the problems get wrapped up in an instant.
- They leave out God.
However, Smitten: A Collection of Catholic Love Stories: The Raw and Real Truth of Fighting for Love in a Modern World presents love stories that show real, messy, and beautiful relationships.
Full disclosure: I contributed my love story with Ben, but my story is only one out of 37 stories, a forward, an introduction, and four additional chapters. Though I contributed, I can separate my excitement about my own story to present an honest opinion of the book.
The book started off strong with a forward from Carolyn Shields and introduction from Kimberly Cook. All the stories that follow are wonderful. It isn’t because they are fairytales or rom-coms; the beauty comes from the truth these women share. I was really impressed by the vulnerability of these stories, and I loved reading the funny, the awkward, the joyful, and sad moments that are all part of finding love.
I really enjoyed the wide array of stories. There were women who found love in their 20’s, in their 30’s and even a story from a woman who got married in her 40’s. Some women were actively seeking “the one” while others had nearly given up on love. There was the beauty of rainbows and roses and the struggles of heartbreak and loss.
My only criticism of this book is there were a few minor typos, but these can be easily overlooked.
Though this book is targeted towards single women and has some good advice, I think anyone who likes love stories would enjoy this book.
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You can get the book on Kindle here for FREE through June 8th. You don’t even need a Kindle to read it!