"Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Girl is about a girl who is looking to God to help guide her with her love life. Each chapter has some advice on the situation as well as her relating everything to her own life and being boy-crazy. There are also bible passages related to the topic and the first chapter ends with a quiz! (my favorite) And each chapter has an area for you to journal. (Turns out after chapter 1 I found I am indeed boy-crazy. Oh. Wait. I didn't need a book to tell me that!)
This book is geared more for girls in their teens but honestly I think there are women of all ages who this book would help! It is all about being you for you and not worrying about what others think of you or say about you (certainly easier said than done!) and should really get you feeling positive about yourself. When you see Paula's journal entries you will realize that you are not alone and not only did Paula go through it all before - everyone probably did! But now you can learn from what Paula learned with hopefully not having to go through it all yourself."
_Katie Wanta, posted on Net Galley August 10, 2013
I can image what some of you may be thinking, "isn't this a book for girls? Why is a guy reading it?" It is true that I am a guy, I am married, I am not a teenager, and I am not boy-crazy. (My wife affirms all the aforementioned)
Paula is a good friend of mine and has been for about seven years. We used to attend a discussion group about the application of our Christian faith in today's world. To hear that she was writing a book was a joy and I really wanted to read it.
That said, here is a guy's perspective on Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Girl.
The first thing I noticed was the openness that Paula has on the pages. This was not a do/do not type of book. It was Paula's story and what she learned along the way.
From early in life to the present day Paula shares struggles, fears, sins, but also joys, growth, and a desire to be Christ-like. What I really appreciate is that Paula is not shy about calling sins in her life what they are: lust, envy, jealousy, fear, etc. Her heart, felt throughout the book, is that girls find their true worth, value, and acceptance in Christ. These are lessons that we all should learn regardless of our sex and age.
Another trait running through the pages is passion. Passion to really know God, his son Jesus, and what it means to be a woman who is free in Christ. So much of our culture demands that women dress a certain way, have certain measurements, have flawless features, and that is true femininity. WRONG!!!
Paula makes this very clear: acceptance cannot be found in that which will fade away. Beauty is not skin deep, looks are. Beauty comes from loving your Creator and how He created you. Easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely! Paula went through much pain to understand this and shares as much in this journal-like book.
Thus, as a youth pastor, I HIGHLY recommend this book not only to girls struggling with boy-craziness but also to those of us who will counsel these young women. Their lives and souls are potentially at stake. To not combat the lies of our culture is to do them an egregious error.
Daniel Greegor, posted on Net Galley 5/12/2014
"This was a interesting spin and take on how to become a independent person and take dating as it is a day at a time.
There are parts that are hysterical and we all can relate to like the middle school crushes. There are parts that will have you laugh so hard you will cry and there are parts where you see extremes.
It’s funny because she goes to extremes. She is all about the boy and dating and how it never works and it makes her sad and than she goes to the extreme of God being the only way to find the answers. Don’t misunderstand me God is important in all lives but a healthy balance is good too. Here she turns to the bible to answer her questions about her relationships including whether or not to date or continue dating someone. That to me should be a decision of the heart and gut but it does show a interesting take on that concept. It also shows how when she brought religion into her life she became more confident in herself and in life itself.
Just the extremes are really eye opening. We can all relate to her dating tales though and they are funny. A fun book about dating and how she left the world of being boy crazy."
Melissa Derby, Rating 4 of 5, Net Galley May 15, 2014
