Beautiful As You!
By Jenny L. Kessel
There is so much to like about Beautiful As You!
I use a standard set of criteria when evaluating a devotional guide. I expect a basic structure that fosters habitual use. Some are general, while others use a common theme. Content can include Bible verses, a personal story, and a call to action. Beautiful As You! checks of the boxes well.
The overriding theme encourages a positive self-image by switching negative comments to positive.
This devotional guide uses an easy to follow structure. Kessel’s consistent structure allows her to pack education and compassion into a small space. She uses personal examples that are clear and relatable. She chooses Bible verses that pick the daily theme well. I especially like the summary of scripture references at the end of the reading, because it makes it easier to find the verses again after you’ve completed that day’s readings. She presents relevant, bite-sized calls to action that don’t take long to start but support the daily theme. She provides excellent substitution phrases to change your negative self-talk into an affirmation. Each day ends with a journaling prompt that could guide a journal writer into a few sentences or multiple pages, depending on how deeply one chooses to journal.
I do not recommend the digital version of this devotional, as there were significant issues with all of the digital media I tried. The text was far too small to read on a smartphone. A black and white e-reader has trouble displaying the contrasting formats, since the peach text was illegible even after exploring multiple display options. At the largest setting, some of the text was challenging to read. Even a laptop had its challenges. The fullscreen option provided a full screen view with reasonably sized fonts, but it was still challenging to see the lighter-colored fonts. The paper version of the book allows for journaling beside the question in the book, while the digital requires journaling separately.
It’s wonderful that a devotional guide about seeing the beauty in yourself is so beautiful!
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing a review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.
