I Don't Wait Anymore: Letting Go of Expectations and Grasping God's Adventure for You

The title and subtitle of this book hooked me from the first time I heard about it so I jumped at the chance to read and review it. It took a while for me to settle into the rhythm and writing style of the author. It felt like she jumped around a bit at first. I was glad once I got past that, though. She has a message for everyone, but especially for all those who pledged before God and man to "wait" and then wore the ubiquitous "True Love Waits" purity rings as a token of their commitment. She has a message for anyone that has waited for God to move in any area of their life, only to be left feeling disappointment with God. She defines waiting in a way that I wasn't expecting and then makes a case for all of us that are living lives with unrealized expectations, plans, goals and dreams to stop waiting. By the time I was halfway through, I could not wait to see where she was going with her train of thought. Grace did not disappoint. She tells story after story that make our hearts beat wildly for the kind of life we truly want to live. One where we climb to the mountaintops looking for, and find, the amazing life we know is out there. She reminds us that it is possible. I wanted to highlight all the good quotes, but realized I would have to stop too often, and my eyes wanted to read the next page instead. My eyes won, mostly because this is the kind of book that is intended to be given as a gift and once I started reading, I thought of several people that I wanted to gift my copy to. A beautiful book inside and out. The ribbon place marker was a nice touch. I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in return for my honest review.

I might be a little biased in that I read this at the perfect time, but I'd highly recommend this book. I'm single right now, struggling with that off and on, and also just trying to figure things out: what am I doing? Why isn't my faith more vibrant? What should I do? Is this all there is? This book really just spoke to all of those questions, and to worries and longings I hadn't even consciously addressed. Now, it isn't perfect. The structure felt a little forced at times, and sometimes I just wanted to say, look, give us the intro to the story, explain everything you want to talk about in this chapter, and then tell us the end. You don't have to bounce back and forth between narrative and explanation eight times, ok? It could have used more editing, and some of the middle could have been streamlined. BUT that being said - it's an emotionally honest book, it's challenging, it's raw, and I want to make people read it so I can discuss it with them. She really captures so much of what I've gone through, what I've seen people going through ... it's so powerful to see these things reflected back at you, and to realize, I am not alone in this. Really wonderful.

Like many, I came across Grace Thornton's blog when she first came out with the idea of "I don't want anymore." I love her blog post just as much as the other post she has. Her book focuses more on life instead of zeroing in on waiting for "the one", although she does highlight this topic. It took me a chapter or two to get used to her style of writing-- and have fallen in love with it. She expresses what God has taught her as she weaves in stories that provide an awesome example and helps you understand her heart in a practical way. It takes a true talent to be able to write with the style she has, and I greatly admire her, and she chooses to let God use her words. Her book is raw, honest and is easy to relate to. I am highly recommending this book to everyone I come across. I am halfway through college and find that this is perfect for anyone who is looking for a different view of God and guidance on how to embrace the live he has for us. I found this to be a great foundation to encourage me spiritually and to follow Christ. Awesome, awesome book, a definite much read!!!!!!

Years ago I read the blog post that provided the inspiration for this book. Though I was at a different stage of life than the author, her words still challenged me to examine the things in life I was "waiting" for. In this book Thornton shares stories of her friends and travels and through the stories urges readers to consider which dreams they may be placing ahead of their pursuit of God. The book could come across as encouraging young women to stay single, but I don't think that's the intent. Later in the book she even says that if God placed the right man in her life, she would be open to that relationship. Her point is that we can wait so long for our dreams to come true that we miss the life God has for us in the here and now. God wants us to see Him and His glorious plan in everything that touches our lives, and young women will feel both comfort and calling in that message. I don't want to exclude young men or older readers from the audience, but this book definitely has a young and feminine vibe. I would put the target audience as ages 15-35. Readers under 15 probably would have difficulty engaging with the text and readers much older than 35 would probably feel like they've learned many of these lessons. The book itself feels like a gift book, with a thick cover (no book jacket) and glossy pages, and each chapter ends with questions and space for journaling, which is a nice touch. If you have a girl in your life who is graduating from high school or college, this would make a great gift!

Life on earth leaves much to be desired. Sure we can fill our lives with great things and fill our days seeking those fleeting moments of happiness, but we were meant for more. I loved this book, because it was a great reminder that we aren't going to satiate those desires with an earthly focus. Sure, I know this, but sometimes I get caught up in the fine pearls and abandon the one pearl of great value, and I need something to help me refocus on that which truly makes my heart sing. Grace does this by intertwining multiple personal experiences and Bible stories. She is a skilled author and regularly draws you into the story and paints amazing scenes from all around the world. So yes, she is bringing a powerful message, but in a way that entertains and captivates your attention. There is no lecturing, but rather power truth in the stories she shares over a cup of warm tea. (or lemonade, because you know, it's summer)

This was one of the best books I have ever read! I would recommend it to anyone who feels like they are in a rut and needs an inspirational redirection in their life. Grace Thornton writes beautifully with the soft voice of an encouraging friend. I read this book, along with a few others, after a serious relationship ended. This was by far the most helpful book because many other books were trying to comfort by saying to get back out there and try to find someone else, which was not what I wanted to hear. Grace so beautifully points out that God's dreams may be very different than our own, so instead of trying to fix our broken dreams, we should change our perspective and abandon our dreams for the satisfying life only God can provide. This books provided the revitalizing kick-start that I needed to replace my current dry and stagnant relationship with God.

I'm a 27 year old who expected to be married with kids by now-instead I'm single and marriage is nowhere on the horizon. My questions and thoughts have had lots of why's, waiting, and wondering when my "turn" will come. The entire book feels like sitting in a coffee shop chatting with Grace, hearing her raw story, and identifying with her all the way. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves waiting for something in life (particularly a spouse) and is becoming aware of the waiting. It's a beautiful story and reminder of our lives in light of Christ's presence and desire for us.

Overall, not a bad book. I thought there were some very interesting insights on experiencing God in an authentic way. I appreciated that the author's experience as a 30-something wasn't your cliche boy meets girl story. It showed the sweet and not so sweet parts of life. That said, I had a few concerns. I really enjoyed the book until we got to the Himalayas. I'm sure the author had a specific reader in mind: female, caucasian, educated, and upper middle class, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing (it's based on her experiences after all), but if you're a Christian whose lived among people of different faith backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and upbringings, or you yourself are from a different background or not from the U.S., you're going to feel a little alienated because there was definitely a lack of sensitivity in certain sections of this book. The "American savior" archetype is definitely prevalent. It's always unfortunate when Christians see themselves as holier than everyone else. Everyone is a sinner. Equally. Period. I really didn't care for the section of the book where the author describes her experience with people of the Himalayas, saying you could almost "see their pupils turn into dollar signs" and "they were sharing their tent with an idol," and "darkness enveloped them." Seriously, the author is a guest in their home, eating their food, and judging them. It seems that darkness enveloped the author in that moment, not the people who opened their home to her. It really left a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm not even sure how that got past the editor. I wanted to like this book, and I did for the most part, but man did I cringe in certain areas.

life changing.

Incredible book💙I want all my friends to have a copy. It arrived quickly too

I can't recommend this book enough to those who have unmet expectations. Through God's word Grace teaches us that God has a story marked out for us and he wants us to take hold of it and trust him in the here and now and for all that is to come. Reminding us that the best is yet to come!

A very personable, challenging and moving read. Would recommend to anyone facing similar scenarios.

Really encouraging book on how to trust God when life doesn't turn out like you planned