"The Marriage Project" Book Review

So about a month ago I got an opportunity to read and review a new book. I waited anxiously for it to arrive in my mailbox (what can I say? I don't have a job!). Needless to say, I was super excited when it arrived in my mailbox at the end of March. I opened it up and began reading that day.

The book is called The Marriage Project, 21 Days to More Love and Laughter. It was written by Kathi Lipp. Check out her website HERE. While my marriage doesn't really need any help, I was pretty excited to read this book to see what fun activities it would suggest. The basic premise of it is every day for 21 days you and your spouse do the project for the day. Easy, right?



Let's talk aesthetics first (thanks Amazon for the picture of the book I lifted unceremoniously from you!). I am, sadly, one who judges a book by its cover. I like a book that looks pretty, something that sticks out on the shelf, and when you open the pages it looks easy to read. This book had all of that, thank goodness. And I was pleased that it wasn't super long!

Now, the content. The first third of the book is in preparation for the marriage project. It outlines what to expect, why you're doing this, and everything in between. While I found this part a little too long, it was also helpful. Throughout the whole book she injects personal stories of either her marriage or others and ties them into the whole Project.

The rest of the book deals with the Projects. There are 21 projects, 3 major projects and 3 bonus projects. Basically each day there is a project to do and every week there's a major project, which is a date with your spouse. The projects are so easy to do I couldn't believe it. For example, Project #6: Get Active Together, turn off the TV and connect through exercise; Project #11: RESPECT, write down the reasons you respect your husband; and Project #19: Text or Email Sweet Nothings. These are all things we can do every day with our spouses but we can never "find the time" to do them.

I only have one complaint, and this is just me... it is a Christian-centered book so the entire thing is filled with Bible passages and prayers and talk about God. This does not mean that if you're not Christian (just like me), you can't read it. You definitely can! I knew when I was getting the book that it was being published under Christian non-fiction so I wasn't surprised. Anyway, I guess it isn't much of a complaint, just something I wanted to get out there!

In the end, this book was really well written and I was excited as I was reading through it. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks to jump right into the Marriage Project and see how it works for us. I recommend it!