Confession of a Boy-Crazy Girl by Paula Hendricks

*I received this complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.*

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.