Good morning, savvy savers! I hope you are all happy, contented, and productive this morning. So, grab a cup of coffee, steep your tea, sit and relax, and enjoy today’s review, “I’ve Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has: Mishaps and Miracles on the Road to Happily Ever After,” by Mandy Hale.

Book review by Misty Overstreet-Roberts, blogger at http://theladypreferstosave.com

Imagine sitting in a cafe, a cross the table from a close friend, whom you have not seen in several years. Though your friend appears happy, productive, and seemingly self-sufficient, something still appears to be wrong. You look into your friends eyes, and you just don’t not see the glimmer of hope you once did. You see the carefully disguised symptoms of utter sadness; she’s hiding behind big hair, big smiles, and a big purse. This is the making for the book, “I’ve Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has: Mishaps and Miracles on the Road to Happily Ever After,” by Mandy Hale.

To begin, Mandy Hale is not an unknown figure, as she is the author of several bestselling books, based on her blog and book, The Single Woman. As Middle Tennessee native, Hale landed her dream job in the heart of Dixie, at Country Music Television upon graduating college. As fate would turn, her ambitious media career took a nosedive, after she began suffering from debilitating panic attacks and scheduling conflicts with work. Events in her life also reflected her career as well. In “I’ve Never Been to Vegas,” Hale shares her tragically flawed,  as she suffered from severe depression, a failed career, a string of failed relationship that lead to a co-dependent emotionally abusive relationship, and ultimately a non-interest in her media-riddled life. The author declares, in the text, that only by her renewed commitment to personal faith, that her career reinvention, renewed family bonds, betterment in interpersonal relationships, and ultimately finding her voice as the preeminent, “Single Woman,” that she became “The Single Woman;” author, blogger, and faith-based entrepreneur.

This book is both an inspirational memoir, and a humorous satires of life-after-failure. Hale is quirky, witty, and engaging storyteller. Her writing style mimics the genre of many self-help books, but points the reader in the direction of positive productivity and personal empowerment just for her targeted audience, single Christian women, but for women in all walks of life in our modern asphalt jungle culture.

One word to regard Hale is believable, as despite the narrative voice oddly changing midway through the book, still manages to remain relative and believable memoir turned life-lessons class, as she beseeches women to start taking personal inventory of their lives by way of creating accountability through journaling, creating a life with the absence of guilt, and fervent prayer. Hale’s advice is neither groundbreaking, not earth-shattering, but it is commonsense, selfless, and abundant in usefulness.

This book is a quick read, the type of book one could read in an evening, alone, when in need of a personal pep-talk, without the entrapping of many books in her genre. This books is completely conversational in nature, and this in my opinion, the main selling point of the book. The author ends the text with a great testimony as to the reason her life was bettered, her faith. This book, though listed as a self-help reference would best be described as a faith-based women’s group reference study. Hale’s message is aimed at the hearts of single women, and ultimately seeks to aid the disposition of all women, of all walks of life.

Overall, “I’ve Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has: Mishaps and Miracles on the Road to Happily Ever After,” is a lighthearted, impassioned look at how a women can leave their personal luggage at home, and step out into the world with only self-confidence, hair spray in their hair, and love in their hearts! This novel is a must have reader for the upcoming Summer season. You will truly enjoy it!

In compliance with FTC regulation, I hereby disclaim that I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson Publishers, via the Book Look Bloggers Program, in exchange for my review. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions of this book, its author, and publisher, are that of my own.