If you are a Christian girl who: is hoping to be married one day; is already in a relationship and would like to honor God through the process; or is engaged and desiring to use this time as a foundation for a Christ-centered marriage. . .Well, this is the guidebook you’ve been waiting for!

“Love Defined: Embracing God’s Vision for Lasting Love and Satisfying Relationships” was written by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird, two sisters who are also the founders of Girl Defined Ministries and the authors of “Girl Defined: God’s Radical Design for Beauty, Femininity, and Identity” (a book I also highly recommend). Published in 2018 by Baker Books, “Love Defined” is a beautiful and wisdom-packed volume that will inspire young women and transform the relationships of all who embrace the ideals which are set forward by Kristen and Bethany, and based on God’s design for marriage.

Just a tiny sampling of the principles and features offered in “Love Defined” include:

• A revealing and oh-so-true look at modern culture’s “merry-go-round method” for romantic relationships, and…
• An opposing study of the counter-cultural but biblically-based method of applying God’s truths about love to form lasting relationships.
• Tips for banishing lies and trusting God during prolonged years of singleness.
• Proven ideas for embracing intentionality and purity throughout the entire relationship process.
• Many stand-alone chapters about specific topics, making it super-easy to pick up the book again and again, to read about a topic that is on your heart at that time.
• A list of red flags to watch for at any stage of your relationships.
• An interactive study guide at the end of each chapter, which helps you to apply the concepts you just read, and is also the perfect launching pad for group studies or conversation-starters between family, friends, and mentors.
• A wonderful appendix listing 50 Questions to Ask Early in the Relationship.
• A delightful, humorous, and wisdom-packed question-and-answer chapter entitled What Married Women Want You to Know (on the topic of living well on this side of the alter).

In addition to all these features (and so many more), “Love Defined” is written in the conversational, warm, and older-sister-like voices of Kristen and Bethany. The desires of these two women – to honor God and to share from their hearts what they’ve learned in their own relationship journeys – is absolutely crystal-clear. While I wouldn’t recommend this book to readers younger than older-teen (and I would guess that twenty+ is actually the target age) I think moms of younger-teen daughters would benefit from picking up copies of this book, reading it themselves, and saving it for the perfect time a few years down the road.

In the end, I immensely enjoyed and benefited from “Love Defined”. It is a book that changed my thinking in numerous ways (for the better), and is also one that I will pick up again and again in future months and years, no question.

I am grateful to have received a copy of this book, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.