⭐️ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman—they tell you of the life you were meant to live. The arousing of those desires is the most important thing God is up to in your life.
I first picked up Captivating not really knowing what to expect—just that it was a highly recommended book on femininity and faith. What I found was something deeper than just another Christian self-help book. It felt like someone had reached into the quiet struggles of my heart and put them into words.
John and Stasi Eldredge dive into what it truly means to be a woman—not in a shallow, “here’s how to be a Proverbs 31 wife” way, but in a way that speaks to the core of who we are. They explore the desires that God placed in every woman’s heart: the longing to be seen, to be pursued, to be part of something bigger than herself. But more than that, they remind us that God sees us, pursues us, and calls us into a love story far greater than any fairytale.
One of my favorite parts was how they challenged the idea that being strong and being feminine are opposites. They beautifully paint a picture of a God who created women with fierce tenderness, with strength that isn’t about control but about love. It felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air in a world that often tells us we need to choose between being powerful or being soft.
The writing is warm and personal, like a conversation over coffee with a wise friend. There were moments I underlined entire paragraphs because they felt like they were written just for me. But there were also parts where I had to pause and wrestle with my own doubts—especially when the book touched on past wounds and how they shape our view of ourselves and God.
Final Thoughts:
Captivating is a book I’ll probably come back to again and again. It’s not a light read—it digs deep into identity, faith, and healing—but it’s a beautiful one. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling “not enough,” or wondered how God truly sees you, this book is worth picking up. It reminds us that we are seen, we are loved, and we are part of a story far greater than we could imagine.
