Let me begin by saying that the subtitle for When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams is “Hope for Today from 12 Women of the Bible”. Honestly, for me, the subtitle better expresses the book than the title. I love reading about women of the Bible, and this is a good one. So don’t be misled into thinking this is only for women who are disappointed in life. It’s much more than that.

Jill Eileen Smith is an award-winning, bestselling author of biblical fiction. She’s written a number of novel series and now steps into nonfiction. But her nonfiction title is actually a blend of fiction and nonfiction. Each chapter features one biblical woman and opens with a fictionalized first person account as that woman. Next, she relates the biblical woman’s experience  to her own experiences and ours.  Then another fictional biblical account, and finally a summary, thoughts to ponder, and questions for further reflection. The twelve women are Eve, Noah’s wife, Sarai, Hagar, Lot’s wife, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Dinah, and Potiphar’s wife.

I loved the way Jill Eileen Smith takes us into the minds of each of the women and helps us imagine what it must have been like for them as they struggled with guilt, disappointment, and discouragement. Then she gently leads us to words of hope and encouragement.

When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams can be enjoyed as a personal study or could work equally well as a group Bible study. It’s a pleasant read that will get you thinking about what it must have been like for the women of the Old Testament and will inspire you when you realize that the women of then weren’t much different from the women of today.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.