I’ve received two primary questions by friends this summer:

“Are you taking any vacations?”

and

“Read any good books lately?”

(also often heard: “Mom, what can I eat?” Trail mix, kid. Always trail mix.)

The answer to the first question is, as a family, no. But I did get to visit Boulder, CO for a Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat. Later this month, I’m taking my annual girls trip with college friends. There I plan to park my butt in the sand and not answer any questions about what someone can eat.

The second question? My enthusiasm escalates about 90%. I passionately exclaim, “Yes! I read the BEST book. It comes out July 17.” 

Eat Cake, Be Brave, and fangirl the author

How did I get to read a book that hasn’t been released? I’m not really sure. In late May, was invited to be on the launch team of Melissa Radke’s debut book, Eat Cake, Be Brave.  

There’s a chance I received this invitation because I went a teensy bit fangirl on Melissa after hearing her speak. I came home, hyped up on laughter and tears and emailed Melissa, telling her I’m rooting her on from the anonymity of social media. That wasn’t creepy at all, right?

Anywho.

I tend to lean in and open my eyes wide when I talk to my friends about Eat Cake, Be Brave. It really is that good.

Only one other time in my life have I annoyed those near me by laughing out loud while reading (thank you, Tina Fey, and your Bossypants).

The difference is as much as I cackled at Melissa’s Southern wit, sarcasm, and self-deprecation, I turned the page and found myself wiping tears from my eyes.

Who is Melissa Radke?

You may or may not be familiar with Melissa. Chances are if you’re on Facebook, you saw her Red Ribbon Week video a couple years ago. Since then she’s built a platform on making people laugh as well as helping people heal.  Her 6-week online course, This Sucks but God is Good, helps people transform their personal pain into healing and hope.

Melissa’s podcast, Ordinary People, Ordinary Things, are intimate discussions with ordinary people who are actually doing extraordinary things.

Why you should read Eat Cake, Be Brave

Melissa is a brilliant storyteller. She has the ability to summarize her sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartfelt stories into a lesson we can all relate to. Her heartaches and desperate moments are gut-wrenching. However, word by word, line by line she pulls us out of the pain right alongside her. She shares a story of hope, redemption, and laces it with humor along the way.

If you’re fearful you’ll be wiping away tears the entire time you read Eat Cake. Be Brave., I assure you, you won’t. You’ll definitely laugh and will probably snort like I did. For sure you’ll annoy the people around you with your spontaneous outbursts of joy.

Is this book for you?

It is if you fit in any of these categories:

• Tried out for cheerleading.
• Was an awkward 7th grader.
• Got a perm that your mom said was fantastic but … it wasn’t.
• Wrote your name as “Mrs. _____” (whomever you had a crush on in middle/high school. For the record I don’t know if Melissa did this but I did).
• Had infertility problems.
• Loved a child so much you gave him or her up for adoption.
• Adopted a child who was so loved they were made available for you.
• Are fiercely committed to your marriage, even in the midst of it crumbling.
• Adore your father.
• Have a mother who emails essays to you full of run-on sentences and would be horrified if you said the word “poop” in public.
• Ever questioned your worth or purpose.
• Want to be brave.

Need more convincing?

Check out the book trailer here.

Go order it, silly!

The only drawback to this book is that it took Melissa 43 years to write it. Of course, the journey of those 43 years is what makes it so beautiful.

Get the hard copy so you can underline, highlight and make notes. Every page has nuggets you’ll want to remember.

Putting my money where my mouth is, I kept my pre-ordered hardback even though I received the digital copy for free as part of the launch team. I’ve even ordered several more as gifts.

While this book has a few hard subjects, I think it would be a great one to read alongside a teenage daughter. I tend to romanticize what it would be like to have girls, but this book has the opportunity to open up authentic discussions with your daughter. (Somehow Harry Potter doesn’t hold the same weight.) Book club readers, this one’s for you as well.

Melissa I hope you’re working on your second future bestseller. This one is golden.

Order the book here at Amazon or at your favorite retailer. You won’t regret it.

*I received this ebook as part of the book launch team through NetGalley.*