NOTE: I am retracting my previous review of this book, although I am leaving my ratings here to help readers understand why I am retracting my review. Amazon even ban my review of this title when a few fans of the book were offended by my mild criticisms and reported me, which was not fair (and really shouldn't be legal). So this will be the only place I will share my thoughts of this title. Also, based on this controversy, despite making it onto the launch team for her next book Girl, Stop Apologizing, I will not read or post a review of this or future titles from this author, especially on Amazon (in part to protect my ability to post reviews in the future). Sorry for any inconvenience

​I was originally given this book by my mom when I was senior in high school. At the time, I didn’t really read books that were not assigned for class, so I eventually put it away in a book and forgot about it. I didn’t think about it again until I found myself teaching a teen girl Bible study on the topic of biblical womanhood. That’s when I decided to do my research and read up on all the books I could find on this subject, specifically ones that address teen girls. That’s when I remembered this book. I pulled it out of the box and realized that the message of this book was an important one for girls to understand. I must confess that this book was not the most enjoyable read. This book can be hard to digest at times and some of her perspectives come across in a harsh way, but I still think this message has power, if you are ready to embrace it ~ Bethel

​The world’s perception of what it means to be a real woman is so messed up, and most people don’t even realize how messed up it is. So many women today are settling into just “fitting into the crowd” when it comes to how they live their lives as women. Many Christian women even fall into the trap of following the crowd and giving into peer pressure. They want to fit it and be just like everyone else, but in truth, they are feeling lost and unfulfilled in the process. All the while, they are missing out on the potential that God has from them in living as a woman set apart for Him. They don’t even realize that there’s something better out there because of how deep the lives have become embedded in our culture. But there is something better out there, better than the lies the culture has fed you. It makes us ask the question: how can I set apart my womanhood to honor the Lord in our culture today?

In Leslie Ludy’s book, Set-Apart Femininity, you are given a message different from any other you’ve heard about what it means to be a girl. Ludy offers you a fresh perspective of God’s incredible design for women, and offers a life of fulfillment in Jesus that is completely countercultural. It’s a radical call to abandon the culture’s version of womanhood and live a life that stands out from the crowd, one that loves like Jesus loves, no matter what the cost. Although her views of our culture and American Christianity are somewhat harsh in their nature, she makes powerful points about how one of the reasons we are being held back from this set apart life is because of self-focused thinking that is so prevalent in the American culture today. She doesn’t cut to the chase about anything, she just explains everything up front. She shares many stories from her own life and previous books, as well as stories and examples of Christian women of the past who lived out a radical version of femininity as missionaries in their day in age. This message is very personal to the author, and that passion is very clearly communicated in its pages.

​This book is not for every teenage girl or adult young woman. It’s for the ones that long for more than our culture’s version of femininity has to offer. It’s for the ones that don’t mind living differently from the rest of the world, no matter the cost. It’s for the ones that would be willing to give up anything for the sake of Christ. If this sounds like you, then you can find a copy from most major book distributors today.