Reviewed by Jessica Joyce Long for Readers' Favorite

Why Don't We Listen Better? Communicating & Connecting in Relationships by Dr. James C. Petersen is a self help guide to sharpening communication skills. This book is drawn from both personal experience and the study of communication. Dr. James C. Petersen has worked with several couples and families. He draws on experiences with his own family and relationships within. This book can be used to improve anyone's life. Relationships with significant others, coworkers, or parents will improve if the tools in this book are used appropriately.

Throughout the book, Dr. James C. Petersen takes the reader through a step by step process. The book is broken down into three parts. These parts investigate the process of healthy communication. The author encourages conflict resolutions and gives the reader multiple strategies for finding their own solutions to whatever arguments that may arise or are still ongoing in their life. For those of us who think we are already good listeners, this book guides us into deeper listening skills and a philosophy of listening that wasn't contemplated before, breaking down thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they are tied together. The author's narrative flows gracefully between delivering philosophies for conflict resolution and better listening to his own personal experiences and further explaining his theories in examples.

This is a step by step guide that's best read slowly in one to two chapter portions at a time. The author gives a lot of valuable information that you should take time to process before continuing. This book is capable of inspiring anyone of any age to listen and practice more intuitive empathy. Understanding more than just the vocabulary someone is using can change a destructive argument into an insightful conversation where we discover something new about the other person and ourselves.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships by Michael S. Sorensen is an insightful book for all those readers who are looking to improve their relationships, increase the likelihood that people will listen to their advice, enhance their ability to support others during difficult times, and help to navigate easily emotionally charged situations. The author introduces readers to the most powerful of communication skills, validation, and his techniques and tips help quickly resolve or prevent arguments, help others become open to our viewpoint, calm the fears, concerns, and uncertainties of others, give useful advice, and provide support and encouragement to others.

The author’s personal experiences are palpable to readers and these make his words more authoritative. All the tips are simple and easy to incorporate into our lives and will help us look at our relationships in a positive way and make necessary changes. The book will help us understand the importance of validation in building up healthy and satisfying relationships, and the suggestions are good to make each of us into a good listener and a great validator. The author's words apply to any relationship in our lives and can be used to enhance and nurture relationships in a healthy way. The simple strategies shared are effective and the step-by-step tips are good to develop and nurture healthy human connections. Reading the book will encourage and motivate everyone to change by using the practical approach given by the author for daily interactions.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

All About You: An Adopted Child's Memoir by Liz Butler Duren is the story of a woman who is trying to find her birth mother and, during that journey, she finds herself. Our story follows Liz; she lived a relatively happy and healthy life, until one day she finds out that everything she knew was not true. She found out that she was adopted and she was just a teenager. But that was when her real story began because this was the time in her life she started looking for her mother; the real mother who gave birth to her had given her away.

Even though she was determined, it was not easy to find a woman who did not want to be found. This was just the beginning of her 29-year-long journey in which she will try her best to find her birth mother, try to decipher her identity through old agency documents which further complicate her journey. She has to decode the information and find the truth that reveals the past and the real truth about her family. Can she really do it? Will she ever find her birth mother? What can she do when her birth mother doesn’t want to be found?

Liz Butler Duren handled this story wonderfully as a third party. She gave hard truths and the real story without getting too personal, yet at the same time she succeeded in showing the real emotions behind her words and translating them for readers. This story has a lot of heart and feeling, but it also has humor and a dry wit that set a very natural pace for the book. This is a really enjoyable read, simple yet brilliant, and one that readers will not forget any time soon.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

A Century of Secrets by Teresa Syms is a gripping story of a family, covering its history over a century and the main players that have given it the visage it has. Readers are introduced to a character who has been through a lot of pain because of the lies, abuses, dark secrets, and intrigue played out in her family over the period of a century. The story explores the conflicts, the deceptions, and the protagonist’s struggle to redefine herself and reconquer her inner freedom. Here is a story that many readers will relate to, the story of a family with its own struggle to function normally.

The reader will be surprised at the honesty of the narrator whose voice comes across powerfully. Teresa is a character that readers will love to know better because she carries in her a pain that many people bear in silence. But how she overcomes depression, finds her voice, and stands up for herself is a lesson that will speak volumes to readers. Just after describing a horrible scene in which the protagonist gets violated by a medical doctor, the narrator notes that: “Teresa’s life was a tortured hell without her love. She became moody and very depressed.” The writing is beautiful, featuring powerful and vivid descriptions that allow the reader to clearly imagine the scenes, the characters, and the action. It is well paced and Teresa Syms has succeeded in getting the reader interested in following the characters. A Century of Secrets is a story that powerfully documents what repression and abuse in the family setting can lead to; it’s a courageous story that explores freedom and the determination to create a life of meaning. Highly entertaining!

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Tell Me Your Story: How Therapy Works to Awaken, Heal, and Set You Free by Tuya Pearl discusses a relevant topic, that of mental health, and is a good guide to overcome anxiety, depression, addiction, compulsions, obsessions, confusion, self-doubt, fear, and grief. Therapy is a journey to the true self and it is a place beyond the wounds, defenses, and baggage. Through this book, the author invites all readers into her private realm to get acquainted with the therapist and experience the transformational process that results in a growth in clarity and insight. The book stresses the importance of awareness, which is the first step to setting ourselves free from emotional wounds, and that will lead to the opening of a few doors, and helps readers accept the reality of their experiences and clear away all obstacles to their freedom.

Tell Me Your Story is honest and insightful and the stories shared will make everyone realize the importance of opening their dark rooms and getting their murky spaces cleaned up so that healing and transformation can happen. The author also looks at dysfunctional families and common destructive messages that many carry along with them through the years. The case study of Faye takes readers through her anxiety, loneliness, and an unwanted phase which started when her mother disappeared and a repeat performance is seen when she does the same thing to her husband. Each case study introduces readers to unbalanced adults, and the kind of people who manipulate and hurt others through their words and actions.

The author’s personal stories of wetting her pants when she was young and her mother making her cry, or being slapped for spilling milk take readers through the sad stories of her childhood. Whether it is about Faye, Aaron, Rita, or the author, this is a good read for all those who are undergoing problems related to mental health, and is an eye-opener to many who are unable to understand relationships, personal struggles, and family equations. The concept of imagining being a client, and telling their story by using the prompts that will enable one to make discoveries and gain clarity on the way to personal freedom, will be helpful to many. Readers can look at it as a session while they capture their thoughts, feelings, or images that come while jotting these down in a journal or talking into a recorder. Tell Me Your Story deserves five stars because it is very well written, making it interesting to all readers.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

No one can hurt you unless you give them the power to hurt you. This seems to be the core message of I AM: Kicking Down the Walls of Silence about Sexual and Mental Abuse by Brenda Hammon. The book is a memoir that is written with a clear and compelling voice, a story of one woman’s growth through multiple abuses. Brenda’s childhood hasn’t been easy and she’d known all forms of abuses. Such experiences took a huge toll on her life and she suffered psychologically. But when she gives birth to twins, it dawns on her that her life has changed; she knows she has something to live for; it’s a call to restart and to create the life she’d always wanted. She refuses to be determined by her past. It’s a story of redemption, a tale of hope that we can choose what our lives should look like.

I AM: Kicking Down the Walls of Silence about Sexual and Mental Abuse will help many readers understand that in spite of their hurts, in spite of what has happened to them, in spite of what others think about them and how they treat them, they have the power to rise up and take control of their lives, that their dignity comes from the choices they make, those choices that allow them to embrace life and to give life generously. Brenda Hammon articulates brilliantly on a variety of themes, including sexual abuse, the traumas of childhood, self-identity, and womanhood. She tells her story with clarity and unwonted honesty, and many readers will undoubtedly find themselves in the story. Her journey towards healing and success will inspire a million lives.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

A Century of Secrets by Teresa Syms is a gripping story of a family, covering its history over a century and the main players that have given it the visage it has. Readers are introduced to a character who has been through a lot of pain because of the lies, abuses, dark secrets, and intrigue played out in her family over the period of a century. The story explores the conflicts, the deceptions, and the protagonist’s struggle to redefine herself and reconquer her inner freedom. Here is a story that many readers will relate to, the story of a family with its own struggle to function normally.

The reader will be surprised at the honesty of the narrator whose voice comes across powerfully. Teresa is a character that readers will love to know better because she carries in her a pain that many people bear in silence. But how she overcomes depression, finds her voice, and stands up for herself is a lesson that will speak volumes to readers. Just after describing a horrible scene in which the protagonist gets violated by a medical doctor, the narrator notes that: “Teresa’s life was a tortured hell without her love. She became moody and very depressed.” The writing is beautiful, featuring powerful and vivid descriptions that allow the reader to clearly imagine the scenes, the characters, and the action. It is well paced and Teresa Syms has succeeded in getting the reader interested in following the characters. A Century of Secrets is a story that powerfully documents what repression and abuse in the family setting can lead to; it’s a courageous story that explores freedom and the determination to create a life of meaning. Highly entertaining!

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Full Catastrophe: A Memoir by Karen Elizabeth Lee is an engaging memoir about a professional woman who finally gets her life back on track after going through an abusive marriage. The author begins her story with the funeral of Duncan, to whom she was married for fourteen years. He was a controlling bully, diagnosed with cancer ten months after she asked for a divorce. After he dies, Karen realizes that she has other issues in her life to face and handle. The memoir chronicles her emotional and mental journey, her life, and how she manages to stay sane and happy during that roller-coaster phase of her life. It is a story of healing, resurrection, and self-discovery, and how the author uses Jungian analysis to resurrect her life.

The memoir is direct and honest, and it captures the emotional angst of a woman who had undergone domestic and emotional abuse. Her healing phase tells us how the pain and trauma of emotional abuse lingered on, even after Duncan’s death, and how her will to not give up gave her the courage to make positive changes in her life. The author opens her heart and soul to readers, which is not always an easy thing to do, especially when it comes to one’s personal life. It is not always easy to rise above struggles and difficulties in life and emerge a stronger person. Karen Elizabeth Lee’s journey is relatable and palpable to many readers, and her courage in making a noticeable change in her life is commendable.

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Not Exactly Love by Betty Hafner is a memoir that falls into the genre of family and relationships. This is a book that would appeal most to a mixed audience of adults and young adults who are interested in a memoir about a woman in an abusive relationship. Betty was a single French teacher on Long Island in 1969. Her entire life changed when she met a new teacher named Jack who was fresh out of college. Jack was a hippie just back from Woodstock with strong opinions, an angry temper, and a controlling attitude. Betty and Jack hit it off from the beginning, but as Betty began to see more of Jack’s temper, she began to make excuses for him inside her head. These excuses continued and she eventually married him. When Jack turned his temper on her, she was forced to decide when and if to confront him. Will Betty report Jack for his abuse or will she stay silent and keep it secret while learning to live with the abuse.

Not Exactly Love by Betty Hafner was a very somber book, but that is to be expected considering the type of life the book describes. Betty Hafner has a wonderful writing style that really shared the mentality of a person heading into an abusive relationship and how a person ends up in a relationship with an abuser. Betty’s thoughts and excuses really opened my eyes into how easy it is to end up in an abusive relationship once you start making excuses for someone’s anger/temper. As a psychology student, I found that this book helped me to get a better grasp on the nature of an abusive relationship than any psychology textbook.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

What Women Want....Really! A Pocketbook Guide for Men by Kathryn Foster is a useful tool for all those men who want to have a successful relationship with a woman and build a history with her. The book reveals the top secrets of what a woman is looking for and offers step-by-step guidance on how to give emotional support that leads to a loving and enduring relationship. The book also has a couple of questions to help male readers engage their female partners, helping them to understand the man better. The book highlights the importance of revealing both sides of a male psyche to a woman; the hard side and the soft side so that she can be confident while committing.

The author handles the topic methodically and goes into finer details, making it easy to practice these while dating a woman. Everyone wants to love and be loved and this book will help to crack the mystery called 'women' and also show men that women are not as difficult to understand as they think. The author also speaks about the common mistakes men make while handling women, and suggests alternatives that can improve their relationships.

The topic is relevant and the book is useful to both men and women. The author handles the topic with finesse and elegance, and the book provides emotional sensitivity and reaches out to readers nicely. Men can look inside themselves and change the way in which they handle their relationships and communicate better with their wives, partners, and girlfriends.