Well Said: Choosing Words that Speak Life, Give Grace, and Strengthen Your Faith and Family

I’ve followed Sarah on Instagram for a few years, and given how much I’ve come to enjoy and learn from her platform, it was only natural that I wanted to read her book. The down to earth, relatable, kind and lovely wife/mother/person she is, is what drew me into the Modern Farmhouse Community. As someone in a similar stage of life (parenting young children) her Instagram is an incredibly inspiring and helpful space in the vast world of social media. I have always found her space inclusive. While Sarah is very open with her religious beliefs and takes the time to pray over her followers and share scripture and proverbs which are impactful to her, I’ve never felt preached at, or as if that element was her only message. I’ll be fully honest and transparent, while I am someone who believes in God and has faith in my life, I am no where near as religious or as spiritual as Sarah is.While I can freely admit that Well Said is not a book I would have picked up without being a follower of MFHF, I am absolutely glad I did. The book is so incredibly helpful and relatable in terms of the power of words and the importance of speaking with intention.It’s written in the same straight forward, easy going, relatable way that Sarah writes on her Instagram and Blog, and how she speaks to and interacts with her followers. It feels far less like a book, but rather more like a conversation you would have with a trusted friend. The book is very much rooted in spiritually and religion, with multiple elements of scripture and bible verses throughout all the chapters as they relate to the messages and personal stories that Sarah is sharing. While I personally did enjoy it, and found them helpful and inspiring, it’s probably not a book that would appeal to those with deep rooted feelings of atheism or negative thoughts/feelings toward religion. That being said, it is absolutely a book I enjoyed and would gladly recommend to others. At one point in Well Said, Sarah writes, “My mom once told me it’s possible to read a book and glean some sound wisdom from it her not agree with everything it says - and this has always stuck with me.” I feel this quote works quite well with this book. Even if the scripture/biblical elements aren’t your thing, there is still a lot of wisdom about speaking with intention, along with vein encouraging and relatable.It’s an easy and enjoyable read, and one I highly recommend.

Sarah's words speak life into the pages of her first adult book. Who hasn't said the wrong thing at the wrong time? Who hasn't held their tongue instead of spewing unkind words? Who hasn't wished they could take back things they said in a conversation that was heated? Sarah is just like you and me, and I could relate to scenarios that she shared where maybe a pause before she spoke may have been appropriate. She beautifully weaves in scripture, honest struggles, and a bit of humor from her personal life while she gives practical applications for taming the tongue and honoring the Lord and others with the way we can use our words. I started putting into practice some of her very helpful strategies she mentioned and my junior high son noticed. He has Tourette Syndrome so firing words back and forth happen frequently. Sarah reminded me that I don't always need to respond. Seems simple but it has taken prayerful consideration to make a change for the better. We are all implementing strategies from her book and it has become a great source for our family. You will want to read this not just once, but multiple times.

Well Said is a phenomenal read. I love that I could see into Sarah’s mindset and situations. I could read exactly what she was feeling when she went through and thought out situations. Her thoughts flowed well and moved the book along very quickly. The book is very relatable. I’m a single woman with no children and I have experienced many of these situations with coworkers, friends and family.Sarah’s narrative voice is wonderful and completes the audible version for me. I have followed Sarah and her family for years and after this book I feel somewhat close to her as this reminds me she is actually human. Sometimes things we see on social media make us want too long for other people’s lives. This made me realize that she is just like us too. She is imperfect and still serves the Lord.Sarah has many wonderful insights on life, on topics ranging from communication to faith to matters of the heart. I have learned a lot from this book that I will use in real life situations. Thank you Sarah for bringing your truth to light and teaching me along the way. I’ll forever be grateful.I recommend this book to all. I promise you will learn at least one thing you can use in your day to day life. I will read it again. 🤍

Easily a 5 Star book!! Wow! This book was full of encouragement and conviction. Sarah offers vulnerable (and relatable!!) stories of not speaking well, and hope in stories OF speaking well. I love that she incorporates Scripture throughout, points us back to Christ, reminds us that, “My voice is not for my use, but for glorifying God and reflecting His love to those around me.” At the end, I loved that she included specific prayer prompts and scripture at the end!! Such a practical way to implement her book today! Sarah doesn’t just encourage you and then leave you wondering about how to speak well - she gives you practical tips and challenges.One of my favorite quotes, “What I realize more and more, is that if I’m inclined to use my words to be that enthusiastic about a ‘thing…’ I also want to use my words in an enthusiastic and an honoring way to point others to God. Let’s share what we share and say what we say for THE One.”Once I finished the book, I was ready to turn back to page 1 to read it again!! I highly recommend this book. Thanks, Sarah! Now off to be a “first rate me” and not a “second rate anyone else.”

This book was so uplifting and encouraging. To hear about how she has come from ashes to beauty in the way she uses her words is so encouraging to me in my journey to use words better. I listened to this the first time but am getting ready to read the paper copy this summer. Excited to hear the truths and encouragements again!

Sarah's words in this book are so life-giving! Even in the times when what she is speaking about is an area that I need to continue to work on, it is still amazing. She knows how to encourage, and I am excited to go through this book again and continue to learn.A couple of little nuggets that really stuck out to me in chapter 5:"Our words are a constant in our lives. They won't leave us or disappear one day. Since we are using them so often, it comes down to not just communicating effectively but communicating intentionally.""Let's not get so caught up in where we should be and what we should be doing that we forget where we are and what we can do right now."

This book is so good!!! A reminder of how we use our words daily can affect the people around us in either a positive or negative way. Sarah uses such a unique technique on portraying how to encourage others, change relationships and honour God.

Highly recommend reading Sarah’s book! Even if you are not that spiritual, she is such a wise author, and her book is life changing! Highly highly recommend!!!

Sarah has poured her heart into this book. Vulnerable and open about the importance of our words that we choose to speak to others. Valuable lessons inside these pages

Very easy to read and get into! I love Sarah's content on social media, what a blessing this book is.