Melanie Shankle has done it again! Love her writing style, as if we were sitting having coffee as old friends. Delving into the trauma sof her life she brings light in a practical presentation of her history and how having her own daughter opened her eyes to what life is supposed to be...

It has been a long five years for Melanie Shankle fans since her last book but her new memoir Here Be Dragons has made up for the wait. Shankle is only author that I reread as her humor is one that makes me laugh regardless how many times I have read it. Here Be Dragons will also join my bookshelf for when I need a reminder that we all have dragons to slay and there is support as we do it.

Here be Dragons is different than Shankle's earlier stories. While she always invites her readers into her life, this memoir invites us into two of most difficult times. I have always wondered where her mom was in her stories and this book tells of the extremely difficult relationship, they, like many women, had. Her mother was the original mean girl in her life with jealousy and emotional abuse. She vows to break this generational trauma with her own daughter and does so, only for her daughter to face her own mean girls with her peers. There is no greater hurt for mothers than to see their child hurting and Shankle shares walking through this pain and ways to support daughters facing similar trials. She reminds us that, just like her stories, God is there to protect and comfort us when we face mean girls.

My close friend and I feel that we have raised our children, matured in our marriages and now are empty nesting alongside Melanie and her humor and truths. I am excited to share this book with her and others to give them hope in healing from generational trauma and hope in raising our own daughters when it seems we are alone.

I received a complimentary copy of Here Be Dragons thanks to Waterbrook and Multnomah through Net Galley, but all opinions are my own.

You can determine when a book has made a deep impression on your soul in several ways. One of the best ways is to create a list of the people in your life who need to read the words this author has shared from her personal life while you are reading it. Melanie Shankle has written an extraordinary book on dealing with the dragons we all face. I highly recommend it! Her premise for facing dragons is this: In medieval times, uncharted waters were marked on maps as Here Be Dragons to signify that no one knew what dangers might lie ahead. Shankle considers these modern-day dragons and has written this book to help tread the deep waters of motherhood, mean girls, and generational trauma.

Shankle writes her spectacular book in an open, heartfelt way that seeks to help readers face and overcome generational trauma with Gods help, lead our daughters to become the young women that God created them to be, to be warriors who are not afraid to stand up for themselves when they need to do so, to be tough and tender, to understand what it means to know they are priceless, to know they are loved unconditionally, and to make lasting impressions on everyone they meet.

Waterbrook and NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. However, the opinions are entirely my own and uninfluenced.