4 Days to a Forever Marriage Review

I reviewed 4 Days to a Forever Marriage by Gary and Norma Smalley.

I’ve read many, many marriage books. (Always seeking advice, eh?) Some more helpful than others. I didn’t have great expectations for this one. I was pleasantly surprised. Turn a marriage around in just four days? Really?

Well, Dr. Smalley and his lovely wife, Norma, squeeze oodles of information into this little book. I guess “condensed” would come to mind.

I do love the format of this book. It reads like a magazine and looks like a scrapbook with Bible verses (some are just Bible references that you have to look up on your own if you don’t have them memorized) and quotes thrown in the margins. I love reading Norma’s views on events and her advice to overcome struggles with a husband. Of course, you’d assume that they must be the perfect couple since Dr. Smalley is such a big name in Christian family and marriage circles. I love reading how they’ve struggled with typical issues in their marriage just like everyone else. I love their humor when writing about it.

This book is a great resource for engaged couples, newly marrieds, happily or unhappily married couples, and remarriage situations. The appendix offers other resources to help everyone achieve a successful marriage.

The four main topics discussed are love, communication, affection, and finding treasures in trials.

It’s great getting both Dr. and Mrs. Smalley’s perspectives on these issues.

I think the title may be misleading. It takes a lifetime of work to keep marriage successful. You can’t turn around a dying marriage in four days. This book is for happily married couples to get better, not for struggling marriages to do a 180.

I received my review copy of 4 Days to a Forever Marriage from New Leaf Press.