Tyndale Review:"The Surprising Way to a Stronger Marriage"

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The most significant act of love we can do for our spouse is the single act of taking personal responsibility—or “the power of one.” We cannot reach satisfaction in our marriage relationships if we don’t first look at ourselves and see where we need to change. Personal responsibility is the fuel that drives the actions of a healthy marriage.
Usually, each spouse blames the other for their problems; this attitude only leads down a path of unfulfilled expectations and heartache. But marriages can be transformed, literally overnight, when a husband or wife learns the power of one. By accepting personal responsibility for their own emotions and reactions, spouses can learn how to love their mates to the fullest and create a stronger marriage relationship—with the power of one.
From the Back Cover
Surprise! You don’t have to wait for a happier marriage. You can make a difference, beginning today—by changing yourself.
It takes two to tango, but the power of one can ignite a revolution in your relationship. By taking responsibility for your own emotions and reactions, you can improve your marriage, starting now.
In The Surprising Way to a Stronger Marriage, relationship experts Michael and Amy Smalley provide the tools to help you right-size your expectations about your mate . . . reboot your relationship with the Trillion-dollar Question . . . and communicate, validate, “lean in,” and forgive—even when your spouse doesn’t.
See how to make the tools work in Surprising Solution Scenarios. Apply the ideas to your marriage, using the study guide included. Discover how the power of one spouse, bolstered by the power of God and key principles from His Word, can change everything.
The Smalleys have seen these principles succeed, both in their Marriage Restoration Intensive program for couples on the brink of breakup and in their own relationship. Now you can watch them work in yours.
And we do mean now.

In The Surprising Way to a Stronger Marriage Michael and Amy Smalley recognize this and more. Through candidly sharing their own marital conflicts (sometimes humorous!) as well as the conflicts of some of their counseling clients, they encourage individuals to change their attitudes, which very well may change their marriages for the better.

I like this book and would recommend it to couples for a couple of reasons:

1. At 139 pages (plus a study guide in the back) it's easily read in a day or two. And since their are two people contributing it almost has a conversational feel. I liked having the point of view of both husband and wife.

2."We can't control what happens to us but we can control how we respond." The authors focus on what "you" can do in your marriage instead of blaming someone else (i.e. your spouse) for your unhappiness. They do a great job of guiding someone through forgiveness and disappointment in marriage and showing you how to respond in love (even in a hurtful situation) and work towards reconciliation.


Tyndale Publishers provided me a copy of this book for my opinion