Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

“Real Help For Navigating the Real World”

That’s the tagline given in Jonathan Pokluda’s latest book, a companion (but separate) book similarly named Welcome to Adulting: Navigating Faith, Friendship, Finances, and the Future, which was released last year. While they are similar in themes and in target audience, the Survival Guide is actually a completely different tool that young adults can apply to their life. 

The book is broken down into short devotionals that a person can digest for a few minutes each day before heading out for the day (or to wrap up a day, depending on their choice of time). The devotional is broken up into individual days; every week of those days will focus on a theme, such as anger, anxiety, fasting, and other topics that most people encounter in their daily spiritual walk.

Each day/chapter opens with a Bible verse that is used in context for the topic that will be discussed. An anecdote is given by JP, and broken down to get to the meat of what he wants to share with his reader. He ends each chapter by asking the reader to:

• Ponder (to reflect on what they have just read)
• Practice (an activity that helps you actually live out the theme of the chapter and apply it to their life)
• Pray (speaking to God, asking Him to help them in this area of their life). 

Every seven days, one day/chapter will serve as a day of rest – a break from reading anything in-depth. JP encourages this day to be spent with God, as a way to continue to grow spiritually.

I really enjoyed the simplicity of reading through these 42 days – I thought the topics were practical, the anecdotes were not only entertaining but actually applicable, and there was something to chew on long after closing the book for the day.

I think this book would make a valuable gift for any young adult – it can be reused and studied again and again, even after the 42 days have finished. I’m looking forward to reading this again from the beginning, and seeing how else God has in store for this book in my own life.