Skip to main content

Review: Overbooked and Overwhelmed

Overbooked and Overwhelmed book cover on blue background

While I've taken a few steps in my life to reduce the number of commitments I've made, I still feel burdened by the actual and invisible to-do lists that are constantly around me. Overbooked and Overwhelmed by Tara Sun stood out to me for all of these reasons and more. I've also made it a goal to read more Asian Christian authors this year, so this book doubly resonated with me!

Many thanks to Nelson Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Discover how to intentionally keep Jesus first amid your over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelmed life.

Ever have those days where every battery in your life is running low? Every ping you hear is from someone who needs you. Every item you cross off your list has three more to take its place. Let's face it: Sometimes those days are every day. And the result? God ends up getting the leftovers. It's not that you don't value time with Him, deeper rest, or growing your faith. You just don't know where you can find the energy to make those things more than an afterthought when so much is constantly vying for your attention. How can we stop the busyness long enough to pursue what we know we need the most?

In Overbooked and Overwhelmed, author and podcaster Tara Sun gives you the ideas and inspiration you need to be fully present with God, but are over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelmed. Tara will help you explore how to:

  • Adjust your speed to walk at Jesus' pace instead of trying to keep up with the world's hustle
  • Understand why true peace starts not with ordering your schedule but your heart
  • Develop spiritual resilience for the times they feel stuck in their faith
  • Trade habitual busyness for intentional rhythms of rest, even in seasons when life does not slow down.

For all who feel behind before the day even starts, Overbooked and Overwhelmed helps you put distractions in their place, center your life around Jesus, and prioritize His presence—no matter how crazy-busy life is.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

I appreciate that in the midst of much noise and clutter in our world, Tara Sun has written a book that is clear and simple without omitting some of the truths that Christian women need to face. Like a glass of lemonade, this book is just the right blend of ingredients, providing a refreshing reminder that we periodically need to step back and reflect on the things that can get in the way of our walk with God. Too much sugar in our life, and we can be distracted from what we've been called to as disciples of Jesus Christ. Too much lemon, and life is barely palatable as we try to endure everything thrown at us. Instead of getting weighed down by either ingredient, what we need is to centre our lives around God and reorient ourselves in light of the Bible; only then can our schedules have meaning and purpose beyond chores and to-do lists, providing direction in the midst of busyness.

Relatable and practical while espousing biblical truth, I also like that the author is unafraid to call out behaviours that can act as impediments to our overflowing lives. Feeling convicted in how easily I allow things to pile up instead of being faithful in what I've been given, my favourite chapters are near the end of the book where stewardship and consistency are touched on in how Christians can reflect God's character traits. This brought the book home for me and is well-worth reading to get to these points. Readers looking for a book that offers spiritual insight and application in a digestible format will enjoy how we can move from being Overbooked and Overwhelmed to being available for God’s work when we surrender our schedules to Him.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life Up North

I'm going to go against my previous posts about keeping my opinions to myself on things outside of faith and reading by sharing some of my recent experiences instead. I figure that if we read fiction to broaden our understanding of other perspectives that it might be worthwhile for me to share how things have been for me as a non-representative Canadian (I'm not speaking for anyone else here!) 😄 I'll be honest in that it's been tough in the last few weeks and months. I've done my best to keep up my optimism and more importantly, my hope in Christ, Who is unchanging and steadfast. Rulers come and go, nations evolve and change, and politics can swing back and forth, but God is immutable and sovereign over all things. That being said, recent geopolitical factors have resulted in an emotional toll on me and a lot of the people I interact with in my life. While I am grateful that I can place my burdens at the foot of the cross, I recognize that others in my life have va...
6 comments
Read more

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 List last updated: June 4, 2026 Christian Publishers 10ofThose Availability: US, Canada, and UK residents Format: Only books published by 10ofThose qualify for review requests so as to avoid impeding with other Christian book review programs Genre: Christian non-fiction, children's books Email for availability and eligibilit...
10 comments
Read more

Physical and Digital, Written and Audio

As I am thinking of which books to read and review, I am struck by the myriad of options I possess. Admittedly, I am probably more overwhelmed now that I would have been in the past. A few decades ago, my TBR pile would literally be a pile. Now? I have books on the go on Libby, Audible, and Kindle (Kobo is still a question mark for me). This is alongside my physical piles, including my library books and the books on the nightstand, coffee table, and bookshelves. I've been tempted to add a TBR book cart as well on top of all this, but am now wondering if that may be over the top -- or maybe not as I did find one in a colour I like 😉 It makes me think of the best ways to enjoy a book, whether it's physical or digital, and whether it's printed text or the spoken word. I discovered quite young that I am not an auditory learner so the past few years of listening to audiobooks has been an experiment in trying to absorb information in a different medium. Through input from others...
Post a Comment
Read more