Lysa TerKeurst Books: A Deep, Practical Guide to Her Best Titles

If you’re searching for a complete, reader-friendly guide to Lysa TerKeurst books—what to read first, which titles fit different seasons of life, and how her work has evolved—this is for you. Below you’ll find a curated map through her biggest bestsellers and hidden gems, the Bible studies that pair well with the books, suggested reading orders, and a concise, factual update about Lysa TerKeurst’s husband and family timeline.

Quick snapshot: Lysa TerKeurst is a bestselling Christian non-fiction author and the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her most widely read titles include Uninvited (2016), It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way (2018), Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (2020), and Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (2022).

How to Start Reading Lysa TerKeurst Books

Short on time? Begin with one title from each of her major themes:

• Rejection & Belonging: Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely (2016). It topped religion bestseller lists and earned a starred review for its candor and practical faith steps.
• Suffering & Disappointment: It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way (2018). A compassionate, structured approach to navigating life’s hardest moments.
• Forgiveness & Healing: Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (2020). A path to process pain and move forward, written from inside the journey.
• Relationships & Limits: Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (2022). A guide to biblical boundaries with scripts and step-by-step application.

After that, consider The Best Yes (wise decision-making), Unglued (emotions), and Made to Crave (desire & self-control).

Book-by-Book Guide (Themes, Who It’s For, Best Pairings)

1) Uninvited (2016)

Core idea: Rejection is an experience, not your identity.
Why it resonates: Lysa mixes personal stories with Scripture to reframe belonging around being “loved by God,” not social approval. Reviewers praised its conversational tone and practicality.
Best for: social anxiety, church hurt, friendship rifts, feeling overlooked.
Pair with: the companion study guide to slow the heart-work into weekly sessions.

2) It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way (2018)

Core idea: When life shatters, God’s presence reframes our expectations and restores hope.
What stands out: Short sections with questions and prayers at the end of each chapter; PW called it like “time with a trusted friend.” Best for: sickness, betrayal, unanswered prayer, job loss.
Pair with: journaling the “Going to the Well” prompts.

3) Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (2020)

Core idea: Forgiveness isn’t excusing or minimizing; it’s cutting the tie between injury and identity.
What stands out: The book addresses rumination, intrusive memories, and rebuilding life after trust is broken.
Best for: readers stuck between “I want to forgive” and “I don’t know how.”
Pair with: the video study to process with a group.

4) Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (2022)

Core idea: Loving others well includes letting consequences stand, clarifying access to you, and—when necessary—saying goodbye.
What stands out: Clear scripts, “access” language, and the theological grounding for boundaries.
Best for: codependency, confusing “nice” with “healthy,” and long-running relational cycles.
Pair with: the study guide with streaming video.

5) The Best Yes (2014)

Core idea: Not every good opportunity is your assignment; learning to say no makes space for your actual calling.
Best for: burnout, calendar overwhelm, decision fatigue; a classic for leaders and moms.

6) Unglued (2012)

Core idea: Emotions are signals, not dictators. The book helps you notice triggers and practice wise responses.
Best for: conflict patterns, anger, “I keep overreacting” moments.

7) Made to Crave (2010/2011)

Core idea: Redirect the deepest desires of your heart—food, habits, or approval—toward God’s best.
Best for: readers who want a spiritual framework for self-control and health.

8) Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl (2009)

Core idea: Move from box-checking Christianity to an integrated walk with God in daily life.
Best for: small groups or anyone bridging head knowledge to heart practice.

9) Devotionals & Studies You Shouldn’t Miss

• Embraced (2018): 100 bite-size devotions; ECPA Book of the Year (2019).
• Finding I AM (2016/2017): A study on Jesus’ “I AM” statements and how they meet core human needs.
• Trustworthy (2019): A study in 1 & 2 Kings on trusting God when people and plans fail.
• You’re Going to Make It (2023): Morning/evening devotions to unclutter the heart in seasons of healing.
• Seeing Beautiful Again (2021) and I’ll Start Again Monday (updated edition): shorter reads that reinforce core themes.

Tip: The Proverbs 31 bookstore organizes her resources by topic—boundaries, grief, trust, and more—making it easy to pair a book with a current life season.

Thematic Map of Lysa TerKeurst’s Writing

1. Identity & Rejection (Belonging): Uninvited reframes rejection, moving readers from social comparison to gospel-anchored identity. It’s a good first step because rejection often underlies other struggles.
2. Pain & Providence (Suffering): It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way meets readers in crisis; its short, prayer-filled sections are accessible when attention and energy are low.
3. Release & Renewal (Forgiveness): Forgiving What You Can’t Forget addresses resentment loops and memory triggers, offering a process that honors both truth and healing.
4. Agency & Safety (Boundaries): Good Boundaries and Goodbyes clarifies that love and limits aren’t opposites; it includes practical scripts that make hard conversations doable.
5. Discernment & Margin (Decisions): The Best Yes is a staple for decision-fatigued seasons and complements everything above by restoring wise “no’s.”

Recommended Reading Orders (Pick What Fits)

1. Healing from Relational Hurt
   Uninvited → Forgiving What You Can’t Forget → Good Boundaries and Goodbyes → It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way (for broader suffering).
2. Decision Fatigue & Burnout
   The Best Yes → Good Boundaries and Goodbyes → You’re Going to Make It (devotional reinforcement).
3. Small-Group Path (with videos/study guides)
   Uninvited (study) → Finding I AM → Trustworthy → Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (study).

Lysa TerKeurst’s Personal Life and Marriage Journey

Lysa’s marriage story has been a significant part of her life and writings. Her honesty about her marital challenges has inspired many who feel alone in their struggles.

Lysa TerKeurst Husband: Art TerKeurst

Lysa was married to Art TerKeurst for nearly three decades. They had five children together and built a life centered on faith and family. However, their marriage faced severe challenges that Lysa later shared with her audience to encourage others walking through similar valleys.

Timeline of Key Events

• Early Marriage: Lysa and Art married young and shared a deep faith foundation. Over the years, Lysa often referenced him in her earlier writings as a supportive partner.
• Marital Struggles: Around 2017, Lysa revealed that their marriage was in crisis due to infidelity and substance abuse issues on Art’s part. This season of pain coincided with her health battles, including a breast cancer diagnosis.
• Attempted Reconciliation (2018): Lysa publicly announced that she and Art reconciled after a period of separation. Many readers celebrated this restoration as a sign of hope and forgiveness, which Lysa discussed in It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way.
• Final Divorce (2021): Sadly, in early 2022, Lysa confirmed that the marriage had ended permanently after continued issues. She expressed deep grief but also strength in trusting God’s plan despite heartbreak.

Impact on Her Writing

Lysa’s experiences with betrayal, reconciliation, and ultimate heartbreak deeply shaped books like:

• Forgiving What You Can’t Forget
• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way
  Her transparency on this topic makes her an authentic voice for those facing broken relationships.

What Makes Lysa TerKeurst Books So Readable?

• Conversational, coach-like tone that reviewers consistently highlight.
• Actionable formats (questions, prayers, scripts, and exercises) that turn insight into practice.
• Integration of personal story and Scripture—she writes “from the middle,” not just after the resolution.

Newer and Notable Resources to Watch

• Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (2022) continues to be heavily used in counseling and church settings; the study guide plus streaming video make it turnkey for groups.
• You’re Going to Make It (2023)—a devotional format perfect for short, daily resets in recovery seasons.
• Topical tools from Proverbs 31 (e.g., trust, divorce-recovery, seasonal devotionals) continue to expand and bundle with videos.

Lysa TerKeurst’s Most-Discussed Titles—What You’ll Learn

Uninvited — Healing the “less-than” narrative

• Spot the subtle scripts of social comparison.
• Practice “living loved” through Scripture and daily micro-habits.
• Group-friendly: short chapters + study guide.

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way — Navigating ambiguity and loss

• A model for lament and hope living side by side.
• Tools for staying spiritually grounded when circumstances don’t change.

Forgiving What You Can’t Forget — From rumination to release

• Untangle memory loops and “what-ifs.”
• Differentiate reconciliation from forgiveness; both matter, but they’re not the same step.

Good Boundaries and Goodbyes — Love with limits

• Clarify what access people have to you and why.
• Practice scripts that hold your line without hostility.

Bible Studies and Group Resources That Multiply Impact

• Finding I AM helps answer core questions of identity and need through Jesus’ statements in John.
• Trustworthy guides groups through the chaos of Kings—perfect when your life feels out of control.
• Study bundles at the Proverbs 31 Bookstore often include video access, leader kits, and companion journals; watch for bundles around Good Boundaries and Goodbyes and Forgiving What You Can’t Forget.

FAQs About Lysa TerKeurst Books

Are the books best read in order?
No—pick by need. If you’re in acute pain, start with It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way or Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. For long-term health, add Good Boundaries and Goodbyes.

Are they “too heavy” for a book club?
They’re honest but accessible. Most chapters end with prompts and prayers—excellent for groups new to vulnerability.

Do these books have broad Christian consensus?
Yes, though boundary language can be new for some readers; the biblical case is made explicitly in Good Boundaries and Goodbyes.

What about children’s resources?
Win or Lose, I Love You! is a kids’ book on character and competition; check availability (it often sells out).

Where to Buy and How to Pair Resources

• Proverbs 31 Store: curated bundles (book + study + video), plus topic filters like “Boundaries,” “Grief,” and “Trust.”
• Publisher pages (): latest release details and study materials.
• Retailers: look for editions labeled “study guide,” “video access,” or “leader kit” to simplify group facilitation.

Final Take: Why These Lysa TerKeurst Books Keep Ranking

Lysa TerKeurst books unify honesty, biblical literacy, and step-wise practice. The result is content that reads like a friend, works like a plan, and scales from individual journaling to church-wide small groups. Whether you need to rebuild after betrayal, learn to say a healthy no, or silence the “less-than” loop, you’ll find a clear on-ramp in this library—and a set of studies and videos that make real change possible. Her public journey (divorce finalized in 2022, remarriage in 2024) also explains why the recent titles around trust, boundaries, and starting again feel especially lived-in and useful.

At-a-Glance Bibliography (Selected)

• Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl (2009)
• Made to Crave (2010)
• Unglued (2012)
• The Best Yes (2014)
• Uninvited (2016)
• Finding I AM (Study, 2016/2017)
• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way (2018)
• Embraced (Devotional, 2018)
• Trustworthy (Study, 2019)
• Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (2020)
• Seeing Beautiful Again (2021)
• Good Boundaries and Goodbyes (2022, plus Study Guide)
• You’re Going to Make It (Devotional, 2023)

If you want, tell me your specific season (e.g., grief, complicated family dynamics, starting over), and I’ll build a 4-week custom reading plan with chapter targets and reflection prompts drawn from the exact Lysa TerKeurst books that fit you best.