A few months ago I settled in with a copy of the book Speak Love by Annie Downs. I picked it up because Annie and I have some mutual friends and she’s a fellow Georgia girl. I ended up being so glad that I did: I loved this book. No pun intended.

Here’s the description of Speak Love:

You’ve heard, ‘Think before you speak’ a hundred times, and probably shrugged it off just like that other insightful phrase, ‘Your face will freeze like that if you’re not careful.’ But unlike a facial expression, our words do stick around. Which means everything you say—from what tell your friends, whisper about your enemies, post online, mutter to yourself, or even say to the celebrity you ran into at the coffee shop—carries a whole lot of power.

The question is, are you ready to use that power to make a real difference? Because the truth is, you could be part of the first generation who uses their words to build up and not tear down, and even kill the mean girl mentality. Through very funny stories, Scripture, and a real understanding of the good, bad, and ugly ways we can use our words, Annie Downs explores the difference you can make when you speak love to others, to God, and even to yourself. Because when you speak love, you speak life. And that’s what matters.

With memories of middle school mean girls at the front of my mind as I read I had the distinct thought that this is the book that I wish had been around when I was a entering my teenage years. Annie is funny and poignant and knows her audience well. Her stories are personal, her passion is raw and her voice is relatable. I’m so glad that it’s around for the girls in my youth group to read now.

(Luckily they still think I am fairly cool and gave my book recommendations a “solid.” I think that is a good thing. Don’t tell them that I’m not totally up on my high-school lingo.)

(At least I did not totally date myself by calling it “dibbly fresh” in front of them.)

(But to be clear, I totally think it is dibbly fresh.)

It’s more than just a collection of ideas, it’s a practical guide that outlines not only why it is important to speak love but also how to apply the principles in the book to specific situations. For instance, Annie gives wise counsel on what to do when you’re confronted by a Mean Girl as well what to do when you find yourself being a Mean Girl. Let’s be honest: it happens to the best of us.

And in this world of technology-driven conversation it happens with words holding more permanence than ever before. A few keystrokes can build or break a relationship, words immortalized on a screen, and our responsibility to use those words wisely in order to love well is an important conversation that women of all ages need to have.

If you have a daughter in junior high or above, I highly, highly recommend picking up a copy of Speak Love to give them (maybe tuck it into a Valentine’s Day present!)

Want to win a copy? Just leave a comment below!

You can also tweet out this message or retweet the link below and then leave a second comment letting us know you tweeted for an additional entry!

Moms of Daughters: Enter to win a copy of Speak Love by @AnnieDowns in this great #giveaway over at @ModSquadMoms http://bit.ly/1fWrDjt

Or to make it easier, just click this link and retweet it: https://twitter.com/kaylaaimee/status/433243370769502208

You can visit Annie online at www.anniedowns.com - be sure to check out the big Valentine’s Day gift of love that she is working on with The Mocha Club this month!