Hold On, But Don't Hold Still: Gather Hope, Embrace Humor, and Love Your Imperfect Life
- Downloads：5915
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-23 09:51:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kristina Kuzmic
- ISBN：0525561862
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Delivering inspiration and "parenting comedy at its finest，"* here is one woman's story of ditching her fairytale dreams and falling in love with her unpredictable， chaotic， imperfect life
Kristina Kuzmič has made herself a household name， speaking directly to mothers from the trenches of parenthood via her viral videos and social media presence。 She is now bringing her message of self-acceptance， resilience， and joy to book readers。 With a refreshingly unpretentious， funny， and galvanizing voice， Kuzmič goes behind the scenes to reveal how she went from broke and defeated to unshakably grounded and brimming with thankfulness。 Illuminating the hard-won wisdom from a life always spent one step behind--whether it was as a high school student new to America， a suddenly single mother to two kids， a newlywed juggling two teens and a newborn， or the unexpected recipient of Oprah's attention and investment--Hold On， But Don't Hold Still is the book every mother needs to reassure her that she's not only fine just as she is， but that she already has more tools and support than she can possibly imagine。 Sparkling with wit， this heartfelt memoir is like a long coffee date with a best friend， or the eleventh-hour text message that gives you just the boost you need to get through the night。
*The Huffington Post
Kristina Kuzmič has made herself a household name， speaking directly to mothers from the trenches of parenthood via her viral videos and social media presence。 She is now bringing her message of self-acceptance， resilience， and joy to book readers。 With a refreshingly unpretentious， funny， and galvanizing voice， Kuzmič goes behind the scenes to reveal how she went from broke and defeated to unshakably grounded and brimming with thankfulness。 Illuminating the hard-won wisdom from a life always spent one step behind--whether it was as a high school student new to America， a suddenly single mother to two kids， a newlywed juggling two teens and a newborn， or the unexpected recipient of Oprah's attention and investment--Hold On， But Don't Hold Still is the book every mother needs to reassure her that she's not only fine just as she is， but that she already has more tools and support than she can possibly imagine。 Sparkling with wit， this heartfelt memoir is like a long coffee date with a best friend， or the eleventh-hour text message that gives you just the boost you need to get through the night。
*The Huffington Post
Reviews
Kristy
，
Loved， loved， loved it！ This book is just as good as Kristina's videos （& if you haven't checked them out， you should！）。 While the stories and 'advice' is more geared to parents， I think anyone and everyone would benefit from reading this book， & I highly recommend they do read it 😉 Loved， loved， loved it！ This book is just as good as Kristina's videos （& if you haven't checked them out， you should！）。 While the stories and 'advice' is more geared to parents， I think anyone and everyone would benefit from reading this book， & I highly recommend they do read it 😉 。。。more
Anna Antonova
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Very light and easy read。 But very pleasant and insightful。 I feel like I just had a great conversation with a close friend after reading it。
Claire Kolbé ʚϊɞ
，
This book was like a big hug from your favorite grandmother。 Like she just gets you and it’s going to be okay。 Humorous and real。 Thoroughly enjoyed and a book I would read again。
Chrystal
，
This was just what I needed right now。 And the audiobook read by the author was fantastic！ Kristina has such a way to say exactly what Moms/parents need to hear from someone who gets it and supports you。 I need to own a copy of this book now。。。 I know I'll want to reread sections for when I'm struggling and need the words of encouragement that I'm not a failure at parenting and that someone else understands my feelings and worries。 She's funny， honest and realistic about it all。 Can we be BFFs p This was just what I needed right now。 And the audiobook read by the author was fantastic！ Kristina has such a way to say exactly what Moms/parents need to hear from someone who gets it and supports you。 I need to own a copy of this book now。。。 I know I'll want to reread sections for when I'm struggling and need the words of encouragement that I'm not a failure at parenting and that someone else understands my feelings and worries。 She's funny， honest and realistic about it all。 Can we be BFFs please？ 。。。more
Katy Cannon
，
This book is everything I wanted and didn't know I needed。 I picked this book up on a whim， and its probably one of the best I've read。 She is real。 She is honest。 She is funny and intelligent and on your side。 I can't stress how much I want others to read this。 I can't tell you how many copies I want to buy for gifts for every parent at every stage。 This book is everything I wanted and didn't know I needed。 I picked this book up on a whim， and its probably one of the best I've read。 She is real。 She is honest。 She is funny and intelligent and on your side。 I can't stress how much I want others to read this。 I can't tell you how many copies I want to buy for gifts for every parent at every stage。 。。。more
Lensey
，
I'll be honest with you， I don't make it through most books in this category - what I would call "advice books based upon the author's life experiences。" I've found that most books that I pick up that fall in this self-help category get preachy or are totally unrelatable， and 9 times out of 10 I give up about halfway through。 That is not the case with this book right here！ I've watched Kristina Kuzmic on Facebook for a little while now。 I love how she captures so well the blessings and trials of I'll be honest with you， I don't make it through most books in this category - what I would call "advice books based upon the author's life experiences。" I've found that most books that I pick up that fall in this self-help category get preachy or are totally unrelatable， and 9 times out of 10 I give up about halfway through。 That is not the case with this book right here！ I've watched Kristina Kuzmic on Facebook for a little while now。 I love how she captures so well the blessings and trials of being a mom and that she does so with an amazing sense of humor。 She did a four-part Facebook live series on guilt （as in the ridiculous amount of unnecessary guilt so many of us carry around）， and I was hooked！ So I bought her book， and I'm so glad I did！ Life has not always been kind to Kristina， and she uses those situations - and how she managed to pull herself out of them - as a basis for some wonderful life lessons。 Practically speaking， the chapters are long enough to get her point across， but short enough to keep your attention。 She writes really well， which makes for easy reading。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with depression， divorce， financial difficulties， raising children， self-defeat， or just generally feeling like you can't do it all！ It's a wonderful book that I'll be sharing with my family and friends - enjoy！ 。。。more
Laura Delavan
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One of the best books I have read！
Becca
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Great down to earth book about loving ourselves， loving our kids， striving for the best， and giving ourselves grace。
Jamee Collins
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Highly recommend This is a raw， funny， and real look at surviving this thing we call life。 Kristina tackles her life mistakes and all with wit， compassion， and humor。 I highly recommend this one。
Alisha
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I have loved the videos by Kristina and was excited to see she wrote a book。 This truly helped change my perspective on some things and gave me good ideas as I navigate parenting。 This will be a resource I will refer to again and again。
Diana
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I should have probably read this book in English， could have been funnier。 Not sure why it took me so long to finish it， there were definitely chapters that I loved and lessons to be learned。 But it felt at times repetitive or revolving around that same one traumatic event from her life， and towards the end I barely had the patience to go through it anymore。 *sigh* just 3 stars this time
Suzanne Porter
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Brilliant read。 Written with all the warmth and humour you expect from Kristina。
Jen
，
In this heartfelt memoir， Kristina Kuzmič shares how she endured some of the toughest points of her life and the lessons she learned from them。 She illustrates how her persistence， creativity， and compassion helped her overcome her struggles。 The many parenting stories included in this memoir might make some people misjudge this as a story that is just for parents。 However， it is not only for anyone who wants to raise better humans but also， become one。 Kuzmič teaches self-parenting skills in su In this heartfelt memoir， Kristina Kuzmič shares how she endured some of the toughest points of her life and the lessons she learned from them。 She illustrates how her persistence， creativity， and compassion helped her overcome her struggles。 The many parenting stories included in this memoir might make some people misjudge this as a story that is just for parents。 However， it is not only for anyone who wants to raise better humans but also， become one。 Kuzmič teaches self-parenting skills in such a witty and honest way， that it feels like “a long coffee date with a best friend， or the eleventh-hour text message that gives you just the boost you need to get through the night。” （Synopsis）Kristina， your story made me laugh， gave me chills， made me cry， and most importantly， gave me hope。 Understatement。 I found myself wishing I could just hug you to thank you for being so authentically you and for somehow connecting with the authentic me。 This world is so much better with you and your story in it。 Thank you for sharing， even the most vulnerable aspects。 And thank you for the new mantra: Hold on， but don’t hold still。 Note: I listened to the audiobook， which was narrated by Kristina Kuzmič。 It was so good， that I’m buying a physical copy！ 。。。more
Ruth Woodman York
，
I have seen a few of the author's online videos。 I enjoyed them， found some truths within them。 But I hadn't really thought of reading her book。 However， needing to fulfill a prompt for a book by someone with a social media presence came up。 So I thought， why not？ It was an enjoyable read。 It is nice to see others admit， they aren't perfect parents。 We are all in this crazy amusement ride together。 And just because my kids are now （mostly） "grown and flown，" doesn't mean I can sympathize with so I have seen a few of the author's online videos。 I enjoyed them， found some truths within them。 But I hadn't really thought of reading her book。 However， needing to fulfill a prompt for a book by someone with a social media presence came up。 So I thought， why not？ It was an enjoyable read。 It is nice to see others admit， they aren't perfect parents。 We are all in this crazy amusement ride together。 And just because my kids are now （mostly） "grown and flown，" doesn't mean I can sympathize with some of her stories。 I lived some of those scenes。 Along with many others she didn't write about， but if we sat down for hot chocolate （I don't drink coffee） together， or better yet， a couple of margaritas， together， I'm sure we'd have some laughs together。 Along with some tears。 For anyone feeling "less than" as a parent， read this。 And know， you aren't alone。 。。。more
Sarah Sunshine
，
A really great and insightful book for moms who are just fun visionary women looking to make futures bright！ Their own， their families， and the people around them！Full of heart， tragedy， laughter， silliness， and beautiful ideas of the craziness we call life！！
Melissa
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Most self-help books end up being disappointing， but this one delivered！ It was a good mix of humor， sadness， and life lessons。 I appreciated the fact that the author was honest about her struggles and that she always found ways to show love to her kids， even when she was broke。 I also admire the fact that she got out and served others， even if it meant making dinner from items she could buy at the dollar store！ This is definitely a book I would recommend to my friends！
Crystal Anderson
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I love that this is written as she actually speaks。 I’ve seen some of her videos on YouTube about parenting and have enjoyed her sense of humour， fun， and truthfulness。 As a Mom of two boys I could identify with a lot of what she said and came away from this book feeling like I need to focus on kindness more。 Always a good thing。
Shawna Rizzi
，
This book came at the perfect time in my life。 She is amazing and has such a wonderful perspective on things that makes you feel like you can look at things the same way。
Jean
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If you enjoy her videos， you'll likely enjoy this book。 If you need some parenting encouragement （who doesn't at any given time， but especially in Covid times）， you'll likely be encouraged！ If you enjoy her videos， you'll likely enjoy this book。 If you need some parenting encouragement （who doesn't at any given time， but especially in Covid times）， you'll likely be encouraged！ 。。。more
Elena Carter
，
I don’t even know if I can find the words to describe how much I loved this book。 I will be re-reading it over and over again。 Because it feels like a breath of fresh air。 Or like a ray of sunshine after days of heavy rain。 Or like a much needed hug when you’re feeling down and you think you’ve had enough and it’s never going to get better。 Because Kristina reminds you that it will。 That it will get better。 And that you’ve got this。 And that life is beautiful and amazing。 And there’s always a re I don’t even know if I can find the words to describe how much I loved this book。 I will be re-reading it over and over again。 Because it feels like a breath of fresh air。 Or like a ray of sunshine after days of heavy rain。 Or like a much needed hug when you’re feeling down and you think you’ve had enough and it’s never going to get better。 Because Kristina reminds you that it will。 That it will get better。 And that you’ve got this。 And that life is beautiful and amazing。 And there’s always a reason to smile。 。。。more
Karen
，
This started off a bit slow and wasn't sure what to think of her at first。 Seemed a little sorry for herself at first and I figured she would be one of those stories that everything falls in her lap just because she wants it。 I was wrong wrong wrong。 I loved her story。 She was a lot like her videos in character。 I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook where she reads it herself。 Not only was it funny but it was also heartfelt。 I cried when she talked about Croatia and her childhood。 This started off a bit slow and wasn't sure what to think of her at first。 Seemed a little sorry for herself at first and I figured she would be one of those stories that everything falls in her lap just because she wants it。 I was wrong wrong wrong。 I loved her story。 She was a lot like her videos in character。 I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook where she reads it herself。 Not only was it funny but it was also heartfelt。 I cried when she talked about Croatia and her childhood。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I didn't know anything about Kristina but I really loved this book。 She felt relatable and real， talking about struggles in her life， parenting， and being a good human。 And food。 She is hilarious。 I didn't know anything about Kristina but I really loved this book。 She felt relatable and real， talking about struggles in her life， parenting， and being a good human。 And food。 She is hilarious。 。。。more
Aldina
，
This book was so good。 Just what I needed。 Have already recommended it to all of my friends。 Very relatable。 I have a new mantra now “Mind Your Own Motherhood”！
T。J。 Norris
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Kristina has such a unique and amazing story， it almost doesn't seem real。 At the same time， she's one of the realest personalities on social media in the parenting and relationship realm。 I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook。 Lots of reassuring life lessons and as the title suggests， hope and humor， packed into this read。 Kristina has such a unique and amazing story， it almost doesn't seem real。 At the same time， she's one of the realest personalities on social media in the parenting and relationship realm。 I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook。 Lots of reassuring life lessons and as the title suggests， hope and humor， packed into this read。 。。。more
Jessica
，
Really good。 Similar vibe to her social media if you follow her there。 Some of the same themes from her videos appear in the book as well。 Very well written， with some good messages and takeaways。
Gratiela
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Tipa asta e grozava！ Mi-a placut maxim cartea， care e asa cum ma asteptam， asa cum este Kristina: efervescenta， franca， plina de umor si autoironie， plina cu povete si "instrumente" de parenting si de relationare in general， sau mai bine spus despre viata， valori si recunostinta。 Sunt sigura ca voi simti nevoia sa o reiau， de data asta cu creionul in mana si cu post-it-uri puse printre pagini。 O recomand cu caldura， pentru o doza de speranta， haz de necaz si linistire。 Tipa asta e grozava！ Mi-a placut maxim cartea， care e asa cum ma asteptam， asa cum este Kristina: efervescenta， franca， plina de umor si autoironie， plina cu povete si "instrumente" de parenting si de relationare in general， sau mai bine spus despre viata， valori si recunostinta。 Sunt sigura ca voi simti nevoia sa o reiau， de data asta cu creionul in mana si cu post-it-uri puse printre pagini。 O recomand cu caldura， pentru o doza de speranta， haz de necaz si linistire。 。。。more
KColton
，
If you like her YouTube videos then you will love her book。 I listened to the audio book because she narrates the book herself and I like her style of speaking。 I loved the parts about how she dealt with anxiety and trials。 She has a lot of great parenting ideas， marriage advice， and experiences to back it up。QUOTES I LOVED“Give yourself more credit than criticism and more grace than judgment。”“Nice is about superficially behaving in a way that makes other people feel comfortable。 There is stren If you like her YouTube videos then you will love her book。 I listened to the audio book because she narrates the book herself and I like her style of speaking。 I loved the parts about how she dealt with anxiety and trials。 She has a lot of great parenting ideas， marriage advice， and experiences to back it up。QUOTES I LOVED“Give yourself more credit than criticism and more grace than judgment。”“Nice is about superficially behaving in a way that makes other people feel comfortable。 There is strength in kindness。 Kindness comes from a deeper place of morals and values， of wanting to do the right thing because ultimately it betters the world。”“Parenting is about raising myself as much as it is about raising my kids。” “You don’t expect a seven-year-old to know how to do certain things the very first time around。 If it’s your first time parenting in a certain situation， give yourself the same grace you’re giving your child。 Let yourself mess up without beating yourself up for it。”“What matters is that I empower my kids and avoid sending them the message that the way they do things isn’t good enough。” “Mind your own motherhood。”“If I want to raise kids who can deal with mistakes in a healthy way， I have to lead by example。” 。。。more
Genny
，
I love her videos and her frank open discussion about how life is messy。 Her book is very similar， if a bit more polished。 Life is messy。 It is okay to make mistakes。 It is okay to be angry， and frustrated， and happy， and loved。 Own your feelings， but don't let them own you。 Reminders I needed as as I move into the parenting of a teenager。。。 I love her videos and her frank open discussion about how life is messy。 Her book is very similar， if a bit more polished。 Life is messy。 It is okay to make mistakes。 It is okay to be angry， and frustrated， and happy， and loved。 Own your feelings， but don't let them own you。 Reminders I needed as as I move into the parenting of a teenager。。。 。。。more
Rachel Mcloughlin
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Some parts were funny， others were slow。
Tenielle Honeycutt
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