Letters to a Romantic: First Years of Marriage

Letters to a Romantic

by Sean Perron, Spencer Harmon

The first years of marriage are filled with joys, sorrows . . . and surprises. These will set relationship patterns that will determine the course of your marriage. As you begin your life together, you probably have some questions, and you know the stakes are high. We want to help.

If you want to navigate the early years of your marriage in a way that glorifies Christ and honors his Word, this book will be a great resource for getting a conversation going. In a series of warm, short, practical letters, Sean Perron and Spencer Harmon, along with their wives, Jenny and Taylor, guide you and your spouse through common “firsts”: major choices like deciding when to start a family, the everyday details of establishing holy household habits, and concerns raised by common sexual issues in marriage.

Open these pages to lay a foundation for a healthy and God-honoring lifelong relationship.

Genres: Marriage, Christian, Relationships

192 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2020

About the author

Sean Perron (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the associate pastor at First Baptist in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a certified biblical counselor and previously was director of operations at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). He and his wife, Jennifer, have one son.

Reviews

[Emma Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insanely practical, good discussion questions, and a clear focus of applying the gospel to all of life.

There are a few things I disagree with, but really this series is very well done.

I really appreciated the authors’ point that the habits formed early on in marriage will likely make up their whole marriage. Get good habits now, friends!

[Johnny Lamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, biblically grounded, immensely practical wisdom for marriage. The Perrons and Harmons address numerous issues commonly faced by newlyweds, applying Scripture, experience, and wisdom passed down from their mentors. Though other books dive deeper on some of the specific issues they address, each chapter offers an excellent foundation for answering these questions, and includes numerous footnotes to other resources that go into greater detail. On Marriage is aimed at couples in the first years of their marriage, but I think couples of any age in search of biblical guidance for common marital challenges would benefit from it. I highly recommend each book in this series for anyone in the respective seasons of dating, engagement, and marriage.

[Sean Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Word has spread. Some are unsure about Spencer Harmon’s chapters… but don’t let that hinder you from reading it. Yes they are controversial, but he is a really great guy.

[Benjamin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, good to read and discuss together early on in the marriage (going on 4).

Only quibbles were around some of the comments on intimacy.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a wedding present, and I just got around to reading it! The book is structured into brief “letters” on various topics pertaining to the early years of marriage, which made the book very accessible and easy to read. Yet, the simplicity sometimes veered into oversimplification in a few chapters. I had heard or read some of the content before, but the book still had a lot of helpful practical wisdom and discussion questions for young married couples. The chapters on getting help regularly in your marriage, hospitality, leisure and rest, understanding each other’s differences, working through conflict, and sex were particularly impactful.

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read with some great questions at the end of each letter for both personal reflection and for discussion with your spouse.
It didn't strike me as anything particularly special, but I would recommend it, especially because it is short and accessible.
Read and reviewed for my church library.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for any married couple. I love that it focuses on the first years of marriage and have already started giving it as gifts to newly married couples. Written in a devotional way for couples to work through together or to use in a mentoring relationship.

[Julie Havener · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for newlyweds. Easy to read, informative, challenging with discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

[Megan Torrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of practical, Biblical help. I highly recommend it!

[Janelle Knutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for newlyweds!

[Major Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as the third installment of a Marriage series entitled, “Letters to a Romantic”, Sean Perron and Spencer Harmon gives all couples, young and old, a great tool that focuses on the first few years of marriage. The book is short, practical, and concise.

This book answers common questions like, how do we handle our money? how do we love our parents well? It addresses controversial issues such as, the roles of a husband and wife and the question, have we fallen out of love? It does not shy away from typically Christian taboo subjects such as, communication on sex, sexual difficulty, the frequency of sex, and when should we have children?

There is a ton of practical advice and solutions in this book, but there is also a Gospel motif and theme that is intertwined throughout this book. The main takeaway that the reader should grab should be that their marriage will not experience lasting change without it being rooted in the Gospel of Jesus and God’s Word. As Spencer writes, “As you seek to grow, strengthen, and change in your marriage, my hope is that you would be rooted in the gospel. Only the gospel can expose your deepest problem—your sin—and then provide the only solution that leads to lasting change.”

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, helpful, profound, Biblical, Christ-centred. An excellent resource.