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4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
What Jen Hatmaker accomplishes here is truly singular. As someone who watched her speak at Christian conferences geared towards women, followed her teaching, witnessed her hold firm to her beliefs and be ostracized because of it, glimpsed threads of this story through her social media - she laid it all out through this book and did it so, so well. Her vulnerability and honesty in storytelling is at its most perfect form. I related so much to the wisdom shared about dealing with organized religion, trusting your own body after trauma, witnessing your loved ones stepping up for you in immeasurable ways, and so much more. As an outsider I feel like she handled everything with such grace and did not give away any more than she needed to, and this is so effective in lending truth and power to her words.
I also found myself thinking “I wish I could recommend You Could Make This Place Beautiful to her” - and I kid you not, four pages later the first Maggie Smith poem was included.
The gentle nudges and pushes she feels in her body are what I once attributed to my religious faith and have had trouble honoring now - I feel like I’ve been handed a permission slip by Jen to trust myself again. I am so grateful for this book and know it will make such a difference in so many lives, including my own. I cried a lot and laughed a bit and am so honored to have been gifted this story.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the DRC and the ARC.
I also found myself thinking “I wish I could recommend You Could Make This Place Beautiful to her” - and I kid you not, four pages later the first Maggie Smith poem was included.
The gentle nudges and pushes she feels in her body are what I once attributed to my religious faith and have had trouble honoring now - I feel like I’ve been handed a permission slip by Jen to trust myself again. I am so grateful for this book and know it will make such a difference in so many lives, including my own. I cried a lot and laughed a bit and am so honored to have been gifted this story.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the DRC and the ARC.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I have been a Jen Hatmaker fan for at least a decade, but but probably much longer. When I was deep in the evangelical world, I looked to her as a beacon for what I thought a "good Christian woman" should. Turns out that my perception and worldview started crumbling around the same time as hers (around 2016), and I still remember the day in 2020 when I found out that she and her husband were divorcing. I wondered what happened, along with everyone else, and I was honestly shocked to see that she chose to write about it. I was eager to read this memoir, hopeful it would contain the writing I've grown to love from her.
What I thought was going to be a memoir about her divorce was a memoir about so much else. Sure, her divorce plays a prominent role, but only because it was the tipping point in her finally leaving the trappings of the evangelical lifestyle behind in order to find her truest self. The short chapters were so easy to read, and reminded me much of the blog posts of the old days, as well as the social media captions I read from her regularly. She put words to so many experiences I had growing up. Exvangelicals have individual stories to tell, but our experiences are anything but singular. Her humor shines through, even in her darkest moments. She doesn't back away from how she contributed to her own "downfall," even when it would've been easy and clean to do so. She holds true to herself, her integrity never wavering.
I'm looking forward to rereading this and finding even more bits of wisdom to hold on to. I sort of look at Jen as a big sister, 12 years ahead of me in life. The first read through was me listening to my big sister telling me about life, and future read throughs will be me asking questions and bringing those truths into myself.
I have been a Jen Hatmaker fan for at least a decade, but but probably much longer. When I was deep in the evangelical world, I looked to her as a beacon for what I thought a "good Christian woman" should. Turns out that my perception and worldview started crumbling around the same time as hers (around 2016), and I still remember the day in 2020 when I found out that she and her husband were divorcing. I wondered what happened, along with everyone else, and I was honestly shocked to see that she chose to write about it. I was eager to read this memoir, hopeful it would contain the writing I've grown to love from her.
What I thought was going to be a memoir about her divorce was a memoir about so much else. Sure, her divorce plays a prominent role, but only because it was the tipping point in her finally leaving the trappings of the evangelical lifestyle behind in order to find her truest self. The short chapters were so easy to read, and reminded me much of the blog posts of the old days, as well as the social media captions I read from her regularly. She put words to so many experiences I had growing up. Exvangelicals have individual stories to tell, but our experiences are anything but singular. Her humor shines through, even in her darkest moments. She doesn't back away from how she contributed to her own "downfall," even when it would've been easy and clean to do so. She holds true to herself, her integrity never wavering.
I'm looking forward to rereading this and finding even more bits of wisdom to hold on to. I sort of look at Jen as a big sister, 12 years ahead of me in life. The first read through was me listening to my big sister telling me about life, and future read throughs will be me asking questions and bringing those truths into myself.
I have read and enjoyed many books by Jen Hatmaker. Her engaging writing style shines through in her memoir. However, after reading 35% I just couldn't continue to read it. I am disappointed in the strong language, and the book isn't what I was expecting. I am so sorry for what the author went through with her divorce, and my heart aches for her.
hopeful
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A well told and poignant memoir of a woman's whose life changed and how she coped.