Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told

Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key

15 reviews

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

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alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

A curious book about a man struggling to save his marriage after his wife cheats on him, it’s a strange mix of humor, bitter observations about married life and Christianity. His wife spends most of the book in a shame-filled catatonia and it really makes you wonder why he fights so hard to hold onto someone he seems to hate. Oh, right: for the kids.

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lernstreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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libbyloveslattes's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key

“…a good person is a temporary and imaginary creature, as make-believe as unicorns and fire-breathing cows, because the best of us are often the worst, full of proud and viperous snakes, believing ourselves gods. The dragons did not just live in history and myth. They lived inside me.”

This book humorously and heartbreakingly shares about what it means to be married; and how to stay that way. I really enjoyed it for the most part; it was absolutely hilarious, and it rang true. Key shared both the glory and misery that can come from tying up your life in a covenant with a fellow sinner and image-bearer of God. For me, I could see the gospel woven throughout the story: the husband who fights for his unfaithful bride, who keeps loving and serving her even in her betrayal. The story showed the sinfulness and brokenness of humanity, how no one is truly good. It painted a picture of forgiveness and restoration, of unmerited grace. Yet, my biggest complaint about this book is that although the gospel themes were easy to see, they were implicit only. So many times I was convinced that Key was just about to bring in Christ, and he just didn’t. Sure, there are biblical references throughout, and Key himself claims to be Christian and discusses his religious journey alongside his marriage journey. Ultimately the savior of the story is love, left up to each readers interpretation of that. I also don’t agree with the theology written, and I think there was a grave misunderstanding about what church discipline is.

However, this never claimed to be a theology book, and as a memoir about marriage, it certainly had the ring of truth. I felt Key’s pain, was convicted by his own flaws. I loved that somehow, even as we are reading about Lauren’s betrayal, she is not an unsympathetic character in his story. We aren’t made to hate her, despite his sarcasm and joking about her and about the situation. Key has an entire alphabet of reasons he was a bad husband. This book was a delight (the chapter about Gary their retriever puppy was hysterical) each chapter I would laugh and also, often feel convicted of my own apathy and selfishness in my marriage. Sin was never seen as positive, always as destructive, and in describing his sins I saw my own.

Content considerations:

There is some language, and a heartbreaking miscarriage. There are frequent references to sex and adultery, but nothing I found to be overly graphic. I didn’t feel like there was anything in the book that didn’t belong, even the swearing felt well placed based on what was happening in the book. It’s hard not to empathize with his frustration and pain.

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reemeyer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

Wow. This is the saddest happy ending I’ve ever read. A memoir of marriage and adultery and brokenness and forgiveness and faith and God and rage. It’s darkly funny and I laughed but cried more and I couldn’t put it down or step away.

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tarajoy90's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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amhud1030's review

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.0

Definitely agree that is an insane love story.

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rljenn's review

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

5.0

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arianna_w's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

Perhaps my favorite read of 2023. Laugh out loud funny. Beautiful prose; almost unparalleled use of metaphors and similes. This is my first book by Harrison Scott Key. Now, I gotta go read his previous two.

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sleeson's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

Harrison Scott Key is hilarious. He shares his personal trials in life by being completely honest while staying relatable. Somehow he is still able to make you laugh while doing it. Chapter 12 was so funny, that I listened to it twice. Adding Lauren's side of the story at the end was a nice touch. Swearing mild sexual content.

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