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emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
Jessica N. Turner’s I Thought It Would Be Better Than This mixes memoir and self-help, sharing her divorce journey with practical tools for coping. While earnest, its focus on her specific experience and repetitive advice may limit its appeal. Decent for those needing encouragement.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
inspiring
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I’ve been following Jessica on the internet for over a decade, and I was really excited to read I Thought It Would Be Better Than This. We even met briefly at a blog conference years ago, and as someone who’s also worked as a full-time influencer—though definitely not on the same scale—I’ve always admired her transparency, humor, and how she shares her life online, especially around family and dating.
Reading her book was a meaningful experience for me, especially because my own journey overlaps in a unique way. In my past marriage, I was the partner who came out as queer later in life, which ultimately led to divorce. That made me a little nervous to read a story from the other side of that dynamic—but I appreciated Jessica’s honesty and vulnerability in telling her side. It was eye-opening, heartfelt, and often very real.
The only part I struggled to connect with was how central dating seemed in her healing process. That’s just not something I personally relate to right now, so a few chapters didn’t hit as hard for me. But that’s not a flaw in the writing—it just reflects where we might be on different paths.
Overall, this was a compelling and thoughtful book that will resonate deeply with anyone navigating big life transitions, especially those who have followed Jessica’s story over the years.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I selected this book as an advanced listener copy from Libro.fm (thank-you!) and did not know what to expect. It is beautifully written and both memoir and self help. What really likes is that the experience and even to struggle to find joy in a new path were relatable and could apply to any situation not just divorce. I thought it maybe went on a little too long and eventually felt a bit redundant but I would not hesitate to recommend this book to someone struggling with things not turning out as planned.
I was looking for concrete information from someone whose professional life involves helping people through adversity and this is not that.