I really wanted to connect to this more, but I suspect I'm not the right reader for this memoir. While I really appreciated and admired the premise of the book, the actual writing wasn't for me.

This book is a very intriguing memoir of a modern woman in this modern world in society and what she hast to go through and put up with after a divorce. It’s really interesting to read this personal piece because it truly is unexpected and wild to read about a soccer mom who decides to reclaim her life after divorce and goes through this awakening or reawakening of connections in her life. This book is the illustration of what being a modern woman looks like in what modern femininity looks like as well.

I had read the excerpt of this book and decided right away that I needed to read the whole thing. I laughed pretty hard at the airport scene with "Mr. Blue Eyes" and the conversational style of writing had me hooked. However, I lost interest periodically through out the book and as such didn't finish it. I am 41 so the age range was fairly relatable to me and I liked that she was on a mission to reclaim her life ( and 5 new lovers in the process) but I just simply lost interest. I have several friends that I feel would be so in love with this book even though it wasn't a home run for me.

I liked reading about her journey. I don’t read a lot of memoirs anymore but I would probably recommend this to friends dealing with divorce and the like.

Reading memoirs solidifies for me that we are all human and connected through the similar experience we share. I especially enjoy reading memoirs written by people older than me. This is because I can use their life lessons as teaching moments for me as well as the people I love.

While I won't spoil that book for you, I will say the main lesson I learned is resilience which Leslie frequently exhibited throughout her life. It has to be so scary to put the difficult parts of your life on front street for people to read and examine. I thank Leslie for providing us readers with her life lessons, so we know we are not alone.

Leslie MOrgan sets out to find five new lovers and this is the chronicle of that time. Engaging and revealing.

I found this very tedious. I know she overcame a lot of issues in the past but she still doesn't seem very healthy or together. She doesn't seem to have very much insight into her own life which is odd because this is, I think, her third memoir.

What are you willing to settle for in life and love? What risks are you willing to take to find a relationship that feeds your soul and your body? Leslie Morgan in her memoir, The Naked Truth, explores these questions with raw and graphic honesty, candy-coating nothing while leaving every detail of her sexual awakening available to the reader.

The Naked Truth is a searing and vulnerable memoir that explores the author’s midlife sexual awakening after a marriage devoid of affection, sex and romance.

I admire Morgan for her bravery at exposing the most intimate details of her sexual experiment to find five lovers in the year after her divorce. Her language is raw, vulgar and yet precisely the right word choice for each situation, thought and truism she writes about. Morgan’s writing might make you cringe, but her truths will make you think about the true nature of love, passion, lust, relationships and marriage.

Morgan’s memoir begins at the end of her unhappy, long marriage, to Marty. When we meet the author, she has settled for what passes on the surface as an ideal marriage. Morgan had buried long-held resentment “about the compromises and sacrifices marriage had extracted” and bitter that her husband, Marty had not made the same sacrifices for her family. Morgan admits that her husband “didn’t share her enthusiasm for sex” nor was present emotionally— “I wanted someone to hold me and look in my eyes with love again. Most of all, I wanted Marty to.”

What I most appreciate about Morgan’s writing is her ability to put into words hard truths and all-too-common facts about many long marriages. She makes a humbling confession that her husband didn’t, or maybe even couldn’t, look her in the eye when they made love. She admits that she settled for “muted lovemaking, doled out a few times a month,” thinking it was typical for most marriages, and a small price to pay for a stable family life with a kind, reserved man. She reveals that to cope; she masturbates during the late mornings while her husband is at work and the kids at school. “I thought this acceptance was another sign of our maturity, of a happy union, of the sleeping-with-socks comfort of a long, mellow marriage.”

Morgan soldiers on in this loveless marriage rationalizing that her husband’s stability and reliability is enough to compensate for the other shortcomings that feed the soul. After Marty asks for a divorce, the author confronts her blunted sexuality and embarks on a quest to have sex with five men.

Over the course of 12 months, Morgan learns to navigate dating in middle age soon discovering that traditional dating “had gone the way of the cotillion” during her long stretch of married life. She confronts hard truths about the age and gender bias that seems to have brainwashed the sisterhood. A matchmaker tells her that her male clients will want to date her but won’t want a relationship with her. “They’ll love you for about three months, the novelty, your mind, your fire. Then, they’ll come back to me and ask for someone more ‘traditional.’ These types of men say they want a partner. In reality, they don’t. They want someone to make their world prettier, to ride in the backseat of their life.”

Her friends tell Morgan to settle in her next relationship, to expect a downgrade in husbands. Morgan doesn’t buy into their fatalist view of dating.  She isn’t looking for a baby daddy or a white picket fence. She is searching for men who inspire her lust and make her feel good about herself. As a successful writer, Morgan can pay her own mortgage, health insurance and live life by her own rules. Morgan reasons that she won’t get attached to any one man and in the process figure out what she wants in a relationship long-term.

The Naked Truth explores questions of why and how we choose a partner. There are those who “grab the gold ring” by marrying men who deliver the ideal lifestyle. Some marry for lust and passion; others choose partners for safety and reliability. Unfortunately in real life, there is no universal and infallible list of qualifications to guide our choice in a partner.

We figure love out in our own way, on our own time, making mistakes along the way. The Naked Truth reveals an essential fact about love and sex: Until we understand how we want and need to be loved, finding fulfilling love and romance remains elusive. Morgan doesn’t know what she doesn’t know, until she took risks and was willing to pay the price. My wish is that her newfound wisdom leads to her to a lover and soulmate.

Leslie Morgan is also the author of Crazy Love, a memoir about her abusive first marriage and is an in-demand speaker on domestic abuse topics.

Very well-written, descriptive and emotive post-divorce memoir that sounds authentic. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

This wasn't what I was expecting, but I still really enjoyed it. I feel like there was a bit of a disconnect for me based on my age though. This book focuses on Leslie's journey of dating in her 50s following the divorce of her husband. Because I am only 26, I felt like I could not relate to this memoir in a way someone in their 50s and in a similar situation likely could. However, there are some great lessons on life, love, and finding yourself....and those ring true no matter the age of the reader. Plus, I love memoirs, so giving this one a chance was a no-brainer for me.

In this memoir, the author -- a 49-year-old divorcee at the time -- dedicates a year to finding 5 lovers. The premise of this book excited me. Morgan writes openly and frankly, and she had me laughing at times. All-in-all, though, this book wasn't terribly memorable for me and I didn't finish it because I kept forgetting to come back to it.

I would like to give a huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

►Disclaimer: I am not rating the memoir based on the story. This is obviously the author telling people about a chunk of her life. I am rating this based on how well she was able to tell the story.

► This is a very entertaining take on what to do when you turn 50. I'm sure there are a lot of people who didn't agree with what she did and that is okay. I think what she did was fine, but sleeping with men that aren't single is where I had a problem. She clearly didn't know some of them had other affairs but that is beside the point.

► I can look up to the author for getting out of her mentally and emotionally abusive marriage. They even had two kids together! She managed to stay strong through all of it. I don't blame her for wanting to explore. and learning how to love herself. That aspect of the story hit pretty close to home. I can definitely relate to not feeling confident. It's hard to overcome.

► Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the writing all that much. It made the story seem longer than it actually was. I know that it was a memoir, but I wanted something extra when it came to the writing. I will say that I enjoyed the fact that she didn't overdo it. There are some writers that try very hard to be "quirky."

► I would recommend this if you are looking for a fun, entertaining read. It's quick to get through and it's a story you never really read about. I'm sure she hasn't been the only one to go out a dabble with sex. I just never see these stories. There are some steamy parts/explicit scenes in this book. I would have been disappointed if she wrote a book about her sex life after marriage and didn't include the steamy bits. It makes it more interesting.

► Overall, I enjoyed the book. Would I read it again? No. Do I regret reading it? Absolutely not. It's very basic, but if you are interested, then go pick it up!

This memoir is heart-warming, heart-wrenching, humorous, and informative all at the same time. Morgan makes you question the things that really matter in life in a very interesting way. The writing is descriptive, and the story line is top notch. I highly recommend.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!


i was intrigued by the descrption of this book. the author has a lovely way with words. as someone who recently divorced an emotionally abusive man myself, i could relate so much to Leslie. This book is REAL and makes you feel there.

great read.

It's definitely one of a kind memoir. I definitely enjoyed the author's explicit honesty about her experience with the five guys she's with. The self-confidence she has regained, and the life lessons she has learned over the course of the relationships. She was able to finally explore her sexuality, which I personally did not find disturbing or mind at all. I think that women should reclaim themselves if they feel like/are not happy with who they were.

A candid, explicit account of the author's post divorce journey of rediscovering her sexuality. Morgan ended a dead marriage and jumped into casual sex with younger men. She seems to find them everywhere and wasn't shy. These casual hook ups seem to be almost too cliche, until she meets an old boyfriend and she falls hard. Only to discover that he's petty, spiteful, and cruel. Ultimately, she discovers, that despite the sex, she is still her own best company.

This book is a bit graphic and salacious but I enjoyed it. The author is very candid as she shares her experiences of reclaiming herself and her sexuality after the ending of her marriage to an emotionally abusive man. She shows that just because you're over 50 doesn't mean your sex life has to end.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. The author exhibits great honesty as she shares her experiences of reclaiming herself and her sexuality after the ending of her 20 year marriage to an emotionally abusive man. All in all, an inspiring and worthwhile read. My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

A detailed encounter of the authors divorce and subsequent single lifestyle . This book was graciously provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Leslie definitely has a way with words, and creating her journey after her divorce. I felt like I was there with her. This book follows Leslie through the end of an emotionally abusive relationship to casual dating five men. You are never too old to learn new lessons. She proves that just because you are pushing fifty, doesn't mean you can be confident, and sexy. It doesn't make you less of a feminist either. This book was sexy, and passionate. 

It isn't all the fun parts. It is real, and the nitty gritty. Which, I mean, I feel makes it truly a memoir. Not just all the fun parts. Which there are. Leslie handles balancing her mom life, and single life. Leslie always takes something away from every situation. Even when it hurts.  This book is full of hope of life after divorce and abuse.