I grew up with the music of Randy Travis and was beyond excited to have the opportunity to read his autobiography, which, of course, brought a welcome dose of nostalgia. I did not know much about his life prior to reading though I was certainly familiar with his music. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys country music and wants to learn more about one of the greats.

I absolutely love seeing this side of Randy Travis. 
I've been a fan my entire life--quite literally as far back as I can remember--and so having this insight, well, it's more than I thought possible. 

He's had an interesting life, seeing his journey, the struggles, the triumphs, it really gives a glimpse of how he became so BIG. 

His music will forever take me back to those special times spent with my grandmother. Seeing him perform will Always & Forever be something I hold dear. 

And Forever and Ever, Amen will always be a top song--and book--from Randy Travis.

Reading this was like listening to a Randy Travis song. A little comforting, a little heartbreaking, and highly enjoyable. I've been a Randy Travis fan for years and I loved this look into his life.

I usually don't like to read biographies but Randy Travis has had an interesting and busy life and I enjoyed reading about his life. The ups and downs. The failures and successes. He shared a lot of details of his family life and career.  He was acquainted with a lot of the music artists and friends to many of them. If you like biographies.. you will like this one. It's full of details of the personal and not so personal kind.  A little to detailed for me, it was easy to put down but when I finished it I was glad I had. Interesting life he's had!

I’ve alway loved Randy Travis. Growing up I would listen to his music. 
I was excited to be granted the chance to be able to read and review this book. 
It was heartbreaking. It made me sad to read this. I didn’t realize all the awful things he went through. 
I will always be a Randy Travis fan and his music will always be some of my favorite.

This book was unbelievable, I knew randy travis for a few of his song my mom would listen to while i was growing up and a few movies my dad loved to watch. Its always awesome to find out more things about people you come to care about. This book pulled on my heart strings a couple times,  almost brought me to tears, because I remember the times mentioned from music shows. I definitely recommend this book to people that what to find out more about randy.

Free ARC from Net Galley

Almost to hard to read as a fan

From a voice that seemingly could stop an entire audience to such a troubled soul behind the skin

The price of fame is often just too high

Well done story of heart ache and break

I grew up hearing the distinct sound of Randy Travis on the radio and cassette player. I truely enjoyed reading the detailed account of all the joys and heartache behind the music. I was reminded no matter how 'good' a person appears to have it, we all struggle to one degree or another. 

I greatly appreciate the story ends pointing to Jesus.

Randy Travis is one of my  favorite performer's.  I greatly enjoyed reading his story and getting a look into the life of this country music legend.

Full disclosure:  I have loved Randy Travis since I was eight years old.  Forever and Ever, Amen was the first cassette tape I bought on my own and I played it until the tape was worn so thin.  I also vowed to own all Randy Travis' music for the rest of my life, which I have lived up to in all its formats as music progressed from records and cassettes to CD's and iTunes.

Forever and Ever Amen, the memoir is a great book for any Randy Travis fan.  Randy shares a bit more behind the scenes of his life growing up, how he got into the music business, his life with Elizabeth Hatcher, his current wife, his medical issues that nearly took him from us, and how he views his future.

Because I've been a huge fan and followed his music career, I already knew a lot of this story.  I was most interested in his relationship with Hatcher, as I have always thought it was a little wonky, his current relationship and of course, his stroke.  The memoir delivered on this.

There is a bit of repetition in the book and I was disappointed that it did not include any pictures.  I thought that was odd.  A biography I read many years ago by Don Cusic had a lot of pictures and I found out that when you listen to the audio, they send you a PDF of photos.  Perhaps future publications of the book will include them.

That being said, if you are interested in Randy Travis' life, this book will not be a disappointment.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛

Entertaining!  Emotional! Heart-breaking!  You get all the feels reading about Randy Travis' life - his music, his marriages, his financial losses, his anger, his pain.  Great storytelling!  Well worth the read.

A book filled with the joys and heartaches of a superstar.  Well written and a few twists and turns along the way.

Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life by Randy Travis was the memoir of a musician I grew up listening to. I can remember our summer road trip to Washington D.C. where we alternated his cassette with Alan Jackson's as we drove cross country. That said, I honestly knew zero things about him other than the songs I liked. I saw this on NetGalley and thought I'd see what it was all about. It was really interesting to learn how he came up in the business and worked to stay true to his sound in that process. He also spoke very honestly about two topics - his finances and his struggles with substance use. In talking about finances, he just wasn't aware of what was happening. He put his trust in people, and they just weren't doing what they said they were. Additionally, he's struggled with substance use, and some of those experiences have very much been in the public eye. He was honest about this throughout. He didn't offer excuses, rather he talked about what it was like to struggle. He also talked about his stroke which was a devastating experience, and he's also worked incredibly hard in the rehabilitation process. I appreciate a honest memoir and also know that's a lot to put out into the world. This was a great glimpse into the life of a man who has changed country music.

As a country music fan, I was very interested in reading Travis' memoir. He has had some "issues" that have been widely covered in the news over the past few years, and his career prior to that put him squarely in the category of "STAR". His memoir is at times wonderfully candid, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. At other times, it's pretty boring -- just an almost categorical listing of songs, concerts, and albums. Occasionally the narrative seems to ramble, as if he's just carrying on a conversation and something new occurred to him. That being said, it's a must read for any Randy Travis fan. 

He fills in some gaps about his childhood and the early days. The fact that he was deemed "too country" for Nashville in the 80s, is shocking and appalling to country fans, but fits the narrative portrayed in Ken Burns' documentary on country music. His partnership/marriage was always a point of puzzlement for many fans, and he addresses that here. He doesn't shy away from his brushes with the law as a young person and more recently, and he is very clear about his Christian faith. Although the writing is not in the category of "great literature", most celebrity memoirs aren't, and his voice comes through loud and clear on every page. I enjoyed reading about the motivations behind the music, and I was brought to tears when reading about his near death and recovery from heart issues and a stroke. I admire him even more after reading this book, even if it's not the "best" book I've read this year.

I have always loved Randy Travis’s music. And he has always seemed so humble to me. This book proves that he is truly a humble person and he lived his music and truly loved Country music. I’m glad he wrote this book and told his story. It explained a lot of what happened during that period of him crashing his car and ending up in the  road. When all that happened the media made out like he was drunk or on drugs or something and that wasn’t even the case. Yes, he had made some mistakes with drinking prior to that, because he was going through a lot of things at one time and he started drinking again, but friends talked to him and helped him realize what was going on and he stopped the drinking heavily. But he explains all that in the book and what his manager/wife, Lib, did to him as well.And most of all, I love all his talk of his faith in Jesus!! That was inspirational and uplifting!!  This is a great memoir and it’s written well. I’m glad he decided to write this. If you like traditional Country music and Randy Travis, you will love this book. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review #ForeverandEverAmen .

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy.

I have been a fan of Randy Travis for years so when I saw he had a new memoir out I was excited to read it.  He has had a storied career topping the country music charts with down home hits for decades.  His memoir takes readers through the many superstar ups of his career and some of the crushing lows from his personal life.  He is still recovering from a debilitating stroke but his spirit and Faith are truly inspiring.  It is an easy read and just feels like your sitting down having a conversation with Randy himself.  This is a great read for his fans.   Thank you Randy, forever and ever, Amen.

I don't normally read non-fiction, but being a huge Randy Travis fan I had to, 

Putting this book down just was not on the table; it's so interesting to know more about one of your fave celebrities and their lives.  You will no be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of Forever and Ever, Amen from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

First, I should state that I am not a huge country fan.  Though I was familiar with and appreciated a few of his songs, I certainly was under the impression that Randy Travis was way "too country" for me.  Interestingly enough, I like to read--including biographies, so I read this one.  This book was beautifully written from Randy's perspective, which made it an easy and intriguing book to read.  Randy comes across as a genuinely good human-being, with God leading his charge most of the time.  I empathize with his current situation and looking back, wish I had been a fan during his formative years!  I can now honestly say that I am a Randy Travis fan and that I will be purchasing this book in support of a truly wonderful man.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Randy Travis is one of America’s most loved country music singer/song writers.  The story of his life from his difficult childhood in North Carolina to his battle with drugs and alcohol, to his successful music career, to his near death experience after suffering a stroke kept me alternately laughing and crying.  His strong faith helped him to fight back from the severe stroke after doctors had given Mary, his wife, no hope.   You don’t have to be a country music fan to read and enjoy this book.  I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of Forever and Ever, Amen from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a book that I loved from beginning to end.  My first concert ever was by this author.  I was excited to read this book and loved it.  It is engaging and hard to put down.  It is a great story about the life of this author.  I was surprised with somethings and sad with other situation.  This is a story of courage and strength on top of going from nothing and working hard to get to the great entertainer that we know this author to be.  I highly recommend this book.