Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface my review by saying that when I requested this book, I had absolutely no idea who Lauren Akins was... I just knew that the woman on the cover made me feel some sort of peace just by looking at her. And that did not go away even a little bit as I read the book. BUT I would like to say that I feel like a total dufus at not knowing that Thomas Rhett was not his full name. :) I do actually listen to country music every now and then and back when all of this was happening, I listened to only country music(I can actually tell you where I was when I heard on the radio about them adopting a baby from Uganda). The book is essentially about her life growing up both with Thomas Rhett and without him. She talks about her family and how close they were and still are...their Christmas traditions that never went away, boys she loved, and people she lost along the way. I loved reading about how they had known each other since they were young and how they briefly dated but they both moved on to others and then somehow found their back to each other. I loved reading about their struggles, actually, because so many people assume that once you become famous, life is just grand and you don't HAVE to struggle anymore. I loved reading about what happens when you get out of your own way...such as Lauren getting out of her comfort zone and going on a trip to Haiti without knowing anyone...and then going to Uganda. What I loved most, however, were all of the color pictures that were splashed throughout the book. Basically, this book is a TRUE love story...about her love for God, her family, her husband, her kids, her friends, and herself. Woops, don't forget her dogs. :) I would 100% recommend this book to anyone that likes to feel things in their heart. :)

What an fun ride to read about what life has allowed Lauren and Thomas Rhett to experience! An enjoyable read.

I have been hearing about this book and when I was approved for being able to read this one, I was excited. I have to say that Lauren poured her heart out in this book and I have a new found love and respect for their family. They didn't start out like a lot and they worked hard to get where they are. Thomas Rhett is a great singer and I love listening to his music. But to see how they started out and how it does take a whole new level of understanding. If you are looking for a book on faith, love and hope then this is the book for you.

Lauren Akins’ memoir explains her life before and after she got married to country music star Thomas Rhett. It starts with how she grew up in a tight knit community in Tennessee. It was really comforting to read about Lauren’s positive upbringing with two supportive parents. I’ve read a few memoirs lately about really horrible, abusive childhoods and although those stories offer amazing lessons of resilience, strength, and courage, it was really nice to hear about what parents can do right and how their love impacted Lauren’s life in the best ways.

“The simple fact that they showed us how to value true beauty for what it is, by accepting people and appreciating them for who they are, is one of the many reasons I knew they would always love me. I never had to wonder if they might stop loving me if I didn’t do well on a test or if I didn’t make the soccer team, because I never felt like my worth came from any other place than from what really matters: who I am in my heart, and how I treat others.”

This quote really stuck out to me as how her parents’ positive influence played a huge role in her character and I really admire their parenting style for that. Her parents seemed like they could be overly strict at times but it was interesting to learn how they handled different situations and ultimately were great parents. Overall, it was nice to read about her childhood full of family, friends, fun, and love.

Another huge theme throughout Lauren’s life is her faith. Regardless of what you believe in I think anyone can appreciate how Lauren describes her unfailing faith. She never comes off as if she is trying to persuade you to believe in what she believes, but really focuses on how she keeps her faith in even the most trying times. I don’t share the same religion as Lauren but I really commended her trust in her God and took away a lot from what she has been through.

I’m glad she decided to share her story of loss. As hard as I’m sure it was for her to describe, I thought it was really important to be reminded that loss can affect anyone and no matter how perfect you may think someone is, we all go through pain and suffering at times.

Now to her and Thomas Rhett: I love his music so I loved getting some inside scoop on his life and behind the scenes information! I found their whole love story really endearing and found out a lot that surprised me. I think it’s really common for celebrities to just want to prove how they are not perfect and they’re “just like us” in order to relate to their fans but I thought that Lauren was really genuine and down to earth. I was interested in reading about her struggles and never felt like she didn’t deserve to feel the way she felt.

I thought it was super important that she shared that she wasn’t totally happy with Thomas Rhett’s success because she was worried about her own dreams. I think it is super easy to put your own dreams in the back seat when you’re in a relationship and trying to be supportive of each other and Lauren’s struggles show that no matter how successful your partner may be, we each need to live out our own purpose. I enjoyed reading about Lauren’s path to finding her mission and how she made it work with her marriage.

I also really enjoyed her story of adopting Willa Gray and becoming pregnant with Ada James. I remember when it was announced in the media so I enjoyed hearing the whole story from their point of view.

Overall I enjoyed the photos that accompanied the story and when Thomas Rhett would provide his input! It was really nice to hear both sides.

Even if you aren’t a fan of country music I think anyone could enjoy this story about family, faith, and love!

I absolutely loved learning more about Lauren and her faith. It was very interesting to see the struggles they went through and how they handled them. I really felt like I got to know Lauren and Thomas Rhett in a more personal light.

I am a Thomas Rhett fan and have always admired the Akins family, so when I saw Lauren wrote a book, I had to read it. The first 7 or so chapters mostly cover Lauren and TR's (Thomas Rhett's) childhood and college years. If I wasn't a fan of the couple, I may not have stuck around to keep reading.

Lots of Lauren's experiences were relatable, like maturing in faith and growing up in the country. But I couldn't relate to having an endless supply of friends, popularity, and brushes with fame as a kid. Although she tries to frame hers and TR's childhoods as being like any other, it becomes clear that they're not "just like us." Lauren's dad flew planes for celebrities and TR's dad actually was a country music celebrity. Their families raised them on the outskirts of Nashville, where they were always within reach of Music City.

Lauren and TR knew each other from a young age, but they didn't cement their relationship until after she was out of college. From there, the rest of the book really grabbed my attention. Lauren writes all about the ups and downs of marriage, and she details her path to finding her own purpose despite her husband's fame. Lauren's complaints about celebrity sometimes wore on me, but I loved how real she was about issues concerning family vs. career. She doesn't shy away from sharing intimate details about her marriage and their experiences with counseling to work through problems.

Overall, I appreciated her honesty about faith in God, mission work, and trying to be the best wife and mother to their 3 baby girls. The story of Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett, and their children and families is an inspiring one. I would recommend it to my Christian friends, especially those who are fans of TR's music.

This book is now on my list of favorite books. It’s simply incredible! It will make you laugh and cry and fill you with joy! I think everyone needs to read it! I can’t recommend it enough!

I loved this book! It was so interesting to read about Lauren and Thomas Rhett's life. It was refreshing to know that they may look like the perfect couple on the outside, but they still have problems just like the rest of us. Lauren was very brave to open up and be vulnerable in order to help others that may be going through similar situations. I also expected this to be mostly about Lauren and Thomas Rhett's marriage and children, but it is also about their childhood together so I really enjoyed hearing about that part of their lives as well. The pictures are also great. They really add such a personal touch to the book. I was in tears while reading this book, and I found myself being thankful for my own family and the fact that I have my own Thomas Rhett in my life. Lauren and Thomas Rhett's love story is not perfect, but it is God ordained and so very special. Thank you to Lauren for being so open in this memoir and for trusting God every step of the way. This book is headed for the top of the bestseller list!

Lauren Atkins' memoir is authentic and relatable! From the stories of her hometown life to the adoption to her husband's career skyrocketing this was a superb read! Definitely worth a read especially if you follow her on social media!!

Upon first hearing about this book, I already knew I wanted to read it because I loved looking at her cute little family on social media and her husband's sweet songs about them, and I was so intrigued by her story and hearing her side of things. As a couple, Lauren and Thomas Rhett seem super sweet and down to Earth, and this memoir completely captures that. It's a book of advice, memories, and the story of their love, marriage, and family in such an authentic and conversational way. It reads as if she's speaking her truth in a genuine, casual way. From this book, she's way more than just Thomas Rhett's wife but this is her own story and she's the star here. The book is so raw, vulnerable, and honest. Plus, all the throwback family photos are just a riot! It's so sweet to see how their love story and partnership began. Even when Thomas Rhett adds little parts here and there, it doesn't feel overpowering and like he's taking over, it feels like they are a team and he is helping her make her dreams come true. In a high-profile industry like music, Lauren and Thomas Rhett prove they are down to Earth folk and it makes me smile that fame and acclaim can't take away or change real love and what matters the most. While Lauren has made it clear she wants to live a relatively normal life and follow her own dreams to help people, more than just a musician's wife, through this book, it's clear she's succeeded and she's done just that. This book is proof: it's a project that's all hers and that's truly lovely to read. Lauren found her purpose just as she hoped and now she's sharing it through this authentic biography. I even found myself tearing up at her adoption story, it was so vulnerable and authentic; her memoir is just so raw and honest. While life isn't perfect, least of all not for celebrities, Lauren and Thomas Rhett have proved that hard work, effort, teamwork, and love can make everything worth the struggles. And it was just a beautiful, lovely story to read.

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed reading about Lauren and Thomas Rhett's story. I am a huge fan of Thomas Rhett's music and Lauren is such an inspiring person. Their love story is not perfect but it is perfect for them. I enjoyed learning more about Lauren and her background. I felt like Lauren was talking to her readers like she would talk to a friend. She is such a down to Earth person who isn't afraid to let people know how hard it is to be married to someone who is in the spotlight. I found it inspiring how strong she was in her faith when most people would have given up. It was also interesting to read about her perspective on Thomas Rhett's career and how she handles it all. It was truly an amazing book that I just could not put down.I really enjoyed the personal pictures she included throughout the book.

I was very excited to read this as I'm a big Thomas Rhett fan, but really I wasn't sure what to expect. From the description, I don't think I expected a real biography of Lauren's life so far, but that's really what this book is. There is also so much more to it. The way her story unfolds, I could see how some might be annoyed by how good she had it in her childhood, but really her voice makes me just feel nostalgic for the parts of my own childhood that mirrored hers. There are some truly wonderful things about her life, and some truly devastating parts too. However, the really important take away for me was how she chose to view it. Even when she talks about her own marriage and how they both dealt with the work involved and the fame, she has a realistic attitude of wanting to work at everything, and honestly it's contagious. I especially loved her overall message that it's not supposed to be easy and that's how we know we're doing it right. This book was just the pick me up I needed, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a littler perspective, even if you're not a country music fan at all.

I would like to start off by saying I am a huge fan of Lauren, Thomas Rhett, and their family. They have become role models for so many fans, and have remained steadfast in their faith and morals.

Laura presented her life story her, and it gave me a lot of insight into her life and upbringing. I'm sure that took a lot of courage to detail and present such intimate details of her life. I did find some parts to be a little long, and often random; but, I think that was also just her voice shining through and just Lauren being Lauren. I appreciate how open she was about feeling "left out" while "chasing" Thomas Rhett's dreams. I have seen, first hand, how often women are expected to sacrifice for the good of the family. Luckily, there are so many good men that acknowledge that and give thanks (i.e. writing you a love song and winning a huge award for it :)

I would encourage Lauren to keep writing and sharing her voice. While, I didn't completely connect to this book (sadly), I think it was just maybe not my "cup of tea"- which is completely fine and I just appreciate the storyline.

I have loved Thomas Rhett ever since his very first song! I then fell in love with his cute wife Lauren on Instagram and then started following her. When I heard she had a new book out and it was on NetGalley, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I dove right in and knew it would be great. She’s genuine, “real” and so down to earth . What a great love story this is and it couldn’t come at a better time than during this pandemic! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. I loved it!

Before reading this book I thought I knew Lauren's story. I knew her husband (and am a big fan of his music), I had seen stuff about their love story, I knew she adopted a little girl from Uganda, and I was very much jealous of her beautiful blonde hair.
I give her book 5 stars and 10/10 review! This book beautifully goes through very intimate details of her childhood, heartbreaks and family tragedies, her faith and how it affected her life with Thomas Rhett, the troubles that have shaped their marriage and how they have gotten through them. Truly, and autobiography/memoir has never moved me more! I mean I was BALLING during the parts where she talked about how God told her that she was meant to adopt Willa Gray and be her mom! That was really some powerful stuff! I felt like I was just in a deep conversation with a really good friends, sitting by the fire drinking a beer (with Jesus) or something.
One of my favorite parts of the book was how she talked about her faith (can we make #faithgoals a thing?). It was so beautifully described, especially about how she believed God is real! A breath of fresh air to read! Could not have loved it more!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for granting me an advanced copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Definitely a book I will be adding to my growing home library soon (and will be recommended to all)!

I was so excited when I heard Lauren was writing a book. I’d been following her forever and love how real and down to earth she is on her instagram. I was so blown away by how real, honest and raw this book was. I was so sure like many others they had this perfect fairytale marriage, and was so thankful for the eye opening of how much they have struggled in their marriage like everyone else. I love how honest she was about opening up about marriage counseling and how it has helped them. I appreciated her rawness in her faith and relationship with God through the whole book with every decision she makes. I was so eager to read more about the adoption process as one day I hope to adopt as well. I never would have known how grueling and emotionally draining the process could be. I found myself laughing and crying throughout this book between learning about her upbringing, friendships, relationships, Willas adoption process, along with everything else in between. I definitely recommend this book. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy!

For reference, I am a major Thomas Rhett fan. I know the words to practically all his songs. I have one of his lyrics on my laptop. I've followed him since Die a Happy Man. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of the book.

This book was beautifully real. It talked about her high school relationship with Thomas Rhett, but unlike so many other biographies, she described the problems with it. She did the same with her marriage. She didn't sugarcoat. She talked about seeing counselors and therapists. She was so honest and so refreshing!

Her story is incredible. Her walk with Christ is inspiring. Her courage is admirable. She reminds me of the type of woman I want to grow up to be. While Thomas Rhett is a megastar, hearing bits and pieces of his story through Lauren was great.

Two things really set this book apart that I really loved. Firstly, there were so many pictures! Normally, biographies have two pages of pictures stuck randomly somewhere in the book. Ever chapter had multiple pictures from the events she discusses. I loved it. Secondly, she included little sections where Thomas Rhett included his point of view. I think it added a lot to the story and was super sweet.

I wasn't very familiar with Thomas Rhett's music or his life before reading this book by his wife Lauren Atkins, But I came away from this book really liking Lauren. This book was joyful and hopeful without glossing over any of the difficult parts of Lauren's life. It tells of her happy, early life, meeting Thomas Rhett, their rocky path to love, Thomas Rhett's career and rise to fame, as well as her struggle to create a fulfilling life for herself in the midst of his stardom. I really loved how honest Lauren is about all the difficult parts of being part of a celebrity couple. I loved reading about the adoption of their first child. And I really respect how honest she was about how hard she and her husband have had to work to keep their life focused on family and God in the midst of the demands of her husbands job. I really loved this book.

I usually do not read memoirs but when I listened to Lauren Atkins and her husband, Thomas Rhett, tell about their life and this book, Live in Love; Growing Together Through Life's Changes, on the Kelly Clarkson Show, I knew it was a book that I would enjoy. And I did!
Lauren starts with her childhood, telling about many adventures that she and Thomas Rhett shared growing up as close friends, and then she tells of some of their struggles during the teenage years as she pledged to just stay friends. They each dated other people during most of their college years, even though, Thomas Rhett wanted Lauren to be more than a friend. One night on her front porch, Thomas Rhett kissed her and she knew that he was the man God had for her.
Lauren tells of Thomas Rhett love for music and how he became a famous country music star and how hard the road was for her. She did not like being in the spot light and she honestly tells that she did not like sharing Thomas Rhett with so many others. I love the fact that before and after their marriage, they sought help from a marriage counselor before things would get to bad. And the fact that they relied on God to help them every step of the way. '
The story of their adoption is a true eye opener on how hard it is to adopt a baby from another country and how much they relied on prayers for God to get them through this journey.
This was a good book that I recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read and give my honest opinion.

My teenage daughter and I are big fans of Thomas Rhett, and of his wife’s work, and both have been looking forward to this books’ release. I had fears that Mrs. Akins’ writing would seem too “young” to me, and in some places it did, but it sounds like HER. She seems so genuine, and I’m sure it is difficult for someone so private to open up the way that she has in this book! It has made me view both she and her husband in different lights. I can only pray that when my daughter reads this book, she is affected by their faith. Even I, at 42, pray for faith like theirs. May God always bless their family.