What happens when two small town kids turn into the biggest couple in country music? Lauren Akins takes you on a fascinating journey through her life: from dating Thomas Rhett as teens, moving onto other relationships, the highs and lows of friendships, and the love of family. Ultimately though this book is more than just Thomas Rhett and Lauren's struggles through the entertainment industry. It is a story about Lauren's journey to find herself and discover her heart's callings: her desire to share the love that surrounded and shaped her into the woman we see (reluctantly) gracing magazine covers today.

I received and early copy and I read this book in one day. I was already a fan of Lauren and Thomas Rhett and was in awe of their life together. Reading Lauren's (and TR's) perspective was eye-opening. Lauren is very open about their life, their struggles, and their faith. Reading about how strong their faith is was just simply refreshing and quite honestly, good for my soul. In our current state of oversharing, scandals, and a pandemic, reading how grounded they are, how they put God first was very refreshing and reminiscent. Lauren's description of God speaking to her, TR's willingness to quit music right there if that is what Lauren needed him to do - WOW. It's a great read and will definitely feel her words in your soul.

I have been a fan of Thomas Rhett and Lauren since very early in Thomas Rhett's career. Something about them individually and together has touched me. Their story is truly special and inspiring. That is the case with this book. It shares Lauren's story from growing outside of Nashville with her family and "crew" to raising a family of her own with Thomas Rhett. I loved each and every story Lauren shared but over all I loved her honesty on her life and marriage struggles. That is something that isnt talked about with most people in the spotlight.

thanks to netgalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me the chance to read the advance copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. all opinions are mine and mine alone.

I’ve long been a fan of Thomas Rhett Akins, and reading his wife, Lauren’s memoir, was a great inside look at his rise to fame and country music career. But more than that, it was a beautiful retelling of Lauren’s childhood just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and how she coped with putting her own dreams to be a nurse on hold as his star started to rise. It also tells the beautiful story of how her mission work lead her to Uganda, where they ultimately adopted their daughter Willa Gray. This memoir is real and raw, and Lauren holds very little back.

Would I recommend it? 100%—I tore through this one in less than 24 hours! It comes out in August, but you can preorder it now!

I’ve loved Thomas Rhett for years and followed his family on social media. Lauren always seemed like such a sweet woman, clearly because she is! I loved reading not only their story, but her story! It was so good!

So, I got to read this early from NetGalley and the publisher, which is just about the coolest thing ever. Who knew that as a librarian you could sign up for a place that allows you to read books EARLY and for FREE? I’m just a bit excited about it.

I had intended to read this anyway when it came out because I was sure we would be getting it at the library, but with everything being closed and the release getting pushed back I was bummed I was going to have to wait. NetGalley to the rescue!

To start, I became a Thomas Rhett fan after “It Goes Like This” came out, and the first album of his I bought was “Tangled Up,” which features “Die a Happy Man” which is what sent Lauren into the spotlight. I remember being in college and watching that video and the “Vacation” video and thinking about how awesome it was that his real wife and real life were included in his work. I was absolutely one of the people wishing for a relationship like theirs because they are #goals.

Like so many others, I of course followed Lauren on Instagram after that and thought she was a pretty cool person. My best friend, Alli, did too. Alli has a passion for mission work ESPECIALLY in Uganda, so when we found out Thomas Rhett and Lauren we’re adopting a baby from there, we were even more invested in the story of this little family.

That’s great and all, but it was all the “public facing” side of things. What I loved most about this book was getting to see the human side of how they grew up, all the twists and turns in their relationship, just life in general. Because it’s true, we think of them as this perfect family and nobody’s life is perfect. And I think here Lauren really explains what it’s like to understand you are blessed, to be grateful for what you have, but also just feel utterly confused and lost and empty and broken at times when you know, consciously, your life is GOOD. I needed that. I needed to be reminded that it’s ok that even if your life is GOOD, even if people want what you have or think you have it “easy” and you should just be happy and perfect all the time... life isn’t like that.

I also liked how much of their faith, and growing up in faith, was included in this book. I’m not from the south, so despite going to Catholic School, the people around here aren’t very religious and in fact a lot of the “religious” people I know either think they’re better than everyone else, or are secretly just trying to get out. I have values that are so far removed from a lot of people I know, and I’m so insecure about that. It was nice to know someone, somewhere else has those values too. I won’t lie though, I was kind of envious that Lauren, and a lot of people in her life, can hear Jesus speak to them and get clear signs from God. It’s totally wrong, but I was wondering “why can’t I have that?” While reading. It’s so selfish, so wrong, and I absolutely know why I can’t have that, but totally a story for another time.

This was a great read. I’m absolutely buying a physical copy when it’s released (the only downside to NetGalley is you have to read digitally and I’m just not an eReader girl. I love physical books.) and I’m also getting one for Alli, and hopefully she doesn’t end up with 2 because she already preordered and didn’t tell me. Highly recommend for memoir fans and country music fans.

I love Lauren and her stories about her children, it's a solid biography. I would have enjoyed it more with less religion, but I expected it. Great for fans of Girl, Wash Your Face.

I was so excited to receive this book, as a long time fan of country music and Thomas Rhett. Reading this book by his wife, Lauren Akins, felt like talking to an old friend. She talked about her victories and struggles growing up, shared her love story honestly, and never shied away from the hard parts. I appreciated that she was honest about her frustrations with her husband's career, her difficulty with the adoption process, and her path to finding her purpose.

I think everyone could relate to something in this book, but it will be particularly enjoyable for those that love country music and this couple in particular.

A sweet look at their lives their young courtship their marriage lives.A pleasure to get to know more About this couple who deal with celebrity all their gifts with grace.#netgalley#liveinloce

There are a few couples out there that get, no matter the moment, an unwavering show of support from the world and that we know are meant for the long-haul. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, George HW Bush and Barbara Bush, and now, the new generation of young women has Thomas Rhett and his childhood friend turned wife, Lauren Akins. As someone who loves Thomas Rhett’s music and a good book, I was so pleased to get my hands on an early copy of Lauren Akin’s new memoir, Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes. Want to learn what created this love story that everyone’s singing about? This book delivers, but it might not be what you expect.

This is Lauren’s memoir, not Thomas Rhett’s, and that’s important. This is the story of a wife, before she was a wife and a mother, and how she ended up where she is today--someone that inspires record-breaking love songs and admiration about the country. As someone who grew up in a single parent home, with a lot of love, but not exactly a lot of neighborhood friends, I was amazed at this book and how special Lauren’s childhood seemed. She truly met lifelong friends next door, had an amazing experience growing up, and feels, to me, to kind of embody that “All American” childhood we all dream of--running around with our friends,sleepovers, cookouts, football games, all that jazz. This section of the book is a little more boring than the rest of the book, but I believe it truly sets the stage for the Lauren Akins we know today, and that makes it worth the read.

If you’ve ever heard a Thomas Rhett song, you know that his love for Lauren is long-lasting. “ I've been waiting on her since the second grade,” he writes in his song Life Changes, and while that may be true, their love story is a little more complicated.Like so many of us, they didn’t know how good they had it together until they were apart, and I really enjoyed how open Lauen is about her love life in this book and the way she and Thomas Rhett ultimately came together. No spoilers here, but I thought it was a lot more realistic than his songs make it seem sometimes, and that to me was beautiful. These people are an epic love story, sure, but it wasn’t always so obvious they would end up where they are today.

Of course, this book is called Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes, and it delivers on the growing pains.As someone who doesn’t follow them extensively but enjoys his music, I was shocked to read some of the stuff Lauren wrote about her struggles as a young mother and wife being married to a rising star who, she admits, wasn’t always there for them even as he was working hard to provide for them. Whether you’re married already or not, this section of the book was so moving and such a great message about the work of marriage and love and how marriage counseling can be a saving grace and not just a bandaid. I truly believe this book will do wonders for the acceptance of counseling and struggles in a marriage, because no one denies that Lauren and Thomas Rhett have a deep love we can all admire--but life’s changes can put us in a tough space, and it’s okay to admit everything isn’t perfect all the time.

This book is about the picture perfect love story we all sing along to and the work that it takes to keep that story going. It’s uplifting, it’s eye opening, and it’s a pretty honest read. Of course, there’s also something really special buried in those pages: the story of their adoption of their first daughter, Willa Gray, from Uganda, and the magical moment that Lauren picked up the little girl off the floor and realized she never wanted to put her down. If you’ve ever considered international adoption, you’ll be fascinated by this aspect of the book but I think that more than anything, it contributes to the reader’s understanding of how faith and deep love have kept this love story alive for so many years and inspired so many of us to want to learn more and live our own love stories.

Whether you’re a country music fan or not, whether you’re married or not, you’re going to take a lot away from this book about the power of love, the power of faith, and the ways we all fight to keep the love we love alive.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy! I don't typically gravitate towards memoirs, but this was such a sweet book. It's full of gentle reminders that are perfect for wherever you are in life, like stay authentic to yourself & a little faith goes a long way. Plus, it was just interesting to get a glimpse of life behind celebrities! If you are looking for a light read, I highly recommend.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this memoir! I’ve loved this couple and watched their journey on social media for awhile so I was ecstatic to get my hands on Live in Love. This book is fantastic! I loved Lauren’s authenticity in telling her story and how she pulled back the veil to show the real and raw truth about their courtship and adoption process. This memoir is real and honest, allowing readers a glimpse into their lives and into her heart. From childhood to motherhood, Lauren tells her story in a human, authentic way. This was a fantastic memoir, and one that I think would be perfect for teenage girls to read as they navigate this modern world. It’s beautifully written and lovely from beginning to end. 5⭐️. Thank you @randomhouse for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big Thomas Rhett fan and follow them both on instagram, when I saw she was releasing a book, I was so happy to get an advanced copy, thanks #Netgalley!

Lauren starts out describing her childhood and how her and Thomas Rhett's lives intertwined over the years. It also illustrates that not every person or couple is perfect, everyone experiences hardships. But their relationship is in the spotlight and they have had to learn how to navigate the unique lifestyle all while building a family, with the help of their amazing prayer family. I appreciated Lauren sharing how she puts God and her faith first and that it will guide her in the right direction no matter what challenges arise.

I don't know if my review could give Live in Love the justice it deserves. I have followed Lauren and Thomas Rhett on social media and been a fan of his music since the beginning (a big fan of his dad too). How can you not love them? Through reading this book you realize how important their faith, family and friends are to them.

Live in Love is a beautiful love story but also filled with some heartbreak. Lauren did a great job of telling her story and kept the flow. It never veered or caused me to lose interest at any time while reading. I think even if you're not familiar with Lauren or Thomas and those beautiful girls, it's just a well written book anyone would enjoy. I found myself in tears in a few parts of the book...some happy tears and some of those were of sadness.

Lauren will be close to my area for a book tour and after reading this, it really makes me want to go and just tell her in person what a beautiful job she did.

It is a very refreshing and enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend and I can easily give it a 5 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and especially to Lauren Atkins for sharing your story.

Wow...I really loved reading this book. I'm a huge fan of Thomas Rhett and Lauren and I was so excited to read this. It's a great story on their love and life and it's very heartwarming. I'm not much for books like these but I'm so glad I read this one.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good! It had so many special connections and insights to live, life and God. The writing was really very good and I definitely would recommend this read to people. It would be a really amazing book club read I think too! Lots of things to share and talk about.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I am a fan of Lauren & Thomas Rhett, so I was excited to start this book. Lauren gives us a peak into the lives. Learning about their lives and how they make it work, was very interesting to me. Would recommend to anyone that wants a behind the scenes look into their life together.

5 STARS.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO! And y'all, I had high expectations. As soon as I heard about it on Lauren's IG I felt like I needed it and then low and behold it was on Netgalley and I was offered the chance to read and review it. I am a country music FAN but I didn't want to read this because Lauren is Thomas Rhett's wife, I actually thought it would have a little more about her work in Uganda and with Love+One, kind of along the lines of Kisses with Katie or something similar, which is what I was looking for, and it did go into her work a bit but it is so much more than that. Live in Love is a confession of absolute love and gratitude and light. It is beautiful and inspiring and I cried my way through it. It is also brutally honest and raw and just so real which, to be honest I did NOT expect because we all live a filtered life, not least of all those under the telephoto lens of fame. But Lauren did the unexpected and told it like it is. She laid out the good times and and the hurt times, and the inclusion of Thomas Rhett's perspective really added a lot to the book. It would have been easy to just include Lauren's thoughts and feelings on their life and relationship in writing, it is her book after all, but it is also THEIR life, and TR's genuine involvement just emphasized the point made in the book that they are doing life TOGETHER. I have so much more respect and admiration for the both of them for how honest they were about the importance of therapy and communication and how necessary it was for them to succeed together. The grass is greenest where you water it.


Review Posted on Prospect and Perspective
February 26th, 2020
link: https://prospectandperspective.blogspot.com/2020/02/live-in-love-growing-together-through.html

This book was really a sweet book. Lauren gave us the down home, doors are always open, look into her her childhood, It also gave us a glimpse into her life and their life together and how they make it work.

As a fan and follower of Lauren's I truly enjoyed this book.

I am a big fan of Lauren Akins and was happy to read the ARC of her memoir. Because I follow her on social media, it was easy to "hear" her voice as I read. I liked the intimate look into her life and can't wait for a physical copy so that I can fully enjoy the photos included in this book.