Thank you to NetGalley as well as Sara Evans for the opportunity to read and review "Born to Fly" in exchange for my honest feedback. "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans is a memoir that, unfortunately, misses the mark for some readers who may have been eager to dive into the life of this celebrated country music artist.

One of the primary issues with the book is its lack of depth. Instead of delving into the complexities of Evans' life and career, the memoir often skims the surface, leaving readers wanting more. Important moments and experiences are sometimes glossed over or treated superficially, robbing the narrative of emotional resonance and authenticity.

Additionally, Evans' writing style may not resonate with all readers. Some might find her prose to be uninspired or lacking in sophistication, detracting from the overall reading experience. The memoir may come across as bland or formulaic, failing to capture the unique voice and personality that fans have come to love in Evans' music.

Furthermore, "Born to Fly" may suffer from pacing issues and a lack of narrative cohesion. The book jumps from one anecdote to another without a clear sense of direction, making it difficult for readers to fully engage with Evans' story. As a result, the memoir may feel disjointed and disjointed, leaving readers feeling unsatisfied and disconnected.

Overall, while "Born to Fly" offers a glimpse into Sara Evans' life, it ultimately falls short of expectations for readers who were hoping for a more compelling and immersive memoir. Its lack of depth, uninspired writing, and pacing issues may leave some feeling disappointed and underwhelmed.

This was a wonderful look at country music superstar Sara Evans' life. I enjoyed reading about how she got her start.

4 1/2 STARS!

She spoke freely on the topics she loves ... siblings, kiddos and her life now, but glossed over the details of her first marriage a lot. A tad judgmental in all the things, but I loved that she’s keeping it real. I enjoyed it!

After finishing this book, I found myself confused. Usually when I finish a book, I know with finality that I either loved it or hated it. And with Born to Fly, it was more like I loved it, but was also disappointed. Sara Evans was a big part of my young adult years, and a favorite of my father's. So when this book came out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I thought that maybe it would give me a glimpse into Sara the artist, but also Sara the woman. Maybe I would get some details into her childhood or her career, an autobiography of sorts. And while there was definitely a little of that included in the book, the majority of it was...well, advice. Advice on parenting, relationships, life in general. And while those books are enjoyable and can be very helpful, Born to Fly didn't feel like the right time or place, so-to-speak, to include those things. I also found myself distracted by the less-than-stellar writing ability. Therefore, while I'm sure that Sara is a wonderful human (and the best of country artists!), this book just fell flat for me.

Born to Fly was a really good book to read. I enjoyed learning more about Sara Evans. I am giving it four and a half stars.

Because Born to Fly by Sara Evans is part memoir, part advice book, it is not the typical biography. The first half of the book is about her life, which fans of her music will be drawn to. The second half gets very preachy about raising children, raising stepchildren, and dealing with relationships, and just is not as interesting as her life story.

Country singer Sara Evans was a hot commodity some years ago, and it may be that only her loyalist of fans will want to read her story. At her peak, she was a multi-platinum country music singer and songwriter. She was named female vocalist of the year in 2006 by the Academy of Country Music. She and her family had been living in Birmingham, Alabama, but recently returned to Nashville, Tennessee.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting September 28, 2020.

I would like to thank Howard Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

A beautiful voice and spirit despite life’s challenges and setbacks. Sara Evans has blessed many with her beautiful voice. She truly was born to fly!

Born to Fly covers the life of Sara Evans. The book is filled with tidbits of her life growing up and the struggles of a career in country music. It’s an easy read that will have you taking a listen to her music.

I enjoyed this book I listened to her music years ago and so it was nice to read about certain parts of her life. Her childhood living on a farm and in a small town where good parts and overcoming being hit by a car was really something. Her speaking of music and how she got into the business part was also interesting as well as the whole radio if your song does not get played and then how she now has started her own label. Interesting about what she said about the music on the country radio about it being bro, I listened the other day and in between commercials there were nine straight male singers’ songs then another commercial, it just got me thinking about what she wrote about and how I never paid attention. Really a shame. Overall a good book.

First off, let me say I am a huge fan of Sara Evans and recall seeing her in concert while she was pregnant with one of her daughters, I'm pretty sure it was when she was opening for Brad Paisley.
The first half of the book was excellent, and I felt a deeper connection with her as I am an Illinois farmer's daughter myself and I married a farmer from a county over where I grew up. This book further strengthened my belief she is very sweet and very down to earth and the proof is provided in the pages of this book.
Honestly though, I could have done without the whole second half of this book. When I read a memoir, I am not interested in someone's input on how to live life and she gave a bunch of advice, and quite often repetitive.
It also stopped going in chronological order at one point, jumping from getting married to her second husband to having babies with her first husband, making it a whole jumbled up mess of her life.
Overall, it was enjoyable enough. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to give an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading about the life of Sara Evans. It’s always interesting to hear about the challenges that famous individuals overcome on their journey. We often forget that they go through hardships and trying times just like the rest of us. I was very interested in the first half of the book, as I learned about her childhood, her family dynamics and her ability to persevere through some very difficult times. However, throughout the book and mostly during the second half of the book, the author spent a lot of time giving advice especially in the area of relationships, raising families and how to treat other people. I wasn’t really interested in any of that even though some of it I agreed with. It just struck me as condescending and I don’t usually read memoirs to seek advice on topics. I’d like to learn from the lives of people and take away my own lessons. Good book overall, I was just not expecting the format in which it was delivered.

I was so excited when I received a copy of Born to Fly from NetGalley and Howard books.
As a fan, I really enjoyed getting to know more about Sara's childhood and the obstacles she dealt with. She was open and honest and made me like her even more after reading this book.

I've been a country music fan for 20+ years, and saw Sara Evans in concert, opening for Faith Hill, way back in 1998/9. Her voice is so distinctive, her songs touch a chord and I've enjoyed her music for years. I wanted to read this book (Thank you, NetGalley!) because I thought I knew her already, and hoped to learn more about her background and life. I was not disappointed in that regard. Born to Fly provides a great deal of insight into Sara's childhood, her early years in the music business and into her struggles both personally and professionally. I found this portion of the book interesting and appreciated the honesty with which she described both.
Somewhere about half way through, however, the narrative changed from Sara's story to Sarah's (very strong) opinions on many subjects - parenting, marriage, appearance,. We're all entitled to those, of course, but I really wanted to hear more about her life, how she got from point A to point B.
I do prefer autobiographies that feel like you're having a conversation with the author - those are few and far between in my experience, but Born to Fly does fill that bill. Overall, I enjoyed this book, the style in which it was written and the casual, down home feel to the story of Sara Evans.

Tammy, Librarian

I love a good memoir. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. This book is funny, raw and filled with so much faith with so many ups and downs but in the end hope and love triumph. Sara Evans is and will always be one of my favorite artists.

Loved, loved, loved this book. She is one of my favorite singers and to read about her was amazing. You will really get a feel for the person behind the voice.

Sarah Evans did an amazing job with this book Born to Fly. I loved everything about it I felt calm and serine while reading it. Totally a great read for anyone who needs to relax.

I was first drawn to this book as I grew up an avid fan of Sara's music and as someone who grew up singing, she was always on my top list of songs to sing. This book was better than I expected and man there are some really hilarious parts, as well as some great life lessons. It was a great read, I enjoyed the pictures and the stories she tells and the way she tells them feels like you are sitting down to coffee with her. I can't wait to recommend this book to friends!

I have been a fan of Sara Evans’ music for years and even attended one of her concerts. I appreciated the book as a whole but she got preachy at times and came off a little too judgmental\shallow for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with her more deeply like I thought I would after reading her book but I’m still glad I read it and her beautiful singing voice will always be something I connect to. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Howard Books for the advanced copy!

I have always liked Sara Evans' music. I agree her point that country music does not play women enough. I liked reading about her childhood. I had no clue about the accident when she was young and am thankful she recovered. I haven't rad any bio's so maybe the whole point is to brag on yourself. I got tired of hearing about what a great athlete she was. I didn't agree on many of her points on raising children, stepchildren or marriage. I would have liked more stories about her struggle to be a singer.

I absolutely loved this book! Sarah is so open about her past, and how she copes with things. I learned a lot about her and received great advice to apply to my own life. I would definitely suggest all moms to read it!