Longer review on Goodreads, shorter review on Amazon.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A nice and easy read to indirectly experience someone’s journey, to feel empowered ever so slightly. The book is well written and I would recommend it

@Thanks NetGalley for giving me the access to read this wonderful story. It was such an emotional journey. I loved every line of this book. I give 4 stars to this wonderful book.

3.5 Stars

In so many ways this memoir exemplifies the strength of the human spirit to persevere in the face of emotional and physical pain. Like many spiritual seekers, the author was catapulted on to her path by unresolved traumas whereby a wound seeded in childhood increases in magnitude with age and affects all areas of life. Remarkably, this began for Arana at age 18. I admire the courage required to share this story and deeply appreciate the vulnerability expressed through these pages. It was heart-wrenching to experience with her the repeated abuse she attracted in her relationships.

The bright note – and it is the core message of the book – is that even in the midst of our darkest times, there is the possibility for not just surviving, but for thriving. As she demonstrates repeatedly, healing is not a linear process; rather it is an unending evolutionary spiral in recognizing our wholeness. Arana’s path took her over several continents and included a myriad of esoteric healing modalities from diverse cultures. At each critical point in her story she is met with Grace through people, places and resources despite her fear and sense of unworthiness. Her message of faith and trust in Life itself is reflected not only in her words, but also in her giving back to others through her healing practice.

I really wanted to like this book based on the promotional blurb. However, while I whole-heartedly endorse her healing journey, I was not drawn in by her style of writing. It is written in a first person, conversational tone that I found too colloquial. The pacing is a bit uneven, skipping about in time within several chapters. The bulk of the book covers a very intense four year period with many different people introduced by their first names; the sheer volume made it difficult to keep track of them all when they reappeared at later points in time. Lastly, I realize that a memoir is written in the voice of the author, but the number of sentences beginning or including “I” became a bit tedious.

My thanks to the author, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.