"The God Who Stays" is a lovely song. But a lackluster book.

Matthew West is an incredibly well-known Christian musician, and I went into this novel with high hopes to read about how God continues to show up in his life, even when he thinks he won't, But instead, I read a long advertisement for his ministry and podcast.

The beginning of the book was incredibly strong. Setting the scene of the pandemic completely upending everyone's lives was the perfect background to really exemplify how God worked during that time. But the book jumped around way too much - he went from a blue couch to swimming with sharks, to sky diving, it was hard for a reader keep track of the timeline, let alone how all these stories fit into the narrative.

The best way to describe this book is like a stereotypical Sunday morning sermon at a hyper-charismatic church. After worship music being blared at you (because this book contained a number of song lyrics), then comes the feel-good message about how God is great. But the message here is lost. There were too many stories - some for background, for humor, and some to exemplify how God stays active in all circumstances, but it was difficult to figure out where each story landed. All I can tell you is the Matthew West found Jesus while sitting on a blue couch and now he tours with said blue couch.

On top of reading a great deal about his own accolades, I also learned quite a bit about West's successful friends and again, still do not have any idea how their stories fit into this book - with the exemption of Bethany Hamilton. Her story, though, is pretty well known outside this book and there wasn't much added to it in this book.

I was disappointed and I would not recommend.

Great book, I just had the privilege of seeing Matthew West in concert in Toledo and got a full appreciation for how reading this book is akin to going to hear him speak (not his music, that's a whole other gift) at a concert. Authentic, faith filled, inspiring, an overall good read. With references to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also a snapshot of our shared history. Would read again. Considering giving as a gift as well.

This is such a positive and uplifting book from a man who feels completely relatable, honest and genuine. I liked hearing about his thoughts during the pandemic and beyond.

Not overly preachy, this feels like someone sharing his faith in order to enrich your spiritual journey and life in general.

A must-read!

The God Who Stays is honestly not a book that is either mind-blowing or overly profound. But it IS life-changing, if you let it be!

Anyone who listens to Matthew West's songs knows his lyrics are filled with the raw, real, hold-nothing-back kind of truth we all need to hear. This book is no exception! Matthew West fills the pages with so many lessons he's learned in life, so many stories and life applications, and - most importantly - so many examples of Who God is and how we can deepen our relationships with Him, the God Who stays.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love the books that Matthew has written. I think they are like thought provoking Bible studies.
The God who stays reminds us that God will never leave us. He is patiently waiting for us to listen for his prompts and direction.
Matthew was a great narrator for his book and it was helpful to know that he struggled with his feelings that he was far from God during this time of the pandemic.
I took too much time to read this I know, but I needed small breaks to let it sink in. The personal contacts and connections that were woven through the storyline was very helpful too. Hoping to see more books soon.
Only cons was the preview copy I have has a lot of typo errors. I’m just picky about those so was kinda annoying. Some of the content seemed to be a little repetitive after awhile.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-copy of this book. All views in this review are mine.

Author and musician Matthew West is very relatable and down to earth. It’s obvious he makes efforts to connect with people/fans in meaningful ways in spite of being well known. It’s in his relatability, honesty and carefree personality, that most will find something to appreciate in this book.

In The God Who Stays, Matthew reminds us of God’s faithfulness. In a retelling of the story of God walking with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the cool of the day, Matthew compares it to his neighborhood walks with his wife and daughters. We like to spend time with those we love. Many of us find friendship, connection and companionship while going on walks together. I do! God is like that, too. As Adam and Eve do, we often try to hide from God. God, always faithful, seeks us out. I’ve been reading Genesis this week and I am amazed how many times it says “God appeared to Abraham” or “God appeared to Jacob.” And “God told Abraham…” or “God told Jacob…” He is always pursuing us individually.

This book was written in 2020, so it touches on Covid, anxiety, illness and uncertainty that most of us experienced in that difficult year and the years since. One of my favorite quotes about this was, “Anxiety and fear are always going to make us reach for something. Unfortunately, too often in my life, I’ve opted for distraction instead of deliverance.” Just as Matthew admitted, distraction, a temporary fix, is exactly what I turn to when anxious, while what I long to experience is permanent deliverance. I think that deliverance can be found in personal or corporate prayer and worship, when we fix our eyes on Jesus, not our fears; our storms. Matthew reminds us, “God isn’t just in the boat. He parts the waters. He walks on the water too. He is bigger than the storm.” We’ve got to stop looking the storm in the face, fearful of its enormity and destruction and start looking our Father in the face to experience His love and compassion and the strength of His being; His enormity. As Romans 12:12 says, we can be joyful in hope or as Matthew puts it, “joyful before the breakthrough.”

Once we’ve established that we are loved and God is pursuing us, Matthew encourages Christ followers to do the same for our friends and neighbors. To love and pursue them. To stay in the midst of whatever it is they are experiencing. Life is better when experienced together.

This is a fast read. You will be encouraged by this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have always enjoyed the music of Matthew West so when I saw his book that shares a title with one of his well-known songs I had to pick it up. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I’m very happy to have read it and highly suggest it.


This book is a personal testimony behind the meaning of West’s song. It’s a unique look at the way God has shown His presence in West's life. It’s also about the fact that God is there despite our imperfections and shortcomings.


The reason why I love this book is because I think we all have at one point found a reason for God to not show up in our lives. I know I have not felt good enough. I have doubted that God was present in heartache. The truth is God stays despite our imperfections and He is present in our storms. This book is a wonderful reminder of those truths through personal stories.


West is talented at telling his story, making this book easy to keep reading. It’s also told in a way that’s easy to relate to. You may just find yourself reminiscing about the ways God has shown up in your life.


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

A great reminder that God is always with us, and a challenge to live our lives trusting him. I love Matthew West's humor! I definitely recommend this book as an encouragement to all of us after living through Covid!! An encouraging book.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Matthew West made the book very easy to understand and it's writen in a way that is intimate.
The book is written very well with easy applicable examples why God is the God who stays. God is the one who will never turn his back on you!

I picked this book because it was Matthew West, I knew he was a song writer and have enjoyed some of his songs. This book was enjoyable to learn about him , and his walk with Jesus, and the blue couch.
He share a lot of stories from people he has met on his journey, and he speaks a lot about his quarantine time.
My take aways will meet you where you are at, all you need to do is invite him in.

Thank you Net Galley for a advanced copy for my honest opinion.

Yikes. The title of this book drew me in and the summary convinced me to pick it up. I could use a sweet reminder and hear stories about the God who stays. Admittedly, I’m not a listener of mainstream Christian music so I have no special interest in Matthew West himself. I’m not sure if I even realized he was the author when I requested it. Either way, the summary sounded like this would be an encouraging book about God with some personal anecdotes. Love that.
Nope. This felt like a promotion for him and his albums to me. How many times do I have to hear a story that I don’t find very interesting and then hear that it inspires such and such song or was talked about on his podcast or something? This book should have just been one episode of his podcast, but instead it was drawn out into a multi-hundred page book. I felt like we kept repeating the same stories and they didn’t even make lasting lessons or thoughts for me.
I think I just came to this wanting more spiritual depth. That can be built through anecdotes, but this felt like flat story telling that was just used to fill pages and didn’t accomplish anything. Even the portions about scripture bugged me because the tone still felt Matthew focused somehow, and because I was annoyed with it all, his jokes fell flat too.

I saw some people rated this highly, and I’m glad it ministered to them. My guess is that they were already Matthew West fans and loved behind the scenes looks. I don’t like to blast books because I know this took a lot of effort, but this was just so painful for me that I had to skim to finish. I only kept going because I had an ARC.
1.5⭐️

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited for this book. I am a huge fan of Matthew West and enjoy spiritual reads.
Unfortunately, this book was more of a journal and felt like endless ramblings and repetition of the same points and stories along with a lot of name dropping.
I would not recommend this to a friend but I am sure that this book will reach some and hope that it can be life changing for some people.

An important message (Emmanuel, God with us, always) but the whole book is about the pandemic and a blue couch. It's incredibly repetitive. If you're interested in it, the podcast interviews about the book are much better.

In The God Who Stays, Matthew West writes about releasing his hit song of the same name shortly before the pandemic shut everything down. At home with his family, concerts cancelled, he came face to face with a suddenly very uncertain future (as did we all). In this book, Matthew shares what the Lord taught him during that time about the God who stays with us, in good times and bad. God does not social distance Himself from us, but He loves us and chooses to be with us, as imperfect as we are. He always has a plan, and no matter what we are going through we can know He is right by our side, He is completely in control, and He is going through all of it with us. He wants to give us a New Normal spiritually that is better than what we had before. And He can then use us to be there for others to demonstrate what the God Who Stays looks like in action.
This is the second book I have read by Matthew West (the other being his devotional Today is Day One). Drawing from his own life experiences and stories from others, everything he says is backed with scripture and is very relatable. I find his style is like sitting down over a cup of coffee listening to him pour his heart out about his life, what God has taught him, and what God can do for you too.
One controversial subject that was briefly mentioned several times in the book is the Enneagram. Matthew describes finding his Enneagram number as a type of personality test. He did not venture into extra-Biblical subject matter, but I mention it purely for full disclosure.
I recommend this book as an approachable, encouraging read that reminds us that God does not just exist, He is not just out there somewhere or nearby, but He is Immanuel, God with us – and He is with us to stay.
*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book for my honest review from Net Galley. Matthew grabs your attention from Chapter one. Relating to real life experiences of 2020 when we all thought what a great year this would be! Little did we know life would come to a screeching holt for so many people. Was this a wake up call for most people? It was for Matthew. Matthew shares his story during this hard time for all of us. He turns toward God more during this time and realizes he needs to trust in the God who stays close by when all the crazy happens. To remember to lean on and turn to Him always. Good read.

In a time of quarantine and physical distancing, this is a book everyone should read
I know that when we were in lock down and we had no where to go, not even church, I felt wholly alone
But the good news is that God never leaves

I love Matthew West. I love his music and this book was really good. There were things i didn't know but found interesting to know about them in the book. I am grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Matthew West’s songs are often inspired by tremendous stories of faith. His book is no different as he shares narratives that uplift and encourage. I especially appreciated his candor and honesty as he shared about his faith journey from his blue couch moment with God to the space where he felt distance from God. Amid some humorous and heartfelt stories, West reminds readers of Our God Who Stays. The lyrics from his popular song have far greater meaning and depth after reading this book.

3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a sweet collection of stories! I’ve never really listened to Matthew West’s music, but I really want to after listening to his book. I feel like we’re buddies now lol

None of this was really new or groundbreaking; it was a pretty typical Christian quasi-memoir. But it was definitely an enjoyable book to listen to! It was light and sweet and fun, just what I needed right now ☀️

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

A book that explains the promises of Jesus even when we have our doubts. Dive into to this great biblical based book and be blessed by Gods promises.