This book is honestly a must read for people of all walks of life. It’s impossible not to see all the ways God has worked in their lives. It’s an inspiring story of a true coming to Christ moment and the healing of the heart that only can be from God. Disclaimer - there are truly downright pure sad moments in this book. I have never sobbed through a book like I have this one. Mostly because the way it was written , it builds up and you can literally feel their pain as it’s happening. I learned a lot reading this. I’d recommend to everyone.

This book was amazing. How raw and open Granger was. He demonstrated that he was completely human and not untouchable. I was most touched by the fact that he couldn't control everything and that he had to reach out to God and surrender. To be able to put this all in a book so that it can make a differences in multitudes of people and bring them to Jesus is amazing. I have been a fan of his Youtube channel and knew the majority of the story, but the come to Jesus portion was obviously shocking even that he had to tell his wife before she read the book shows how hard the enemy attempts to take you out because he knows the impact that Granger is going to make in the future for the Kingdom of God.

Granger Smith recalls the deepest pain a man can experience and writes so that you can see it all unfold. He's candid about it all, leaving you to ache right along with him and his wife, Amber. I've experienced the loss of an aunt, father, and brother-in-law all in the past 12 months and I didn't feel as much as I felt reading Granger's words. He brought me to the river, to drown right along with him.

I found myself crying only four pages in and nodding in agreement the remainder of the way. I laughed a little and spent quite a bit of time pondering my own methods of survival as Mr. Smith detailed his failure to succeed at getting over his pain time and time again. It was as if I were sitting beside him in a boat on a powerful river, currents forcing, shoreline boding, logs and sand bars waiting to do us in. Every page was a glimpse of failure, and at the same time, each page had me thinking that something was going to give.

Granger Smith gave me a glimmer of hope and pointed the way to The One who knows how to work it all out, The One who does work it all out. Through the book, I saw glimpses of my own humanity, my own desire to control, to "fix" the outcomes. I also saw a beautiful way to live inside the imperfections and pain. A way to navigate my own river, and I am so grateful.

Like A River is a testimony of renewal and redemption that can only have been written by the Master Storyteller. Glad He chose to send it through Granger Smith, the tattered heart that lived to tell the story.

Well done, Granger Smith! 5 Stars!

Powerful. Eye Opening. Emotional
This book was the best book I have read in the longest time. Hands down. Granger wrote this book with passion, you could feel the emotion behind every word you were reading. I finished the book within the first 24 hours. I was apart of the launch group and had early access. Learning the struggles Granger went through emotionally, mentally and spiritually, really opened my eyes. I have to say this book really changed my perspective on so much in life. I’ll be reading again soon.

I was chosen to be a part of the Like a River Book Launch Team and was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy. From the very first chapter, I was fully invested. This is a beauty from ashes, story through, and through. I cried, I laughed and I cried some more. The way Granger writes is captivating. You can picture every detail as if you are right there in the moment with him. The chapters are filled with little nuggets of truth and wisdom. If you've ever lost someone you love, you need to read this book. If you haven't lost someone you love, you need to read this book because someday you will. I can not speak highly enough about how deeply this touched my soul. I am certain that I will read this again and again.

You might not have gone through the pain of losing a child, but you have suffered, if not you will because we are human, Suffering is a part of life. This Life is meant to be hard. Often times in our suffering we go through it alone, and Like River Shoes how we can suffer with God and need to surrender it to God. A better way to help a suffering family is to gift them this book a week after the funeral instead of flowers that will die in a few days.

This is MUST read!!! We will all face loss and Granger graciously and openly shares how he learned to let God take the wheel and steer him through his.

Through his grief, he finds his faith.
Out of the darkness, he reaches the Light.
Surrendering it all to the Savior, the true source of life.

Granger Smith’s debut book Like a River, a story of survival from the depths of tragedy, shows readers that there is no failure, no amount of pain or guilt, and no grief too strong for God to pull us through. When his youngest son, River, drowns in the backyard pool just a few feet away from him, Granger’s world is shattered. In the days, weeks, and months that follow, he struggles to survive a day, an hour, a minute without the undying guilt overtaking his every thought. Every time he closed his eyes the horrific moments replayed in his mind on repeat. Everywhere he went people tried to offer unwanted sympathy, and online many offered hateful criticism completely blaming him for the accident. It was the cruel critics he believed, which only caused him to sink deeper into his grief. Needing to find some resemblance of his former self and provide an income to his band members, he went back on the road performing his country music, but his heart was no longer in it. He fakes his way through each set, smiling at the fans while dying inside. By God’s grace, this is not where his story ends. Through this book, Granger chooses to pull off his mask and expose the “ugly” truth of his torment in the hope of helping others get through their own turmoil and to discover hope, peace, and joy that comes from truly trusting our Savior. Granger reinforces throughout the book that one cannot make it through the storms of life alone and the only self-help one can give oneself is to totally surrender it all to Him who gives us strength to endure anything.

Like a River is a beautiful book. I really do not have the words to accurately describe my feelings as there are just too many. Granger did an AMAZING job at telling his story. The loss of his son River, grieving, growing in his faith, the birth of a new baby. This was a story that must have been so incredibly hard to relive and tell, yet in the same breath so uplifting, beautiful, and inspiring. This book has evidence of Gods work written all over it.

Those who have known Granger, and who have followed his journey through the years, there will be many instances when you're reading this book and you may look back in shock. There were so many times in the past when I thought Granger was doing okay, but this book reveals that during those moments he was actually far from it.

This book is perfect for those who may be struggling with their own grief, or faith. Honestly, this book is perfect for everybody. We are NOT guaranteed tomorrow, and we ARE guaranteed pain and suffering. To be able to hear from others, and to know that there is meaning and purpose within the pain, is something we all need.

I could not put this book down - read it in three and a half hours. It is heartbreaking, and gut wrenching. Granger and his family suffer an unimaginable loss. While Granger is overridden with guilt and shame, he, and his family, are ultimately able to once again experience joy. The book tells the story of how they get to that point. You will be inspired and encouraged after reading this book. Thank you, Granger, for sharing your story and reliving moments that no parent ever wants to experience.

There are so many emotions within this book. Granger discusses his loss of his son River & the journey he went through with grief, and ways he was able to overcome his darkest days. I cried, laughed and cried some more.
I am so thankful to be able to be apart of Granger’s launch team. I just lost my Grandfather right before starting the book & reading Like A River helps understand & see the bigger picture in a sense.
Granger is an inspiration to further follow God & all that he preaches. I am looking forward to purchasing the audiobook.

Since losing my oldest son in 2017, I have read over two dozen books on grief/loss/healing/faith/spirituality/resilience etc. I've become somewhat of a grief and loss "expert" myself. As I set out to read "Like A River," by Granger Smith, I was prepared for more of the same. What I wasn't prepared for was the raw vulnerability of the author's writing. His story was my story. He shared his darkest deepest secrets, which were also my darkest deepest secrets. But more importantly, he shared how he emerged from the pit of despair and found hope and happiness. With that, I now feel as if the same is possible for me. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is struggling with the loss of a loved one, or anyone who just feels unwanted, unloved, or unheard. One of the absolute best books I've ever read!

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫

“𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝.“

Like A River is such a well written debut. Granger has a beautiful way with words, and the story + all thoughts were presented beautifully. Such an emotionally impactful journey to read about — I can’t tell you how many times my chest ached while reading. But the hope that came out on the other side was so powerful and real.

Thankful that the most vulnerable, raw moments were shared. Revealing the darkest night of Granger’s life made the Rebirth story that much more empowering. All I could think is how amazing Jesus is.

“𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞?“

I resonated so much with the rebirth story. My rebirth didn’t stem from such a painful experience of loss, but being saved by Jesus felt so much like it did for Granger. The draw. That starvation for Daily Bread. The old ways of life that were quickly shed off, and the immediate changes that were made after the one instant of being saved by Jesus. My experience was so similar and I, like Granger, just wanted everyone to hear about it. About how God redeemed me.

This book made me feel so much. So deeply. Thankful to the Smith’s ministry and how God has used this family for His glory. Thank you @grangersmith and team for accepting me to be apart of your book launch team! And thank you for the early copy of Like A River.

Highly highly recommend!

I just finished reading this truly heartbreak story this morning. First of all make sure to keep plenty of tissues close by as you will for sure need them. For anyone coping with loss of any kind this book is a must read as Granger explains in detail how to help cope with the loss. I was aware of this story prior to reading about it but I definitely wanted to know how he came to the decision on giving up his music career. I definitely rate this book a 5/5 stars and believe it can help so many others. Good luck to Granger and the Smiths.

When I finishenreasing the book Like A River by Granger Smith, it left me feeling all the feels. I Laughed, I Cried, and I was shocked but mostly I was in awe of the things rhis family has been through. The life after losing River and the healing proccess. The book makes me want to know his future, I thought I knew.a lot about this story and in all reality I did not. A must read inspirational book!! This book was well written. I hope to read more by thus author

This book was so real and heart wrenching. If you are familiar with Granger you can hear him while reading the book. I don’t really like reading but I couldn’t put the book down until I finished. This book has helped me so much on my grief journey after the passing of my best friend my grandpa. Thank you Granger!

The book was so incredible. If you know Granger Smith at all, you could hear his voice telling this heartbreaking story. It jumps right into the story in the first chapter and it makes you wonder where the book is headed for the rest of the book. It takes you through so many emotions with each chapter. It a beautiful story about salvation. It captivates you from the beginning and you cannot put the book down. Granger is a beautiful writer and it is put together so well. I can't say enough about this book. This book is helpful to anyone who has had to deal with any type of loss in their life. I highly recommend this book!!!!!!

Like A River by Granger Smith is a heartfelt look at a father’s journey through grief after the loss of his three-year-old son. Granger Smith, a well-known country music star, and his wife, Amber are the parents of three children before tragedy strikes. This book tells of Granger’s walk with God before, during, and after this event; the highs and the lows are both realistically shared. An honest look at what it is like to move away from God after a tragedy, then find your way back to Him is shared in this book. Granger is nothing if not real, open, and truthful about his journey.
This book is the perfect read for anyone going through any kind of tragedy or loss in their life, from loss of a job to loss of a family member. I received an advance copy of this book to read and post reviews about, and I highly recommend it.

Whether you know Granger’s story or not, this is a must read. It is beautifully written. In “Like A River,” he shares some of his most vulnerable moments while grieving his loss, and how turning to our true Source helps you grieve with hope. I have hope that this story will help others who are suffering and struggling to live each day after a significant loss, and know that there is purpose for pain. Read how Jesus saved Granger’s life, and know that He can save yours too.

Granger’s story reminds us that having Faith and trusting in God will help us through our tragedies. It has lead me to open my eyes and heart to the Lord in a way I have never before. I believe that Granger’s story in “Like A River” will do that for many others.

Pg. 119 - “All this “light and momentary affliction” was preparing me for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

Like A River is such an incredible story of not just loss and heartbreak, but hope. The Smith’s story gives reassurance that good things can come from the bad. “Nothing lasts forever, but that’s exactly what makes life so beautiful, so meaningful” (Granger Smith). Granger was so open and honest in his writing that you felt like he was talking directly to you. Make sure you have your tissues close by because you will need them!!

This is such a timely and well written book. A biography about a great man of God combined with practical information, with real life examples, about how to work through suffering. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who have dealt with loss at any time in their life. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone AND reread it again several times myself! Do yourself a favor and pick this book up and read it!