I have followed Jessica online for many years and continue to be amazed at her openness and vulnerability as she navigated the changes in her life the past few years. Reading her newest book was not just her personal stories but inspiration to others to look at their situation and find the way to move forward and come out a stronger person then they are right now.

I know I will keep this on my shelf for years to come and pull it out as I navigate the various twists and turns life is sure to put on my path.

This book feels like a little memoir, but more about practical and real advice for moving your life forward in the face of disappointment. This is a great book to share with someone who might be going through a difficult season. I’ve been through difficult seasons in the past and come out on the other side. But I’ve also thought recently about how my life hasn’t gone as I assumed it would. I never had any solid plans for how I wanted my life to look, but at the same time I’m not disappointed with where I am.

This book gave some practical advice for people who are going through devastating life issues or trauma. It was engaging and encouraging to see how the author was able to move on. However, this book was listed as a Christian title so I was expecting the author to talk about God and how He is our ultimate Help and Healer when we are brokenhearted. The viewpoints of the author also didn't appear to line up with biblical values which made it feel more like a general self-help book than from a Biblical perspective. I was disappointed that it was different from what I was expecting.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley; all opinions are solely mine.

I think this will be a lovely book for people who find it at the right time in their lives. When I requested this I didn't realize that it was part memoir that focused largely on the authors divorce and upheaval. That isn't something that I can relate to, having never been married, and I appreciated the effort the author made to include other types of grief in the self-help aspects of the book but it unfortunately didn't really resonate with me.

Strong recommend for people who are going through a divorce and want to see their experience reflected back to them.

I think the author was trying too hard to walk the line of self-help and memoir, but the end result is a bunch of advice/steps that are common knowledge, a couple good tips, and a whole lot of words that repeat. There are a couple brief stories that are moving, but overall this is super surface level.

As someone who has also gone through a lot of life disappointment moments or just moments where I thought things would be different or better, this book was a balm. Something I wish I would’ve had in the past and so glad it is out there as a great resource for others. I’ve followed Jessica for years on social media and saw this all play out in realtime and I’ve been cheering her on ever since.

Nothing totally wrong about this book, but nothing new here either. I think I've read about fifty versions of this same book. Perhaps the author and publisher should consider that this is a well-trod topic that may very well be deplete of new material.

I was a little turned off when Jess opened the book with her husband's coming out story. It just felt so abrupt and I'm sure will turn a lot of people off from reading the book. I follow her, so I had a basic understanding going in and knew where the story was going. I thought this was incredibly well written. I loved the way it was organized and I loved that it was focused on moving forward and not staying in a rut.

I thought this book was going to really just be about the author's divorce and her life story, but I was wrong. This book offered so much more. We all are going through our own struggles- health, relationship, financial, and this book can be applied to all of these different struggles. I appreciated Jessica Turner's vulnerability in this book.

This is a wonderfully, vulnerable book that includes tons of practical advice about grief, forgiveness and so much more as the author has to deal with a marriage that dissolves as a result of her husband coming out. I can see this book being very useful for anyone who reads it, not just one who is having marriage struggles. I also enjoyed the literature and tv references. The author and I share many of the same favorites!
Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts

Thank you to Worthy Publish, the author, Jessica N. Turner, and Netgalley. I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
“I Thought It Would Be Better Than This” caught my attention simply because of its title. I have been feeling this way about my own life for about 3 years now. Battling chronic illness, multiple losses, family struggles, and more, life has just been so incredibly hard.
So, while the author, Jessica Turner, faces issues very different from me, there were some gems I could pull away and write in my journal to hold on to.
Some of those gems were:
The concept of “messy hope.”
This beautiful quote: “Telling the truth is your path toward freedom and new beginnings. The judgement we feared did happen, but it was not bigger than the freedom that we found in stepping out in truth.”
And this beautiful blessing/prayer she wrote for the hard days, “God, everything feels hard right now. Bless my heart, which feels fragile and tender. Bless my home, which is full of chaos and mess, but also love for my kids and myself. Bless my body, which feels weary and stressed. May I know that you are with me, even when I feel alone and sad. Will you show me a glimmer of your presence? I am tired of hoping. I am desperate for something new and better. Bless me where I am today and give me the energy to keep going. I know that better days are ahead, but today is not a better day. Today is a hard day. Be with me in it.”
And, finally the acknowledgement that “hope can be exhausting.”
While, yes, there were these beautiful words to pull from and ponder, the book itself, unfortunately, felt like any other book I had read on grief or disappointment. That was a shame, because Jessica has such a unique story. I know that we all truly do need the same things to heal, but maybe it didn’t need to be a “how to fix yourself book.” But rather, here’s what I noticed in the book. Because the parts where she was noticing the soul, the feelings---they were SO GOOD. I just wish the “to-do’s” were not like every other self-help book I have read.
But Jessica's words and heart are truly beautiful, and I’m grateful I had a chance to read the book and see a glimpse into her kind and recovering soul.
3.5 Stars (I will round up to 4 because I love the title, there were plenty of pull out quotes to mull over, and even if the concept was somewhat overdone, the book was still a good read.)

Jessica N. Turner's book, I Thought It Would Be Better Than This is so much more than the story of her divorce. We all have disappointments in life and she is vulnerable and transparent in her journey. This book is going to help so many as they walk through hard times and difficult circumstances. Her faith, family and friends are evident throughout and enable her to grow and flourish despite obstacles and uncertainty. Turner is an influencer and her ability to write and share openly and honestly are just indicative of her heart for her others.

A beautifully written book with lots of reflections from the author's own life. The steps and advice given are based on research, and they would likely help anyone going through a divorce, grief, or other struggle. The book was enjoyable and hopeful.

Jessica Turner’s new book is a beautiful, heartfelt memoir and self-help book combined. This book follows Jessica as she navigated her husband coming out and their subsequent divorce. As she shares her story and what worked for her healing journey she also shares ways that you, the reader, can apply those same principles and techniques to your own journey regardless of the struggles you are experiencing. As a longtime follower I knew that when Jessica shared her story that it would be beautiful, heartbreaking, insightful and inspiring. This book has helped me tremendously in my own journey with divorce and for that I will be forever grateful to her.

This book likely would have been better for me had it been written 14 years ago when I was muddling my way after my own divorce. After many years of healing and becoming a therapist, this book did not have much to offer me. When I first got divorced, I was the first among my friend group and felt alone. I had no one to talk to who understood what I was going through, firsthand. This is the audience I think this book is intended for. The writing was fine, though I wished the chapters were shorter. I also felt the book had many parallels to the book It Wasn't Supposed to Be This Way. Again- I think this book would be a good resource to those who are newly into a divorce or life disappointment, but I struggled to finish it because it was not very applicable to me.

This book was part memoir and part self help. If you are someone struggling with disappointment in life, or have ever felt sadness over something going a different way that you imagined it would, this book is for you. Reflective and mildly prescriptive, this book is beautifully written and will inspire you to see the life you are living in a new light.

What a unique book. Jessica weaves her own story with research, advice from experts, data from studies, and exercises you can do in your town time to process grief over thinking "I thought it would be better than this." I don't think there is anyone around who hasn't uttered that phrase, or knows someone close to them who has. She cites her sources and brings receipts, all of which can point you to further resources for exploring, grief, trauma, and recovery. I know I will spend time reading the work of the authors she mentions,, and I feel like I have more tools in my toolbox now after reading this book. I applaud Jessica's vulnerability, candor, and tenderness as she shares the most vulnerable parts of her life in hopes that she can help others survive and thrive after thinking "I thought it would be better than this."

I am no stranger to Jessica Turner's books and social media presence. I watched in real time, as did thousands of others as her whole life changed against her will in 2020. This book carries the pain, disappointment and beauty in that change with such grace and love that I teared up several times while reading. It's perfect for anyone going through a season of struggle. There's so much hope, light and love with the lessons Turner shares that the reader feels as though she's a friend, sitting down for a cup of coffee and a chat. I loved it. I hope you will, too. The title releases this week. Go check it out!

I Thought It Would Be Better Than This by Jessica Turner--This memoir/self-help book releases on 4/8. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. In her new book, Jessica Turner tells the story of her grief and disappointment after her husband of 16 years came out to her as gay. They eventually divorced but remain close and dedicated co-parents. Jessica shares in an honest and vulnerable way about her process of rebuilding her life and family post-divorce. She gives the reader tools and exercises to help them work through their own disappointments and challenges in life. Most of these ideas are not necessarily new but the context of her story may help readers see them in a new way. She does have a Christian worldview but the majority of the book is not religious in nature.

Review: I Thought It Would Be Better Than This by Jessica N. Turner

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book will stay with me for a long time. I had the incredible honor of reading early drafts as part of a focus group last year, and I’ve been thinking about the rest of the story ever since.

Jessica Turner has written a powerful blend of memoir and self-help that speaks directly to anyone who’s ever looked around at their life and whispered, “I thought it would be better than this.” With vulnerability, honesty, and grace, she shares her journey through heartbreak, disappointment, and rebuilding after the end of her 16-year marriage—while offering real tools for readers to process their own pain and start again.

This book isn’t just about divorce. It speaks to grief, identity loss, burnout, unmet expectations, and the quiet ache of feeling stuck in a life you never planned for. And yet, it never feels heavy or hopeless. It feels empowering. Uplifting. Honest in a way that feels like sitting with a wise friend who’s walked through the fire and wants to help you find your way forward.

I also listened to the audiobook—narrated by Jessica herself—and it was perfection. Her voice is filled with warmth and wisdom, and it adds a deeply personal touch to an already impactful read.

Whether you’re in the middle of a hard season or just searching for clarity and hope, this book offers both. It’s one I’ll be recommending over and over again.

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