Alive Day: A Memoir follows the intertwined lives of Two Americans, Karie and Cleve. Cleve serves as an Enlisted Marine and deploys in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Injured in Afghanistan, we follow the aftermath of recovery for the two newly married Americans. What unravels is a story of pain, addiction, and ultimate loss told from the perspective of Karie.

Throughout the story, we learn of Cleve and Karie's upbringing; much the victim of an unstable living conditions. We come to understand that Karie's upbringing leads to her understanding of damaged love and marriage. Karie, facing homelessness, reconnects with Cleve after a break up, and the two run into a military marriage that offers stability.

This story is a look inside of a marriage that experiences hardship, tragic circumstances, addiction, and ultimate loss while navigating the military. We see the strength of a community that is found in military spouses, widowed spouses, etc that is very hard to replicate outside the conditions of the military.

We also see a first hand experience the valuable role of our Non Profit Organizations for our Wounded Service Members and their families in a time of need. The most valuable lesson I took from this memoir is the vital role a third party caregiver can play in a marriage as well as the essential value of legal preparedness (medical power of attorneys, last will and testaments etc.) for our military families. This memoir also allows us to retrospectively reflect on the failures of our military health system that can help us build a better future to recovery for our nation's service members and families.

While I disagree with many micro-decisions the main characters made, I appreciate the vulnerability of Karie to tell her story. I also disagree with the predatory nature depicted of the United States Military.

Thank you Net Galley and Dial Press for the opportunity to read this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really appreciated this raw account of dealing with many of the issues our veterans face when returning from war. The injuries, mental health, weight on a spouse.

This was the best memoir I have ever read. As a wife to an active dirty marine, I felt for Karie. I knew the VA and the military was garbage. Especially to veterans. But hearing her story, just really sheds the light on how messed up the system is. Veterans are set up for failure, not success. The system is broken and needs to be changed.

This book ruined me. It is such an honest and raw portrayal of the role of auxiliary family members of those in service. As a daughter of a soldier, whose family was torn apart by this post 9/11 occupation. It really unlocked some deep feelings for me.
It was absolutely beautifully written, and I think it illuminates the unpretty truths of what a war hero really is.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Dial Press for a copy. This book is out now!

This memoir recounts the author's life growing up in a poor, unstable family, before supposedly leaving that life behind to become a young, military wife.
Lured by the prospect of security and heroism that will surely come with joining the armed forces, the young couple get a sobering reality check when her husband is quickly wounded in action and permanently disabled.
What follows is a stark, violent reminder that war is hell, it's primarily fought by the disadvantaged, and the aftermath often lasts far longer than the battles themselves.
Thanks to #netgalley and #thedialpress for this #arc of #aliveday in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir was largely about the relationship between veterans and caregivers, PTSD, and the impact of war on families. It explores the sacrifices wives and soldiers make during military deployment and after.

Karie was homeless and living out of her car when Cleve suggested they get married before he deployed. While deployed he was wounded in combat by an IED and lost a leg. While he received a Purple Heart medal, he also gained an addiction to pain meds, largely because of the overprescribing by doctors and lack of support from the military. Karie had barely had time to be a wife before she had to become a caregiver.

It highlights the difficulty that veterans face receiving care upon their return, and how much the system relies on nonprofits to pick up the pieces.

The writing itself had room for growth and was very repetitive. I struggled a bit with the pacing too, but feel like it was also an intentional move with the theme of grief and recovery. I base this review on the writing, not on the story, because I find it hard to rate a memoir based on the author’s experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for allowing me to read and give my honest review for this ARC.

Alive Day by Karie Fugett is raw, powerful, and unforgettable. This memoir grabs you by the heart from page one and doesn’t let go. Fugett’s writing is fearless. She tells the truth without flinching, even when that truth is messy, painful, and inconvenient.

What begins as a love story between two lost young people quickly turns into a gut-wrenching account of caregiving, trauma, addiction, and survival. Karie’s journey (living in a car, becoming a wife and caregiver overnight, navigating the broken VA system, and battling the emotional toll of war injuries) feels both deeply personal and universally important.

Fugett brings dark humor and breathtaking honesty to the page. Her voice is fierce, vulnerable, and sharp. This book isn’t just about surviving, it’s about refusing to disappear, even when the world tells you you’re supposed to. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand what war really looks like beyond the battlefield.

Such an impactful and memorable debut book! I was so excited to be able to read this memoir and I felt the author did an incredible job of sharing her story with impressive openness. It was very eye opening how the military handles physical and mental health of their soldiers pre and post war. This was definitely an interesting and heartfelt story. I recommend this to all fans of memoirs especially illuminating ones such as this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

This was such a good memoir. One that I could easily relate to as I myself am a military spouse. I cried so much while reading this because I’ve experienced so many of the same things Karie did with Cleve. I also have so many friends who have served who have either taken their own life or suffer from severe PTSD. I think books like this are so important for people who don’t understand this life & all it entails. Karie told her story in such a raw, emotional, but honest way & I have so much respect & love for her. Extremely well done.

𝓘 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓻 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼. 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓘'𝓶 𝓼𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓸.

This is an eye-opening memoir. The author is the spouse of an injured military serviceman. She gives her background growing up, how she met her husband in school before dropping out, their eventual marriage and its turmoil. The content of the book is traumatic, but the author writes in such an engaging way that I didn’t want to put it down.

One of the most heartbreaking experiences described in the book is when her husband is undergoing medical treatment after being injured in Afghanistan. The system set up to take care of injured service men and women is dysfunctional and puts undue burden upon family to support the injured. Those injured military members are then made to be social with politicians and celebrities who want photo ops.

Regardless of political beliefs, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the true ramifications of the sacrifice military families make on behalf of America’s interests.

I don’t give out 5 stars easily but this book was a 5 star! I normally don’t read memoirs but this book was phenomenal.

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. I always wondered what it was like for the women who are dating or married to someone in the military and this book showed me just that. Karie’s story is one of both tragedy and strength. I felt like I was right there with her going through all the ups and downs in her life. She did an amazing job putting it all together in a book that can make others feel less alone when going through similar experiences. Definitely a great read!

Wow!! I went into this book blind, just having seen it as a Book of the Month pick, and I was blown away. I couldn't put it down. It was not a happily ever after story, so be prepared to read a real and raw memoir. I couldn't believe that this was Karie Fugett's debut novel as it was so hauntingly beautiful to read. I truly felt all of the emotions alongside Karie and Cleve, even when I knew what was coming. Karie's (and her husband's) story is one that needed to be told. It brought to the surface issues that many of us don't directly deal with and may be completely unaware of. It is eye opening and so sad to read about the realities those in the military and their spouses have to deal with all too often. At the very least, I hope this story inspires everyone to find their own "alive day"

Thank you to Netgalley, Karie Fugett and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alive Day is a raw, powerful memoir that captures the emotional toll of war on a young couple. Both a love story and a heartbreaking account of grief, it offers a rare, intimate perspective from a military widow. Honest, haunting, and unforgettable. This book is a must-read!

4 stars; Alive Day is an immensely emotional story, highlighting the hardships and truths our American hero’s and their caregivers go thru. Karie’s memoir is full of pain, is unapologetically raw, and a complete story of losing and finding yourself. At times, the story seemed to repeat itself and felt like a middle school girl’s journal, but I had to remind myself I was reading a memoir, a real story about someone else’s turmoil. This story made me feel every emotion; I felt the highs and the lows like I was right along side Karie and Cleve, I felt myself tearing up at times, other times I was rooting for them as a couple, then the next chapter I was questioning why she was doing what she was doing. This memoir depicted Karie’s resilience and strength. This book will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author for the opportunity to read this book early.

This is the story of love, sacrifice, and survival of the soldier but also the spouse and caregiver that must find her own “alive day.” It’s a heartbreaking story of what our soldiers go through, but also their spouses.

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I am really glad I read Karie Fugett’s memoir, Alive Day. Something I love about reading memoirs is the opportunity to learn from people with life experiences that are very different from my own. Learning about Fugett’s experience as a young military wife was so different from my own life at 20.

“I was starting to wonder if this had been part of our country’s plan all along: let poor people struggle to survive so that when the time comes, they can be lured into the military by the promise of food and healthcare and shelter in exchange for using their bodies to protect the rich and powerful.”

Thank you to the publisher for the free book to review.

Alive Day by Karie Fugett (book cover is in image) is a memoir about the challenges of being a military wife. Describing the sacrifices wives and soldiers make and the challenges they face during and after military deployments, this memoir tells an all too familiar and timely story given the current political environment, and how current changes will further impact the ability for these families to live full and happy lives.

The writing itself felt disjointed and there was some significant repetition, but overall a good read and I do recommend it for those who want to learn about the challenges that military members and their families go through.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: May 06 2025

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memoirs have my heart. and this one about a military wife made me emotional while opening my eyes/. We have family friends were are in the DOD and so much of this rings true to what we have heard over conversations over the years.

I think whenever someone shows vulnerability and opens up to a world that others don't know about, it's incredible.
I marvel at Karie's strength. Honestly, resilience is what I would use instead of strength.

Highly recommend this emotionally charged, beautifully written memoir. These are the ones that open up your empathy and help you readjust your own challenges