You may pick up this book for one reason (and yes, she goes there) but you won’t put it down for other reasons. The pain, the wrestling with truth, the celebration of friendship, the mourning of so many things, the hope, the wisdom and joy, it’s all in here. And if are human it will resonate.

I do not say this lightly. This book was heartbreakingly emotional and achingly beautiful. It was brutal and hopeful. It was a ride. It felt like 6 months of therapy in just a few nights of reading. And having made it through the end I feel I am in fact all the better for it. This may not be the salacious tell-all some may expect it to be, but, Jen has told her story so wonderfully there were times that when it was its saddest and hardest, I wasn’t sure I could keep going. I am so glad I did.

The themes of growth and healing are evident, but to see the negative impacts of the patriarchy on boys and men tackled was refreshing and thought-provoking.

This book made me cry. It made me angry. It made me depressed.
But this book also made me laugh. And best of all, it made me hopeful.

I have looked forward to this book since I learned it was in the works and it did not disappoint! I didn’t follow Jen Hatmaker until 2022 when I heard her on a podcast, but reading Awake I gained insight into her prior transition of being “cancelled” by her religious community and going through a public divorce from her husband of 26 years. Once I started I could not put this book down. I appreciate that she writes about her divorce, but focuses on her role in her marriage and responsibility for recovering. I can also relate to her views on the damage that some religious cultures can inflict on their members and how hard it can be to break away from that without losing all of your faith. Her writing is vulnerable and relatable. She writes about pain but also manages to find humor and, ultimately, joy. This was a quick read for me and I liked the format of short slices of life. It was like having a conversation with your best gal pal that you wish never had to end. This book is perfect for anyone who has experienced a divorce or faith transition. Grateful to Jen Hatmaker, Avid Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Holy smokes, was I looking forward to this book. I was late to the Jen Hatmaker party, but although we come from different parts of the country and different faith traditions, she really speaks to me. As usual with her books, I enjoyed her style of writing and her insights. However, I would have liked more personal anecdotes, although I understand why she didn’t include them. For most fans, they already know her history – however, I don’t really know things like how she and her husband started their church, what happened when she let her more progressive social thoughts be known, or what ultimately happened with her husband and his new life. But she does a wonderful job of telling her story while also taking the high road, which is commendable. Thank-you to Ms. Hatmaker, Avid Reader Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this title

This amazing memoir is raw and heartbreaking at times, but it is also laugh-out-loud funny. While it is told through the lens of the author's divorce, it is (thankfully) not a tell-all and the story is much larger than just her divorce. The end of the book's official blurb explains it well: "More than one woman’s story, Awake is a critical analysis of the story given to all of us: the story of gender limitations, religious subservience, body shame, self-erasure. With refreshing candor, Jen explores a Midlife Renaissance—grieving what’s lost, cherishing possibility, and entering the second half of life wide awake."

✨Book Review✨

📚 I love Jen Hatmaker. While I was reading this book no one else existed or was allowed to need me. I binged this book in less than a day and have 0 regrets about how late I stayed up. Jen has told her story in an excruciating and arresting way, capturing the reader's attention. She was able to share her story while somehow also taking the high road, remaining sophisticated, and still weaving in her quick-witted humor. Reading Awake: A Memoir made me cry and nod along in agreement, it made me cherish things I’d accidentally overlooked, and it read like a love letter to life. Jen is still Jen, maybe more so than ever before, and it’s a beautiful thing to experience throughout these pages.

🌟 If you like Jen Hatmaker and her work then pre-order this book immediately. If you’ve been divorced or experienced trauma, pre-order this book now. I am awaiting my own physical copy, set to be delivered once this book is officially published in September.

Extreme gratitude to @NetGalley and @avidreaderpress for the advanced copy of Awake: A Memoir. Kudos to @JenHatmaker for getting herself back to shore and sharing her journey with the rest of us.

More about: Awake: A Memoir - Jen Hatmaker

📖 July 11th, 2020 at 2:30am Jen woke up to whispers of her husband, on the phone with another woman. Life as she knew it ended in that moment and the hours that followed. This is the story of the end, a messy middle, and a new beginning.

#BookReview #JenHatmaker #AwakeAMemoir #MustRead

Stars: 5

This was the memoir I didn't know I needed. Jen Hatmaker's story was incredibly sad, but how she took care of herself and her kids, and the healing that has taken place over the past five years, was inspirational. Will be recommending this far and wide.

Jean Hatmaker has written a raw intimate memoir of the sudden end of her twenty Six year marriage.We follow her on her path to healing from the pain.Surrounded by family and friends she takes step after inspiring step to rebuild her life.Full of so many emotions including laughter hope and joy.#NetGalley #avidpress