
Member Reviews

I’ve loved Jen Hatmaker for years and was so excited about this memoir! It did not disappoint. Jen’s great storytelling describes the worst & best times of her recent divorce from her pastor ex. Also newly divorced, this book hit so close to home. Her stories on self love, healing, therapy sessions, friendships, family are magical. Great read! I already can’t wait for her next memoir!

Great memoir! Short chapters and an easy read. Really heavy on her experience with the church.
It did jump around a bit. I was expecting more around her husband cheating. I loved the last third of the book on new beginnings!
Thanks netgalley and avid reader press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received this ARC in the morning, and I finished it before I went to bed that night. I can say, without hyperbole, that it is “unputdownable”.
I haven’t read all of Jen Hatmaker’s books — but I’m gonna call it now that this is, far and away, her best. I know a lot of people (myself included) wondered what, exactly, went down at the end of her marriage five years ago — and I suspect a lot of people will want to pick up this book to parse those details. There’s certainly some of that here, but this book goes so much deeper than that.
In Awake, Jen is not blaming her ex for what went wrong (though she admits to wanting to, and that the “narrative” would allow her that); she’s deeply exploring her own role in the breakdown of their relationship — as well as the bigger, more systemic, societal roles that patriarchy and religion have played in setting both of them up to fail from the beginning.
Despite this not being a self-help book — besides it being very much Jen’s story — I was helped by it. The experience of reading this is exactly what I love about memoir; how the specifics of one person’s story can feel so universal, and can unlock something in my own experience that needs examining, that can be healed by hearing about someone else and realizing, “Oh, you too?”
And aside from all that, Jen is a beautiful, hilarious writer. She was incredibly vulnerable in this book — moreso than I’ve ever seen her before. And I loved the way it all was structured (I won’t give that away, but suffice it to say, it flowed beautifully!).
I can’t wait to read it again when it’s released this Fall. 💛

Thanks to Netgally for this Advance Reader Copy of “Awake” by Jen Hatmaker.
Jen is an excellent storyteller! She does more than draw you in, she enchants you.
Did I devour this memoir? Yes. Would I recommend her exact life choices and current outlook on life? No, but they are valid and intriguing!
I’ve been reading with regularity for eight years. I honestly don’t know how to rate books anymore.
Read it if you want a page turner about real life heartbreak and self-healing.

Waking up at 2:30am to her husband texting his mistress, Jen Hatmaker's life literally changed overnight. The bestselling author uses her trademark charm, humor, and transparency to detail how her life fell apart. Not only that, she goes back into time to where it all began: two young people steeped in purity culture, encouraged to marry way too young. While holding her husband accountable for his betrayal (physically, financially, and emotionally), she also can look back and see what her responsibility was in the breakdown of her marriage as well which I think was incredibly mature and humble of her. I also appreciate how she pointed out that her husband's new wife was not the one the mistress, and how protective she was of her. While her family was changed forever, she and her children are stronger than ever and have gone on to develop a strong, unbreakable family unit.
I also really enjoyed the portions of the book in which Hatmaker points out the dangerous church teachings that she has held too far too long, as I can relate to her. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to Hatmaker's ongoing happiness. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from Mindy - Awake from @jenhatmaker was everything I hoped it would be and more. Her unflinching honesty and ability to describe the liminal spaces we find ourselves in is simply unmatched. Ordering copies for my loved ones who have faced similar life situations! Thank you, Jen. ❤️ #netgalley #bookstagram @avidreaderpress @simonandschuster

I have read many books by Jen Hatmaker and have really enjoyed them all; but this one is my absolute favorite. She tells more of her story than what has been previously shared by her but does it in a way that doesn’t disrespect or disparage anyone else. It was fascinating to read her take on past events, such as the chapters that took place during COVID or around the time of the 2016 election (I only wish we could get her current take on the political state of affairs today because it feels worse than it did then!) This book gives us a glimpse into Jen’s life pre and post divorce as well as some general, yet raw, details of the time when she knew a divorce was necessary. It was fun to read about what led her to Me Camp as well as the beginning of her new love story! I appreciated Jen’s honesty about where she is with organized religion in her life and while some things have changed for her in that regard, it was comforting to know she has held on to her faith and her relationship with God. And after reading this book, I understand why this is her current approach! This book was great, highly recommend!!

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know who Jen Hatmaker was before reading her memoir. I live in Texas for heaven’s sake! I watch HGTV! I’ve read Beth Moore books!
At least I know her now, and I am happy to make her acquaintance. “Awake” is Hatmaker’s story of finding herself after her marriage unexpectedly ends after 26 years. Interspersed with the aftermath of divorce are stories of growing up in the church (Southern Baptist, of course), embracing her creativity, and becoming a well-known and widely respected evangelical leader. All that changed when many of her followers, themselves evangelical, learned about her acceptance of LGBTQ individuals and then her divorce, making her a pariah in their eyes.
Hatmaker doesn’t address this in great detail in her book, focusing instead on her own thoughts, feelings, and actions during her first year after her divorce. I found her words comforting, her openness to new ideas admirable, and her outlook refreshing. I was only one-third of the way through the book when I texted my recently-divorced daughter that she needs to read it, and two-thirds of the way through when I texted another friend to try to find a copy when it’s published. I think a lot of women, especially those who are divorced, who grew up in male-dominated churches, and who struggle with reconciling the church’s expectations in their own lives, will recognize themselves in Hatmaker’s stories and realize that, no matter what the “holier than thou” crowd might say, they are doing just fine.

I really enjoyed reading Awake by Jen Hatmaker. I knew the author had written books related to her faith in the past, but I never read those because I was already headed out the church doors by the time her books became popular. When I read the blurb about the book at NetGalley, I felt this was different from those earlier books, that it had a story to tell that I'd be glad I read.
I found myself drawn in to Jen's writing, her storytelling, her life and all she has been through. It was all very moving, I recognized a lot of the things she went through, not only because decades back I was divorced after a very brief, but exceedingly painful marriage, but also because almost 8 years ago, I became a widow from my subsequent second marriage. It was not a good marriage, and some years in I realized things were not as I'd hoped, but stayed in the marriage until he died, almost 38 years, the point of my saying all that is that I related to a lot of what Jen writes about in regards to her feelings, the pain she worked her way through and the beautiful lessons she learned as well as the wisdom she tells it all with.
I just closed the book prior to writing this. Often I'll let a recent read sit a day or two before writing anything, but not this time. I wanted to write while it was fresh. It's a beautiful book, written with love & wisdom, and while I don't identify with Christianity any longer, it's a book any woman can read and be empowered by it, find wisdom in Jen's journey to healing herself. Highly recommended.
I received an e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and this is my opinion of this title based on my reading of it.

This Book!! Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect, Yes, I had heard of Jen Hatmaker, but I don't follow her. Somehow, (the Lord?) prompted me to get this book. And I am so glad I did! I couldn't put it down, it touched so many places in me. I loved the very short chapters so I could stop easily and chew on what I just read. So so many highlights! This book makes me want to come awake in my own marriage and life like never before. We have been married for 42 years and there are many areas where we have become complacent. Thank you for writing an honest, raw book that will keep me searching and growing towards my own Awake.

Absolutely loved this book! Jen Hatmaker’s story of how her life was flipped upside down and how she came out of it completely herself is inspiring. I laughed and cried. Jen is someone you want to be friends with.

Living in the public eye is not an easy task for anyone. Jen's experience as a church leader and author have thrust her into the limelight with both positive and negative experiences. Awake focuses not only on of traumatic experience, but delves into the lead up and the aftermath of a divorce she never saw coming. The stories you read in Awake are not linear, but crafted in the artful and chaotic narrative that comes after the world falling out from under your feet. You will laugh, and you will cry along with Jen as she takes you on a journey where she shows that even the most put together people can have their lives unravel in a instance. It is a memoir that places you in the sidecar as speed bumps keep popping up along the highway.

I always rate personal stories highly, because it takes guts to share your perspective with everyone. This one got real, real fast. Every chapter sharing a snapshot of her life- what made her who she is. And while I don’t agree with her on everything, isn’t that the beauty of it?
We are all different because we have had different experiences that shape us into who we are. Jen Hatmaker shares with us many of her own. In my notes I wrote “this one’s for the girls.” It is. In the best way- although I’d recommend it to everyone.
This is the first book I’ve read of hers and I did it in a single sitting. Top notch writing delivered by a pro.

Awake is a beautifully written memoir. No story is contrived, just real. It begins with the shocking revelation that “the call came from inside the house”, and after that, her life was never the same. She was forced into a club where she never even imagined being a member. Written with the vivid recall of the initial trauma of a disrupted marriage, this book also brings in the author’s resilience and her renewed belief in herself. Her ability to incorporate laughter and self-insight is inspiring. She questions life-long beliefs - reliance on the patriarchy, her religion, her career, politics, her attitudes toward others, etc. Her reflections about her codependency and attachment style are revelatory. It is admirable and rare to recognize one’s own contributions to a catastrophic event. Marriage was a lifetime commitment. She was raised by parents who together modeled a way forward from pain. She has in-laws and friends with strong marriages too. When her old beliefs are challenged, she needs support from all who love her. Her friends show up and help keep up her strong. The support given to her through therapy emboldens her, giving her a framework to her accept her stark new reality. Her five children keep her learning and grounded, reminding her that unshakable love still exists. She learns to accept vulnerability, to ask for help when she needs it, and, most importantly, she learns to trust herself, in some ways for the first time in her life. Despite enormous pain, she finds authenticity. Belief in herself makes her life better, easier, and more truthful. She’s now prepared for what comes next. I highly recommend this memoir.

I finished this book in one day and I am still reeling. Never in my life have I read a book that resonated more strongly with me than this one. From similar evangelical upbringings to profound grief and loss, this book hit me like a ton of bricks. I was highlighting so much that I may as well have highlighted the whole book. I don’t know if Jen will see this, but I hope she does so I can say thank you. Thank you for writing a book that is so raw, so beautiful and so inspiring. I think I will keep going.

Jen Hatmaker does it again- with searing honesty and humor she addresses the huge shake-up that was her divorce. From losing what she thought was the cornerstone of her life, she finds her way back to herself and learns she really was her own cornerstone. It’s an excellent read and reminder to women everywhere that we can endure and we really have to trust ourselves.

Jen generously offers readers her honest, emotional story or heart break and recovery with grace and plenty of humor.

If I had to choose a few people to share a meal with before I die, Jen would be one of them. She’s like a blend of a childhood friend and Oprah. I’ve followed her for years and love her writing, her heart, her passion, and her humor, so I was definitely the target audience for this book. I’ve been curious about her divorce and what life has looked like since. The book is more a collection of reflections than a chronological memoir, which might be disorienting if you’re not familiar with her, but I found it soulful, thoughtful, and deeply insightful. This book is especially powerful if you're navigating a difficult time or looking for a bit of motivation. Jen writes beautifully about rediscovering yourself and finding strength both in your own resilience and in the people that surround you.

I've been following Jen Hatmaker for many years and through many seasons. I appreciate her ability to bring both honestly and levity to her story-telling in a way that feels like it honors everyone involved. It's clear she's worked through some incredibly difficult things and has shared, appropriately, from a few miles down the road. Through the tears and the laughter there's a particular brand of vulnerability that she maintains that again feels right for the audience. I definitely recommend the read.

Although I am in a quite different demographic, I have been aware of Jen Hatmaker and read one of her previous books, and I respect her for being thoughtful and open-minded enough to embrace the real moral values of compassion and generosity that so-called Christians so often fail to uphold in practice. This book was written in the wake of her 2020 divorce after a 26-year marriage after a surprise betrayal. It is somewhat short on personal detail regarding her ex and her family, as she is protective of her family’s specific experience, but she delves into her own emotional journey. It is understandably less lighthearted and humorous than her previous writing, though it’s a quick read and ultimately a hopeful rather than a depressing one. For anyone in a similar situation it will likely come through as a thoughtful book about realization and reinvention after the end of a long marriage as well as the balancing of self-care with parental responsibility. However, not everyone faced with such circumstances has the extreme levels of friend and family support that Jen Hatmaker was able to draw upon. She emphasizes that she was never left feeling alone throughout the crisis, and that’s lovely and I’m glad for her, but I fear that there are many in similar situations who won’t be offered the support she found and thus won’t feel as if she can fully relate to their experience.