This book, as others have said, is extremely readable, vulnerable and compelling. In some ways, it feels wrong to write a review as if it’s a regular book because it feels like Jen Hatmaker powerfully telling a friend about her actual life, which I don’t have personal opinions on in the same way. Her voice is so likable and relatable, and while I wished there was a little less emphasis on certain aspects of the lessons she learned, I’m very glad I read this and it will definitely be beloved. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed this memoir very much. Jen was very honest, vulnerable and real. I really like Jen's writing style and of course the doses of humor that she naturally adds in. I would absolutely recommend this book to others.

Jen’s voice is so true, authentic and HER in this sad, funny and inspiring memoir. She is not afraid to go there, while also respecting the privacy of her children, and I respect that.

The book opens with a bang, and I love the structure: beginning with an ending and ending with a beginning.

This is the story of grief and loss, but it is also the story of friendship, love, self-discovery and second chances.

While my story is different from hers, there is so much to take from this book that applies to me. In fact, I highlighted no fewer than 63 quotes!

Among them, “Chase wonder and you will catch it by the tail no matter how much you have suffered. The magic has not run out.”

Before I begin, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Like many of Jen Hatmaker's fans and followers (myself included), I was shocked and blindsided by the news of her divorce from her husband after many years together. Of course, no one was more shocked than Jen herself, which spurred on years of processing her religious upbringing, her family's history, and her encounters with deeply entrenched patriarchal systems. I found myself in tears at several points because while I was thankfully not so entangled in my own childhood, the tentacles of high control religion and patriarchy can reach far and wide, as it did for me.

I appreciate that she is very self aware of her own flaws in this process as well. One of my biggest worries about this book is that it would be a trashy tell-all, but I am thankful that this was not the case here. The sensitivity and care that she handles these tender subjects with is commendable, and every person she shares a story about is not maligned - there is only honesty about actions.

I have to take one star off because the timeline of her narrations could have been tightened up a lot more. The reminiscing of past events and more current events felt confusing at times, even though I understand why she went with it. It's more of an editorial choice, but I think it could have used more editing.

Overall, I recommend this book. Jen has always been an ace storyteller and this book reflects it. I read this in two days because I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Even if you're not married or divorced or a parent, I believe any person reading this book can take away something meaningful.

Well. There she js. I feel like I just read the most authentic and vulnerable thing I’ve ever read. I have read Jen Hatmaker in the past but….this hit different. I just cried my way through this whole book for every single reason one cries. Joy, relief, sorrow, empathy, laughter, release, sadness, pain, and back to laughter because let’s face it - she’s hilarious. This felt like actual connection and not just to her but to humans. God. Myself.

In 2020, I was in a private FB group of readers given an ARC of her new book at that time. We were meant to be the internet hype squad, but before I had even finished reading it…she disappeared from socials and we eventually learned she was getting a divorce, and it was a shock to us all, but especially to her. This memoir tells the story of what happened, but also just tells HER story, because she is more than just a divorced woman. She’s been the daughter of a minister, a pastor’s wife, a church leader, a married college student, a mother, an author, a speaker, an advocate and activist. She has been vilified, judged, hated, shunned, ridiculed, condemned, you name it. It still stuns me to no end. One of the greater thinkers I’ve encountered, she challenges the status quo and explores new ideas that have the audacity to suggest more than what we have settled for, as women, as humans, as spiritual people, as Christians, as Americans…

Sometimes the breaking open of our soul is meant to empty us of all that we cling to and claim to know so that we be filled back up with what is true and real, and sometimes it happens to someone else so they can teach us.

I read Jen Hatmaker's new book, Awake: A Memoir, with great interest.

I knew of her from being a Christian going to church, then continued to be aware of her as I became someone who deconstructed from that faith paradigm. I knew she had gone through the breakup of her marriage and how she was treated by the Christian media, for that and for some of her other beliefs (all of which resonated strongly with me.)

I am so grateful that Jen had the friend and family that she had, to help her navigate such a challenging time. That doesn't just happen, it takes time and effort to create "family" like that. It says a lot about her. Privileged? Yes, and she acknowledges that, She was offered some tremendous opportunities during that time. She also did the work. She was honest in saying all the things she didn't know how to do, claimed her mistakes and I am happy that she is in a new relationship, both with herself and with a new man. Also, good on her for protecting her family from media. invasion as well.

I enjoyed hearing Jen's take (although honestly some of the chapters seemed like essays that didn't quite fit) and I wish her nothing but the best for herself and her family moving forward.

A solid 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of Awake: A Memoir in exchange for an honest review.

This book is riveting and heartbreaking as Jen walks the reader through her experience. She’s an excellent writer, using humor to lighten the mood when the emotions become heavy. She ponders the big questions (Why? How did we get here?) by exploring her adolescence and early marriage. She looks at the role that their Christian faith played in their marriage, finding both the places where mis-guided advice steered them wrong and the places where her faith still gives her hope. I felt that she told her side of the story carefully and as respectfully as one could in this circumstance, but she doesn’t shy away from the truth of what happened.

If you read Maggie Smith’s recent book about her divorce, this book doesn’t quite have the same literary gravitas, but it holds up from an emotional standpoint. I was blown away by her honesty and felt compassion for her as she pieced her life back together. This memoir is a real roller coaster ride, as she goes from utter heartbreak, through painful self-discovery and healing, to ultimately living a more authentic, re-built life.

Followers of Jen Hatmaker were surprised a few years ago when she withdrew from her social media platforms and asked for privacy for her family. In her new memoir "Awake," she explains the harrowing tale-- and subsequent fallout-- of why she made that decision. Interspersed between the chapters of her marriage's unraveling, though, Jen (for that's how all her fans know her) also shares anecdotes from her earlier days that helped form her identify. For anyone who has had a personal crisis or just had to shift gears midlife, Jen shows us that there is life on the other side.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have been a Jen Hatmaker fan for at least a decade, but but probably much longer. When I was deep in the evangelical world, I looked to her as a beacon for what I thought a "good Christian woman" should. Turns out that my perception and worldview started crumbling around the same time as hers (around 2016), and I still remember the day in 2020 when I found out that she and her husband were divorcing. I wondered what happened, along with everyone else, and I was honestly shocked to see that she chose to write about it. I was eager to read this memoir, hopeful it would contain the writing I've grown to love from her.

What I thought was going to be a memoir about her divorce was a memoir about so much else. Sure, her divorce plays a prominent role, but only because it was the tipping point in her finally leaving the trappings of the evangelical lifestyle behind in order to find her truest self. The short chapters were so easy to read, and reminded me much of the blog posts of the old days, as well as the social media captions I read from her regularly. She put words to so many experiences I had growing up. Exvangelicals have individual stories to tell, but our experiences are anything but singular. Her humor shines through, even in her darkest moments. She doesn't back away from how she contributed to her own "downfall," even when it would've been easy and clean to do so. She holds true to herself, her integrity never wavering.

I'm looking forward to rereading this and finding even more bits of wisdom to hold on to. I sort of look at Jen as a big sister, 12 years ahead of me in life. The first read through was me listening to my big sister telling me about life, and future read throughs will be me asking questions and bringing those truths into myself.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know anything about Jen Hatmaker. This memoir was beautifully written, she definitely has a way with words. I enjoyed the length of the chapters and the conversational tone. The way she put the anecdotes together seemed a bit random, and honestly I could’ve used more husband talk and less religious talk, but again that is on me for knowing nothing about her background. Overall it was an enjoyable read, if rife with rich white woman privilege.

Jen Hatmaker wrote Awake about her recovery from discovering her co-pastor husband was having an affair and it was brutal in both its honesty and its touch. Never have a heard a story told with such clarity. that even I, a curmudgeonly old lady, felt her pain and insight.

When people recount their divorce it seldom comes with such a look backward and inward. In sharing her journey of learning about the affair in the middle of the night, through her understanding and acceptance, and toward a new heart, Jen Hatmaker shares numerous stories from her life. She tells us of her family of origin, her childhood religious beliefs and her years with her husband. These stories are interwoven with her reactions and actions following her separation from her husband (never named!) through her Awak(ening). .

It isn’t always a pretty story but it was a touching and funny one. Ms. Hatmaker makes sure to accept her share of responsibility and learns the place the culture in which she was raised played a role.

Jen Hatmaker has matured as an author with this book. She has always written in a relatable way, and this book is that, but also much more. She takes us in her mind and memory and makes us think through why things happened as they did. We witness her growth through the telling of this deeply personal story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Heart wrenching, hopeful memoir that I couldn't put down. Jen is raw and real and I feel like I have a better understanding of the ramifications of not only divorce, but betrayal. She was still able to maintain a string of hopefulness and empowerment through out. I really enjoyed this one!

Awake
by Jen Hatmaker
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From Jen Hatmaker—beloved New York Times bestselling author and host of the For the Love podcast—a brutally honest, funny, and revealing memoir about the traumatic end of her twenty-six-year-long marriage, and the beginning of a different kind of love story.
This book hit hard! Jen's growing up in the church mirrored so much of mine. There's so much strength in what Jen writes- there's so much gracein acknowledging "we were wrong, but we didn't have to stary that way".
Powerful, life changing book!

I had always steered away from Jen Hatmaker's evangelical pronouncements, but I thought perhaps she had a dose of reality that might have tempered her outlook. It seems the prosperity gospel is alive and well in her household.
While I applaud her vulnerability in describing the painful elements of her divorce, I was slightly put off by her descriptions of the sanctuaries offered by her extremely wealthy friends. I suspect that most women in her situation cannot relate.

Jen Hatmaker bares her soul in "Awake". She honestly shares her life with the reader. She manages to continue putting one foot in front of the other with the help of family and friends.

Jen Hatmaker. I had heard of her, but never read anything she wrote, or listened to her podcast. But when this book popped up as an option in NetGalley to read an advanced copy, something told me to give it a try.

And it turns out, I like that Jen Hatmaker. And I can see why so many others do.

Now, writing a review on a memoir always feels a bit strange to me. Can I review the writing and not the person? Can I share my thoughts without judging someone's life decisions? It feels like a fine line. There were parts of this book that felt honest and vulnerable. I appreciate her sharing how she grappled with religion and the shame storm that inevitably follows a public person when a very public marriage collapses. On the other hand, in some parts of the book she would seem to change into a public persona, and it would feel over the top and un-relatable. It was also difficult to relate to the casual references she often made to the wealth and privilege that helped her in her healing journey. Things I think many (most) women wouldn't have access to. (Examples: she bought out her ex-husband's half of their family home. She had a friend who happened to own a vacation home in Telluride that she and her kids could escape to during Covid. She found a really good therapist. And many more good things that are a part of her story!)

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it. In reading it, I did find time to reflect on my own experiences, and also found compassion.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy. Publishes September 23, 2025.

Raw, beautiful, heartbreaking, and emotional, this book had so much in it that I will need to unpack for a long time. During COVID and its aftermath, Jen Hatmaker shares her story of a 25-year marriage coming to an end, her life within the church and her raw rebuilding of her life after the divorce. I remember the post she put up all those years ago when she asked for time to process and take care of her kids

I was so lucky to get an ARC of this book and tore through it in just a few days. What I didn't expect is the rawness and vulnerability she uses to tell her story and the story of her children rebuilding and starting over. I laughed at times, cried at times and just sat in my own thoughts when she explained the most painful part of her life. She talks a great deal about what it was like growing up in church and how that affected her adult life. I appreciate the way she tells the story and how she talks about her group of women and how they take care of her and her children. I dream of having that kind of relationship with the women in my life, but it has not happened yet. Thank you, Jen, for writing this and putting it out in the world. You are a true rockstar and this book was so amazing. Your story will stay with me for so many years to come.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

I appreciated Jen Hatmaker’s honesty and the way she so delicately shares the most painful experience of her life with grace for herself and her children and even eventually her ex. I don’t come from a Christian evangelical background, so some of the de-brainwashing/purity culture aspects didn’t hit home for me as much as they will for others. But it was interesting to read about, for sure. I think fans/followers of Hatmaker will love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ **5/5 Stars**

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a self-proclaimed slow reader who gravitates toward happy endings and stories that leave me feeling hopeful, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jen Hatmaker’s memoir. I’m more of a rom-com-with-beautiful-backdrops kind of reader, someone who finds comfort in middle grade books with characters that warm your heart, and nonfiction that teaches me something I didn’t know before. But something told me to give *Awake* a chance, and I’m so grateful I listened to that instinct.

This memoir stands alongside Michelle Obama’s *Becoming* as one of the most important stories I’ve ever read. Never before has a story been told with such raw vulnerability paired with the kind of big sister wisdom that women navigating their “next act” desperately need. Whether you’re in your second act, your 2.0 reboot, or just trying to figure out what comes after the life you thought you’d live forever, Hatmaker speaks directly to your soul.

What struck me most was how Hatmaker structured her story. Her anecdotes are both painfully raw and purposeful – nothing feels gratuitous or included for shock value. This memoir reads like the most honest heart-to-heart conversation you’ve ever had, mixed with the kind of wisdom you wish your older sister had shared with you years ago. Hatmaker takes a holistic approach, weaving together the threads of childhood, marriage, faith, career, parenting, social justice, and the aftermath of a traumatic divorce into one cohesive, powerful narrative.

Here’s what I loved most: Hatmaker doesn’t pat you on the knee and tell you everything will be okay. Instead, she opens her front door wide, invites you in, and puts the most painful part of her story right there on page one. No sugar-coating, no building up to the hard stuff. She gets it out in the open so we can focus on what really matters – what it means to heal, grow, and rebuild yourself when everything you thought you knew gets turned upside down.

As a 46-year-old woman myself, I found myself nodding along, highlighting passages, and feeling seen in ways I didn’t expect. This isn’t just a memoir – it’s a mentor wrapped in the pages of a book. Hatmaker becomes the sister-friend who’s walked through the fire and come out the other side with hard-earned wisdom to share.

This is a must-read for any woman over 40 who’s navigating life’s inevitable transitions and wants to do so with grace, dignity, and the reassurance that she’s not alone in the struggle. Even for someone like me who typically reaches for lighter fare, *Awake* reminded me why sometimes the most important books are the ones that challenge us to sit with difficult truths while showing us the path forward.

Highly, highly recommended. Five stars without hesitation.

4.5 Star.
Jen has always had a way with making me laugh in one sentence, then choking back a sob in the next. I appreciate her wit and her empathy. Her book "7" has stuck with me through the years...
I do pray that she is able to lead the inside and the outside of the church once more, that she can continue to heal. I am also a type A, first born daughter and grand, born deep into southern baptist culture. It's just that we grew out of the rules much earlier than Jen did. (My husband did worship for "PitCrew; Church for the disenfranchised" for YEARS. We didn't play Coldplay but instead played Underoath). So I GET IT. Melody Beattie, Brene Brown are constant rereads. Along with "Boundaries for the Soul" by Alison Cook!