4⭐
This was such a heartfelt audiobook.

Sasha has invited us into her life, and what a life she's had - a busy dating life, difficult exes, beautiful and ugly friendships; childhood trauma.

Such a roller coaster, but one I'd ride again.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media/Dreamscape First for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the narrator, pacing, and characters. It kept me engaged and I look forward to reading more by this author.

A Soul-Stirring Testament of Healing, Faith, and Black Womanhood**

In *The Gospel According to Sasha Renee*, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts delivers a luminous and unforgettable work that defies genre. Equal parts memoir, sermon, and sacred reflection, this book reads like a spiritual revival for anyone who has ever wrestled with pain and searched for purpose in the midst of it.

With lyrical prose and unwavering honesty, Lewis-Giggetts invites readers into the interior world of Sasha Renee—a deeply personal yet universal embodiment of Black womanhood, resilience, and divine truth. The narrative unfolds with a gospel rhythm—sometimes bold and prophetic, sometimes quiet and prayerful, but always authentic. Each chapter pulses with the tension between trauma and triumph, grief and grace, vulnerability and power.

This is not just a book to be read—it is an experience to be felt. Lewis-Giggetts skillfully blends faith, culture, and emotional depth in a way that honors the legacy of womanist theology while remaining accessible and relevant. Readers will recognize themselves in Sasha Renee’s questions, struggles, and hard-won clarity. The writing is deeply rooted in the Black church tradition, yet it makes room for those outside its pews to sit, reflect, and be changed.

*The Gospel According to Sasha Renee* is a sacred offering—a love letter to Black women, a spiritual map for the wounded, and a bold proclamation of healing. Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts has given us something rare and necessary: a gospel for the moment we’re living in.

3.5⭐️ – The Gospel According to Sasha Renee

This book takes readers on a powerful spiritual journey through the eyes of Sasha Billingsly, a young woman navigating love, identity, and faith across generations of women in her family. Set in Chicago, the story dives into some heavy but important themes—mental health, trauma, and the process of healing.

I really enjoyed the overall concept and thought the narrator brought a lot of emotion and depth to the story. The spiritual elements and unseen forces guiding Sasha were beautifully written and added a unique layer to her journey.

That said, Sasha could be a bit frustrating at times—stubborn and impulsive—but her flaws also made her feel more human and relatable. I appreciated that her path to faith wasn’t instant; we got to see her wrestle, grow, and find her own way.

It’s a bold take on Christian fiction that offers something different, especially in its honest portrayal of transformation and pain.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook of this re-release.

Wow! I didn’t expect that ending…like at all! Although this is a Christian romance novel, it didn’t feel very romance driven to me. Most of the book Sasha struggled with her emotions, relationships, self worth and mental health. The MMC tried to love her through it but she made it hard.

I really struggled with Sasha character & I almost DNF’f the book several times. It was tough to get through (slow paced & Sasha was annoying). Then it picked up near the very end and Ieft me shook. Just very unexpected plot twists.

I’m glad it was a audiobook as I’m not sure I would have gotten through it as a book. With that said…The narrator spoke clearly and I loved the inflection in her voice as she narrated other characters than the FMC. While I did feel she spoke clearly the story line drug at times and I had to read it at 1.5x speed for the easiest listening experience.

Wow.

I'll start off by saying that this book will probably be mostly relatable to people with a Christian/religious background.

I really enjoyed this story of our FMC Sasha.
She's done her best in life to be accommodating to people, works hard on her appearance and enjoys the company of her friends.
She breaks up with her boyfriend Mark and he is awful to her. She knows that she should hold on the the 'christian, good-girl beliefs" she grew up with and listen to the spirit but really, she's just seems to have lost faith in that. Till she meets Langston.
I loved that there was a forbidden tint at the beginning of their meeting and I loved the way Langston showed her he cared for her and loved her. Helping her and trying to guide her closer to God along the way.

I loved her chats and time with her girls. And I am really looking forward to the other books in the series.

I love the Narrating by Bahni Turpin!

That ending though?

Many thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Author for the opportunity to listen and share my thoughts.

This is a new audiobook version of a book first published in 2004, and is the first in a series of 3. I think it’s fair to say that in many respects this was way out of my usual wheelhouse for my audiobooks!
Centred on a high-femme main character, very cis-het relationships and with a lot of God (it gets proper evangelical at times), I worried I wouldn’t get through it.
But the writing is really good, the narration excellent (the main reason I chose it was because I like this narrator so much) and the plot gripped me.
Plus this is the story of a young Black woman in Chicago navigating misogyny and abuse (big CN for domestic abuse). It’s a story of awful, toxic relationships and healthy ones. It’s a story I don’t know and an experience of the life of a femme Black woman which I have no personal insight into, and gaining other perspectives is one of the main reasons I love reading fiction.

I have some complicated thoughts about The Gospel According to Sasha Renee, but for the most part I really enjoyed the plot, and the narration was spectacular. I love this narrator’s work and this audio was absolutely top-notch!

The book follows Sasha as she navigates work, relationships, and trauma. There’s a sort of unsettlingly (to me, as a not-religious person) overpowering theme of God and Christianity that made it a little bit hard for me to connect with the quasi-higher purpose of this novel. The protagonist is not a religious person but falls in love with a man who’s very committed to Christianity, the Christian god, and has even taken a vow of celibacy. Even without the religious aspect, I admittedly had a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters. I’m not sure why, but I think there were just so many brief encounters we experienced with Sasha that it felt a little disjointed. The last third really threw a wrench in things when Sasha experiences a traumatic event, and the ending REALLY threw me for a loop!

All in all, I’m really glad I read this and grateful for such an amazing narrator telling this story and bringing the characters to life. I’d probably give it more like 3.5 stars but I’m rounding up :)

Firstly thank you for allowing me to listen to this.

This book is such a good reminder of listening to the spirit, be patient on your journey with God knowing he.will never leave us or forsake us.

I really enjoyed this book and was not ready for the world wind of an end.

Whew, this book got me together in the best way possible. I flew through it, and not just because the story was good (which it absolutely was), but because it hit on some real truths. You know when you go to church and the sermon makes you feel like the pastor is talking directly to you? Reading this book felt exactly like that.

It’s a raw and honest reminder of how powerful discernment really is. That little voice in your head? That gut feeling? Yeah, it’s not just being dramatic, it’s trying to save you. And this book shows exactly what happens when we ignore it and let our past hurts steer the wheel.

What really hit me was how easy it is to assume everyone’s out to hurt us, when we’re the ones building the walls, handing out the bricks, and then wondering why we feel stuck. The self-sabotage was on display and super relatable.

If you’re in the mood for something that’s real, reflective, and might snatch your edges just a little bit, this one’s it. 10/10 would recommend. Just be ready to sit with some feelings!

I ended up DNFing this one pretty early in. By 12% of the way through, all we really got was the MC complaining about things—her work, her friends, her relationship (which was admittedly objectively bad). I definitely get wanting to make sure the reader knows things are rough for her, but to get that sheer amount of just complaining with *nothing* good in it was just not a vibe that I felt like continuing with. I hope things get better for the FMC but so far it was just so negative and I wasn't invested enough to keep going.

I did LOVE the narration—Bahni Turpin did an incredible job.

This story was so beautifully written. I found myself laughing at certain parts and crying at others.

The Gospel According to Sasha Renee is a deeply personal journey through the life, love, loss, and liberation of a woman who refuses to be silenced. The MFC, Sasha Renee, invited us intimately into her world — one where faith and feminism coexist, where trauma is confronted with bold honesty, and where healing is a sacred, messy, beautiful act of resistance. Sasha is a complex and fierce main female character, and I quickly related to and fell in love with her.

As many adults, Sasha is trying to break free from the way she was raised - having to live up to her mother's expectations. With an absent father growing up, we see Sasha trying to navigate adulthood while finding her way towards being herself. She is in a relationship that is no longer serving her, and she decides to end things. After some time has passed, she meets and falls in love with Langston. There is plenty of drama and turmoil as we get to follow Sasha through her everyday life. There are realistic and relatable scenarios in her family life, her friendships and romantic relationships.

This book hit me hard — in the best way. Sasha doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and that’s what makes her words so powerful. It felt like I was sitting across from a wise, hilarious, no-nonsense best friend who told me the truth even when it hurt — but somehow made it feel healing. I saw parts of myself in her struggles, in her defiance, and in her grace. Sasha comes across as fierce and confident, but like many of us, she internally deals with insecurities.

What I loved most is how Sasha reclaims her own gospel by the end of the story. The ending completely caught me off guard and made my breath hitch! If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit into the boxes the world gave you, this book is for you. If you’ve ever needed a reminder that your story matters and your voice deserves to be heard — this is it. Please read this book!

Bahni Turpin, as always, did a phenomenal job narrating and bringing these characters to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of the most beautifully honest book I have read this year. Diving into this audiobook I was captured by how quickly I was hooked by not just the story but Sasha as a character. Set in 2006 a woman in her late twenties invites us into her life which is full of a beautiful friendships, not so beautiful friendships, enemies, a difficult ex, and a very eventful dating life. Struggling to deal with growing up in she shadows of her mothers expectations and an absent father Sasha is a complex character we fall in love with so easily. She's not perfect and that is what makes her so special. She battles between believing she needs to be a people pleaser or simply find ways to make people dislike her so she can prove a bigger point and her vulnerability to us as the reader is something so special.

Realising early on her current relationship is no longer serving her and finally breaking free from it life is opening a new chapter for Sasha Renee but her guard may slowly be falling down when she meets Langston Germaine and the complicated way the meet and grow together.

I loved Sasha Renee. She was a character who honestly felt like my sister or a best friend and when she was addressing the reader it felt personal, like listening to a voice note from a friend or reading a diary. She was honest and raw and I honestly felt as though she was so well written she felt like a real person I wanted a conversation with however, when speaking to characters in the book we can see how guarded she is and what she hides. We see throughout the book that while she comes across as confident she has a lot of insecurities too which show throughout her friendships and building romantic relationships.

I did feel as though the book half way through moved very quickly which threw me a little and I wasn't the biggest fan of Langston at times as a romantic partner but he grew on me and I loved the almost thriller vibe we got in parts of this book related to her previous relationships touching so well on male rejection, entitlement, abuse and violence. There were some very serious topics we saw pop up and the very real feeling of this book was a breathe of fresh air. This was a raw and real story that did not hide away from the very real lows and highs of life. The focus on friendships, god and self growth and love was truly captivating and I was left wanting nothing but the best for Sasha Renee and I was of course crying my eyes out when I finished this book.

The audio narration was fantastic! Full of character and delivering the humour focused lines so well I was able to fly through this book.

I would highly recommend this book!

I first want to add this disclaimer. This is the audio version of a book published in the early 2000's, so some if it is outdated (for example, the mention of Dominick's on 87th street in Chicago, that particular chain is no longer around. but it was during the original publication ) Now back to this story. I read it when it first came out, and I enjoyed it as much as i did back then. The story still shocked me and left me flabbergasted. Sasha was so relatable, and she worked my nerves sometimes. This story had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I completed it in an entire day. And the characters have stuck in my mind after finishing it. The author has been one of my favorites for a while and this story is part of the reason why.

This book was very triggering but spoke to the importance of faith. If a contemporary romance that is Christian based is what you are looking for, this is it. While not necessarily something I would normally read it was fine. It was heavier than I anticipated it being, pacing was not great but it didn’t impact the plot which was crazy!

I found this to be a very interesting story but check your trigger warnings before starting.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟|| (4/5)
The Gospel According to Sasha Renee by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts is book 1 in the Grace Women's Trilogy.

Honey, Sasha worked my nerves the entire book. She is very relatable, but man, she made me mad. This book is about Sasha handling tests of faith, Sasha's insecurities toward relationships, and her negative thinking/mind spiraling out of control. I wanted to like her, but every time she did something, she just irritated me. Lol. But I enjoyed this book a lot. I finished it in 1.5 days.

Feisty and stubborn Sasha Billingsly has never had it easy. As a young girl growing up in the shadow of her mother's expectations and the absence of a father's love, she learned early on that she would have to please people to gain love and acceptance…or find ways to make people dislike her so she could prove they were out to get her.

That is, until God intervened profoundly in her life, delivering both the help of a soulmate, Langston Germaine, and the unseen forces of the spirit realm.

The audiobook is narrated by Bahni Turpin, who did a good job telling the story and bringing the characters to life. She was easy to listen to and understand. Listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it may be one I will forget the name of in the future however it had such a beautiful impact and the voice of Bahni Turpin was like listening to gospel just absolutely beautiful!

In this we meet Sasha who is fiercely passionate about being herself with the audience however in public to everyone else not so much because well she was raised to simply get up and get on with things. You don’t complain and you don’t show your softness etc but within all this all she really is looking for is acceptance and love. Unfortunately she looks for it in all the wrong places with the wrong people.

She goes through all types of things from love dilemmas, childhood wounds with both parents to friends who are actually frienemys it’s all in there!

So within her story we find her talking almost as if it is journal entries and expressing all her deepest emotions, her lessons, her understanding of self and others and her compassion to forgive, grow and move on.

This is just a beautiful cozy warm fuzzy heartfelt audiobook that really makes you refill your cup of faith in all that is good 🫶🏽

Huge gratitude and thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ELC in return for an honest review. Wishing best wishes to all for publication on 20th May 🙏🏽📚🎧❤️