“When life falls apart, it's easy to assume you're alone in your suffering. Or worse, that you're stuck there. Untethered is a haunting exploration of life's disorienting darkness, punctuated by lightning strikes of hope. Laura forces readers to confront the vulnerability of being human while offering a rousing call to more abundant life. If you've ever felt blindsided by disappointment and disillusionment, Laura's journey of faith amid failure is not to be missed. Highly recommend!”

—Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

“Untethered is a breathtaking glimpse into the unraveling of a life after death. With winsome prose, Whitfield's poignant coming-of-age narrative takes the reader on a journey of what happens when we come undone. This is a timely memoir of loss, sex, beauty, family, and the courage it takes to regain our footing amid chaos.”

—J. Dana Trent, author of Dessert First: Preparing for Death While Savoring Life 

“Untethered is an exciting journey of a dynamic woman—and while it represents her life, there are so many moments of ‘oh, I know that feeling’ that she could be writing about me and my life, only with different names! So many of us have gone through the journey of finding ourselves while thinking it takes a man to get there; Whitfield’s story shows us that we need ourselves to find ourselves—and along the way, we might also find love. A great read for women of all ages.”

—Jen Oleniczak Brown, founder of The Engaging Educator and author of Think On Your Feet

“Whitfield's memoir is an engrossing coming-of-age tale. Marked by deep grief and aspiration, broken relationships and restoration, her story moves from a quiet beginning in North Carolina, to New York City and back again, all in pursuit of a defined sense of self. In her generous telling, Whitfield reminds us that humility, grace, and deep gratitude can yield the richest rewards, and that this life's greatest fulfillment comes in relationship with others.”

—Rebecca Brewster Stevenson, author of Healing Maddie Brees and Wait

“With radiant honesty, Whitfield tells the story of losing her beloved brother, which set her on a quest to find emotional and spiritual sanctuary. We follow her wild years in the Outer Banks, New York City, and Chapel Hill, where she seeks solace in men, jobs, and her writing. What she must learn is how to find a way ‘for my faith and my life to line up.’ Whitfield’s frank, vibrant memoir reads with the page-turning urgency of a novel you can’t put down. Fans of Mary Karr’s Lit and Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies will want to read this book.”

—Marianne Gingher, Professor of English and Creative Writing, UNC, and author of A Girl’s Life and Adventures in Pen Land

“Untethered is a page-turning read for anyone who has dared to follow a dream, suffered tragic loss, and longed for redemption.”

—Michael Morris, author of A Place Called Wiregrass, Slow Way Home and Man in the Blue Moon

“It's not easy to reach into our darkest truths. In Untethered, Whitfield takes the deep dive into faith, family, love, loss, and the longing to find oneself.”

—Cheryl Sharp, CEO of Sharp Change Consulting and former head of National Council for Behavioral Health's Trauma-Informed Care initiative