I received an advanced copy of this book and was blown away and the honesty, openness, and courage of the author to share her story. Shannon has a beautiful way of weaving together her former writing and current thoughts with other literature references. She touches on classic disability and trauma texts, quotes scripture, and shares hard but important truths in her work. I have loved to see her bolding sharing her story online, and was thankful to read this book.

As a disabled clergywoman, I relate to so much of her story. I have experienced the pain of an employer having vastly different theological or political beliefs. I have experienced the oppression of being a woman in ministry and being devalued. I have dealt with the difficulty of not knowing when is okay to share your trauma, hidden disability, or past with someone, let alone knowing who is safe.

If you are a person who is navigating difficult and painful moments in this world, you will find this helpful. You will learn so much from Shannon and will find ways to live brave.

Raw and real ❤️

"We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds."
If you want to read a story that is raw, honest and at times very difficult, you will appreciate Shannon's open and vulnerable writing as she recounts the unimaginable events of her life while still holding onto her faith and hope. I highlighted a large portion of her words and feel like there is a nugget of wisdom or encouragement for anyone who reads it. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read it.

Really appreciated the adoption aspects of this book

I really wanted to rate this book higher, but it was a little all over the place. It was difficult to start a chapter and see how it connected to others before it, and it felt like it repeated a lot of information. I enjoyed hearing Dingle's story but, like many others have reviewed, I thought it would be more memoir and less self help.

If you're as tired of the toxic positivity in Christian spaces as I am, this is the book for you. Through social media and this book, Shannon Dingle has taught me so much about courage and grief. This book is raw and I'm so thankful that she was willing to talk about the hard things that are far too often ignored in our churches. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early social copy! I can't wait to add a physical copy to my shelf.

Shannon shares her story with bravery, vulnerability, and unafraid honesty, I shed tears and laughed out loud. I felt like I was sitting with a friend, listening to her share her story and speak words of truth to me. I am grateful for her voice and the ways she stewards her story, the beautiful and broken parts!

This book is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. I have already ordered another copy to send to a friend because she should read it. While Shannon doesn’t talk in detail about the things she has experienced, she does mention: her own childhood sexual abuse, the death of her husband, mental health struggles, substance abuse, and more.