Annie F. Downs

Rare. That's the word that sticks out in my mind. This is a rare book. The kind that's written from the middle. The honest, hard, disappointed middle. And in the midst still finding beauty, hope and love. How sad that we often only see the polished narratives, the ones with endings.

I've been going through what is a really long transition. There's not a lot of people I know who have had an experience like the one I'm currently living. It was so refreshing to read about Annie waiting on show more something totally different but living with many of the same questions and experiences.

A book that I truly treasure. show less

I picked this book becausea friend was reading it and I wanted to join her. I really enjoyed the writing style, it's very similar to mine. And there were some very "wow" moments when she mentioned things I'd never thought of!

Instead of the book teaching the reader how to remember God, it's more of the author sharing how she remembered God. Which is very different from other Christian books I have read.

I'm very curious to read some of her other books and see how they are laid out!

Annie's warm and honest voice is a loving companion in this book. Her circumstances are specific (a single 30s-something woman who longs to get married and have a family), and yet her struggle to trust God in the midst of them is so relatable, no matter what unmet desires you may have. I listened to the audiobook (read by Annie herself) in a couple days--I couldn't put it down. If you've ever struggled to trust God in the midst of your circumstances, you need to read this book!!

This book was so encouraging to me. As someone who has always wrestled with fear, Annie's gentle encouragement was so helpful and life-giving. She reminds us that the brave thing isn't the same for everyone; for some, brave means staying where you are when you want to run away, and for others, brave means leaving the comfort of the familiar and going after something new. She also tackles the myth of FEELING brave - doing the brave thing is more about doing it scared than waiting for some show more courageous feeling to rise up inside of you. For anyone who has ever felt trapped by fear, or who is at a crossroads that scares them, I highly recommend this book! show less