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At Last She Said It: Honest Conversations About Faith, Church, and Everything in Between
“Women of faith, discussing complicated things.” That’s how authors Susan Hinckley and Cynthia Winward describe At Last She Said It, and they don’t expect the knots to untangle themselves. Even with two very different personalities and a decade or so between them, as their friendship developed they kept stumbling onto what felt like an uncanny amount of common ground in their church experiences. Often their conversations ended with, “Why isn’t anyone talking about this? Someone should do a podcast!” So they did. They had a hunch they weren’t the only women wishing they had a place to discuss the things they were thinking about, a lot of which they’d never said—or heard—out loud. That hunch was right. Their 200-and-counting recorded conversations have been downloaded some two million times. Hinckley and Winward have learned, right along with their listeners, that there’s no power quite like finding out you’re not alone.
Their book now asks Latter-day Saints to think about old ideas in new ways. Stretching can be uncomfortable, but the willingness to consider diverse perspectives—even on the things we hold most dear—feels essential in an evolving world. So does being open to changing our minds, including how we think about ourselves. Faith is alive when it’s growing, and growing means change. Hopefully, these conversations will be the beginning of thousands more.
Their book now asks Latter-day Saints to think about old ideas in new ways. Stretching can be uncomfortable, but the willingness to consider diverse perspectives—even on the things we hold most dear—feels essential in an evolving world. So does being open to changing our minds, including how we think about ourselves. Faith is alive when it’s growing, and growing means change. Hopefully, these conversations will be the beginning of thousands more.
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Published April 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 6, 2025
These women have saved me. Their words always help me feel seen and a lot less alone. I'm so glad to have their written words in a book to read again and again. And after attending their book tour I can tell you they are just as wonderful in person as they are on air.
May 18, 2025
I love these women who are saying difficult things out loud that I've been wrestling with seemingly alone for years! As they share their journey of owning their thoughts/questions, navigating faith crises, and living authentically, it has given me the hope and power to do the same for myself. I've admittedly been listening to their podcast for years, so I do acknowledge I am a completely biased fan girl with this review.
May 19, 2025
I'm an ex Mormon. I read a lot of books about Mormonism since I left 5 years ago. Most books about Mormonism don't support Christianity like crosses. To the writers of this book, you provided some necessary healing. I felt embraced since I want to find peace from the hurt and still respect my family who are active LDS. Thank you. I will share this book for those in and out of the LDS church.
October 13, 2025
At last she read it!
This book contains many similar themes and thoughts as the podcast, but it was refreshing, renewing, more thoughtful somehow to read and engage with them in print.
I especially loved diving deeper into grace, the cross, and the process of becoming. They have done the hard work of sitting with discomfort and dissonance and then weaving it into something beautiful and hopeful.
This book contains many similar themes and thoughts as the podcast, but it was refreshing, renewing, more thoughtful somehow to read and engage with them in print.
I especially loved diving deeper into grace, the cross, and the process of becoming. They have done the hard work of sitting with discomfort and dissonance and then weaving it into something beautiful and hopeful.
June 23, 2025
I FEEL SO SEEN! This book is so refreshingly real. If leadership is listening- this is what our women need. I have found no other mission that has done so much to simultaneously address all the hard stuff while building my faith. This book is basically a distilled version of the podcast. It’s been a great way to introduce people to all the goodness of the podcast without the commitment. I’ve been shamelessly evangelizing this book to all the lovely ladies in my life who are starving to be heard and understood. Keep up the great work!
May 30, 2025
The ALSSI podcast came to me at a time when I desperately needed it, and it literally changed my life. So naturally, the book was beautiful.
May 6, 2025
I think every Latter Day Saint/Mormon woman should read this book! As a 30 something year old active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to talking about it with friends. I listened to the audio and kinda want to buy a physical copy so I can go back and mark it up. Susan And Cynthia have really helped my faith stretch and grow through their essays and discussions on thoughtful and important topics! I’m a long time podcast listener and a big fan of their work. This book is relevant, heartfelt, and I loved all the quotes from women and men from a variety of religious backgrounds. Thank you Susan and Cynthia for your honesty and bravery!!
November 24, 2025
I’ve listened to the At Last She Said It podcast for years. Can’t recommend it highly enough. You will love spending time with these wise, insightful women.
The book's themes will be familiar to anyone who has listened to the podcast for a while, but it’s still got plenty of new material to get you thinking.
For example, while discussing female ordination, Cynthia suggests, what if on the flip side, we didn’t push priesthood office on men? Some probably “just want to be fellow disciples of Christ” without leadership or decision-making responsibility. “Will there ever be room for any and all Latter-day Saints to move forward with their participation in the church in ways that speak to their personality, temperament, and desires?” (p 25)
Fascinating! I had never considered that angle before.
Here are a couple dozen more highlights:
Page 26 Susan: “I have granddaughters, and their experience of the world and their place in it is completely different from what they experience at church. I don’t think that disparity is tenable.”
Page 27 Susan: “I believe that as long as women are not ordained, our work in the church is not going to be valued at the same level that men’s work is. Our voices are not going to be listened to. Our ideas are not going to be privileged. No matter how much faith we might have, without the priesthood, some mountains in this church will never move for women.”
p 34 Susan asked her husband if it were 10 hours of women speaking at general conference would he stay home all weekend and watch that? (Uh, no.)
“This is the reality that women have always been subject to in the church—to listen to scriptural interpretations, advice, and perspectives almost exclusively from men. Church leaders insist that men and women are equals, but would men feel equal if, year after year, decade after decade, 90% of general conference talks were by women?“
p 34 Cynthia, about the pedestal: “Instead of giving women equal responsibility, we give them praise. Instead of decision-making power, we give them a crown.”
Page 51 Susan “please let God be bigger and more mysterious than a man.”
Page 56 (re: literal belief in Santa Claus versus as a concept or spirit that we can all share)
Our pews should extend to welcome those who no longer believe in exactly the way they once did, but still find personal meaning in our traditions. Emphasis on an ongoing restoration would suggest the most open of windows, the most seeking of minds and hearts.
Page 66 Susan talking about the baptismal covenant in Mosiah 18 “it is a powerful accounting of what we are specifically called to do as Jesus’ disciples. And the call is at once extremely simple and something that will require everything we have to give over a lifetime of messy interactions and relationship relationships.
p 87 Some people are attracted to religion because it provides answers; I’m attracted to it because I believe it asks unanswerable questions and gives us a framework for living well in the face of them. (Susan)
p. 107 Susan: Our spiritual lives are one long exercise in giving away control, acknowledging we’re not in charge, and living with hope in the somewhat terrifying face of that. Having hope *anyway* is the essence of faith, isn’t it? That ‘anyway’ contains a lot: all the things we don’t know, the things we wouldn’t have chosen, and the things we are not sure how to live with when they arrive.
p. 116 (Susan) Maybe [Satan] gives us a way to explain things we can’t fix or don’t understand, or for which we don’t want to take responsibility, like the actions of other people, or society‘s problems. It’s a kind of denial—we don’t have to look at the complexity or messiness of a thing squarely if we can just label it and move on. Satan’s a handy fall-guy.
p. 126-127 “Knowledge looks back, faith moves forward”
“Faith as process rather than product”
p 139 Cynthia talks about Alma the younger and Paul of the New Testament being “the vilest of sinners” yet they turn their lives around in each became a prophet/apostle.
p 144 Cynthia “no unclean thing can dwell with God“ first Nephi chapter 10 verse 21, but wouldn’t we always welcome our child’s presence? “Jesus never talked about worthiness, but he did talk about the characteristics of those on his right hand versus his left. Those on his right hand (who will inherit eternal life) are simply those who took care of the suffering.“Then the king will say to those on his right, come,, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,“ etc. Matthew chapter 25 verse 34 to 305 NRSV.
Those are not the metrics I see modeled today. Jesus didn’t say “if you believe this “or “if you avoided this beverage,” you’re worthy to be with me. His list? Visiting the lonely. Clothing the poor. Alleviating the mental and physical suffering of others. None of those is a metric used today to enter the temple, the house of the Lord Jesus himself.”
p 150-151. Susan asked her class to raise their hand as she read a list of “fractures“ within families that might make the temple a complicated topic. “If latter-day Saints could get comfortable being real with each other, it could transform the church.“
p 151 Cynthia “The temple does indeed provide comforting promises for the next life, but I am more interested in a church for the living, not just the dead. So many of the temple ceremonies have caused pain to me now, in this mortal life. Kicking the can down the eternal road does nothing to help me get through today. The first time I went to the temple after my husband and I received an infertility diagnosis is the first time I realized how much of the Temple caters to fertile couples. Every word and promise felt connected to fertility.
From the initiatory through the sealings, I heard phrases such as multiply and replenish, joy in your posterity, and a promised blessing in the initiatory that your loins may be fruitful.”
Page 156 Cynthia “I willingly make space for those who love the silence and lack of discussion in the temple. All I am asking is the same space in return.”
Susan “that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? Oh so many women are asking for is a little space around the temple to hold the complexity of our own feelings about it. To be allowed to fully feel our own anger, confusion, disappointment, grief, loneliness, discomfort, and whatever else may be tangled up with the love, joy, peace, faith, and hope we also feel and reliably project. We give voice to the latter while hiding the former, sometimes for a lifetime.”
p 159 Cynthia “President Hinkley once said, “I constantly hope, and pray that if we err, we will err on the side of mercy.““
p 162, Cynthia “Jesus couldn’t stop telling stories about U-turns, forgiveness, and second chances.… If I believe in a god of endless U-turns, and I do, why does the idea of a U-turn scare us so badly? If an experiment eventually leads us to asking forgiveness of our loved ones and of God, is that the end of the world? And wouldn’t God prompt me about my errors anyway? Won’t that still small voice? I have heard about since primary be my guide? An absent those promptings, won’t the natural consequences of running such experiments tell me whether this was a healthy or unhealthy choice?”
“we often make wrong choices, even with careful thought in prayer. If we believe in forgiveness and second parentheses and third, and fourth, and 100 and parentheses chances, won’t it all be OK? Second nephi chapter 31 verse 20 press forward with “perfect brightness of Hope.”
“Not because I am perfect, or my choices will be, but because God‘s perfection allows me to have my imperfections.“
p 165, Cynthia “a 2010 survey of church members found that 90% of latter-day Saint women oppose female ordination, whereas only about half of latter-day Saint men oppose female ordination.“
p 189 Cynthia quoting Hugh B Brown from 1969: “… We should all exercise our God-given right to think and be unafraid to express our opinion …we must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it. The church is not so much concerned with whether the thoughts of its members are orthodox or heterodox as it is that they shall have thoughts.“
p 224 Susan quoting Richard Rohr from the universal Christ, as he describes Christians, who “feel called to not hide from the dark side of things or the rejected group, but in fact, draw close to the pain of the world and allow it to radically changed their perspective. They agree to embrace the imperfection and even the injustice of our world, allowing these situations to change themselves from the inside out, which is the only way things are changed anyway.”
p 252, Susan’s caterpillar metaphor “The caterpillar loses a lot of parts it didn’t realize it could live without, as it gains parts it never knew existed and isn’t sure what to do with. Until it begins to fly. In sudden flight, the caterpillar transformed must realize the story it has been telling itself, no matter how comforting or true, was told through a pretty limited filter.”
The book's themes will be familiar to anyone who has listened to the podcast for a while, but it’s still got plenty of new material to get you thinking.
For example, while discussing female ordination, Cynthia suggests, what if on the flip side, we didn’t push priesthood office on men? Some probably “just want to be fellow disciples of Christ” without leadership or decision-making responsibility. “Will there ever be room for any and all Latter-day Saints to move forward with their participation in the church in ways that speak to their personality, temperament, and desires?” (p 25)
Fascinating! I had never considered that angle before.
Here are a couple dozen more highlights:
Page 26 Susan: “I have granddaughters, and their experience of the world and their place in it is completely different from what they experience at church. I don’t think that disparity is tenable.”
Page 27 Susan: “I believe that as long as women are not ordained, our work in the church is not going to be valued at the same level that men’s work is. Our voices are not going to be listened to. Our ideas are not going to be privileged. No matter how much faith we might have, without the priesthood, some mountains in this church will never move for women.”
p 34 Susan asked her husband if it were 10 hours of women speaking at general conference would he stay home all weekend and watch that? (Uh, no.)
“This is the reality that women have always been subject to in the church—to listen to scriptural interpretations, advice, and perspectives almost exclusively from men. Church leaders insist that men and women are equals, but would men feel equal if, year after year, decade after decade, 90% of general conference talks were by women?“
p 34 Cynthia, about the pedestal: “Instead of giving women equal responsibility, we give them praise. Instead of decision-making power, we give them a crown.”
Page 51 Susan “please let God be bigger and more mysterious than a man.”
Page 56 (re: literal belief in Santa Claus versus as a concept or spirit that we can all share)
Our pews should extend to welcome those who no longer believe in exactly the way they once did, but still find personal meaning in our traditions. Emphasis on an ongoing restoration would suggest the most open of windows, the most seeking of minds and hearts.
Page 66 Susan talking about the baptismal covenant in Mosiah 18 “it is a powerful accounting of what we are specifically called to do as Jesus’ disciples. And the call is at once extremely simple and something that will require everything we have to give over a lifetime of messy interactions and relationship relationships.
p 87 Some people are attracted to religion because it provides answers; I’m attracted to it because I believe it asks unanswerable questions and gives us a framework for living well in the face of them. (Susan)
p. 107 Susan: Our spiritual lives are one long exercise in giving away control, acknowledging we’re not in charge, and living with hope in the somewhat terrifying face of that. Having hope *anyway* is the essence of faith, isn’t it? That ‘anyway’ contains a lot: all the things we don’t know, the things we wouldn’t have chosen, and the things we are not sure how to live with when they arrive.
p. 116 (Susan) Maybe [Satan] gives us a way to explain things we can’t fix or don’t understand, or for which we don’t want to take responsibility, like the actions of other people, or society‘s problems. It’s a kind of denial—we don’t have to look at the complexity or messiness of a thing squarely if we can just label it and move on. Satan’s a handy fall-guy.
p. 126-127 “Knowledge looks back, faith moves forward”
“Faith as process rather than product”
p 139 Cynthia talks about Alma the younger and Paul of the New Testament being “the vilest of sinners” yet they turn their lives around in each became a prophet/apostle.
p 144 Cynthia “no unclean thing can dwell with God“ first Nephi chapter 10 verse 21, but wouldn’t we always welcome our child’s presence? “Jesus never talked about worthiness, but he did talk about the characteristics of those on his right hand versus his left. Those on his right hand (who will inherit eternal life) are simply those who took care of the suffering.“Then the king will say to those on his right, come,, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,“ etc. Matthew chapter 25 verse 34 to 305 NRSV.
Those are not the metrics I see modeled today. Jesus didn’t say “if you believe this “or “if you avoided this beverage,” you’re worthy to be with me. His list? Visiting the lonely. Clothing the poor. Alleviating the mental and physical suffering of others. None of those is a metric used today to enter the temple, the house of the Lord Jesus himself.”
p 150-151. Susan asked her class to raise their hand as she read a list of “fractures“ within families that might make the temple a complicated topic. “If latter-day Saints could get comfortable being real with each other, it could transform the church.“
p 151 Cynthia “The temple does indeed provide comforting promises for the next life, but I am more interested in a church for the living, not just the dead. So many of the temple ceremonies have caused pain to me now, in this mortal life. Kicking the can down the eternal road does nothing to help me get through today. The first time I went to the temple after my husband and I received an infertility diagnosis is the first time I realized how much of the Temple caters to fertile couples. Every word and promise felt connected to fertility.
From the initiatory through the sealings, I heard phrases such as multiply and replenish, joy in your posterity, and a promised blessing in the initiatory that your loins may be fruitful.”
Page 156 Cynthia “I willingly make space for those who love the silence and lack of discussion in the temple. All I am asking is the same space in return.”
Susan “that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? Oh so many women are asking for is a little space around the temple to hold the complexity of our own feelings about it. To be allowed to fully feel our own anger, confusion, disappointment, grief, loneliness, discomfort, and whatever else may be tangled up with the love, joy, peace, faith, and hope we also feel and reliably project. We give voice to the latter while hiding the former, sometimes for a lifetime.”
p 159 Cynthia “President Hinkley once said, “I constantly hope, and pray that if we err, we will err on the side of mercy.““
p 162, Cynthia “Jesus couldn’t stop telling stories about U-turns, forgiveness, and second chances.… If I believe in a god of endless U-turns, and I do, why does the idea of a U-turn scare us so badly? If an experiment eventually leads us to asking forgiveness of our loved ones and of God, is that the end of the world? And wouldn’t God prompt me about my errors anyway? Won’t that still small voice? I have heard about since primary be my guide? An absent those promptings, won’t the natural consequences of running such experiments tell me whether this was a healthy or unhealthy choice?”
“we often make wrong choices, even with careful thought in prayer. If we believe in forgiveness and second parentheses and third, and fourth, and 100 and parentheses chances, won’t it all be OK? Second nephi chapter 31 verse 20 press forward with “perfect brightness of Hope.”
“Not because I am perfect, or my choices will be, but because God‘s perfection allows me to have my imperfections.“
p 165, Cynthia “a 2010 survey of church members found that 90% of latter-day Saint women oppose female ordination, whereas only about half of latter-day Saint men oppose female ordination.“
p 189 Cynthia quoting Hugh B Brown from 1969: “… We should all exercise our God-given right to think and be unafraid to express our opinion …we must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it. The church is not so much concerned with whether the thoughts of its members are orthodox or heterodox as it is that they shall have thoughts.“
p 224 Susan quoting Richard Rohr from the universal Christ, as he describes Christians, who “feel called to not hide from the dark side of things or the rejected group, but in fact, draw close to the pain of the world and allow it to radically changed their perspective. They agree to embrace the imperfection and even the injustice of our world, allowing these situations to change themselves from the inside out, which is the only way things are changed anyway.”
p 252, Susan’s caterpillar metaphor “The caterpillar loses a lot of parts it didn’t realize it could live without, as it gains parts it never knew existed and isn’t sure what to do with. Until it begins to fly. In sudden flight, the caterpillar transformed must realize the story it has been telling itself, no matter how comforting or true, was told through a pretty limited filter.”
June 13, 2025
This book is from one of my favorite podcasts and tackles head-on the misogyny and hypocrisy that are so prevalent in the LDS Church. It also talks about the goodness and community that can be found there. And it offers ideas on ways to reduce the former and increase the latter. Plus it has guidance on how to build up one's own inner spiritual resources and form a stronger relationship with self and with deity.
Quite a few of my friends wonder why I continue to be a part of a religion with so much emphasis on patriarchy and so little room for people other than cis/hey white men. I can completely understand their confusion. I have tried on multiple occasions to leave it behind but too much of my personal ethos is based on the bedrock principles I was taught there which are so seldom practiced by the institutional church. I want to believe there's a Higher Power, that there's a purpose to life, and that we all have opportunities to grow and become better and kinder. The Mormon God comes the closest to making sense to me because of my upbringing. And my current faith community is one where I am valued and can contribute (both shocking concepts for a single liberal educated woman -- just ask any previous congregation I've belonged to where that wasn't true). I want to believe that there's potential for everyone in the Church to be a part of a truly caring, service-oriented community made up of flawed people doing their best to follow the example of Jesus Christ and willing to extend grace to others doing the same. This book and the podcast it comes from are key to maintaining my faith that it is possible.
Quite a few of my friends wonder why I continue to be a part of a religion with so much emphasis on patriarchy and so little room for people other than cis/hey white men. I can completely understand their confusion. I have tried on multiple occasions to leave it behind but too much of my personal ethos is based on the bedrock principles I was taught there which are so seldom practiced by the institutional church. I want to believe there's a Higher Power, that there's a purpose to life, and that we all have opportunities to grow and become better and kinder. The Mormon God comes the closest to making sense to me because of my upbringing. And my current faith community is one where I am valued and can contribute (both shocking concepts for a single liberal educated woman -- just ask any previous congregation I've belonged to where that wasn't true). I want to believe that there's potential for everyone in the Church to be a part of a truly caring, service-oriented community made up of flawed people doing their best to follow the example of Jesus Christ and willing to extend grace to others doing the same. This book and the podcast it comes from are key to maintaining my faith that it is possible.
July 8, 2025
I’ve been a long-time listener of Cynthia and Susan’s podcast, and I absolutely love them—so I was excited to read their book. Much of it felt familiar in the best way, like revisiting conversations that have meant a lot to me over the years. Still, there were hidden gems and fresh insights from both of them that made me reflect more deeply, which is something I really value in my spiritual journey.
This book is a great starting point for anyone trying to unpack church-related trauma while still seeking to reclaim my own faith. It’s honest, inviting, and rooted in personal truth. To me, it’s a beautiful invitation to be fully yourself—and to find Christ outside of the box He’s so often been placed in.
This book is a great starting point for anyone trying to unpack church-related trauma while still seeking to reclaim my own faith. It’s honest, inviting, and rooted in personal truth. To me, it’s a beautiful invitation to be fully yourself—and to find Christ outside of the box He’s so often been placed in.
August 20, 2025
So many good discussions that just reminded me how important it is to listen to people and their stories, especially when they are different from my own. Curiosity and understanding go a long way.
Goodreads friends! Read it so we can go to lunch and discuss:)
Some fav quotes:
I’ve learned that close relationships with the people I love can so often benefit from me being willing to keep my mouth shut but my mind and heart open while
I can’t deny I’ve had bad stuff in my life that has made me better. Was the bad stuff a blessing?! I don’t think I have to accept that idea. Instead, I think the blessing is what I make of it, and how it changes what I do next, and next after that. Because in developing a relationship with God, I’m changed. I’m made holy. I’m consecrated. I become blessed. But there are zero guarantees things aren’t going to just keep falling apart—I have to let there be room in my life for all of it.
Father Gregory Boyle, “I believe in a God that protects me from nothing but sustains me in everything.”
Some people are attracted to religion because it provides answers; I’m attracted to it because I believe it asks unanswerable questions and gives us a framework for living well in the face of them.
where blessings actually exist is within the mind and heart of the receiver. We are blessed when we create meaning from our experiences and gain strength from them. The events or things in our lives—good and bad—give us an opportunity to come into relationship with God through love and gratitude, and with other people through what we choose to do in the circumstances we’re presented with.
This also means blessings have roots in gratitude, rather than expectation.
I believe so much of our inability to recognize blessing in our lives comes down to control. We don’t control God, consequences, other people, their choices, or their responses. Our spiritual lives are one long exercise in giving away control, acknowledging we’re not in charge, and living with hope in the somewhat terrifying face of that.
I don’t think I’m meant to understand how it all works, but to live from a position of faith. What’s important to me is that I remain in awe of the blessings I feel and find in my world, that I keep gratitude in my heart, and hope in my daily walk. That I recognize God’s hand in my life even when my prayers seem to bounce back on me, and nothing happens the way I think it should, and nothing is changed by praying but me. That I’m willing to receive. That in receiving, I keep my focus on the relationship rather than on any specific gift.
faith grows only as we question what we are told, as we try teachings out by putting them into practice to see if they really make a difference in our own lives.
if Latter-day Saints could get comfortable being real with each other, it could transform the church.
Goodreads friends! Read it so we can go to lunch and discuss:)
Some fav quotes:
I’ve learned that close relationships with the people I love can so often benefit from me being willing to keep my mouth shut but my mind and heart open while
I can’t deny I’ve had bad stuff in my life that has made me better. Was the bad stuff a blessing?! I don’t think I have to accept that idea. Instead, I think the blessing is what I make of it, and how it changes what I do next, and next after that. Because in developing a relationship with God, I’m changed. I’m made holy. I’m consecrated. I become blessed. But there are zero guarantees things aren’t going to just keep falling apart—I have to let there be room in my life for all of it.
Father Gregory Boyle, “I believe in a God that protects me from nothing but sustains me in everything.”
Some people are attracted to religion because it provides answers; I’m attracted to it because I believe it asks unanswerable questions and gives us a framework for living well in the face of them.
where blessings actually exist is within the mind and heart of the receiver. We are blessed when we create meaning from our experiences and gain strength from them. The events or things in our lives—good and bad—give us an opportunity to come into relationship with God through love and gratitude, and with other people through what we choose to do in the circumstances we’re presented with.
This also means blessings have roots in gratitude, rather than expectation.
I believe so much of our inability to recognize blessing in our lives comes down to control. We don’t control God, consequences, other people, their choices, or their responses. Our spiritual lives are one long exercise in giving away control, acknowledging we’re not in charge, and living with hope in the somewhat terrifying face of that.
I don’t think I’m meant to understand how it all works, but to live from a position of faith. What’s important to me is that I remain in awe of the blessings I feel and find in my world, that I keep gratitude in my heart, and hope in my daily walk. That I recognize God’s hand in my life even when my prayers seem to bounce back on me, and nothing happens the way I think it should, and nothing is changed by praying but me. That I’m willing to receive. That in receiving, I keep my focus on the relationship rather than on any specific gift.
faith grows only as we question what we are told, as we try teachings out by putting them into practice to see if they really make a difference in our own lives.
if Latter-day Saints could get comfortable being real with each other, it could transform the church.
May 26, 2025
Susan and Cynthia have spent hours and years, talking on mike about the challenges of being a modern Mormon woman. They have discussed the good, bad and itchy parts of our doctrine and practice. They are staying but can understand why women are leaving. Their openness allows others to join the conversation.
Why I started this book: I've been listening to their podcast for several years and eager to see what they would write.
Why I finished it: Turns out this is more, best of the podcast vs. something new. Which is good introduction to anyone who hasn't listened to the podcast for years. In fact, this is a way to jump into the conversations that they've been having.
Why I started this book: I've been listening to their podcast for several years and eager to see what they would write.
Why I finished it: Turns out this is more, best of the podcast vs. something new. Which is good introduction to anyone who hasn't listened to the podcast for years. In fact, this is a way to jump into the conversations that they've been having.
June 9, 2025
I think this book is amazing! They present a very important perspective that you don't hear often in the church. I've listened to many of their podcasts and while there wasn't much that was new in the book it was a great compilation of important thoughts. I would recommend for anyone struggling with aspects of the church, but who want to find a place there.
First couple of chapters are the bluntest/harshest of the book. Get through those and there are actually some very positive chapters.
First couple of chapters are the bluntest/harshest of the book. Get through those and there are actually some very positive chapters.
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June 12, 2025What it is: the same wonderful voices from their podcast, sharing their refreshing views about all the things.
What it is not: I should have realized what it is before I read the book. I enjoyed it, and it is worth having and worth buying. What I will say is that if you have listened to their podcast, you will not read anything you haven’t heard there already. So this is not a bunch of new content per se. This does not mean it isn’t wonderful. I think I just had the wrong expectation going in that it was going to be new/different content.
What it is not: I should have realized what it is before I read the book. I enjoyed it, and it is worth having and worth buying. What I will say is that if you have listened to their podcast, you will not read anything you haven’t heard there already. So this is not a bunch of new content per se. This does not mean it isn’t wonderful. I think I just had the wrong expectation going in that it was going to be new/different content.
May 18, 2025
This book feels just like the podcast, which I listen to every week, so they are true to their voices.
Cynthia and Susan feel like friends of mine after listening to nearly every episode and reading the book. It’s been helpful and healing to know there are so many others out there who are also quietly questioning why we’re putting up with what we’re putting up with when it comes to faith. Just because it’s always been done one way doesn’t mean it can’t grow and change.
Cynthia and Susan feel like friends of mine after listening to nearly every episode and reading the book. It’s been helpful and healing to know there are so many others out there who are also quietly questioning why we’re putting up with what we’re putting up with when it comes to faith. Just because it’s always been done one way doesn’t mean it can’t grow and change.
June 9, 2025
This book had so many moments where I had to stop and just put my hand on my heart with a fervent amen. I especially appreciated the chapter on grief & growth. All of it really resonated with me and helped me with where I am right now. I needed a little extra hug & this book felt like one to me. I have a lot of respect for people willing to address difficult topics and ideas, and I love those conversations- this book is an excellent example of that.
June 10, 2025
I’ve been a fan of their podcast for a few years now, so I was so excited when they mentioned they were writing a book. Some of it was familiar as a listener of their show, but some of the stories were new. As I read I started marking passages to go back to and putting in tabs in my book. I will return to this book in the future. I especially loved the section of grieving and growth, and metamorphosis.
I’m grateful for Susan and Cynthia and their willingness to say the hard parts out loud.
I’m grateful for Susan and Cynthia and their willingness to say the hard parts out loud.
June 25, 2025
I love what these women have to say! They are able to express so many of the feelings I’ve felt as a woman in the LDS church for 30 years. From cultural issues to doctrinal ones, they tackle it all head on and say all the quiet parts out loud.
The only thing I wished for is a little more overall shaping and context to the essays. If you’re not a podcast listener this distills some of their best discussions in a written format though!
The only thing I wished for is a little more overall shaping and context to the essays. If you’re not a podcast listener this distills some of their best discussions in a written format though!
June 29, 2025
They said it. They pull no punches, it is what it is. They're done with the box that the LDS Church puts women in. Well, they've been done with it for a long time and have been podcasting for five years, they just finally wrote a book.
(I read it before the release date because I subcontract with the publisher and proofread the manuscript. You're welcome for making sure you got the cleanest copy we could make.)
(I read it before the release date because I subcontract with the publisher and proofread the manuscript. You're welcome for making sure you got the cleanest copy we could make.)
July 17, 2025
Some chapters resonated more with me than others but overall it was good. It definitely had the same feeling as their podcast (which I enjoy) with their individual personalities shining through. I am only slightly younger than these ladies so I feel their content pertains to my life, but I don’t know if it would resonate with the younger crowd. Much of what they address are topics not age specific so it might.
July 1, 2025
I was so glad there was an audiobook- Cynthia and Susan’s voices are so reassuring after all the podcast episodes. I also requested the library buy a paper copy, so I’m looking forward to read some key chapters and sections as well. Just like the podcast, this book touched on a lot of much needed topics. Thank you ALSSI!
December 29, 2025
"What is there to love and revere about silent women?" (pg. 80)
Susan and Cynthia and the At Last She Said It podcast have been a lifeline for me over the past year, and this book was at the top of my Christmas wishlist. Can't recommend it enough for anyone who feels like the LDS/Mormon box isn't quite fitting like it used to, or for those wanting more nuance in their spiritual life.
Susan and Cynthia and the At Last She Said It podcast have been a lifeline for me over the past year, and this book was at the top of my Christmas wishlist. Can't recommend it enough for anyone who feels like the LDS/Mormon box isn't quite fitting like it used to, or for those wanting more nuance in their spiritual life.
May 6, 2025
Exactly what you would expect if you are familiar with their podcast: thoughtful and conversational writing with lots of vulnerability. I love that Susan and Cynthia are honest about their faith journeys and how they have sought to make religion work for their lives.
May 30, 2025
the work cynthia and susan do is literally life-saving. i have been on a faith journey for over 5 years, and their words bring me such comfort and guidance. this book was a wonderful compilation of many topics they’ve discussed over the years. i hope they release others in the future!
December 31, 2025
This was a such a worthwhile read during my spiritual journey. One favorite quote among many: “After a lifetime of pursuing a testimony in places like scriptures, prayers and church pews, it turns out something is True when it makes me realize everything is bigger than I thought it was.” (p45)
May 6, 2025
These ladies and their conversations have done so much for me.
June 11, 2025
Refreshing and such a life resource for LDS women!
August 29, 2025
Took me awhile to finish listening to this book, but, how refreshing to have such brave women challenging decades of culture, tradition, and status quo. I loved it!!
November 20, 2025
These ladies and their words are a lifeline. Susan’s chapters in this book were particularly personally meaningful. 4.5 stars.
May 20, 2025
As someone who has a hard time focusing through podcasts, I loved that they wrote a book!
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