Growing Up Saved: When Loving God Feels Like Losing Yourself

by Kristen LaValley

What do you do if the faith that raised you seems to fail when you need it the most?

Kristen LaValley grew up a church kid through and through. She said “the sinner’s prayer” before she could write her name—and spent the next few decades trying to prove she meant it; in a body that couldn’t rest, with a mind she didn’t yet understand, under a God she was afraid to disappoint. She learned to perform the kind of faith that got one that hid pain and swallowed questions.

But in the thick of depression, spiritual exhaustion, and a late ADHD diagnosis, she found herself wondering if the faith she’d built her life on could really hold her.

In Growing Up Saved, Kristen maps the slow undoing of a faith formed in certainty and what it took to find God in the middle of her unraveling.

In these pages, you’ll find authenticity, empathy, and biblical wisdom as you to find your way through a faith that was formed in fearthe intersection of trauma, mental health, neurodivergence, and spiritual identitythe healing work of making peace with your body, your mind, and your storya path for those navigating life after disillusionment, burnout, religious trauma, or painThis book isn’t a call to give up on faith. It’s an invitation to hold it differently. With tenderness, grit, and humor, Kristen offers a hard-won way through grief and grace to a messy, holy rebuilding.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Kristen LaValley is a writer and storyteller whose words offer a refreshing perspective on faith and spirituality and resonate with those who carry tension in their faith. She offers insights that intersect doubt and belief, hope and suffering, beauty and heartache. With a deep love for the Christian faith and a willingness to explore its complexities, Kristen's writing offers nuanced conversations that challenge readers to think deeply and wrestle with important questions. Kristen lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Zach, and their five children.

Reviews

[Savvy_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Up Saved: When Loving God Feels Like Losing Yourself by Kristen LaValley is a beautiful memoir and reminder of God’s love for each of us even when we are going through church hurt, mental illness, or deconstruction. She deftly handles difficult topics with the light of hope. This is exactly the book I needed to read right now, and it will be one I revisit often. There are so many quotes that lend themselves to journaling that I would love to see a corresponding guided journal from LaValley based on the content in this book. I highly recommend this book! I am thankful to have received an ebook advanced reader copy from Tyndale House Publishers/Tyndale Momentum via NetGalley for voluntary review. I look forward to purchasing a print copy as soon as it is released!

[Victoria Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have not finished this book, thanks to awesome illnesses and work getting in the way, I just know this book is not only anecdotally funny and relevant but crucial to this generation. Our relationship with the church has become so nuanced and Kristen writes from the heart so well to share how important it is to love God even when it feels near impossible. I cannot wait to read the published work!!