Detours: Hope & Growth After Life's Hardest Turns

by Elizabeth Smart

In this powerful memoir of survival and healing, Elizabeth Smart empowers readers to navigate life’s detours, embrace resilience, and find healing and purpose after adversity.

In Detours, Elizabeth Smart explores how trauma can derail one’s path in life and shares her struggles with captivity, reintegration, and resilience. Using the metaphor of life as a road, Smart introduces four key “Rest Stops” for navigating life’s detours—grieving lost paths, embracing change, seeking connections, and redefining destinations. Through themes of hope, community, and self-discovery, she inspires readers to find strength in their own journeys toward healing.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Memoir, True Crime, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, Ebooks

176 pages, Hardcover

Published December 16, 2025

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Note: This profile is for Elizabeth^^^Smart.

The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003 after being held prisoner for 9 grueling months.

Through this traumatic experience Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and National legislation. Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which lead to conviction.

The Founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation”, Elizabeth has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions.

Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, “My Story.” In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivors guide, entitled, “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.” This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.

Elizabeth’s abduction and recovery continues to motivate parents, law enforcement and leaders worldwide to focus on children’s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by “every day” people and the belief that hope always exist to find every missing child.

Elizabeth’s example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after a tragic event. Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012.

Reviews

[Tini · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Detours", Elizabeth Smart - kidnapping survivor turned speaker and advocate - offers more than a memoir; her latest book is a powerful guide to life's unexpected turns and how to navigate them. She draws on her own story of captivity and survival to explore how trauma can derail our paths and how, even when the road ahead shifts, we can learn to embrace change, seek connection, and redefine our destinations. With themes of hope, community, and self-discovery, Smart shows that the detours we dread may actually be the routes that make us stronger.

Classifying this book as a memoir almost does it a disservice. While Smart does revisit some defining moments in her life, she does so only to illustrate how anyone - no matter what they have gone through that caused them to detour from where they thought their life was headed - can find hope, purpose, and healing. It's a short but powerful read, blending psychological insight with Elizabeth's personal lessons and examples.

For readers interested in self-care or personal growth, the themes may be familiar, yet Smart conveys them in a heartfelt, memorable way. This isn't so much a roadmap for surviving detours (as Smart points out, that route is as individual as the person) but a playbook for refusing to be derailed by them and transforming from a victim of circumstance into a survivor. If you've ever faced any kind of trauma, as we've all done in some shape or form, you'll find some insight here that, while perhaps not new, is certainly inspiring. Written in a relatable voice, often laced with Elizabeth's warm humor, this is the kind of book that makes you better for reading it.

Many thanks to Post Hill Press for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Detours" is slated to be released on December 16, 2025.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Detours, by Elizabeth Smart, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Elizabeth Smart has gone through a lot in her 37 years, being kidnapped and held for way to long by two crazy people. This book helps bring hope to people when life's detours are not what we expected or hoped for.

[Pav S. (pav_sanborn_bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book truly feels as if it found me exactly when I needed a new perspective on my personal journey. I’m amazed by how deeply it resonates with my experiences, and I find myself wanting to revisit certain sections with fresh eyes. It may finally help me navigate the detour I’ve been on since the landslide of challenges I encountered.

In *Detours*, Elizabeth Smart reflects on survival and healing after trauma. She outlines four key "Rest Stops" for navigating life's challenges: grieving, embracing change, seeking connections, and redefining goals. Through her experiences, she inspires readers to find hope and strength in their healing journeys.

I need to take my time to gather my thoughts because I genuinely enjoy reading memoirs—especially when they’re narrated by the author. Hearing the voice behind the message makes it all the more powerful. Elizabeth communicates clearly and gets straight to the heart of her story, sharing her vulnerabilities and experiences, which allows readers to connect with her on a personal level. Her resilience in the face of trauma is incredibly inspiring. It can be daunting to share one’s trauma, yet it can also be incredibly empowering.

I’m almost speechless, as I’ve spent the past seven years feeling like I was dodging rocks and obstacles, unsure of how to move forward. Listening to this book has provided me with a completely new perspective, helping me transition from feeling stuck to actively embracing a new direction and the detour that comes with it.

The past two years have been particularly challenging for me; I've faced various types of loss and mourned the path I was on and the opportunities that slipped away. It took me at least six months to find the strength to move on and accept new possibilities with an open mind. I wish I had had this book in my hands last year; it could have set me on a whole different course of action, ready to switch gears. The book is filled with incredibly relatable metaphors!

But enough about me—this book is a must-read for anyone who has followed Elizabeth’s journey and wants to understand how she managed to move forward from such profound trauma. She shares just enough about her time in captivity to help us grasp that everyone faces different forms of grief and loss, and there’s no need for comparison. This heartfelt narrative will resonate with anyone dealing with loss, whether it's personal, an opportunity missed, financial troubles, or the passing of a loved one. It is empowering, eye-opening, and brimming with hope and possibilities if you choose to push through life's difficult moments. I can’t wait to quote a few passages, but since this is an ARC, I’ll have to wait for the final print. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book as well!

Thank you, RB Media|Recorded Books and NetGalley, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Elizabeth Smart offers insights and ideas for navigating life’s challenges. She includes stories from her personal life, including her kidnapping and parents’ divorce. I thought it was interesting and well written. Felt like more of a self-help book than a memoir.

The main reason I didn’t rate it higher is that I worry some readers might walk away from this book and think they don’t need to try talk therapy, even though it could help them. Elizabeth Smart explains that, as a teenager, she didn’t think talk therapy would help her, so after her kidnapping, she found other ways to heal, like spending time with horses on her grandfather’s ranch. Later, after her parents’ divorce, she did go to talk therapy and found it helpful. She isn’t against therapy at all. Her goal is to encourage people to find what works for them, which I think is a good message. Still, I can imagine someone reading this and thinking, “Well, Elizabeth Smart didn’t go to therapy after her trauma, so I don’t need to either.” Just something that gave me pause, otherwise it was a good book.

[Marianna Cordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has had a major life detour with chronic illness, this book was hopeful.

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the world of Elizabeth Smart. She’s managed to turn her trauma into a net positive, by helping girls and women thrive. Not only does she have a martial arts program so that participants can learn self-defense, Smart has also started programs that help them begin their journeys (to healing) after their own trauma. She also tours endlessly as an advocate for others and tells her story over and over. I think she’s amazing.

Smart lists some common “rockslides” that people run into throughout their lives and ways to take a breather and reset—but more importantly, how to open our minds to taking the detours that appear, even if it’s something we’ve never considered before. Especially if it’s new to us.

I’m sure Elizabeth never thought she’d be a famous public speaker. She admits that her personal preference had always been to fade into the background rather than be the life of the party. However, she realized at some point that she could do some real good by sharing her story, and so she took a life detour. Smart has some great examples throughout the book about how she’s learned to handle adversity and past trauma, and it’s definitely worth reading about.

Elizabeth mentions in the book about how tons of people have always criticized her for not doing more to escape during her nine months of captivity. If you were 14-years-old, and a scary man held you prisoner and threatened the lives of your family if you escaped—can you honestly say you wouldn’t have hesitated at the thought of escaping? If the psychopath knew exactly where your family lived, and you knew he was dead serious about retaliation? Come on. This kind of victim-blaming needs to be yeeted to a galaxy far, far away. It disgusts me that some have repeatedly harped on her decisions during those terrifying months. Leave. Her. Alone.

All right, rant over. I highly recommend this book, and you should all read it, even if you don’t think you need advice in this area.

I’m grateful to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for an advance copy. All opinions are mine.

[Kristina P (ARC Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detours by Elizabeth Smart. Publish Date: December 16, 2025.

I would classify this book as a mix between a memoir and a self help book. She is an absolutely incredible author and writes very well. I loved reading about how she took the awful things she experienced and used those “detours” as a way to move her life forward in a positive way.

To quote Elizabeth in her book “Every person is a fascinating, messy jumble of psychology and genetics and experience. Each little moment that we live, we live through different eyes. Everything we feel, we feel through different hands and hearts. And those hearts and hands and eyes have all been molded by every secret handshake and broken promise and scary movie that makes up your unique existence. How, then, can we even begin to compare traumas?”

I too have had the roadblocks in life that were a trauma to me in my life, and I was concerned reading this book would send me back into my traumas instead of come alongside me in encouragement. I did find it to be emotionally heavy, and had to read the book in pieces, but, it reminded me of when you go to therapy. It’s helpful, practical, encouraging, even if it’s exhausting to think about the applications to make in your life.

My content rating for this book is excellent. No profanity, or inappropriate places in the book. Also, don’t expect or be concerned about hearing the details of her trauma. Instead of feeding the public’s curiosity and possibly trigger your mental well being she keeps it vague, to the point and as a need to know basis. She focuses mostly on how to use what you went through to move forward.

I give this book a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to Post Hill Press Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, like many people, have followed Elizabeth Smart’s story. On a personal level, her rescue occurred only a few miles from where I live and I cried tears of joy at her return. I have no connection to her but have seen her in person at the symphony and other places with her family. Her mission, marriage and other events are reported in local news stories making her easy to follow. And having been brought up in a similar religious home I understand her background.

This book is not about her kidnapping which she has previously written about. The focus instead is on navigating the roadblocks or detours in life. She talks about the big detours like her kidnapping and the break up of her parents marriage but the focus is on healing and finding a way forward. She talks in an easy manner but with professional help and studies that back up her thoughts. She recognizes every person’s path is different and their healing will be different too. I love that she didn’t have a place for therapy after her kidnapping although it was constantly recommended. But instead she found working with her grandfather’s horses and music as her great escapes. Both are very established therapies, she just wasn’t aware of them in that way at the time.

I love her advocacy for not shaming victims. She explains there is a bias to liking people who fight back more. She has the ultimate rebuttal in that she survived her ordeal. I marvel at her ability to compartmentalize what happened to her and her willingness to speak out for so that others can have their voices heard. This book is a mix of a memoir and self help. She encourages being positive and having people in your life that will lift and support you. I didn’t find anything life changing in the book but it is easily readable and you can always take a few good ideas for when life next challenges you. Thank you to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Sheila The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher, and listening to Detours felt more like having a real conversation than listening to a traditional memoir. Elizabeth Smart shares her story in a way that feels thoughtful and intentional, focusing less on retelling events and more on what helped her keep moving forward after trauma. She organizes the book around what she calls “rest stops,” moments in life where we pause, reflect, and figure out how to continue when things don’t go as planned.

What stood out to me most was how steady and compassionate her voice is throughout the book. There’s nothing sensationalized here and nothing feels forced. She gets right to the heart of what matters, sharing what she’s learned with honesty and clarity. Hearing her narrate her own story made the experience even more meaningful, and her strength and resilience come through in a very real, grounded way.

One of the parts I appreciated most was her clear pushback against victim blaming. Hearing her name how harmful and unfair that mindset is honestly made me want to cheer. I was also relieved that while she talks about her religious upbringing, the book never turns into a religious message. The focus stays on healing and growth in a way that feels welcoming to a wide range of readers.

I also really appreciated her reminder that healing looks different for everyone. There isn’t one right way to do it, and assuming there is can be limiting and unhelpful. That message alone makes this book worth reading.

I highly recommend Detours. It’s more than just a memoir. It’s a thoughtful, encouraging read for anyone who needs reassurance that it’s okay to take a different path forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

[Firetruckmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“Detours” is by Elizabeth Smart. This book’s description says it’s a memoir - and, while it is, I’d say it’s more of a self-help type of book than an actual memoir. This is a very short book, filled with advice (from both her and doctors) about how to deal with life when the unexpected happens and you have to “detour” around what you expected. In Ms. Smart’s case, it was her abduction and eventual return to her family (played out in headlines). For someone else it may be losing a job, it may be losing a child, it may be losing a parent, it may be losing the part in a play - everyone goes through some sort of loss that “detours” them off their chosen path. Ms. Smart gives advice on how to deal with those issues - from acknowledging the thing to coping with the loss all the way to remaining positive (and practicing gratitude) and having people you trust/love in your life (or forming a social bond in general). I know that having a positive outlook in general helps people when they’re under stress and while not everyone has that ability naturally, Ms. Smart gives advice about how to obtain that (what are you grateful for right now - do you feel safe?). For me, the advice in this book wasn’t new, but it was put together in a comprehensive short way that I appreciated.

[Mhughessc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Smart is well-known for the worst thing that ever happened to her. However, she's taken that horrible experience and pivoted into becoming an inspiration and encouragement. Her latest book is titled, "Detours: Hope & Growth After Life's Hardest Turns" and is a wonderful treatise on how to take those hard moments and turn them into good. Smart compares life to a journey in which there are roadblocks, rockslides, and reroutes. She encourages her readers to take rest stops along the way, such as: allowing yourself to grieve, avoiding comparison, recognizing how you've changed, and more. One thing that I found particularly thought-provoking was when she talks about how inefficient it is to compare your hard times to others. Smart says, "We're not weighing things with the same set of scales, so it's useless to try and compare things."

This book was really encouraging, and I appreciated Smart's assertion that "on any emotional journey, hope is water and it is gasoline and it is binoculars. It sustains you. It gives you strength to move forward. It lets you see beyond the mess of the immediate and into the possibility of the future. It comforts me to think that hope is never truly lost, only changed." I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced trauma or who wants to understand how to help others. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Elizabeth Smart was one of the “lucky” ones. She was kidnapped when she was a teenager, but she miraculously survived to be rescued nine months later. She experienced awful things at the hands of her captors. Smart decided to use those “detours” to focus her life on finding the positive in any situation. Thankfully, in Detours, Smart only tells her story in vague ways so those that might be triggered can still read this book.

While this is mostly a self-help book, Smart includes some personal information, but it definitely isn’t a bare-all book, which I appreciate. She mentions times when she has had plans and ran into a roadblock. She them talks about skills and strategies to get through those “detours” to a better path on the other side. We’ve all faced detours in our lives, yet sometimes we need encouragement or a new way of looking at things. Smart focuses on how to use these roadblocks as a source of strength throughout life. Then, when another detour strikes, you’ll be ready to face it head-on.

Smart narrates her own audiobook, and she did so admirably. She’s got a pleasant speaking voice and clearly has spent some time in front of audiences. She’s a very dynamic personality.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book "Detours' by Elizabeth Smart, from NetGalley. This reads like a self help book. Elizabeth writes of how to go on from "rock slides" in your life and take that Detour to healing and moving on when terrible things happen to you. Elizabeth Smart went through her own Rock slide' when she was kidnapped at knife point from her bedroom at 14 years old by two deranged people. She was help captive by them for nine months. I imagine she has been asked repeatedly how she managed to survive such a horrible thing and move on with her life. In this book she offers tools she has learned when life throws what she calls "rock slides" to take that detour after an awful life experience.
In her book she does write some of those horrible months with the two monsters who held her captive. but really offers how she moved on in her life after living through those month in captivity. This book reminds me of attending several lectures offering tools to move on when life throws you "rock slides' and how to make that detour to healing. a good read I found helpful. I would give this book a 4.5.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think we've all been captivated by Elizabeth Smarts story at one time or another and she tells her story from a place of resilience and determination so clearly. In Detours, Smart recounts a minimal about of information from her kidnapping and instead highlights how she continues to find the strength to move through unplanned challenges in life. I enjoyed that she compared struggles through the lens of marathon training rather than simply through her kidnapping.
It's no surprise that Smart went into advocacy and public speaking. She has a calm voice and that allowed the entire book to feel like a conversation with a friend rather than a memoir.
Smart reminds readers that healing from anything can look different for everyone and that there does not need to be a one size fits all narrative.
I gave this three stars as it was a very solid read but it wasn't something that I couldn't put down or immediately felt the need to add to my library.

Detours is due to be published 12/16/2025 and I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for my review.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written book about trauma recovery that straddles the line between memoir and self-help. Elizabeth Smart comes across as honest and relatable whether discussing her kidnapping, her parents’ divorce, or other disturbing events. I like that the focus of the book is on recovery and post-traumatic growth and that she uses an extended metaphor of a journey with roadblocks, detours, and rest stops.

It’s a good story worth reading, and Smart incorporates some trauma information from experts. I didn’t encounter any new ideas here, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to someone struggling to recover from a traumatic event.

The audiobook production was excellent, and it was nice to hear the author’s story in her own voice. Her narration was well-paced and easy to understand.

Recommended for those who enjoy memoirs and are curious about trauma recovery and post-traumatic growth.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Smart went through something that would have destroyed many people, but she's come out on the other side as a strong, positive, loving person. This is a motivational book and starts with a story about getting stopped in traffic and having to make a decision whether to sit in traffic, give up and turn around, or try a detour she didn't know much about.
The story was suspenseful but at the same time it felt like she wouldn't have judged someone who didn't try the detour-- she recognizes that people are complicated and our motives are different. In this case, she chose the detour and was able to achieve her goals.
Smart talks a little about her ordeal when she was kidnapped, and even there she found positives. She believed she would be rescued, and she was glad when they were unsuccessful kidnapping her cousin.
It doesn't always work when people narrate their own books but this is what Smart does-- she is a wonderful, positive speaker. I'm so glad she is able to share her strengths with the world.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detours jumped to the top of my reading, I especially recommend the audio as it is narrated by the author, Elizabeth Smart.

Most of the world knows that Elizabeth Smart was abducted for nine months from her Salt Lake City home when she was 14 years old. In this audio, she tells some of what it was like to have gone through this experience at such a young age. It must have been so horrifying; I can't imagine. The mind games that her captors played with her as well, constantly threatening harm to her family if she disobeyed.

But even with some of the terrible times, Detours is a very positive and inspirational audiobook. I highly recommend it. 5 stars! I'm guessing that this will be one of the top biographical books in 2025/2026.

Many thanks to Elizabeth Smart. Thank you for being such a courageous inspirational woman. Many thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for approving my request to listen to the advance listen copy of Detours in exchange for an honest review. Approx 4 hours.

[Lynn Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read Detours by Elizabeth Smart. I've not read her other books although I am familiar with her story. Suffice to say that once I began reading her book, I read it straight through, only forced to put it down for short periods of time. This is the book EVERYONE does not know they need to read. It doesn't matter if you don't feel you've suffered anything close to the horrible trauma she survived. Every one has something they're surviving in various degrees. What we may all share is an inability to cope with it or move beyond it. Elizabeth Smart's book will help you do just that. This is a straightforward book about how to heal oneself because that is something no one else can do for you. This book is as she says, a playbook. You can adapt her suggestions to fit your own situation, but there is no way you can read this book and not come out the better for it. EVERYONE, no matter what their age, race, or sex, should read this book!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a memoir and Elizabeth Smart lays that out for you in the beginning if you want to read about that. It's best to read about that in her first book where she does talk about her ordeal. This book is about helping people. It's nice, it's helping people explore how Events can be we mess up our lives and how we can learn to change it and embrace new beginnings and redefine it what we're meant for she does touch a little bit on her story, because I believe if you're new to her, you need to know a little bit about what happened. But her words are powerful, and she writes so well and, I don't even want to say this is a self-help book. It's just so good, a book for somebody who's has experienced trauma or an emotional upheaval, or just needs some positive words . I will definitely be going back to this one and recommending it a lot. I think that Elizabeth smart is using her platform in an amazing ways

Thank you so much to nat galley.For the arc, in exchange for an honest review

[Marylovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Review of *Detours: Hope & Growth After Life's Hardest Turns***
by Elizabeth Smart
Narrated by Elizabeth Smart
**5⭐️**

Elizabeth Smart does an excellent job narrating her own book, which focuses on finding hope and purpose through life’s hardest challenges. Drawing from both her experiences and the experiences of others, she offers a unique, grounded perspective.

Books about trauma can sometimes unintentionally lead readers into comparison or pull them back into their own pasts. Elizabeth avoids this completely. She never sensationalizes anyone’s story; instead, she speaks from the lived experience of someone who survived, overcame, and ultimately thrived despite the detours her life took—especially the landslide of her abduction that drastically altered her path.

This was a phenomenal book that I highly recommend to everyone.

**Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media.**

[Emily | bookwhispererem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people hear the name “Elizabeth Smart” and immediately think they know her story as the young teenaged girl who had been kidnapped, held hostage, and forced to face numerous forms of abuse and trauma for months before her rescue. While her devastating experience made major headlines, not as many people know her real story—who she is as a person, what her life beliefs are, and how she her journey has shaped her so far. “Detours” is an opportunity to get to know Elizabeth Smart on a deeper level, become exposed to her life philosophy for navigating life’s detours, and reflect on one’s own life and resiliency.

Thank you to Elizabeth Smart, RB Media, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

[SuzieQuzie7973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Post Hill Press and Elizabeth Smart for sharing this ARC with me, in exchange for my honest review.

Detours is a very inspirational read. I have heard of Ms. Elizabeth's story by having had watched the 3 part biography, I am Elizabeth. Ms. Elizabeth is such an amazing writer and a very strong woman. She wrote this book in such a way that, not only was it relatable, but at times I felt like I was right there with her:

If y'all like a book about perseverance and never giving up, then this book is for y'all.

[Karianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Elizabeth’s other books, so I had an idea of how this book could be different. The bulk of this book is about redirecting on detours life throws and not her specific story. While she does use examples from her life, she somehow takes examples that seem so unique to her and makes the recovery and aftermath seem so relatable and obtainable for others. Her personality suits this book well. At no point does she come off condescending or attention seeking. Definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long while. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to rate it less than 5 stars. This is a book written by a trauma survivor who gives great information on how to overcome life’s detours. I really enjoyed listening to this, especially since it was narrated by Elizabeth Smart. I found it to be very non judgmental, written with a lot of love and care, included a lot of information and facts, but also very easy to comprehend and apply to life.

Thank you to RBmedia for providing me this audiobook via NetGalley.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire Elizabeth Smart and her work. After surviving a kidnapping, she choose to devout her life to help survivors of sexual violence and to being education on how to prevent it. Her work is putting a face on survivors, taking the shame away from sexual violence and shining a light on it. I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced any type of trauma in your life not just what Smart experienced.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Timing

My life seemed to be falling apart and this wonderful book was right before my eyes on social media! I pre-ordered it and it arrived yesterday and finished it in one day! Did it ever speak to me and my broken soul! I’m going to recommend this book to anyone who will listen… this might be what saves me from my rockslide detour!

[Melissa Coffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Elizabeth Smart, she is such an inspiration and such a great writer. This book is more of a self help book, with some amazing advice as always. Love seeing her doing so well and love how she has handled all the devastation that has happened to her. Such a beautiful young lady.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring and interesting memoir/advice book that is rather short and a quick read. it talks about her worst times, the media, and other events like the divorce of her parents. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Meghan W.]

Immediately started this as soon as my approval came through and then finished in one sitting! I’ve always admired Elizabeth and her story. She’s been a source of inspiration for me through my own traumas and struggles. I really enjoyed her take on life and healing!

[Cindy Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

She did a great job putting together a novel for survivors. Lots of useful tips for how to navigate life after trauma. She does talk about some of her own experience but thats not the primary point if this novel. She did a great job reading it for the audiobook.