Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty

by Marisa Renee Lee

Author Marisa Renee Lee shares how to care for yourself during uncertain times—a disorienting emotional period when life is fundamentally altered without your consent, in prose Maggie Smith deems "nothing short of a miracle and just what we need right now.”

In Waiting for Dawn, bestselling author Marisa Renee Lee reveals how to prioritize and care for yourself when change you don’t want is thrust upon you. Lee guides you through the hard times that arise unexpectedly and disrupt your life for in-determinate periods. Uncertainty and fear impact how you interact with the world and understand your place in it. You manage the loneliness and isolation by convincing others that you are fine. Lee debunks the idea that you must force positivity and, instead, helps you learn how to hold compassion for yourself in hard times.

Through rich, revelatory prose, Lee assists you in navigating life’s unstable and overwhelming moments. Using research and her personal experiences, she argues that self-preservation is necessary when life is at its worst. If you are experiencing pain, chronic stress, or loneliness or are burdened with self-doubt, Waiting for Dawn brings you from a place of instability to hope.

Lee shares her two-year journey battling loss and illness—the death of her mother-in-law, ongoing sickness, and the emotional challenges she endured—that taught her that healing is about finding your own unique way through the darkness. Waiting for Dawn provides a compass to help you rediscover your worth and identify how to live well. These dark periods are necessary for things to grow and transform, but it never stays dark forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Grief

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Gloriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be a bit biased when I say this, but Waiting for Dawn is my favorite book so far this year. Nevermind that one of my college besties wrote it, in its pages there lies so much practical and thoughtful wisdom for navigating these deeply disturbing times when just opening our phones exposes us to horrifying stories and all too depressing realities shared by millions around the world. Marisa uses her personal experiences to connect with the reader and show a way to deal with what she coins as "grey grief," which she defines as a period of uncertainty or turmoil that upends everything, bringing heaviness, pain, and sometimes debilitating grieving. Even though the subject matter sounds heavy, Marisa's tone is actually cheerfully hilarious at times, and she goes from self-depreciating humor and anecdotes about her own family life to heavier subjects with a deft touch that never sounds preachy or forced.

I actually listened to this book, and did read through earlier drafts of the book, and hearing Marisa herself narrate the book felt like a warm hug, as she took me through an ultimately uplifting journey to finding our way out of the fog of grey grief to a brighter dawn where problems are more manageable and the burden doesn't feel as heavy on our souls. Sadly, I feel like many of us can use a book like this this year, and I hope it speaks to you as clearly as it spoke to me.

[Beverly]

I won a copy of "Waiting For Dawn: Living With Uncertainty" on Goodreads First Reads. I'm looking forward to receiving my book.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.25 stars)

Thanks to Legacy Lit & Hachette Audio for the free ARC and ALC! All opinions are my own.

This book - a self-help/memoir hybrid - is for anyone who has ever been burned out, those living with chronic illness, busy parents, other caretakers, or anyone who has dealt with grief or a health crisis. So basically, for all of us.

I have followed author Marisa Renee Lee online since her first book, Grief Is Love, came out. I learned of her through Elizabeth Holmes (no, not that one - the author and creator who covers royal fashion and other topics). Marisa has worn many hats and had many high-powered careers but today she describes herself as a grief advocate, author, and writer. This book was originally going to be about caretaking, but it evolved when Marisa got sick with long COVID and had to adapt herself and her life as a result.

This is a great read for anyone who has gone through a tough time, is going through one now, or wants to be better equipped for the times of uncertainty that come for us all eventually. There is no toxic positivity here, just reminders and advice for how to take care of ourselves.

Much of the power of the book comes from Marisa's open and honest account of some of her most recent struggles. Despite all the obstacles she has encountered throughout her life, long COVID compounded her grief in a new way and forced her to slow down like she never has before. Marisa shares how she reckoned with her own internalized ableism to admit that she was disabled and adjusted her mindset in the process. I really appreciated the candid way Marisa recounted her story and brought out the lessons she wanted to share with her readers.

I ended up listening to the audiobook for the most part and loved listening to Marisa read the book herself. That said, I don't think you can go wrong on format here, so pick up whichever version fits your reading preference!

[Maggie Driver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Advanced Review Copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing and Legacy Lit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really unexpected and beautiful! I was super drawn to the title at first glance, but this book revealed itself as a beautiful memoir of hope, resilience during times of chronic illness, and lessons on living with uncertainty. One large facet of the book is centered on the author’s illness from Long COVID and how it impacted her as a mother and wife. I also particularly loved reading about the author’s relationship with her mother and what she learned about life, illness, and uncertainty through her mother’s own personal experiences. It was very reflective and beautifully written.

This book had a lot of comforting and reassuring chapters that made me fall in love with it, including anecdotes and lessons on rest, boundaries, and personal growth, which were aplenty and always told with a firm but validating tone. The chapters on loneliness, performance, and healing were my favorites.

The little lessons in this book, like sitting with our pain and taking time to understand it and then taking action to heal, building emotional endurance, having boundaries around our true capacity, and asking for help are all things that I will take with me from this beautiful book.

Anyone who is dealing with chronic illness, grief, or who is living through a period of uncertainty, whether physical, emotional, or mental, will find wisdom and comfort in this book. Thank you, Marisa Renee Lee for sharing your story and teachings. ❤️

[MICHEAL DOANE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for Dawn is a deeply reflective and necessary work that confronts one of the most under-articulated human experiences: living within uncertainty. Marisa Renee Lee approaches this space with clarity, restraint, and emotional intelligence, offering not prescriptions, but permission, permission to feel, to struggle, and to exist without resolution.

What distinguishes this book is its rejection of forced optimism. Rather than encouraging readers to bypass pain, Lee validates it, reframing emotional difficulty as something to be acknowledged and navigated rather than corrected. This shift is both subtle and powerful, positioning the book as a more honest companion through grief, stress, and instability.

The integration of personal experience with broader insight gives the narrative weight. Lee’s reflections on loss, illness, and emotional endurance are not presented as isolated events, but as part of a shared human condition. This universality allows the work to resonate across a wide audience without losing its intimacy.

Equally important is the book’s function. Waiting for Dawn does not promise transformation through sudden clarity; instead, it offers a steady framework for enduring difficult periods with self-compassion and awareness. It becomes less of a guide to “fixing” life and more of a companion for moving through it.

The result is a work that is quiet but powerful, one that meets readers where they are and remains with them through the process of finding their way forward.

[Marjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I didn’t know I needed so much.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and her calm, grounding voice made the experience even more powerful. It’s a short book, but every minute feels intentional, nothing wasted, nothing filler.

It blends self-help with deeply personal reflections, weaving in moments from the author’s own struggles in a way that feels honest rather than performative. At its core, it’s about moving through periods of uncertainty, those times when your identity feels like it’s slipping and you start questioning who you are.

What stayed with me most is the idea of “fog.” The author uses it as a metaphor for uncertainty, and it’s incredibly fitting. You’re not lost, you just can’t see clearly right now. Instead of pushing you to find meaning in the chaos, this book focuses on something more realistic and more helpful, how to navigate it.

It reminds you to hold on to what’s inherent to you, your core values, when everything else feels unstable. To celebrate small, positive steps. To keep moving, even if it’s slow and unclear.

It’s not about fixing everything. It’s about learning how to walk through the fog.

A thoughtful, practical, and comforting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[Cole Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Marisa through her first book, Grief Is Love, and automatically knew I needed the second, Waiting For Dawn, when she said she was writing it.

This book encapsulates what it means to live with uncertainty: from living with long COVID, daily mishaps that shift our perceptions of self, internalized ableism when your body now responds differently to certain tasks, and also navigating grief, Marisa truly embodies how to maneuver all of life’s uncertainties with a grace and grit only she can write.

I think, for all of us, generally speaking, we collectively see change as bad, bad, bad. But Marisa’s approach is compassion, gentleness, and the ability to navigate with some love of self.

Throughout all of life’s many complexities, Marisa urges us as readers to sit with this uninvited change and know that dawn is coming if we can just hold on a little longer.

Do yourself a favor and be on the lookout for this stunner of a book. Coming your way April 7.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the gifted ARC. 🫶🏼

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting for Dawn by Marisa Renee Lee is a quiet, reflective book about what happens when your life shifts in ways you can’t control.

Lee writes candidly about living with long COVID: the brain fog, the exhaustion, the small daily mistakes that slowly chip away at your confidence and the internalized ableism that can surface when your body no longer cooperates. Alongside her illness is layered grief, as she and her husband navigate the loss of their mothers and the strain sorrow places on a marriage.

One of my favorite aspects of the book is her framing of uncertainty as something that arrives uninvited and changes the landscape of your life. Instead of pushing forced optimism, she invites gentleness. Self-preservation. Compassion.

This book feels like permission to move slowly through the dark and trust that dawn will come in its own time.

[Rachel Fulginiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good and so incredibly in tune with the uncertainty so many of us are living with right now. I've had my own struggles with chronic health issues and this is the real deal- it reads like hanging with a good friend who's been through it all too - though you needn't have a chronic illness to get so much out of this book. In a sense we are all "waiting for dawn" as the world continues to morph and change. I love the encouraging, conversational tone she captures without minimizing how difficult it can be struggle or "spiritual bypassing". It's a great read and no doubt one I will turn to again for hope and wisdom.

[Allison Salzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee shares her journey through the past three years of her life dealing with a loss in her family, a murder, and living with long COVID by learning to sit and live with uncertainty. The compassion in which she has given herself in dealing with the changes this disability has brought her is a reminder to us all to treat ourself as we treat others. Lee reminds people how important it is to give yourself grace, lean on your community, ask for help, and rest when you need it. In this time of uncertainty we can all learn something from Waiting For Dawn.

[Courtney Panasuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO NOTES YET AGAIN!! While Grief is Love was (obviously) about the grief experience, I'd highly recommend this one to anyone going through any level of change or uncertainty in their life. Marisa has such a beautiful way of making the reader feel so seen and validated, while also being incredibly pragmatic about life. She does it all without ever seeming too optimistic OR too doom and gloom. Just perfectly pragmatic and also tender and perfect.

(Not the point of this book, but it was also so lovely to tangentially get a peek at Marisa's life since her last book).

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisa Renee Lee writes about some of the hardest things in life – loss, illness, uncertainty – but does so with tremendous hope and encouragement. She generously shares both heart earned learnings from her own experiences alongside evidence-based research on coping and adjustment. Her writing is captivating and goes down easy. this is ultimately a very supportive and encouraging read that will spark and fuel hope for anyone managing life‘s big challenges.

[Lexi readingwhilehot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the authors first work and really enjoyed it from a grief perspective.
In following her story on social media I saw her come to reflect on some of the disability and chronic illness related grief and internalized ableism in a new way. This book really did continue the beautiful reflections this author can make about life. Making personal memoir style relatable, I am always such a fan.

I’m so grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy for the honest review!

[Bridget Marvinsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written combination of memoir, guidance, and evidence backed methods for dealing with loss, illness, and the many curveballs life throws at us. As with her first book, Grief is Love, Lee draws the reader into her story with equal parts humor and wisdom. To read her is to feel a part of a community, which, she reminds us, is a universal comfort in the human experience.

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very insightful chapters, I wrote down quotes I like from this type of book and the list is much longer than normal. Towards the end it sometimes felt like the same points were repeated multiple times, but the final chapter was very inspiring. Can recommend a read to anyone experiencing grief, or who just don't know where to go

[Deborah Redden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent self help book about how to manage life when it gets overwhelming with reminders about boundaries and self-care. It also discusses the impact of grief on coping skills when life becomes challenging.
Only downside was the humble bragging about personal achievements but I dislike that in all books of this type and is the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five.

[lauren murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting For Dawn is a comforting read that sheds light on many of the difficult waves one rides through life. Marisa’s writing is reassuringly relatable. She recounts physically and emotionally challenging moments while staying true to her upbeat, optimistic self.

[Carmella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came into my life at exactly the right time. Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty helped me when I was dealing with anxiety and reminded me that uncertainty is a part of life, not something we have to fear. It felt like someone sitting next to me saying, “You’re going to be okay.”

[Danae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another honest and thought-provoking book from Marisa Renee Lee. In mixing her raw experience with insightful, well-researched insights she makes the personal universal to help us all better handle the uncertainty that is part of life.

[Jenni Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does an incredible job not only telling interesting stories and sharing experiences from the author’s life, but also in demonstrating clear, evidence-backed, practical ways to deal with periods of uncertainty (which all of us experience). I am biased because I’m lucky enough to call Marisa a friend, but, I flew through this book and think it will help so many people. I can’t wait to share it far and wide.