Love Warrior

by Glennon Doyle Melton

The highly anticipated new memoir by bestselling author Glennon Doyle Melton tells the story of her journey of self-discovery after the implosion of her marriage.

Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out—three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller list—her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.

Love Warrior is the story of one marriage, but it is also the story of the healing that is possible for any of us when we refuse to settle for good enough and begin to face pain and love head-on. This astonishing memoir reveals how our ideals of masculinity and femininity can make it impossible for a man and a woman to truly know one another - and it captures the beauty that unfolds when one couple commits to unlearning everything they’ve been taught so that they can finally, after thirteen years of marriage, fall in love.

Love Warrior is a gorgeous and inspiring account of how we are born to be warriors: strong, powerful, and brave; able to confront the pain and claim the love that exists for us all. This chronicle of a beautiful, brutal journey speaks to anyone who yearns for deeper, truer relationships and a more abundant, authentic life.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Self Help, Book Club, Biography, Biography Memoir

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published September 6, 2016

About the author

Glennon Doyle is the CEO and Founder of Treat Media, an award-winning media company that makes art for humans who want to stay human. She is an author, podcaster, producer, and philanthropist. Her books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed, which has sold more than three million copies; the #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; the New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior; and Get Untamed: The Journal. Glennon, named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Podcasting,” is co-host of the chart-topping podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which has received over a half billion plays. She is an executive producer of the Sundance award-winning film Come See Me in the Good Light. Glennon was Founder and President of Together Rising, a nonprofit organization which distributed more than $55 million to women, families and children in crisis. Her most recent book, We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions, created with Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle and Treat Media, is being hailed as “the guidebook for being alive.”

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many parts of this book that I LOVED, parts that challenged me and made me think. Some of it felt self absorbed and frustrated me.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each chapter I read of this book, I thought of someone new I wanted to recommend it to. Eventually settling on everyone. Everyone should read this book. Love Warrior is about being vulnerable, shedding your "representative(s)", and being enough.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, now I feel better. This book pissed me off. I feel so terribly manipulated. The one thing I felt this author did well was to identify certain common struggles that many women might feel, but not talk about. And, small portions of this book are so beautifully written that I was in tears. But, this woman absolutely OOZES white privilege. She has children and gets to quit working!? She gets ill and her husband happily moves them all to Florida where she can spend time listening to the ocean and watching sunsets!? She apparently can enjoy a hotel stay and yoga class whenever she needs to... She can afford therapy for herself, her husband, AND her kids! And, worst of all... after stringing her readers along for the whole year and a half while she makes up her mind AND makes her husband pay and pay (not that he didn't deserve some of it) she never recognizes her own part in his affairs. She skims over the fact that SHE makes decisions in the relationship too. SHE decides to keep the baby. SHE admits to not liking sex. SHE tunes her husband out too. She never seems to take responsibility for any of her actions and their negative impacts on her husband - how easy was it for him to live with a neurotic former alcoholic anyway? Then, she writes this book, publishes it, and divorces him anyway. What lessons were we supposed to learn? That if you are white enough, wealthy enough, and lucky enough in your life circumstances you can do what you want to people and still be comfortable with yourself? Not my favorite book by a long haul.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Self indulgent and long winded memoir of a "mom" blogger. I'm sad I cannot get the time back I spent reading this book. A true disappointed.

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just did not do it for me. I've read her blog some and her first book but this one just seemed to be choppy writing and SO much about her dislike of having sex. I generally enjoy her authenticity. I thought it droned on and on but clearly I'm in the minority on Goodreads.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook.....read by the author- Glennon Doyle Melton

The only thing I knew about this book when I saw that my library Overdrive had it readily available on my iPhone app, was that I had VISUALLY seen this book everywhere. Weather or not I knew it was an Oprah pick - honestly- it didn’t register one way or another. This book wasn’t particularly on my radar. I might have marked it to read - but forgotten about it as fast as I marked it. I remember finding the book cover eye-catching cool looking.

My ears perked up when Glennon said that for years she and her friends had spent years talking with one another about everything but what mattered. She said “our real selves tried to live life alone”. People think it’s safer that way. She says, “the pain is there anyway — but we’re suffocating on top of our pains. Shame has been layered on top of our pain”. I think that’s sometimes true for all of us. It can be anything - an emotional hurt - Financial stress - a chronic physical condition - etc. but many times we discover our close friends ( people we cherish and will continue to cherish if they share their nagging debilitating pain with us) - are really hurting and they have never told us. And when do we find out? Often when we are facing a traumatic crisis—then our friends perhaps feels a little safer to share what they have been dealing with alone. THIS ONE PART ALONE —- besides a lot of other chatter of things Glennon shared - important to her - not all interesting to me - WAS SO RAW TRUTHFUL ... it hurt. I felt sad about the conditions of life we all grapple with - but glad she addressed a very human way of being.

I listened to Audiobook while doing laundry - cleaning the bathroom - piddling around the house - and doing some lazy indoor exercises - It was a lazy day for me - I was feeling sluggish - but very thankful that I had the opportunity to allow myself this type of lazy luxury day. I could be sad alone if I wanted to. I could listen to a cheesy tape if I wanted too. I didn’t have to leave my house at all! I needed it to simply comfort me and not face the outside world today.

So - at times I hated this audiobook- hated myself that I didn’t hate it - was pissed that Glennon needed to write it - but of course she did - and worse - that woman all over the world needed to hear it! And don’t men?
Yet.... I fricken - damnit - got some value! I hate this woman! I also think she is kinda adorable - ( I saw her little YouTube with Oprah) - I also know whatever I think of how she looks is a flashing thought which I prefer not indulge. Glennon has experienced addiction- eating disorders and alcohol- infidelity- painful memories around sex - Those are tough issues. Her story ‘is’ a gift: sharing her process towards healing and forgiveness.

Glennon is just ONE WOMAN trying to share ‘her’ truth - trying to be strong- not a victim - deeply wanting to connect with other people and not suffer alone. And most.....NOT ABANDON HER TRUE SELF!!! What the hell is wrong with that? Am I to fault her?
A part of me can be a critical judgmental righteous ass. I see how arrogant I ‘could’ be with a book like this - but in my gut I know I wouldn’t be honest

This young lovely woman - author - Oprah Star - is ALRIGHT! Nothing at all wrong with her! She’s as human as the rest of us - only the rest of us don’t have the world giving us ratings. Her vulnerability opens raw ‘honesty-doors’ within us — even if we haven’t had these same struggles.

My ears perked up again with EXCITEMENT when in one of her therapy sessions Glennon said ( all of 5 feet 2 inches tall)....
“you should get an adjustable size chair in this office so female size people can put their fucking feet on the ground”!!!!!!
MY RATING OF THIS BOOK WENT UP IN THAT *ONE* SENTENCE!!!
Cheers for the short size women in the world!!!

I’m giving this book the super-size enchilada rating - 5 stars. Is it perfect? Not even! She’s annoying at times....but ‘who’ Glennon is......is a firecracker of inspiration.
I’d be friends with her. Her heart is trustworthy.....and that ‘is’ LOVE.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - not rounded up

I may be in the minority on this one, but I had no idea who Glennon Doyle Melton was, I never heard of her first book, and I’ve never read her blog.

As a young girl, she had body-image issues, the daughter of a practically perfect in every way mother, and spent most of her pre-teen years and beyond trying to attain her idea of a perfect body through anorexia and bulimia. As her friends become sexually intimate with their boyfriends, she does, as well, although she begins to abuse alcohol, in part to be more “fun,” and to deal with her dislike of sex in general. Bulimia and alcohol do not a healthy person make. After some time passing in this way, she finds herself peeing on a stick for a second pregnancy, one she will keep.

A marriage follows, and siblings. Infidelity.

But the real story is how, after years of running from herself, from showing only her “representative” to her world, not her “real” self, she realizes that’s not enough. This is her story of her journey to find her authentic self. The process she has to go through before she can even accept responsibility for her part in what remains. This is the part of this personal story that felt worthwhile to read, to me.

On the other hand, there’s a not insignificant part of this that felt like when children rant how about unfair life can be. Unable and unwilling to even look at the other side of the story, as though self-pity became the new coping mechanism. It seems all very real, and I can’t fault her for including this part of her real life, but it made it difficult to feel any sympathy for her during those moments. I never, on the other hand, felt as though she was asking for sympathy or expecting it.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodsread/author for sending me a copy of this book for review. So I've had quite a few problems with this book, but mostly just with the author. She was very whiny to me. She complained about her life a lot and I'm just asking what for? She wants to feel pretty, smart, accepted, etc. But why? We are almost never told why. The only thing we're given is when she was a little girl she was bigger and ate junk food. She wanted to lose weight so she became bulimic. But she was trying to be this perfect girl and I could not fathom why. It seemed like she had a good life growing up. Of course no one's life is perfect, but what is up with this girl? She whines and whines and then eventually it's like she has no feelings for people who might actually give a shit. She cares about what all these students in her school think, but could care less about her family, friends, and boyfriend. I get we're being told the story from the beginning, but the way it's told I wanted more. Like why is the author trying to find validation? Why does she feel fat? I just got annoyed and gave up. If the author is a whiny brat I'm not interested. The writing was done very well, I just could not stand this person they were not a warrior to me. I'm sorry, but I've read memoirs better than this.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a powerful memoir of addiction and healing that I read it twice.

I admit I didn't know who Glennon Doyle Melton was when I decided to read this book. A friend had said she liked her blog (called Momastery) and was excited about her new book, so I grabbed a copy for a buddy read.

Glennon is so open and honest about her struggles with alcoholism and bulimia that you feel like her new best friend, and wow, are we having a heavy talk today. Love Warrior opens with her wedding to a man named Craig, and then her story jumps back to childhood and we witness how she fell into the traps of binge eating and purging, of drinking too much, and of thinking that being liked by boys was the most important thing. She meets and starts dating Craig, and they have two unplanned pregnancies. The first ends in abortion, the second she decides to keep. Glennon knows she has to get sober if she wants to become a mother, so that's what she does. She and Craig get married and have several children.

The second half of this memoir focuses more on Glennon's marriage and their intimacy problems. Glennon says she never felt safe during sex, and when she learns Craig had been unfaithful to her and that he had a porn addiction, they separate. By the end of the book the two have reconciled. (Around the time that Love Warrior was published last fall, Glennon posted that she and Craig had separated again. Last month, Glennon's engagement to soccer star Abby Wambach was announced.)

I liked this book because it gets at some fundamental problems facing girls in our society: the pressure to be pretty, thin, and easygoing, plus the fear of being thought too domineering, too smart or too needy. It's a staggering set of demands, and it's no wonder so many girls get lost in the muddle.

I would recommend this book to those who like addiction memoirs, or those who want to read about trying to heal a marriage. One of my big takeaways from this book is that Glennon advocates for directly dealing with your pain, whatever it is. Don't try to numb it with booze or escape it with food, because the pain will stay there until you address it. Dealing with those emotions is the path of the warrior.

Another big takeway for me was how when Glennon was feeling overwhelmed by pain, depression or anxiety, she'd focus on doing the "next right thing." Sometimes this was as simple as brushing her teeth or making breakfast; other times it meant doing yoga or just sitting still and trying to breathe deeply. This strategy has been a big help to me when I've felt depressed and overwhelmed. Just focus on doing the next right thing, and you'll find your way home.

First read: October 2016
Second read: March 2017

Favorite Quotes
"I'm an early reader and, at four, converse like an adult. But I soon realize that smart is more complicated than beautiful. Strangers come close and pat my curls, but when I speak to them with confidence and clarity, their eyes widen and they pull back. They are drawn in by my smile but repelled by my boldness ... They wanted to adore me and I complicated things by inserting myself into their experience of me. I begin to understand that beauty warms people and smart cools people."

"My fury is for every woman who's been told by the church that God values her marriage more than her soul, her safety, her freedom. My fury is for every woman who has been taught that God is man and man is God. My fury is for every woman who has been told that her bad marriage is the cross upon which she should hang herself."

"I stop explaining myself, because I learn that making decisions is never about doing the right thing or the wrong thing. It's about doing the precise thing. The precise thing is always incredibly personal and often makes no sense to anyone else."

"I want a truce. I want to be whole. I want to learn to live in this body, in this world, with my people. I don't want to be trapped inside myself forever. I want to be in love."

[talking to her daughters]
"Women who are concerned with being pretty think about what they look like, but women who are concerned with being beautiful think about what they are looking at. They are taking it all in. They are taking in the whole beautiful world and making all that beauty theirs to give away to others."

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to win the "advanced reader copy" lottery and get this book, but figured I'd finish it once my summer vacation had started - I finished it in 24 hours. I read Glennon Doyle Melton's other book - Carry On, Warrior - and loved her sense of humor and her writing style on her blog, but this book was a new voice I hadn't heard from her before that I loved. It was deep and weighty and lovely and poetic and heartbreaking. I am not nor ever have been married, but the book spoke about love in a way that transcends and yet also is inextricably linked to marriage. The author and I also disagree in several ways about God, but when she describes love and forgiveness, I read deep gospel truths there.

One of my favorite lines was "the paradox of pain is that it is only universal in retrospect. In the present, it is fiercely personal" (145). This memoir is an author taking her fiercely personal journey and making it available for us all to connect to the universal experience of discovering that we have been sold a bill of goods from the world about what love is and we have to unlearn what we've learned to discover true, deep love. Highly recommend.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about Glennon Doyle Melton prior to reading this book. I had never read her blog or her previous work. I was attracted to this mostly because of the cover and the title but also because I had read that she was a recovering alcoholic.

This memoir is about her struggles with her husband's infidelity and to find herself. I really enjoyed and got a lot out of the first 2/3 of this but then it went into way too much god and yoga for me.

I did really like her thoughts on pain and dealing with it but in the end this wasn't really what I was looking for.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wildly disappointing, perhaps my expectations were too high and I am not the target market. Memoir seemed disjointed, self-absorbed and too self-congratulatory.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed to hear and read right now. The last hour of the book I was crying. Where to start with the powerful map to deeply loving yourself.

Who is Glennon? Before this book I didn't have a clue and after this book I think of her as a real person bringing real truth to the world. She has issues with her body growing up that causes her to lose faith and trust in her body. She tries to follow all the rules she think exist and she acts out who she wants to be.

This book is a woman fighting to show up in the world and be her true self. She was so brave to write this. She put it all out there. I see reviews and people love this or hate it. She laid out exactly who she is and what she felt and thought in her marriage and life and how she learned to live differently. She is saying, you may like me or hate me, but this is me. Such bravery. Most people are too scared to show up as their true selves.

The chapter where she goes to hot Yoga and sits there with herself for 90 minutes and feels for the first time and doesn't hide - wow, that was an amazing chapter to read. Being a love warrior sounds easy, but that really is so difficult in a world of distraction and hiding from it all.

She says so many things that went right to my heart and are what I need to hear. How she learned about love with oneself and with a partner was also an act of bravery. I am so grateful for all Glennon shared here and how much it taught me. I am guilty of having expectations about life and I think she is saying, you can only depend on the next clue or the next thing the small inside voice says. That is the easiest thing to forget. I still have so many lessons to learn and I hope one day I too can be a love warrior and I will be able to have a beloved in my life.

I send out warm gratitude to the universe for giving me this gift of the love warrior and respecting the self. This was amazing. I can see it is not for everyone, but this book is totally for me.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit...I'd previously read a few of Melton's blog posts and deemed her style "not for me." Too religious? Too "dramatic" (whatever that means)? I'm not sure. I did not read her first book but picked up this on friend's recommendation and, frankly, because I couldn't believe what a tizzy Jennifer Weiner threw when THIS book was chosen by Oprah, not hers. Well, I was thoroughly impressed by Melton's work...so, well done, Oprah!

Though I have little in common with the author other than being a wife, mother, writer, and sometimes chronic overachiever, there is so much to love here. My favorite parts were the simple note her father left in a time of extreme crisis ("Everything will be okay") and her accidental stumbling into a hot yoga class. She (literally) sat on the mat? And just endeavored to "get through" whilst not executing a single pose? All with the teacher's knowing, yet unfamiliar glance? Perfection.

This memoir is chiefly about Melton's trust issues--with herself and with her husband after his affairs are revealed--but there is so much more to get out of it. The book ends with their reconciliation. A few weeks before publication, the author confessed that they are separating again. As a writer, I am familiar with the (insanely long) production cycle and there is 0% chance she was able to revise the book prior to publication. Knowing about the separation going into the reading of this, there is not one thing, not a single speck that rings untrue. I am convinced that she is every bit the "truth teller" she claims to be...and I admire her generosity of spirit. All that and this is EXTREMELY well written, even though there is, as expected, a fair amount of religion (but not too much). I did not expect to love this book as much as I did.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to step back for more than my usual minute on this one. My initial thoughts upon finishing, which will be formed with other thoughts into a likely brief but cohesive review:

A Kindergartener has neither the attention span nor the interest to listen to that detailed diatribe about what sexy is, what we are being tricked into thinking it is, how it is being sold to us, what it really is.

Maybe I shouldn't have listened to this on the heels of Hillbilly Elegy.

One person's whiny is another person's clueless.

I wonder if the now ex-husband regrets agreeing to having their secrets revealed, presuming he isn't receiving the same financial benefit that he would have had they remained together.

Balance is important.

Hold, please...I'm trying to catch up on reviews. I didn't love this, so I'm trying to think of how best to explain that.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consumed this book like I used to consume Stoli O with cranberry juice when I, too, was trying not to feel so much. I highlighted half the book, and that says enough, methinks.

[Genevieve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just, no. I'm struggling to find something I liked about this book but I can't. I forced myself through it thinking it would eventually get better.

[Maurya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hello all. I finished this book about a week ago and am seriously struggling with how I feel about it, and how to write my thoughts about it... It is a Memoir of Glennon's life.

Why did I read it? I read it for two reasons - that kind of get mixed into one... My sister and I decided to do a Story Telling course with Brene Brown, and this is the book that goes with the course. And then Oprah named it her book of the month. So Killian said, let's go for it. So we did.

Bottom line: Readability - pretty good, maybe 4 stars, reality and helpful? 1 star. Therefore 2 stars.


Maybe Spoilers... but not really...it's a memoir...

Within the first couple of chapters, I thought to myself, wow, this woman is tremendously screwed up. She makes all my little gremlins and me feel more than normal and really of sound character. Her self talk and things she hides behind are incredible. Bulimia by age 10, alcoholism, cocaine, by the age of 25. And she is very sharing about her thoughts - on all levels. She calls it being true to herself, I call it overshare. (But I was curious as to how she was going to finish the book, so that is where my readability score comes from, and clearly she can write.)

On the overshare side...
We hear about her sex life, and how much she doesn't like sex, really from the word go, then how her husband had porn, and subsequently, affairs - and while I don't agree with how he handled things - she was clearly not into it and not seeming to look to solve that very big issue in their relationship, so no surprise there - except she wonders why he fooled around when he was not getting any from her. (And when he did, she hated it...hmmmm.)

I also feel a bit on this book like I did in Lean In (Sandburg) in that she seemed to have plenty of money to help her out - the ability to go to a therapist any time she wanted (as did her husband) as well as breathing classes, yoga classes, a pick up an move to FL - cause she wanted to be near the water, her sister to come to her at the drop of a hat, etc. In other words, she has plenty of money to help her solve her issues, that I do not believe a lot of people have access to.

In the end, I get that she wants women to stand up for themselves, and be true to themselves, and in the last chapter, where she speaks to her daughters about beauty - well that part is excellent. I wish I could have just gone straight there.

Her husband is special, imo, to put up with her telling their entire life story in the book. Putting up with her holding out on him, not speaking to him for extended periods of time, etc. In the end of the book they are together, but now they are not. (The skeptic in me wonders, was that a well timed publicity stunt?)

And then what about her kids? Having all that knowledge about their lives and their parents lives out in the public. Really? I get that is being true 'to herself', but maybe not true to her children.

Anyway, rant (writing) over. On the one hand - I can't say I recommend this book, on the other, I would love for you to read it so we can talk about it.

PS Killian liked it and could see why it was Oprah's book of the month. I did not feel the same way.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I didn’t expect to finish this book so fast. I’m not a fan of memoirs or autobiographies but this was great! I would not have picked this book up if it wasn’t for my book club. Shout out to my book club for broadening my horizon! I’m so glad they choose this one for the month. This book was raw, beautiful and powerful. It’s incredibly deep in many areas of life; trying to be your authentic self, learning how to communicate in an honest way to escaping into substance abuse, bulimia or meaningless sex.

It’s hard for me to give a great review on this book. There were times when I could not relate with some of the subjects the author was talking about in this book including bulimia, not enjoying sex to alcoholism.
But then I would get to a part in the book that talked about grief and it consumed me. I felt like she was speaking directly to me. In a two-year span of my life, my brother and Dad both died in tragic and devastating ways. She was describing exactly what I went through at that time in my life.

Another subject that I could relate with was how much I hate religion but love spirituality. I can be closer to God up on a mountain hiking trail, watching the waves come in from the Pacific Ocean or counting shooting stars while camping in the North Cascades. I have never felt God when I went to church as a kid.

In conclusion, I honestly think it will affect each reader in a different way when they read this book. If you've struggled with intimacy issues, marital issues, shame, or fear of honesty, this book is a must read.

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This came across as self indulgent and whiny to me. I often wondered how she remembered all these detailed conversations and events given that she says several times that she didn't write during this period, so i kept feeling like her recollections were perhaps disingenuous and crafted for the book. I'm surprised I even finished the book--if I hadn't been waiting for something new from the library and I wasn't trapped feeding a newborn for long stretches of time, I probably wouldn't have.

[صَــــنَــــمْــــ · Rating 2 out of 5]

حقیقتا کتاب لوسی بود! حس میکنم کل داستان پر بود از تظاهر و نمایش که رفته رفته غیرقابل تحمل می‌شد!

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to finish this book in 6 hours. I didn't expect to cry through it. After hearing the author speak in Chicago, I didn't expect to see myself in this book. I did all of these things. This book is as honest and real as you could hope for. I wish this book was out now so that I could buy copies for both my daughters, my sister, and all my nieces. Everyone I know well can identify with parts of Glennon's journey. Her description of grace in terms of her marriage is revealing, and every person who is in contact with youth, male and female, needs to read and understand and disseminate her definition of sexy and pretty and beauty.

I am sending this copy to my daughter, and then asking her to pass it to her sister.

Thank you for writing this, Glennon.

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

review to come. Just know that this book came along at the right time, which is why I gobbled it up.

Our daughter is struggling at the moment and as a mother I want to love her and try to understand her but at the same time to be honest it is hard work and I live between guilt because I should have done better as a mum and worry about if she is going to be ok. She is 23 next week and still lives with us so we know she is safe. We are at some stage going to all be in councilling together.

So this book helped on two levels one it helped me understand a bit about what our daughter is going through, its not the same outward signs as Glennon went through (the drinking and other issues) but is more of the inward thinking that I found helpful and could relate to.

The other level is the Spiritual side, not that it is a religious book, however she does talk about the Love and Grace of God and being accepted by Him. I needed to hear that, because I myself have suffed from depression and as I said have a lot of GUILT. So I needed words of encouragement for myself.

Sorry this is a personal review, but this is a very personal story and it was what I needed to hear. Glennon's story is raw and honest, but she has come out the other end, grown as a woman and has been able to encourage others by her honesty and giving Hope to thoes like us who are in the middle of the storm.

[Bertha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't even know how to feel about this book. I didn't know anything about the author going in and I found the first half of the book very compelling & I identified with a lot of the author's feelings even though I haven't personally experienced most of the trauma she has. The second half of the book unexpectedly turned into what felt like an infomercial for God, which is fine, and I'm glad if that's what ultimately led to the author's healing, it's just not at all what I was expecting. I'm not offended by her spirituality and I especially appreciate that she subscribes to a modern, inclusive (Unitarian?) view of Christianity, it just caught me off guard. I thought the religious references towards the beginning of the book were just in passing. As soon as I finished the book, I went to Wikipedia to read more about the author and the ending of the book now seems especially weird given what's happened since it's release and some articles have referred to her as a "Christian mom blogger." This does her a disservice because if I'd seen her described that way prior to reading the book I definitely wouldn't have read it, yet I'm glad I did read it? I don't even know, hope you enjoyed this super high-quality review! /sarcasm

[Shirley Conley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is like reading a person’s personal journal. I find that I do not like reading a person’s personal journal. I did not find it to be realistic or believable. And full of “I’s like this review.

[Ghazaleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

اینجوری خودت و زندگیت رو برای یه دنیا رو کردن خیلی ترسناکه و جرات خیلی زیادی میخواد.

[Elyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is getting a lot of attention and I enjoy a good memoir, but this did not deliver for me. It started out as intriguing, but quickly fell apart. The book is poorly written and feels haphazard, as though the author was asked to write a book in 30 days and threw her random and unedited journal entries up in the air, let them fall on the floor, and then put them together in a book. GDM has major issues from adolescence and her broken marriage, yet she describes a stable and loving upbringing so it's hard to understand why this is. Also, it's never clear how she overcomes challenges such as bulimia and alcoholism. One day she is drinking daily until she blacks out and then she is sober. I'm impressed, but how did that happen so quickly and easily? She documents time spent in a mental hospital and even that lacks significant details. She delves into the rigid cultural expectations for women, which sort of explains her difficulties, but nothing is ever fleshed out until we get to the end when she goes into way too much detail about learning to breathe, yoga, church, etc. I felt like I was locked in a prison cell while someone assaulted me with New Age platitudes. The whole saga reeks of white privilege navel-gazing and the ability to do things like pay for workshops to learn how to breathe, take different yoga classes, go to lots & lots of therapy, and just sit at home and ponder her life. As a mom who works FT in social services and has heard some horrific stories of trauma and abuse from people with limited resources, I find it hard to empathize. It reminds me of 'Eat, Pray, Love' in that regard, but at least EPL was well-written and easier to digest. I left the book feeling like it's all a ploy to start a self-help movement and sell lots of books and Love Warrior merchandise. A much better alternative to this book is 'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed, which is well-written, thoughtful, and engaging.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

If only I had the time in my day to reflect upon my life...perhaps I, too, could wallow in self-pity. Get over yourself. For the love of God. I have never been so tortured by another's anguish. Your life really isn't that bad.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Warrior is a entertaining but incredibly irritating memoir by a person who should be on several antidepressants. This book is why I will never get married or have children. She was disappointed when her son was born & he didn't have Down's Syndrome. I'm not saying she's a bad person but she really is. I know I'm complaining about this book but I would still recommend Love Warrior to lovers of memoirs or anyone who likes reading books about First World Problems.

[Teresa Mann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. If there were zero stars to give, this book would get it. Oprah's book club has steered me wrong several times, but this has got to be the biggest detour to date. I had zero respect for this "warrior" and zero patience for her oh, so horrible life. Her openly hate towards men was unnerving at times. Your husband cheats on you multiple times, get it, that totally sucks. But, from your own perspective you kind of treated him like crap. Can't imagine what his perspective must be. This author presented herself as this deep thinker, but it really wasn't that deep. Her a-ha moments happened to her at the age of 37...for most women those same moments came around 12. Her life, as written by her, doesn't seem all that restrictive, oppressed, downtrodden, fill in whatever feminist adjective you wish here. If fact, her life would be welcomed by most working moms in America. She doesn't have to work, she gets to skip off to yoga whenever (and breathing class...wth), move to Florida because the weather is better (yeah, duh), treat her family like total crap and they still back her up and take care of her....all of that and she is still a whiney woman/girl-child. I won't even go down the Christian path she took, didn't take...just started skipping pages and pages to finally finish it. Yeah! She finally finds peace and love with her husband. Oh, wait, no, she changed her mind again and now is married to a woman. Hopefully she treats this new partner a lot better.