I really enjoyed this very complexed story! It had everything... Hope, betrayal and loss. I loved these characters and loved how it all tied in at the end! Highly recommend

I enjoyed this story of a woman, Liz, that was uplifting and positive from the very first page. Liz was a wife of a pastor and she did whatever he told her to do and then one day, he had a heart attack and died. Her life changed and she got to do all the things she had wanted to do. Lots of surprises along the way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this story of a woman finding herself again after her husband suddenly passes away. I found the story to be uplifting and positive. I cheered for each character as they came to terms with the events of the book, and found what they wanted. I appreciated the importance placed on friendships and how everyone came together as a support system in the end. If I say much more, will spoil the story.

First there was Elizabeth, then there was Liz. Elizabeth was the mild mannered, obedient wife of Thomas Lightsey, a controlling, emotionally abusive pastor. He dominated her life and that of her adult daughter Abigail. When Thomas dies of a sudden heart attack, Elizabeth realizes that she can now do whatever she wants. She can be Liz again, the girl she was before she married.

When she accompanies a friend to a community theater audition, she is selected to play the lead. She immediately falls in lust with Lance, her leading man. One thing leads to another and she is shocked to learn that she, at 49, is pregnant. She’s just begun to enjoy her life and now she has to make some hard choices about her future.

Is it still a coming of age novel when the age is middle age? Laura has to learn how to build relationships with her daughter, her friends, her neighbors, her baby’s father and her Church. I love the way Kerry Ann King draws the reader in to this story. All the characters, especially Liz’ theater friends, are so realistic. I loved watching Liz figure out exactly want she wanted her life to be and then making it happen. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kerry Ann King for this ARC.

This is an adult 'coming of age' story. Liz, the main character is 49 years old but she hasn't been able to be 'herself' since she got married 26 years earlier to a man who controlled her life. He was a preacher and the head of the household in every way - he told her how to dress, how to act as a preacher's wife and how to raise their only child. He believed that man was the head of the household and that women were only put on earth to serve their husband. When he dies of a sudden heart attack she gradually begins to take her life back and to find the 'inner Liz' - the person she always wanted to be. She decides to try out with a local theater group and begins to investigate life as she hasn't been able to. Shocked by the changes in her life are not only the 'church people' but more importantly her daughter Abigail. Because Abigail was raised in such a controlled household she lives a life that is very strictly controlled. She is appalled that her mother tried out for the play, that her mother has had a few drinks and then the last straw is when her mother gets pregnant. She feels like she has to move home to protect her mother from the terrible outside influences and really wants to control her mother - something that Liz isn't willing to let happen now that she's just found freedom.


Liz is one of my favorite characters in a long time. I loved the way she began to open up her life and the fact that she was willing to try a lot of new things even though her husband's voice in her mind kept degrading her. I loved seeing the changes that Liz made in her life and I was on her side as she faced the challenges that she was presented with. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. This is a wonderful story about hope and self-discovery, family and love and breaking out of the bonds that have held you back. It's a very well-written story with very real - flaws and all - characters who you really care about. It was great to see Liz break out of the life that was forced on her and learning to love and respect herself again. It's Kerry Anne King at her best.

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new author for me, and wow, there was a lot going on in this book! Once I got started, I couldn't put this down, wanted to see what would happen next, how things would be resolved, what the different characters would do, how they would react. Few things got accomplished once this book got started!

I couldn't help but root for Elizabeth, in the way she dealt with things out of her control - her husband's dominance - and what she decided to do once she was 'free'. This book was a lot more involved than I expected, and I really enjoyed the ride this book took me in!

Loved this book. Only gave 4 stars instead of 5 because it took me awhile to get hooked into the story. Character development was great, especially Abigail the daughter, even though at times I felt like Liz should have just told her off! The main thing I liked was the main character Liz, was almost 50 years old. Nice to be able to relate to what she's going through for her age instead of all the main women characters being younger, (30 age range). Love Kerry Anne King books, anxiously awaiting her next one!!

Thank you Kerry Anne King and Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. This review is solely my opinion.
I loved this story. It starts with Elizabeth quietly sneaking out of bed for a few alone me minutes before her husband awakes. She is a ministers wife and her role as such is to serve and be his helpmate. Her needs, wants or thoughts are ignored while she maintains appearances for the congregation. When Thomas dies suddenly Elizabeth is shocked....then she starts thinking and feeling....Her neighbor and secret girl friend Val whom Thomas didn"t approve of steps in and holds her together. Val helps Liz remember her life pre Thomas. Liz realizes she has buried everything she was or wanted, to be who Thomas expected her to be. Her daughter thinks she has totally lost it and moves home to "take care of her" . Without giving away the wonderful story I will end with saying just read this book, you will love it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Liz, a pastor's wife, gives up her independence and much of her happiness to serve the church and her husband. Through a series of events, she finds herself again and learns what church should be like.

This is a positive novel about forgiveness and starting over.

I loved this book! It was really interesting to follow Liz's evolution back to her former self once she no longer had to conform to her husband's idea of who she should be. I thought the author did a brilliant job with the characters - I wanted to shake Abigail when she kept trying to keep her mom the same as she had always been (did she not see how dreadfully awful her life had become?!). At the same time, I felt bad for Abigail that she had always been raised to believe that women were here to serve men and that ultimately her role would eventually be wife and mother, regardless of her own hopes and dreams.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Very enjoyable, feel good read that did also delve into some hard topics including second chances, identifying uncategorically abusive relationships, and grief. This was a good weekend read to cheer on the main character breaking out of old patterns to "say yes" to life.

If the hallmark of a good book is its ability to draw you into the life of the protagonist and experience her feelings, then this book is a smashing success. A Borrowed Life is my first exposure to this author and the intensity of my response to the story line and the character development surprised me.

Liz, aka Elizabeth, has been masquerading as the “good” pastor’s wife for well over twenty-five years. When her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack, her grief and relief are intermingled with her anger over his iron-handed control of her life and their household. The book then reveals her two year journey of rediscovering and reclaiming her own identity in the face of strong criticism from her daughter and the congregation.

Part of her awakening includes taking on a leading role in a community theater production. As she adopts the persona of her character in her real life events and decision-making, she gradually begins to see how her own complacency contributed to her submissiveness in her marriage and her healing begins.

I enjoyed sharing Liz’ two year journey in the book: laughing at the humor; empathizing with her sadness and confusion; and bristling at her reflections of her deceased husband’s narrow-minded demands (all couched in biblical quotations to justify and maintain his control). If you are a conservative Christian you may not embrace the portrayal of the church members, nor the parade of theater characters central to the storyline. The contrast between the two groups may have been a little simplistic, but it served to show Liz’ struggle to find her balance based on her own values.

My thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to review an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is going to be my nephew favorite by KAK; previously it’s was Whisper Me This. This book has all sorts of feels. It made me laugh and had me teary eyed. I love the strong female heroine aspect and how the main character pulls from her own strength and begins making her own decisions based on her needs and wants vs anyone else’s. Great character development. I could read it all over again!
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

This book has a lot to recommend it. The voice is consistent and engaging, and the redemptive, empowering arc of this novel is a real joy. There were times where some of the narrator's characterizations of others seemed a little oversimplified -- the church people are bad and the theater people are good -- but I enjoyed watching the author play with those divisions as her main character learned about the ways in which others in her life were doing their best based on their particular experiences and values. The themes of forgiveness and growth in fraught relationships that this novel unpacks are powerful, and I found the prose immensely readable and quite fun, even when dealing with heavy topics. Personally, I would have loved to read more about the spiritual side of the journey this novel depicts, but that's not for everyone, and reading about the personal and relational liberation the book tracks was certainly enjoyable.

This book is about a woman, Liz, coming of age at 49. She has been in a marriage where she has no say in anything since she was a teen and so when her husband dies she is set free to be who she was meant to be.

There is a strong religous theme too as the husband, Thomas, is a pastor of the fire and brimstone variety. A womans place is in the home. A woman cannot be certain things in life too this extends to their daughter Abigail too. He also believes a husband has certain "rights" and he used the apostle Paul to argue his point although he is not physically abusive no is most definately not an option. Thomas doesn't even call her by her preferred name of Liz and calls her Elizabeth. As he does it all the people from the church do too. Liz became lost over the years. Trigger warning for emotional domestic abuse (obviously).

Dispite that it is a really uplifting tale where the overarching message for me was "it's never too late". I also like the realisation she has that what other people thnk of you is none of your business.

A Borrowed Life is one of the best books I've read this summer. It made me laugh, it made me angry and it gave me good food for thought.
I guess I enjoyed it especially because I'm familiar with all the Biblical quotes and the way they are used in this book. I've encountered many Thomases in my life. Men who like to use a few Bible verses to assert their authority over their flock, and especially, their families. I've seen how damaging that control can be. It's true that many women must feel like the Apostle Paul lives in their homes and sleeps in their beds! That made me laugh so hard! "Can you leave the Apostle Paul out of our bed?"
This is not a preachy or sanctimonious story at all. It's quite the opposite!
I recommend this book to women of 40+ years. Younger women might find it less interesting.

With thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

In my experience, domestic fiction, like A Borrowed Life, is very hit-or-miss. Books in the genre are either slow and dull, taking place more in the narrator's head (where nothing really happens) than anywhere else, or they're full of more drama than an episode of Grey's Anatomy. A Borrowed Life is one of the rare books that seemed to walk that elusive middle ground, somehow managing to be both slow and drama-filled. It took a while for me to get invested in the story (like, over half the book), but once I did, I was hooked. It's an emotional read from start to finish about life's detours, and it's the perfect story for anyone who has ever felt like their life has ventured off course.

This book is about expectations. What our family expects from us, what society expects us to be, and ultimately, what we expect from ourselves as our lives unfold in quite unexpected ways. As serious as this sounds, Kerry Anne King has written a page-turner that is witty and charming, while dealing with a circumstance that is nothing short of life-altering. As Liz navigates through an unfathomable time in her life, she realizes she must find herself. And fast. Because up until now, maybe she hasn''t been all she could have been. Changes may be in order, but who will she lose in the process? This story moved me so much. I read it in two sessions over the course of a couple of days because I just couldn't put it down. Who doesn't love a book like that? You will fall in love with all the characters who are so colorfully written. And save some room in your heart for a stray cat, because there's a cute one of those tucked in there too. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance reader's copy. Pub date September 22, 2020.

#ABorrowedLife #NetGalley
Big Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kerry Anne King for an early copy to review.
49 years old Elizabeth, an obedient pastor's wife, a mother, a respectful member of the congregation , a model to look up to. Newly widowed after 26 years being married, living a life that's more like a role playing than living where the only sliver of rebellion is talking to her inner self in a hidden journal every morning before her husband woke up.
Though we don't get the chance to meet Thomas - her husband - as a living character; his presence is all over the place, controlling from beyond the grave weather by his voice in her head all the time disapproving and judging or through their daughter Abigail who was raised into a miniature version of her father suppressing Liz's any trial of breaking free and finding her old self.
One of the most charming things in this book is the friendship between Val and Liz, in one situation Val finds her friend with a disposed mattress in her yard first thing in the morning still in her pajamas, the only question she asks her is " what's the plan?" returning moments later with coffee and blankets to build her friend a fort.
This is a story about loss, hope, self discovery, faith and how one might get confused that you no longer believes in God where the truth is you was pushed away by the hands on a misguided representative of God.
Is it too late to shrug off your borrowed life and emerge on the other side? Is it easier to give up and shrink back to the comfort of that life everybody around you expects you to conform to?
We follow Liz in her quest to discover herself and fight to give this self a chance to live.
An excellent read that I enjoyed and didn't want to end.

Super spoilers!

This is a solid 3.5 for me, bordering on a 4 star. We have overlapping themes of loss- Loss of a husband, loss of faith, loss of what was considered her 'normal'. Our love interest has loss- divorce and many...many child losses. The church loses a leader, a stable helpmate (not only for Thomas but also the church- she held many of the clubs and charities.) Her daughter 'loses' her father AND her mother in one fell swoop. All of this is centered around our main character who lost herself 26 years ago.

And yet, loss is mirrored by the light of new beginnings. A new hobby, new friends, new home, new relationship, new child.

The novel does a good job of marrying these two themes, providing characters that feel real (especially to anyone who has left the church- the indoctrination was portrayed well.)

It wraps up a bit too cozy for something I'd generally reach for but it's exactly the kind of book I need right now.
Do note: There is one graphic sex scene and a few swear words- well placed and not just used because the author likes their characters to swear.





Thanks NetGalley for the Arc!