It takes a bit to really grab hold of this book - it wasn't until about half way through that I couldn't put it down. While the religious aspect of the book seems heavy handed at times, it does serve a purpose to show how overbearing religious zeal can bog down one's life and prevent them from becoming the person they really are. The transformation of Elizabeth to Lacey to Liz is one to be admired. The book teaches us an important lesson about being true to ourselves in order to attain true happiness, no matter how many people you may have to disappoint along the way.

Liz has admirably played the part of Mrs Thomas Lightsey, pastor's wife and mother for 26 years. Appearances for the congregation and looking after her demanding husband have taken there toll.
After the sudden death of Thomas, Liz although suffering from shock and grief, finds herself with free time on her hands. Liz lands the lead role in the next show at the community theatre much to the displeasure of her daughter Abigail. A relationship with Lance (The leading man) finds Liz pregnant at forty-nine. New haircut, clothes, and friends only make Abigail more uncomfortable seeing the changes her mother making.
For Abigail, Lance, her unborn baby, and herself, Liz needs to find a way to rebuild balance in her life?
I thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the Author Kerry Anne King for allowing me to review this pre-publication novel.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
I absolutely loved this book!
Liz is a preachers wife leading the perfect life her husband demands.
When her husband suddenly dies she decides to reinvent her life and find the real Liz.
She joins a theater group and falls for the leading man.
Suddenly she finds herself pregnant - will she keep the baby? Can she find happiness again? Can she build a relationship with her daughter? You will so enjoy this book!

I found myself rooting for Liz from page 10 or so. This book centers around Liz who has been the model wife for Thomas (a pastor) for 26 years who suddenly dies. You see she then finds herself pregnant at 49 *sigh* and she has to make a few decisions about the baby, her daughter Abigail and her new man Lance *sob*. It’s such an addictive read that kept me up *sigh*

I loved this book. I love the powerful message of saying YES instaed of no. I really liked Liz the main character and her steely resolve to want more for herself.
This is a well crafted book that will please just about every reader.
I think the author nailed it when people around you freak out when you decide to want more or a different life. But in the end....everything will work out.
Two thumbs way up.

Okay so first of all,
I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEED THE DRAMA!!! I finished this book in 2 days, could not put it down. It gave me white Beverly Hills Housewives vibes & I was living for it!
The storyline is pretty good! However, I have a few critiques:
1) Abigail reminded me of a lonely 86 year old grandmother who's only purpose was to bitch at people because she has no life... Reading her lines was just unbearable.
2) The ending low-key drags on. After chapter 31, I was wondering when the book was going to be over.
3) Liz may be in her late 40s, but the way the author describes her, you would've thought she was about 65.

Overall, I highly totally recommend this book to those who need a break from reading serious material. It was highlyyyy entertaining & very dramatic.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. I’ll start off by saying I’ve never read anything from Kerry Anne King and I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t put this book down, while I’m not religious so my connect to that didn’t mean anything I found myself connecting with Elizabeth (Liz). A woman who’d been with a man of god for over half of her left suddenly becomes a widow and is left to dig back into her past to find herself a again. The real Liz slowly emerges and she finds herself in a few unpredictable moments, navigating her relationship with her daughter, the church and her new found friendships. Silencing who she was “supposed to be as a preachers wife” to find herself again, Liz’s journey is one you’ll be happy to take.

I received this book "A Borrowed Life" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I thought this book was good. I did like that Thomas kept talking to Liz in her mind and she would talk back to him. She kept doubting herself but finally said goodbye. There were a couple surprises in the book that I didn't see coming. Overall a good story and a quick read.

This is a feel good story about loss and growth with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Elizabeth was oppressed in her marriage and her husband dies suddenly and she literally wakes up in a whole new world. Trying to navigate that new world she has to battle her daughter and herself to become the person that she knows she can be.

I enjoyed this book, it gave me all the feels, happy and sad and left me crying in a few different places. I thought the writing was good and held true to the storyline and I especially loved the growth of the main character and her standing up for what she believed was right. There were a couple of characters that I didn't really like but they were necessary for the storyline. One of them I felt really sorry for as she had a lot of growing to do herself.

There was nothing earth shattering and not really a new idea, but it was a feel good book that left me feeling good and was just what I needed right now. I have a couple of this author's other books and will be reading those also.

This book is more than just a beautiful cover. The author has given it heart and soul, and it flies like a bird into the author's mind. A rare treat.

For twenty-six years Liz has perfectly played the part of Mrs. Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor’s wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she’s lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shocked, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of life to call her own?

Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life’s possibilities, including an unexpected—and steamy—relationship with her leading man.

Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She’s pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?

I enjoyed the book. It was not at all what I expected. There are some parts that seem a bit off, well off as a forty-nine pregnancy. I enjoyed most of the book.

Great book! I loved seeing Liz find herself after being in a marriage for years that wasn’t born out of love.

This isn't what I normally read but it is a wonderful story of coming to find herself after a marriage that was not born of love,Liz is becoming the person she always wanted to be now that Thomas had died and she does not have to do what was always expected of her as being the Parsons wife she goes through different stages in her new live and eventually getting a closer relationship with her daughter and starting a new life together with Lance.
Would recommend this book to all my friends.

This is quite unlike what I'd normally read but I enjoyed it so much. The story is really gripping and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. I thought the writing was fantastic and the book really held my attention. I'd love to see more from Kerry Anne King. Thanks so much for sharing the review copy - fantastic book!

Life has beaten down Elizabeth Lightsey. Married to a pastor, her days and nights are a series of tasks deemed worthy of a pastor's wife by her husband, Thomas. At another knitting club meeting, Elizabeth fears she will die of either boredom or incessant petty gossip. Then the unthinkable happens, a heart attack kills her husband and she is left with the remnants of a very unfulfilling life. The easiest and safest thing to do would be to stay the same, but Elizabeth wants more.
As Elizabeth tries to move forward, her adult daughter Abigail frowns at any change she tries to make. A new haircut, new clothes, and new theater friends only make Abigail more and more uncomfortable. But Elizabeth is slowing shedding the skin she wore for 26 years, and Liz is about to be born.
Liz has a second chance, but can she overcome the person she became and embrace the person she was meant to be? It is a lovely story full of regret about the past and hope for the future. This wasn't a fast-paced page flipper, but rather a slow burn of a story that is filled with humor, love, and hope.
This is the first book I have read by Kerry Anne King and it won't be the last.

Enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. At first I found the main characters slightly annoying but grew to like them more as the story progressed. This is the first book of Kerry that I've read and it won't be the last. Its nice to add another author to my growing list and I can definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I made it about 20% of the way in and then realized that I just wasn't going to make a connection with this book. The characters are total exaggerations, and I've just never believed that people are near as polarizing as the author describes them. The dialogue was also ridiculous and so unbelievable.

It's a shame because the premise was promising.

Liz Lightsey has been the perfect pastors wife and mother for the last 26 years so is knocked for six when Thomas drops dead one day. She is obviously devastated but also surprised to feel relief. She has been a yes woman all of her married life, and now starts to become her own person despite opposition from the ladies of her husbands church and her daughter Abigail. Liz is helped in her self discovery by her friend Val who tricks her into auditioning for the local dramatic society where, to her surprise, gets the lead role.
This is a lovely story of a woman re discovering and realising her own worth. At times I wanted to shake both her and her daughter, but I was invested enough in the tale to persevere and ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King is an excellent novel about second chances and that there is no timeline on finding yourself.

We first see Liz as a subdued, suppressed, and shell-of a woman after being married for over 20 years to her pastor husband/accompanying church. We then see the identity crisis that then takes place after he passes.

What I love about this book is the awakening, self-discovery, newfound self-empowerment, and second lease on life that Liz then gets to experience after she is almost forced into this “new life”.

It definitely goes to show that it is never too late to find one’s self and take it all by the reins.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Luckily, my husband is nothing like Thomas, however I do understand the need to start over and make quite big life decisions so I had complete empathy and understanding for Liz’s plight. I was rooting for her from page 1. The colourful characters she meets through the theatre enable her to revisit a part of herself that was almost lost for good and she starts to blossom. When I left Liz on the final page, I was left with a lot of hope for her and her future. This lovely book isn’t out until September but be sure to keep this on your radar, you won’t want to miss it! Thank you to @netgalley as well for the early read.