Book Review: Live in Love

Authors: Lauren Akins and Mark Dagostino

Publication Date:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

---

Live in Love is Lauren Akins’s memoir. Lauren Akins is Thomas Rhett’s wife. Thomas Rhett is a country singer. The book goes from Lauren’s childhood with many stories about her family and friends. It talks about how she met Thomas Rhett as a child, and their families became close. The book discusses the first time they dated in high school and their breakup. It discusses their relationships with other people and getting back together. After graduating college and getting married, Lauren has to figure out what her purpose in life is and how to be more than just Thomas Rhett’s wife. Then, Live in Love goes through the adoption process of adopting Lauren and Thomas Rhett’s oldest daughter Willa Gray and how marriage counseling saved their marriage. Lauren is very religious and turns to God throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book and have been looking forward to reading it since I first heard about it. I am a huge Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins fan. After hearing Thomas Rhett’s story about how they were supposed to marry different people and Lauren’s dad told her either you tell her how you feel or I will, I was a fan of Lauren and their family. The book was very honest and provided more of a story behind Thomas Rhett’s songs. It talks about Lauren and Thomas Rhett’s relationship ship problems and how they went to counseling to have the loving marriage they have today. I thought they always had the perfect marriage, but Lauren discusses how bad things got after becoming a mom of two and basically doing everything alone.

My favorite parts of the book were hearing the story of how Lauren and Thomas Rhett got together. Hearing the whole adoption story about Willa Gray’s adoption was another one of my favorite parts. I enjoyed reading about Willa Gray’s life in an orphanage and how hard her parents fought to bring her home. Lauren talks a lot about struggles to find her purpose and how difficult it was at times to see Thomas Rhett living his dreams while she was just living them with him after giving up on her dreams. Then you read about Lauren’s mission work, meeting Willa Gray and finding her purpose.

I recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of Lauren Akins and/or Thomas Rhett. Anyone that is a fan of Thomas Rhett’s music and wants to hear the other side of the songs he writes about his wife and family will love this book. Anyone that is interested in learning about a celebrity couple will love this book. I think anyone feeling lost and struggling to find their purpose will find hope in this book. Anyone that isn’t religious and doesn’t want to read about how praying and God got someone through difficult times will probably not like this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for Living in Love in exchange for an honest review. This was actually my first NetGalley approval, and I was so excited.

About author

Lauren Akins is a devoted mother, wife, and philanthropist who live in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, country superstar Thomas Rhett, and their three little girls, Willa Gray, Ada James, and Lennon. Lauren has worked as a missionary nurse for years and is enthusiastically continuing to support children in Uganda through her efforts with Love One International.

Mark Dagostino is a multiple New York Times bestselling co-author who is dedicated to writing books that inspire and uplift.

Website: https://www.laurenakins.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laur_akins/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AkinsLaur/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laur_akins?lang=en

Love One International: https://www.loveoneinternational.org/

Discussion

Do you like memoirs? What are your favorite memoirs?

What’s your favorite Thomas Rhett song?

What kind of music do you listen to?

Lauren is very into volunteering. What organizations do you volunteer or donate to?