Awake

A brutally honest memoir and instant New York Times bestseller

By: Jen Hatmaker

Narrated by: Jen Hatmaker

Read by the author, Jen Hatmaker.

‘I cannot think of a single person who wouldn’t find hope and inspiration in these pages.’ – Mel Robbins, author of The Let Them Theory

‘This book doesn’t just speak to your heart, it revives it.’ – Jenna Kutcher, author of How Are You, Really?

Perfect for fans of Untamed, Awake is a powerful memoir of self-discovery, authenticity and finding the courage to rethink and rebuild your life after heartbreak. A truly brilliant read, it’s also a fascinating account of a woman learning to question the rules of the oppressively patriarchal US church in which she grew up.

At 2.30 a.m. on July 11, 2020, author and mother-of-five Jen Hatmaker woke up to her husband of twenty-six years voice texting his girlfriend in bed next to her. Life as she knew it was over. In Awake, she scrutinises the toxic systems that led to the end of her marriage, sharing intimate, sometimes hilariously hard moments along the way.

Beautifully written and shot through with deep emotion, this is a story of hope and resilience, of unpicking the past and challenging limitations around the kind of person you can be. It’s a love letter to friendship, family and the power of community, and a roadmap showing how to cope, survive and even thrive when all seems lost.

'A powerful howl of honesty that will open the eyes and hearts of every single woman who sees herself in its pages, which is to say, all of us. This book is the best kind of medicine.' - Dani Shapiro, author of Inheritance and Signal Fires

Critic reviews

I cannot think of a single person who wouldn’t find hope and inspiration in these pages. (Mel Robbins, author of The Let Them Theory)

Her cadence is energetic, and listeners will be captivated by her combination of gravity and humor overlaid with forthright sincerity. Also, featured in the audiobook are asides voiced by friends and family, as well as audio clips of interviews from Jen’s podcasts (not found in the print edition). It all adds up to a candid, earnest, and engaging portrayal of her life.

This book doesn’t just speak to your heart, it revives it. (Jenna Kutcher, author of How Are You, Really?)

I'm obsessed with Jen Hatmaker’s Awake. It's phenomenal. You could think, oh, yet another woman who found out her husband was having this other life and got her life broken apart. What's different about Jen is her full accountability in the co-creation of both her life going off-path and then the steering her life back to the path that was meant for her. And she's so f*cking funny."

Jen Hatmaker drops all pretense of finding inspiration in her heartbreak and gives us the raw howl of her pain. And yet I was inspired anyway; to call a friend, to check my bank account, to look closely at the ways in which I'm asleep in my own life. Her confession of slumber will lead readers to step into their next chapter.

Like coffee with an old friend

Definitely one of the best books I have ever read! Hearing Jen read it felt like coffee with an old friend. The asides were everything, they added so much life to the stories! I laughed out loud, commiserated with her despite how different my life is, and the final chapters were a lantern shining down a dark path. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I will come back to it again and again.