Trust Yourself to Be All In: Safe to Love and Let Go
A Boundless Quest for Emotional Freedom and Soul Evolution
Everyone leaves you or hurts you. This false myth of generational family dysfunction, compounded through trauma, appeared frighteningly true to Amanda the moment her brother overdosed and died. Devastated, she shined up the emotional armor she wore to protect herself from pain and soldiered on. But a decade of self-reflection and personal growth in 12-step recovery could not save her from herself. Attempting to destroy everything around her, including her troubled marriage, she experienced a spiritual awakening that radically transformed deeply engrained lies about love, loss, and connection. Lies she didn’t even know she believed.
Trust Yourself to Be All In: Safe to Love and Let Go is a pragmatic yet soulful inspirational memoir delivering uncompromising self-love that heals deep wounds. Amanda’s revealing, thought-provoking narrative will guide you to find comfort in your emotions and meaning in your suffering, while organically bridging an inseverable, trustworthy connection with self, others, and the universe.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.50 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Suffering a loss, Flanagan determines that she must find comfort in the emotions she is experiencing and learn to love herself—and heal in the process. She finds meaning in her own suffering and helps others as well, through sharing her spiritual practices and her work with the twelve-step program.
Prose: A startling beginning kickstarts this straightforward memoir, and Flanagan immediately dives into her process of healing, serving as a guide while she gives readers a chance to experience her story and learn to heal their own wounds at the same time.
Originality: Mixing Flanagan's story with her sincere advice is a refreshing approach. It's evident she speaks from experience, and her style offers readers the chance to personalize her wisdom for their own lives.
Character/Execution: Flanagan is honest and transparent, and her story is a good example of what it takes for someone to work through loss and addiction. There is no doubt her end goal is to help others, and her dedication to healing is admirable.
Date Submitted: January 25, 2023
