Just two days until my book is released to the world! Soon everyone will be free to read IN THE END: A MEMOIR ABOUT FAITH AND A NOVEL ABOUT DOUBT.

For now, only a handful of reviewers have enjoyed advance copies. Here’s what some of them have had to say so far.

“Contemplative and penetrating, Luidens’s debut examines her lifelong relationship with the concept of God, from her childhood as a minister’s daughter to an adult studying abroad in France. She begins with a lyrically beautiful retelling of her childhood, christened by her family’s deep belief…

“Luidens writes with a philosophical hand, gently—but passionately—rifling through the religious precepts she was taught as a youth and sifting their weight against the reality she observes in the world around her.”

“A tender, vivid account of a childhood in faith and, ultimately, the loss of both. Luidens writes of her emotional and intellectual journey to nonbelief with an urgency that is inspiring, even in the midst of her struggle. May we all be so courageous in questioning our understanding of the world—and may we do so with such compassion for ourselves and others. Truly lovely.”

“With In the End, Karie Luidens has lovingly crafted a tender and compelling homage to her younger self. Luidens writes beautifully, chronicling her loss of faith with a poet’s sensibility and the sensitivity we owe to our childhood selves. I’m sure I’m far from the only one who will find her narrative eminently relatable.”

“Karie Luidens writes about losing her faith with such pathos that I, a longtime atheist, found myself rooting for God to be real just so Luidens’s character wouldn’t have to get her heart broken. Formally inventive and luminously written, In the End is a worthy addition to the canon (no pun intended) of stories about leaving the church.”

Is your interest piqued? You’ll be able to dig in and form your own opinions when the book is released on May 7.

See you then…