Well... this started out expressing my feelings exactly! She says earlier on she doesn’t want to sound like other Christian dating books that almost preach at you and say if you just have faith and pray hard enough it will happen for you. In the second half of the book, in my opinion, that’s exactly what she does. Because of that I give it two stars. Started good, ended up being just like all other preachy Christian singleness books.

Great book on singleness. She gave a beautiful poetic version of the gospel story from Genesis to Revelation. Her journey with limes diseases was such a tearjerker. My biggest problem would be that there were some micro aggressions and stereotypes of black people and the Latino community.

I received an ARC from Harvest House Publisher via NetGalley. This review is my opinion.

I must say when I read the title I found it interesting, being over thirty and single I truly wanted to hear and know great advice for someone who knows what is to be there. Although well written, Kate Hurley in many of the parts of the books sounds more like a teenager than an adult. I think that she is hurt and that pain has colored her speech. In many parts of the book feels like reading someone else diary, who complains in different ways through each chapter. Giving a mixed message and many incongruency. I sadly say this is not a book I’ll recommend.

I almost love loved loved this book, but about 2/3 of the way it kinda fell apart. If you're single or single again it's still worth the read. It always helps to know that you're not alone and other people "get it".

This book is a breath of fresh air within the singleness genre if you will. Many that have gone before made me feel bad about my desire and hope for marriage. This one is different, from the preface (yes I read it) come forward I found understanding, encouragement, hope and support.
This is not a book that enables woe is me but it doesn't shame me for my hope, my dream and my longing for marriage. It looks at prolonged singleness realistically but also remembers that there are real human emotions, disappointments, griefs and hope that's unique to each person.
I found humor within the pages along with wisdom for this unexpected season of life. While I did not completely agree with everything I feel comfortable recommending this book.

I loved how Kate added a sense of humour and fun to the topics that are sometimes addressed as burdens. This caught my eye as recently the "oh, you're not in a relationship?" comments have begun. I specifically enjoyed the approach as it balanced both sides of the fence, so to speak. While it addresses the frustrations of singles, it also brought up what married people wanted to say in reply as well as divorcees. At times, I felt the tone dropped and was speaking to a much younger audience which detracted from the overall book.

I couldn't put this book down. As a thirty something single I could have written this book myself. Hurley articulates everything I've ever thought. The entire book I kept thinking, yep, yep...yeahhh.
All the "advice" people like to give, the fact that there's no formula to meeting the right person. The idea that living in community is super important. I love the people she quotes, even obscure ones like Shane Claibourne or Graham Cooke. And the whole culture of the 90s kissing dating good-bye that ruined my perspective on dating, she addresses that in a healthy way. The book is funny and tackles difficult topics about singleness in a really positive light. If you're feeling a little down about your singleness I strongly recommend reading this. It's a fast easy read and will encourage you that someone else has been walking the same road with you. And honestly I want to be friends with this author after reading this book. Lol.

In Kate Hurley's bare-it-all memoir...

Not really. But Hurley has written the handbook of my life, the one where you run up against expectations about what your life was supposed to look like and try to make sense of how it actually does. Reading this book is like being known, which is no something that happens often to thirty-year-old singles in church.

My favourite chapter (obviously) is the one titled What Singles Wish Married People Knew because dammit if you'd stop saying those things, even in passing, maybe I wouldn't hurt as much. Or as often. Or decide that some days aren't worth going to church for (the weekends of Valentine's, or Mother's Day, or anything that could possibly head round to why-are-you-single-and-not-having-babies? or maybe-if-you'd-do-this-you'd-already-be-married). Hurley balances it out, of course, with follow up chapters titled What Married People Wish Singles Knew and What Divorced People Wish Everybody Knew.

I think the biggest thing about Getting Naked Later is the validation it brings--that I'm not the only one going through this alone, I'm not the only one struggling with these thoughts, that you know what, it's okay to struggle through this and not be okay. It's okay to be not okay.

It's not all gloom-and-doom. Amidst the soul-crushing pain, Hurley is both hilarious, and hopeful. And it's more than just the hope of a husband-to-come, it's the hope of a God-Who-Is and a Community-That-Can-Be.

The book description got my attention right away, as there aren't many books written specifically for singles. The book started off strong and a careful look shows this is a reprint of a previous published book, which would lead the reader to believer it's popular and has sold quite a few copies. However, as I continued reading I began to question this.

Throughout the book, the author includes her own song lyrics (which doesn't really add anything to the book, in my opinion, but only subtracts... I do not know her music and therefore couldn't "hear" the tune in my head and wasn't moved by any of the lines). Although she talks about marriage, divorce, and singleness, the book often feels like it's written to teens. In fact, a few times I checked to see the target market/genre of the book because it felt cheesy or gave examples that seem to fit a younger, teenage audience.

Overall, it's... okay. Truthfully, I really wanted to like it. Part of me hates saying this because I want more books on this general topic, but at the end of the day? I want them to be written well.

2 stars.

A lovely read, with a gentle heart, I enjoyed this tremendously. Your most intimate relationship you will have is with yourself. Being single shouldn't be seen as a burden.

I loved the concept of this book. It has an extremely conservative lens which I found challenging to work my way through. However, for a specific audience, I think Kate has a new perspective than what can normally be found in the "single faith" space. I