Hello, dear Readers,
Below is my book review of This Is What Happens When Women Read by Julianna Glasse.

Title: This Is What Happens When Women Read
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Memoir-Religious
Publisher: Spiegel & Gru
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Language: English
Hardcover: 304 Pages
Buy Me: Amazon
Book Description
An empowering story of self-actualization by a former Christian pop star whose life was transformed by reading.
At the peak of her fame, Julianna Glasse seemed to have everything she wanted: a successful career as a Christian pop singer and author, a high-profile marriage, and a respected place in the evangelical community that had shaped her understanding of herself and the world. But beneath the surface, questions she could no longer ignore began to challenge everything she had spent decades learning, teaching, and defending.
The books she started to read opened doors she could not shut. The certainties she had inherited over her lifetime no longer felt certain. She came to see how fear had shaped so many of her choices, and how freedom often begins with a question.
In this deeply personal memoir, Julianna writes of her very public and painful split from both the church and her husband—the self-hatred, depression, shame, and suicidal impulses that almost destroyed her; the books she read that inspired her to embrace life as an autonomous, independent woman and pursue her education at the University of Oxford; and, finally, her path to self-discovery and purpose. This Is What Happens When Women Read is for anyone who has outgrown a belief, a relationship, a role, or a version of themselves—and is beginning to imagine what comes next.
My Thoughts
What is it going to take to open the eyes of millions of women in this country and around the world about the dangers of fundamentalist and religious teachings and doctrines? People like Julianna and her book, for sure, help a lot.
Everytime I read a book about someone leaving very conservative, fundamentalists religions and teaching, I cant help but ask myself: " Am I lucky that I was never part of it or am I lucky that there are other women out there sharing their stories so we can learn. I think it is a little bit of both.
It is just wild and mind-blowing to me what these families are taught in the places that are supposed to be a safe space, churches, with their pastors, priests, etc., and all the not-so-good experiences they go through well into adult life, especially women when they get married and they have to submit to their husbands, their authority, and what they are supposed to do because that is what God wants for them.
Books like this are very valuable to me, not just because I can always further educate myself, but also because it always gives me hope that things can change and are changing for all these women.
Thank you, Spiegel & Gru and NetGalley, for the free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.