Blurb :

At age thirty, Maya Golden was living a charmed life. She was an award-winning sports reporter, a loyal wife, and a new mom. Privately, she was battling addiction, perfectionism, dissociation disorders, and rage due to sexual abuse endured at the hands of her cousin and many other predators.But Maya wants to change. So, on a family road trip back to her Texas hometown, she is ready to put an end to the secrets that threaten her marriage and her career. Three separate moments of divine intervention ultimately saved Maya’s life. From a suicide plan to the treatment facility to launching a nonprofit organization — Maya’s story chronicles and dissects her journey to find purpose out of the trauma.

My Thoughts:

I finally found some self-care time between mothering my toddler and holiday gatherings to sit down and enjoy Maya Golden’s debut memoir, The Return Trip. Because there is mention of suicide and sexual abuse in her memoir, it should come with a trigger warning. This book immediately captured my attention from the very first page. One of the first lines in her book is “Today is the day I am going to die.” Who wouldn’t be drawn to that? Maya’s memoir is an excellent example of an unfiltered memoir, which I appreciate a lot. Rarely are memoirs this raw and unfiltered. In my opinion, it is paramount for an author to share their story in the most honest way possible when they choose to share it with the world. There is no room for imagination in how she tells her story. Her statements are direct and to the point. We get a look at both Maya’s present-day struggles with being a wife and mom, as well as a look back at her childhood and moments that shaped her into the woman that she is today. It is also a journey of healing. It’s not a light read by any means but it a story that deserves to be shared with the world. By sharing her struggles, others will know that they are not alone in theirs. Thank you for sharing your story, Maya!

Happy Reading Folks!