Same Dress, Different Day by Juliet Van Heerden {Book Review}

~ Description 

People affected by a loved one's addiction suffer silently in church pews. I was one of them. I'm Juliet. Sometimes I wish I could be someone else, with another name altogether, someone whose life is more comedy than tragedy. During the twelve years I was married to a cocaine-addicted Christian, I was overwhelmed with isolation and shame as I sat next to my ex-husband in church week after week. No one fathomed our family skeletons. How could I tell anyone? God stirred my spirit to seek personal healing and give voice to my reality. Through Him, I found freedom from silence and redemption for the life dreams I thought were forever lost. Same Dress, Different Day: A Spiritual Memoir of Addiction and Redemption chronicles my journey from victim to victor as I struggled to break free from codependency's suffocating cycle. I learned to see my Savior as the soul mate and provider my chemically dependent spouse could never be. God's healing grace is not only for the addicted, but also for the broken ones who love them. 

~ My Rating 

3.5 of 5 stars 

~ My Review 

(Well, this is a new experience for me. Reviewing a memoir. We'll see how it go. ;)) 

Through the lens of Juliet's charming first person writing, the reader accompanies her on a journey from a failed relationship in her teens-20s, to her first marriage and on through the ups and downs of her husband's addiction to illegal drugs (mostly cocaine). She supports him wholeheartedly as multiple times he goes through detox and rehab, only to relapse again and again. I do not believe in divorce in the typical sense, but I also don't think God expected her to stay in that abusive situation (not physical, but it's still abuse). I was totally cheering for Juliet when she packed up her belongings and handed him those divorce papers. 

As Juliet recounts the heartbreak surrounding her first marriage, she also shares how God's mighty hand was shown through those difficult years. She tells of friends who stood by her and Jon (her husband) no matter what, and she tells of people who turned away once they learned of his addiction. 

Although this was a good book – amazing story of God's unfailing love and grace – it just wasn't for me. After taking forever to read the first half, I ended up skimming much of the 50%–70% of the book. But then from about 75% through out (surprise of surprises!), I enjoyed it. :) Especially the last chapter!! <3 Juliet and André are such a sweet couple! :) 

There were a few reasons that interfered with my enjoyment of this book – I didn't agree with several of the authors religious views. For one, ghosts. Mini rant here, but there is no such thing as ghosts. Only the Holy Ghost and I'm pretty sure He didn't try to suffocate her with a pillow... Just sayin'. 

There was also a reference that the devil had 'won back Jon's soul'. Um...this is not possible. Either he never was truly saved, or he still is. Salvation cannot be lost. 

All that said, I did end up enjoying parts of the book more than I at times thought I would. :) I would recommend this book to those who enjoy this sort of memoir, and certainly to anyone who has experienced addiction or codependency.

**A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher, through BookCrash.**