She is going to a Oprah conference. She has a son Eric who is a junior in college. She also has a daughter Anika who goes to Spelman. I was bored quickly

Oh how easy it is to lose yourself when giving your all to others. Such a good book. #MoreToLife #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

This book had me hollering at the characters and wanting to say a few choice words especially to that spoiled daughters of hers and that mother needed the lay hands ministry on her several times. This was a good follow up to My Brother’s Keeper, I really wanted her family to see and understand where she was coming from without it having to end the way it did, but she allowed that mess. I was a lil shocked that one part did not go in a whole different direction. This was a great read.

What sounds better than a girls trip to paradise?? Should be nothing, but not to Aja James. She has what I would call the "perfect life". Loving husband, money, children, beautiful home and a group of great friends. On the outside Aja comes of as happy and loving life, when really deep down inside she is dealing with her past and is struggling to move past it. When she is on vacation with her friends, she comes to the realization that she needs to come first and makes a life altering decision. Most people thinks she is crazy but she believes this is the start of a joyous journey. I really liked this book and enjoyed every minute of it.


I was given an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The beginning of this book started out slow for me. I stayed with it and felt a little lost, as I didn't know this was the second book in a series. I need to read " My Brother's Keeper " then come back and re-read this book again.

What I got from this book is we need to pursue our dreams, do what makes us happy, and find our joy. Nothing is worse being miserable when you know you can start over and do what you'd love to be doing.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This book was a page turner. Aja goes on a girls trip and “finds herself”. What comes after is a very emotional journey. The book is well written and I do need to go back and read the first one to better understand the backstory.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great, thought provoking book that shows it's main character, Aja, searching for more in her life. Kept me interested throughout.

An interesting read.
Aja the main character in this book is searching for more than her life. This book explored how after many years of marriage, two children, and a demanding career- Aja excisted not lived! Eventually she found her happy place. A well written book, very thought provoking
Thank you to Netgalley, and Kensington books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I didn’t realize that this book was a follow-up to a previous story, so I went to read it first and I am glad I did, because it helped me to grasp fully what was going on with Aja. I must say that the story was kinda deep. I saw as I was reading this book that the author gives you details from the previous story to help you understand Aja. I don’t think I was really expecting it to go in the direction that it did. But it was written well and you could definitely feel the emotions that Aja was experiencing. I must say that a little bit this book left me speechless.

This was a powerful storyline about a married couple of over 20 years Aja and Charles, their college age children Eric and Anika, along with Charles mother Judy who lives with them.
Charles is the ideal husband, he works a good paying job, buy and do everything his family wants. Aja his wife is a social worker but always wanted to be a full time artist because painting is her life’s passion. Aja has decided that she wants to pursue her passion for painting full time, instead of continuously doing everything for her family meeting their needs and wants all the time.
After Aja goes for a girls birthday trip in the Dominican Republic which Charles paid for the trip with her 3 other girlfriends. She comes back and tell Charles she wants a divorce.
The drama begins. I don’t want to give any spoilers. This book was an emotional roller coaster. I was drawn in from the very beginning until the end of the book.
What Aja did was a bold move and I don’t know if I would have had the courage to tell m husband I want out of the marriage, especially the way Charles loved Aja.
I highly recommend this book to read. It is a page turner.

This book was definitely not for me, I had to put it down. I detest characters that are doormats.
It's highly unlikely I'll pick up another book by this author.

More to Life by ReShonda Tate Billingsley is everything. This novel is written from a place that is more than the heart. I have read most of her other novels, all of which I have enjoyed, but this novel brought me to a different space. As women, we are caretakers and givers, putting the needs of others, especially husbands and children, before our own needs. Aja James has it all, a life that many would kill to have, yet there is something missing. Aja’s journey is one that some women may consider---or even embark on, while others will make it a passing thought and may even wonder if they could take that step. This novel has feeling, determination, grit and hope. You will find yourself picking sides and investing in the outcome of the characters’ choices. You will think. You will feel. I honestly do not feel that my review has done justice to this book, but I will say this. Read it. You will be glad you did. Thank you, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The cover of this book caught my attention as soon as I saw it! The pink and green, it looks like someone is heading out on vacation…which we all love! Then, I started to read and the first chapter pulled me in!

Aja, Mom and Wife, loves her family, she likes her job and loves spending time with her friends. But, today she wakes up very excited because today is the day she has waited for! She has plans that she has looked forward to forever. It will be the perfect day…until things don’t go as planned. Aja’s kids need her, her husband needs her, there’s no gas in her car and she is on a timeframe to get to her event on time…this is a once on a lifetime chance!

On vacation with her friends, Aja just isn’t feeling the vacation vibe. She just can’t get past feeling down. What is she doing wrong in her life that she feels this way? She has everything anyone could want-a handsome husband that loves her, great kids, a job, a beautiful home filled with beautiful things. What is her problem? Her friends can’t seem to pull her out of her funk, until Aja meets someone special who seems to know her and what she is feeling. Maybe this vacation will help her get beyond her past hurts and the rut she feels she’s in now after all! Always responsible, Aja stuns everyone by making an impulsive decision that will affect everyone she loves to help herself.

A good book! Good messages to remember! Well written, I could see the characters in my mind as I read. I’ll look for more from this Author!

"Other people won't understand or won't care to understand why you're making a new bed. They'll wonder what was wrong with your old bed. But they're not the ones who have to sleep in it."

Aja found herself in a position that many of us have - deciding we need to put ourselves first even when others do not understand. Aja's journey is one that leaves many confused especially her best friends. Billingsley expertly crafts a story that anyone that has felt as if they were "suffocating" because they were living a life their friends, family, or society tells them that they should be leading can relate to.

"You are not selfish for ending a marriage. You are selfish for holding on to it for the wrong reasons. This is what you must understand...a relationship isn't good because it lasts a lifetime. A relationship is good if it gives you the wisdom of a lifetime."

Baby, is that NOT a whole word? ReShonda could have just said "Welcome to my TED Talk" after that passage and dropped the mic. More to Life is simply more than a book. Yes, it is a work of fiction but if you are a woman that has ever put your life on hold because you were conditioned to think that others should come before you then Aja's story will resonate with your spirit. It will leave you with the question, "Am I really living MY best life?"

I have enjoyed all of the books I have read by Ms. Billingsley, but More to Life is my favorite. Oh, and don't even get me started on the note from ReShonda at the end. That alone is reason to read this book!

I didn't like this book. It didn't resonate with me maybe? I gave it a fair shot, but I kept yelling at the main character in my head.

I won't post my review on Amazon/ Goodreads, so that the ratings won't go down there.

I have to admit that this book really just did not click with me. I was so irritated while the girls were still on their birthday celebration with Aja. I wonder if I would feel differently if I had read the first book, My Brother's Keeper, before I read this one.

This book did not appeal to me and I doubt I will read any more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

More to Life is the sequel to Reshonda Tate Billingsley's very first book, My Brother's Keeper. It is also her 50th(!) book! I am a huge fan of this author. Her books are always full of drama and unputdownable. This one is no different. I read it in one day as I had to find out what happened next. Aja Clayton has turned 45 and is on a birthday trip in the Dominican Republic with her three best friends. While she is there, she starts soul searching and this leads her on an unexpected path. I loved this book! I think many women can relate to Aja. So many of us get so sucked into taking care of everybody else that we set aside our own hopes and dreams. Maybe we don't make the same decisions and we handle it differently, but we all eventually make the journey to find our happiness. I can understand Aja's reasoning, though. Her husband, Charles, may have been wealthy, but money isn't everything. He was very selfish and didn't listen to her wants or needs at all. You don't necessarily have to read My Brother's Keeper first in order to enjoy this book as the author does a great job of filling in some of the back story but why deprive yourself of another book by this author? Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

How many women who look like they have everything wake up one morning and realize something's missing? Probably more than a few. That's what happened to Aja, who, during a "girls trip" to the Dominican Republic, has an epiphany about her life. She's been the caretaker and partner for everyone but herself. Now, however, she's going to try to put herself first. No spoilers as to what she does but know that Aja remains a committed Christian. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read that will resonate with many.

Aja Graves has turned 45 and celebrates with her best friends in the Domenican Republic. Aja realizes that she isn't satisfied though it may appear that she has everything she could ever want or need. Aja begins a journey of discovery that takes her on a path where she will learn the second greatest love of all - the first being God of course - and that is loving herself. I didn't always understand some of her actions but Aja had some funny, amazing, supportive friends who stood by her side and loved her regardless.
Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.