Jessica Willis Fisher’s Unspeakable is a memoir about her childhood and the life she and her siblings endured. Beautifully and honestly written, this is a story that needed to be told. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, and at times heart-breaking book.

This memoir was so heartfelt and raw that it made my heart go out to Jessica and her entire family. I was a big fan of the Willis Family and the show and was saddened to hear about the end of the band. When I heard about her father I was so shocked because it further proves that you never really know anyone especially people on tv. When I found out that Jessica wrote a book about her experience I wanted to read it and support her on her journey. Her bravery to speak up and share her story I admire. When I read her story I was so taken aback by her honesty and openness about her experience, it truly couldn't have been easy. Trigger warning to anyone who has gone through abuse, s/a, or has experienced being in a cult. This book packs a punch and goes there shining a light on the hardships she endured throughout her life in her family home. She doesn't sugarcoat her experience which I commend her for especially to get to that place in her healing since she had to relive her experiences for the book. Overall it was a hard read but I appreciate her strength and was able to take away so much from this book even for someone who has no experience with these things. There is so much information about trauma and how hard it is to overcome and get out of these abusive situations. This story is life-changing and truly makes one emotional after reading it. It is well written and I feel like even though it is a tough read I would recommend it if you have the stomach for such a raw image of abuse.

Unspeakable by Jenna Willis Fisher was a harrowing, difficult, extremely well written and mindful read about the author's life and experiences living in a large family who grew in fame, while also behind the scenes living in an abusive and secretive family dynamic. I could not put this book down, every page, every chapter left me wanting to know more and what is next. Which is sad in part to speak of someone's life story that way because of how tragic the material is, and Jessica being an incredibly gifted and clear writer only added to that want to read more because of how well a reader could relate to her. (Perhaps not of the details but in how she processed things through writing - if that makes sense). Jessica being an extremely gifted and descriptive writer is truly a blessing and a curse, given her story and experiences, of abuses in her family from when she was a child until her twenties.

I remember watching The Willis Clan on the TV show when it released years ago as I've always been interested in how other large families operate, especially creative ones. The debacle and devastation behind closed doors and her father going to prison was news to me, so clearly I did not keep up with the family very well over time or even heard of it. Living in such a public eye must be a different type of pain I cannot relate to, and cannot imagine what she lived through during her childhood and at that time having to reshare her story, while it became publicized highly as well.

Back to the book, Jessica walks readers through her childhood memories, early family dynamics, the start of the abuses behind closed doors, when her family won the lottery, and their dabbling then full launch in the music industry as a band, then the TV show, then the unearthing of the scandal (to put it lightly). It also follows Jessica's life afterward of repair and to where she is now with her family. She wrote so clearly and also mindfully about the "escape" and how integral her now-husband's family was in it, and also of the investigations afterward. For lack of a better phrase, I found the entire book fascinating, especially the final chapters, sped through reading because it was so unreal it couldn't be. But of course she lived it and I cannot imagine or speak into that - I only applaud her for her bravery in sharing her story, her ability to clearly communicate to share it, and for her tenacity and drive in healing and writing a better life for herself while also using her experiences and talents for ultimate good. To add to that, the book structure is very well thought out and the overall arch of her personal story flows seamlessly through time and each chapter. It is simply - bravo - just, wow.

Jessica does not hold anything back in this book, and something else to appreciate is that she talks about the healing and recovery process - which is incredibly beneficial for trauma survivors, as I'm sure it was cathartic for her to write. Praise God for her father being locked up for his crimes to his daughters, and for Jessica and her new place in life. I pray that her and her family continue to get the therapy and support and community they need after such unspeakable lived experiences. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys nonfiction and memoir but also there should be a more pronounced trigger warning for survivors of trauma and abuse< as i found myself needing to skip past a few sentences and descriptions as able. One should be far into the healing and recovery process personally, before reading this book, and even then, use care when reading. (Her writing and description itself could also bring to the forefront some of your memories and recollections - so be prepared with a notebook to put this down, also. I was surprised but also grateful for this)

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review!

Unspeakable
Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice
by Jessica Willis Fisher
Pub Date 01 Nov 2022
Thomas Nelson--W Publishing, Thomas Nelson
Biographies & Memoirs


I am reviewing a copy of Unspeakable through Thomas Nelson---W Publishing, Thomas Publishing and Netgalley:


Jessica Willis Fisher uses the written word as her witness statement. She gives a lacerating portrait of a girl finding her voice after years of being silenced and an unforgettable story of risk and faith.


Jessica Willis Fisher, the eldest daughter grew up in a large, highly controlled, fundamentalist Christian household, Jessica Willis was groomed to perform, and to conform to her father's disturbing and chaotic teachings. Constantly cut off from anything unapproved by her father, Jessica was persistently curious about the outside world, always wondering what was normal or potentially dangerous about her upbringing.



After the Willis family rocketed into fame after their appearances on multiple televised talent competitions in 2014, Jessica and her family landed their own reality TV show and toured across the globe, singing and dancing for millions. It wasn't long before the world came to love this beautiful family and kids; young and vivacious, the Willis's presented themselves to be extraordinary and happy. But the older and wiser Jessica got, the more she had to face that what was going on behind closed doors would forever be escalating.




Unspeakable is an elegant and harrowing story f the manipulation and codependency that defines abusive family relationships, Jessica Willis Fisher lets us see the formative moments of her childhood through her eyes. Fisher's haunting coming-of-age memoir captures the beauty and ugliness of a young woman finding her way—filled with longing, fear, confusion, secrecy, and most importantly, hope for the future.
Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice shares:
* An unflinching look at the manipulation and codependency that defines abusive family relationships
* The formative moments of Jessica's childhood through her eyes
* An unforgettable story of courage and strength


If you are looking for a powerful story of overcoming abuse, and finding a way, I highly recommend Unspeakable.



I give Unspeakable five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This was a hard, but excellent read. Jessica was raised in a large fundamentalist Christian household rife with abuses of all kinds. It was disturbing knowing this was a true story.

It was difficult to read, those that are triggered by abuse of children should know what they are getting into when they read this. That said, I think that this is a well written book that the author has worked very hard on healing and moving forward with her life.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--W Publishing, Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this important story as an ARC.

I can't even begin to imagine the life Jessica and her siblings had to deal with on a daily basis.

This book lets us in on her unspeakable moments that her family knew about but nothing came from the horrific actions that were happening.

While reading and as a Mom of three children this book .... just tore at my heartstrings and just ... wow! I can't fathom the pain... Your family is to be your safe place/ your safety net... and I'm so sorry she and her siblings didn't get that.

I hope others reading this book will find their own strength and know that it's not their fault... to keep help and again, realize that it's not your fault.
I admire Jessica's ability to tel us in her own voice what happened. The courage-- just the courage to do so is so powerful. I hope that other's that get their hands on this book will be able to create their own unspeakable truths out and while do that... will give them the life worth living, happiness and set them free!

4 stars from me.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Big thanks to both Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Unspeakable.

Jess grew up the eldest daughter of a large, highly controlled, fundamentalist household, where the 12 children were cut off from anything unapproved by their father. When the Willis family rocketed into fame after their appearances on multiple televised talent competitions, Jessica and her family landed their own reality TV show and toured across the globe, singing and dancing for millions.

Unspeakable is a harrowing story to read. It's incredibly well-written, and filled with fear, confusion, and secrecy. I can't imagine growing up in such a tightly controlled environment (Home schooled, and attending house churches.) where there were no friends or teachers to confide in. How does a child figure out what is okay and what isn't on their own? It infuriates me that some people scream that someone isn't a Christian, when it's the accuser who isn't.

I will never forget Unspeakable's story of courage and strength.

UnSpeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher was a hard read. At times I had to stop and get my bearings but I was so anxious to get to the end to see how Jessica overcame all the tragedies that happened to her. I was conflicted when I was reading this like why do I want to read about the abuse that a child and a young lady and then a young woman went through by her father. But I’m glad that I read it because Jessica exposes and brings to light a lot of the ideas and fanatical ideas from the religious movement and how they abuse God‘s law and Gods grace to get things to go their way.. It opened my eyes when it came to my faith and what I believed in and how far I was willing to go for that belief . This is a hard read about the same time it’s a good read . I received this copy as a ARC from NetGalley all opinions are my own and honest.

Very nicely done. I liked that it wasn't simply this is what happened and this is me now. I liked seeing the inner workings of the mind when one is experiencing this level of trauma. I feel very sad for the author but this book was well done.

This is a deep , raw, thought provoking novel about a young singer, songwriter who writes about the physical and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.Jessica Willis Fisher , one of 12 children, remembers her first instance of sexual abuse at age 3. Forced to suffer this abuse along with her sisters, Jessica was homeschooled and insulated from other children..Finally , when she is able to escape this abuse with the help of her future husband , Sean.Jessica must confront the abuse she suffered through the help of therapists and must make the decision to hold her father accountable for his sins..This is a well written, very though provoking novel.Highly recommend.

Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher is very honestly written memoir about the author's childhood in an extremely strict and controlling fundamentalist Christian household. She was taught to obey her father's rules no matter what. As she got older though, Jessica started to realize that something was wrong. She started to realize how manipulative her father was, and she started fighting back. This book is her story told in a very raw and unfiltered way, and it is inspiring and heart-wrenching at the same time. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Like many people, I was a fan of the Willis Clan reality show and was totally shocked when the news broke that the father from the show had been arrested for abuse of his daughters. This is a memoir written by Jessica, the oldest daughter in the family. I will warn readers that it is quite graphic and disturbing, but I applaud her for her transparency and being willing to tell her story. What she lived through was horrific, but she was very real about the intensive therapy and the healing process she has gone through and continues to go through. I don't know that this is a book anyone could say they enjoyed reading, but it is a well-written survivor's story that will inspire you.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Jessica Willis Fisher comes across as intelligent, intellectually and emotionally. She's clearly spent a lot of time working on healing from her traumatic past, and I have a lot of admiration and respect for her being able to pen this book. I want to warn, the descriptions of the abuse are fairly intense. I often don't react too much to descriptions, but some are presented so frankly, and then there are some that I read and paused and just couldn't quite process. It's a very intense read, but she's done excellent work with this book.

What a difficult read but so beautifully written and brave to put it out there. She’s such a great writer and I’m sure her story can help others in similar situations see that there is life after struggle.

I was not ready for how detailed this was going to be and I appreciated Jessica adding the extensive trigger warning. I followed the Willis clan and was shocked when this came out. I have been wanting an inside look at what had gone down, mainly with the investigation and arrest. Jessica is incredibly brave for sharing her story.

This ARC was given to me by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

Five stars for Fisher! What a detailed book about her life as one of 12 children born to an abusive father. It was difficult to read at times due to the subject matter but with excellent writing and emotion it's worth it.

"Unspeakable: Surviving My childhood and Finding My Voice shares:

An unflinching look at the manipulation and codependency that defines abusive family relationships
The formative moments of Jessica's childhood through her eyes
An unforgettable story of courage and strength
Beautifully written and monumental in its bravery, Fisher's story is proof that we can all become so much more that the things that happen to us."

The author is a great writer, and her story captivating and heartbreaking. However, it too graphic for me personally.

Truly unbelievable. So glad it ended as it should have. Remarkable story. Good for author.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher is the horrifying true story of Ms. Willis-Fisher and her younger siblings upbringing in an extremely conservative church. I was very interested in this book when I read the description, as I was also raised in a Baptist church until I was fortunate enough to break free at the age of 16. Jessica's life and experience were way more harrowing and horrific than my experience. Her parents believed the man was the head of the household and the woman was to be obedient. The Willis parents had 13 children because Mr. Willis didn't believe in birth control. Jessica and her siblings were forced to perform musically - no dating, no movies, no outside friends. The worst part was that the children's father was sexually molesting the girls, over a period of years. Jessica's mother was either completely clueless or incapable of standing up for her daughters. Unspeakable is a memoir about the abuses of the church and its leadership and the abuses that stem from such archaic beliefs - from a book written thousands of years ago by mere mortal men. Unspeakable perfectly sums up what happens when religion is taken to extremes and there is no one to help the victims escape.