Lauren Akins is a devoted wife, mother, and philanthropist, and I loved reading about her life in her memoir, Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes. Based in Tennessee, Lauren is married to hit singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett Akins. Several of Thomas Rhett’s songs, such as “Die a Happy Man,” are about Lauren. And in his song “Life Changes,” he writes:

I bought a ring and she said “I do”
But everybody else said, “man, you’re twenty-two
“Whatcha trying to prove?”
“Hey why don’t you wait?”
‘Cause I’ve been waiting on her since the second grade yeah
And now she got her own set of fans
She got a blue check mark by her Instagram

Lauren certainly does have her own set of fans; perhaps it is her warm demeanor that draws people to her. Lauren writes Live in Love in a friendly, casual manner, and as she tells stories from her Tennessee childhood, teen and adult years, marriage, and parenthood, it is easy to relate to her down-to-earth nature. I especially liked learning about her friendship with her childhood friend Hunter.

Lauren and Thomas Rhett knew each other since they were in elementary school, and Lauren tells the sweet saga of how they became friends over the years and eventually dated and married. I loved reading about how (spoiler alert) Lauren and Thomas Rhett fell in love with their first daughter, Willa, who they adopted from Uganda. But life had some unexpected changes for them; during the adoption process, Lauren discovered she was pregnant with their daughter Ada. In May 2017, the Akins officially adopted Willa, and just three months later, Ada was born. And in July 2020, after the writing of this book, Lauren gave birth to a third daughter, Lennon. It was great to see the emphasis that Lauren places on her family, faith, and ministry work, and I look forward to seeing the impact that Lauren will continue to make on the world.