A Road Trip with God: 11,800 Miles from Hoping to Die to Daring to Live by Christie Del Vesco is a memoir built around a solo cross-country journey the author took at fifty-five, after a lifetime of trauma had left her, by her own account, a near-total shut-in, surviving on Netflix and nature-watching from her couch. The book opens with a present-day scene, a healing session that becomes a doorway into her past, before circling back to trace the path that brought her there: a childhood marked by sexual abuse, an emotionally abusive marriage, and decades of quietly carried suicidal ideation that finally demanded to be faced. Nine weeks on the road across the United States become the frame for that reckoning, with small, unplanned encounters along the way standing in for what Del Vesco calls the many faces of God.

Christie Del Vesco writes in a raw, unguarded voice that refuses to soften her own story for comfort, and her habit of dropping into present-tense breathing exercises mid-chapter gives readers a real, visceral sense of how she regulates herself through hard memories. The pacing moves fluidly between the road trip's present and the decades of history that explain why she needed it. This keeps the memoir from ever feeling like a simple chronological trauma dump. Her own inner child, addressed directly and tenderly throughout, becomes a moving presence in the book, giving her healing work real, specific shape rather than vague self-help language. The theme of reclaiming safety in both body and mind after abuse runs through every page with real conviction. I appreciated how clearly Del Vesco separates her use of the word "God" from any specific religious doctrine, making the book accessible regardless of a reader's own beliefs. A Road Trip with God is a brave, unfiltered memoir for readers ready to read a hard-won story of survival.

In A Road Trip with God, the author, Christie Del Vesco, is fifty-five and a near shut-in, planning her own death. She has lost her parents and watches her adopted children struggle with loss and addiction. She is slowly killing herself with food. She has a chance reconnection with a somatic healer that leads to a Vaginal De-Armoring session that cracks open decades of buried trauma from childhood sexual abuse and launches her on a nine-week, 11,800-mile solo road trip across America. She travels from Arkansas chapels to Mount Shasta, from a tender Sacramento romance to a women’s erotic bodywork retreat in San Francisco, from a Portland floating home to a Colorado birthday. She chronicles each day's miles alongside a raw interior journey: healing her relationship with food, reuniting with her wounded inner child, and learning to feel safe inside her own skin.

This is a unique memoir about coming home, and home here means becoming intimately connected to oneself. Christie Del Vesco’s honesty is radical, and her voice is conversational. I was expecting a spiritual book but instead discovered a woman’s liberating experience through an erotic exercise that unpacks years of shame, guilt, and insecurity. At times, it feels like reading the author’s diary, walking with her one mile at a time. What is fascinating is how the road becomes a metaphor in this book; each mile toward a destination unveils something beautiful in the author’s soul; each mile away from home becomes a step closer to herself, to self-acceptance, and self-love. A Road Trip with God examines consent, embodiment, surrender, and worthiness, and these themes are discussed in unforgettable scenes, such as a date sprinting into a burning house to check on a foster teen, a double rainbow on a Texas highway, and a gas station encounter with a young woman who reminds her of her daughter. This memoir taught me one big lesson: We cannot heal what we refuse to feel. It is brave, messy, and miraculous.

Christie Del Vesco is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. The trauma she experienced made her feel that both her body and the world were unsafe places. So for many years, she tried to present herself as a strong woman to everyone, but she didn’t feel that way. This led her into a deep depression, and at times she even thought about taking her own life. However, she has always believed God can guide her toward a true solution. When she had to face her fears, she got an idea that pushed her out of her comfort zone: going on a road trip. Because of this, she experienced more than she could have ever imagined. In A Road Trip with God, she tells readers how she found herself and recognized her strengths by always following God’s signs.

I liked the way Christie Del Vesco expresses herself because she’s natural and honest. She talks about both her insecurities and her drive to face the obstacles she encounters. Another aspect I liked is that each chapter summarizes a day of her trip. This way, she shares the most important events and what she learned from each new experience. That’s how we can see her becoming more confident over time. She writes about the friends she made along the way and the fears she faced while traveling alone. She also shares some photos she took, showing a variety of landscapes. In A Road Trip with God, she explains that the ideal life isn’t about seeking constant happiness and perfection, but about finding peace, and that peace comes from knowing life is sacred.

A Road Trip with God by Christie Del Vesco is a well-written memoir that shows the author’s journey to restoration and healing as a survivor of trauma, sexual and emotional abuse. Christie describes a difficult period of emotional exhaustion so intense that she contemplated giving up on life as she was overwhelmed by loneliness, unemployment, and more. However, her healing journey begins after an encounter with Big Bear. After a session, she writes about the changes she notices. Thereafter, she embarks on a road trip, recounting a series of events and encounters that help her reengage with herself, the universe, and God. This book will motivate readers to take control of their happiness and become better versions of themselves.

The author's story inspired me, and I applaud her courage and honesty to share it and to give hope to those carrying the burden of abuse and trauma. I first learned about the concept of Vaginal De-Armoring from this book, and I found it fascinating. As someone who loves to travel, I enjoyed the author's trips the most, and I hope to visit some of the destinations in the future to share in her experiences. Also, the quotes and the beautiful pictures included made the book more engaging to read. The writing is organized, well-paced, and easy to comprehend. Themes featured include faith, trauma, abuse, self-love, and spirituality, among others. I recommend A Road Trip with God by Christie Del Vesco to anyone dealing with the effects of abuse and to those passionate about personal growth.