In Kirsten Pursell’s Amber Unscripted, Amber is back in her parents’ home on Sullivan’s Island after her marriage to Mitchell ends. The goal is distance from her past, but instead, the concealed history of her biological father, Jack, and the events that shaped her life thwart that. As she processes this revelation, her friendships with Missy, Scarlet, and Margo provide a steady presence while she reassesses her identity beyond public perception and former relationships. A brief encounter years earlier with a man named Christian resurfaces when she discovers a way to contact him, prompting a decision that extends beyond curiosity into action. Amber travels with her friends to Greece, where reconnecting with Christian introduces new realities that complicate what comes next, placing her at a point where the past, present, and future intersect in a single choice.

Kirsten Pursell’s Amber Unscripted introduces Amber, a recently divorced former reality television figure, in a move away from a life shaped by public image toward decisions she defines for herself. Pursell does an amazing job of slowly unfolding the layers. We see her up against reporters when news breaks that her former husband, Mitchell, has been arrested, just as Pip, the man who raised her, begins to fall apart. I love it when she crosses paths with Christian, a shipping executive she once knew. Audrey Archer, another fascinating character, who spent decades prioritizing family over herself, offers a contrasting presence. Pursell's talent for descriptions is amazing, from Sullivan’s Island to Thessaloniki and Christian’s daily life as a father raising his young son Stefanos in a working port city. The culmination of the naming of the group is the icing, and readers who enjoy character-focused fiction about reinvention, relationships, and splashes of public visibility will love this book.

In Amber Unscripted by Kirsten Pursell, Amber makes some astounding discoveries, one being that her father, Jack Sherman, was killed by his brother, Max, during a family feud. Her mother, Ellie, had married Pip, whom she loved. She gave him two daughters of his own, Bree and Cali, but he considered Amber his daughter in every way. Amber always tried to be who everyone wanted or needed her to be, and got herself into some hair-raising situations. Her marriage to Mitchell came to an end in divorce. They had no children, one of the reasons for the divorce, the other being that they grew apart. Amber’s journey officially starts on the night of her 46th birthday party.

Amber Unscripted by Kirsten Pursell takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery with the help of the Divorce Woman's Book Club, alongside fellow members Scarlet, Missy, Margo, and newly-divorced Audry. On the journey, Amber meets two people from her past, one she had always had a crush on, and the other someone she had a short relationship with, then they lost touch. The author allows the reader to face hard situations in their own lives as the journey continues. The reader will find that there are times when they would happily like to wring Amber’s neck, but then they realize that Amber has to do what she does to find her true self and the courage to start over: to live life unscripted, free from societal expectations and labels, and to embrace her true self. The reader will find themselves relating to Amber as the story unfolds, and she discovers her true self. The ending is very emotional and touching, and not quite what the reader will be expecting. This book is recommended for any reader facing a daunting new beginning. I would recommend it to anyone who is facing life-changing moments. I enjoyed it and found it very insightful.