Henley Carr

The Book

Beta Reader Reviews

“This book is about healing from trauma and knowing yourself by releasing personal conviction, expectations, and image. The dichotomy between Martha and Henley drew me in instantly and I found myself reflecting on my own life, the type of woman I am, and my own femininity. I felt free.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“It’s VERY good – on so many levels! It engrossed me from the start. Henley has a real voice that draws the reader in from the beginning. She provides a new voice to a real core struggle that women/people face among working through age old wounds. The letters are brilliantly interwoven as a contrast and parallel to Henley’s story.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“Women of all age groups will be able to relate and reflect on the common themes presented through these two stories such as the burden/exaltation of motherhood, sibling perspectives, newlywed approaches, and youthful freedom, just to name a few. It made me reflect on the things I feel responsible for since my own childhood.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“I was sucked in immediately, never bored, and literally just wanted to devour it. Henley is extremely articulate in how expectations and fears can cloud up life, but pushing through to discover what you want. She gives a voice to what a lot of women are thinking but are afraid to admit or say. Every word was magical, true, raw, and real.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“I’m vibrating from this book. It’s SO powerful. Quite frankly, it’s revolutionary in being a blueprint for us girls and women, wherever we are, to start excavating our own layers, past hurts, to heal, reflect, evaluate, honor and come through. This is REALLY something.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The

Dear Everyone,

Aesthetic

Discussion Questions

These questions are designed to spark reflection and conversation with your inner self and the women around you. There are no right answers – only your truth and the connections you find. I hope you will answer them honestly and find answers deep in your soul.

General & Thematic

  1. What role did you play in your family dynamic growing up, and how has that shaped who you are today?
  2. What expectations, spoken or unspoken, were set for the women in your family?
  3. How has becoming (or imagining becoming) a mother changed the way you see yourself?
  4. Do you feel pressure to present yourself differently in certain social settings? Why?
  5. Have your personal relationships ever held you back, or pushed you forward, in your identity?
  6. What does “having it all” mean to you, and has that definition shifted over time?
  7. How have career ambitions or work expectations shaped your identity as a woman?

Family & Origins

  1. What was your parents’ marriage like, and how did it shape your view of relationships?
  2. Were you ever asked to step outside your “normal” responsibilities as a child? How did that affect you?
  3. How have your family’s patterns around gender roles influenced your own choices and opinions?

Motherhood & Womanhood

  1. As a woman in your twenties (or imagining that stage), could you identify a shift – biological, psychological, or emotional – about motherhood?
  2. What surprised you most about stepping into (or resisting) motherhood?
  3. In what ways do you societal expectations of women still influence your daily decisions?

Identity & Self

  1. Do you feel aligned with the way you present yourself publicly versus how you feel privately?
  2. What life circumstances most changed your perspective on who you are?
  3. Have you ever felt pressure to silence or shrink part of yourself to fit in?

Relationships & Love

  1. Have you had a relationship that reshaped how you see men – positively or negatively?
  2. How do friendships with other women support or challenge your identity?
  3. What kind of partnership helps you thrive in your personal endeavors and professional pursuits?

Career & Ambition

  1. Have you ever felt you had to choose between career and family? How did that affect you?
  2. Has your career path ever conflicted with your sense of identity? In what ways?
  3. What pressures do you feel in your work life to “have it all” or present yourself in a certain way? How has social media influenced this?
  4. If you could redefine success for yourself, separate from societal expectations, what would it look like?

Martha’s Letters

  1. What do Martha’s letters add to the author’s story?
  2. How did hearing a voice from the 1960s shift your understanding of womanhood today?
  3. Did you find parallels between Martha’s experiences and your own? Or between the Martha’s experiences and the author’s?
  4. What can we takeaway from the letters knowing the full context of Martha’s story?