Dear Alyne: My Years as a Married Virgin

The content creator and world traveler known as @DearAlyne shares how she broke free of the restrictive expectations of her family and faith, and found the courage to forge her own path.

Growing up, Alyne internalized that she should live her life for others: for her husband, for her family, for the Mormon church. For twenty-five years she dutifully put others ahead of herself, repressing and rejecting those things that didn't fit the neat, traditional story that had been written for her. To the world, her life seemed perfect. But in reality, Alyne was miserable, silently struggling to reconcile the pain and humiliation of abuse, an eating disorder, infidelity, and depression with the perfect image she projected. In her early twenties, she was married to a person she didn't love, living a life that didn't feel like her own.

Alyne reached her breaking point the day her husband asked for a divorce over email. Thank God! Or not God. She felt her life was truly ending, but really, it was just the beginning. Forced to start a new life, she broke free of the burdens of others' expectations. But first she had to find out who she was and what she actually wanted. For years, Alyne had secretly yearned to be a digital nomad, working for herself while travelling the world. Now it was time to figure out how to make that dream a reality.

This is her unique, 10-years-too-late coming-of-age memoir about the days before and up to becoming the star online personality she is today. In her singular voice, the poignant, hilarious and vulnerable storyteller invites us to join her on a remarkable journey of self-discovery and strength--empowering all of us to seek our own authentic selves. Her story is an inspiring testament to the limitless possibilities that await those brave enough to defy convention.