2024 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite in New Nonfiction
2023 American Writing Awards Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir
2023 BookFest Book Awards Second Place Winner in Nonfiction: Memoirs - Personal
2023 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention in Memoir
2023 NYC Big Book Awards Distinguished Favorite in New Nonfiction (First-time Published)
2023 CIBA Hearten Award Finalist
2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Category Finalist
2023 London Book Festival Awards Honorable Mention
2022 CIBA Journey Book Awards Winner
2022 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction (Grief/Hardship)
2022 New York Book Festival Honorable Mention in Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
2022 International Book Awards Finalist in Best New Nonfiction
Official 2022 December Book-of-the-Month Pick of the International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club

“. . . Whitfield’s narration is often engaging in its spirited expression of a resolute search for meaning. A candid and inspirational coming-of-age story.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The writing is engaging and welcomes the reader into the author’s story and thoughts . . . telling a story that is unique to her yet in which readers will recognize the ebbs and flows of tragedy, challenges, and joy we all experience in life.”
—The BookLife Prize

“Untethered by Laura Whitfield was absolutely engrossing. Expertly written, Untethered is a memoir written like a high-paced action thriller. The reader feels Laura’s struggles—her hurts, her heart, and her humanity. . . . An unbelievable memoir that will stay with you long after the final page. Highly recommended.”
—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

“When life falls apart, it's easy to assume you're alone in your suffering. Or worse, that you're stuck there. Untethered is a haunting exploration of life's disorienting darkness, punctuated by lightning strikes of hope. Laura forces readers to confront the vulnerability of being human while offering a rousing call to more abundant life. If you've ever felt blindsided by disappointment and disillusionment, Laura's journey of faith amid failure is not to be missed. Highly recommend!”
—Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

“Untethered is a breathtaking glimpse into the unraveling of a life after death. With winsome prose, Whitfield's poignant coming-of-age narrative takes the reader on a journey of what happens when we come undone. This is a timely memoir of loss, sex, beauty, family, and the courage it takes to regain our footing amid chaos.”
—J. Dana Trent, author of Dessert First: Preparing for Death While Savoring Life

“Untethered is an exciting journey of a dynamic woman—and while it represents her life, there are so many moments of ‘oh, I know that feeling’ that she could be writing about me and my life, only with different names! So many of us have gone through the journey of finding ourselves while thinking it takes a man to get there; Whitfield’s story shows us that we need ourselves to find ourselves—and along the way, we might also find love. A great read for women of all ages.”
—Jen Oleniczak Brown, founder of The Engaging Educator and author of Think On Your Feet

“Whitfield's memoir is an engrossing coming-of-age tale. Marked by deep grief and aspiration, broken relationships and restoration, her story moves from a quiet beginning in North Carolina, to New York City and back again, all in pursuit of a defined sense of self. In her generous telling, Whitfield reminds us that humility, grace, and deep gratitude can yield the richest rewards, and that this life's greatest fulfillment comes in relationship with others.”
—Rebecca Brewster Stevenson, author of Healing Maddie Brees and Wait

“With radiant honesty, Whitfield tells the story of losing her beloved brother, which set her on a quest to find emotional and spiritual sanctuary. We follow her wild years in the Outer Banks, New York City, and Chapel Hill, where she seeks solace in men, jobs, and her writing. What she must learn is how to find a way ‘for my faith and my life to line up.’ Whitfield’s frank, vibrant memoir reads with the page-turning urgency of a novel you can’t put down. Fans of Mary Karr’s Lit and Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies will want to read this book.”
—Marianne Gingher, Professor of English and Creative Writing, UNC, and author of A Girl’s Life and Adventures in Pen Land

“Untethered is a page-turning read for anyone who has dared to follow a dream, suffered tragic loss, and longed for redemption.”
—Michael Morris, author of A Place Called Wiregrass, Slow Way Home and Man in the Blue Moon

“It's not easy to reach into our darkest truths. In Untethered, Whitfield takes the deep dive into faith, family, love, loss, and the longing to find oneself.”
—Cheryl Sharp, CEO of Sharp Change Consulting and former head of National Council for Behavioral Health's Trauma-Informed Care initiative

“Untethered is about learning to forgive yourself and deal with the unresolved grief from compounded traumas that so many of us as women carry, believing that burden to be our cross to bear in silence and shame. A deep and satisfying read.”
—Echo Montgomery Garrett, author of My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change and cofounder of the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative