A memoir by Lauren VallottonReleases September 29, 2026
What if the life you're living doesn't look like the one you imagined?
Past the Picket Fence is the story of a life I could never have planned—of big dreams, unexpected love, motherhood and stepmotherhood, waiting, grief, starting over, becoming, and eventually learning to let go. It's a memoir about what happens when the story changes—and discovering that God is still at work in the chapters you never saw coming.
Inside the book
A cross-country move. An unexpected love story. A house full of kids. A few very long waits. Some prayers answered differently. More than one beginning again. A goodbye I wasn't ready for. And a whole lot of life in between.
In Their Words
If you've ever felt the quiet grief of unmet expectations or the exhaustion of holding it all together, this book is for you. Lauren Vallotton writes with raw honesty and profound insight. Past the Picket Fence invites readers to release control and trust God to write a more beautiful story than they ever imagined.
Lauren's book brought so much hope into my season of wondering what to do when life hasn't worked out the way I thought it would. Her words offer fresh perspective and practical keys for navigating seasons of waiting, detours, and the wilderness, and I truly believe this book is going to change lives.
Author
Lauren Vallotton is a pastor, speaker, and co-host of Dates, Mates and Babies with the Vallottons. She is known for her warmth and thoughtful approach to complex conversations.
Lauren and her husband, Jason, are raising two young children and delight in watching their three adult children build lives of their own. Her newest title is Lolly, as she recently stepped into grandmotherhood.
A note from Lauren
Why I wrote this book
Ten years ago, I looked around at my life and realized it didn't look anything like the one I had imagined.
On the outside, life looked full. But underneath, I felt quietly disoriented.
I had spent so much of my life believing that if I could just hear God clearly enough, make the right decisions, and be faithful with what He put in front of me, somehow the pieces would eventually fall into place.
But life doesn't work quite that neatly.
Over the years that followed, I began to understand that faith isn't about getting the story right. It's about learning to trust God inside the story you're actually living.
Past the Picket Fence is that story.
Not because every question has been answered or every loose end has been tied up, but because I've learned that trust doesn't require either one.
This isn't a formula for getting the life you want. It's a memoir about dreaming boldly, becoming faithfully, and learning to let go—and about the God who meets us in all of it.
I'm so glad you're here.
Lauren
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A Few Things You Might Be Wondering
Is this a memoir or a self-help book?
It's a memoir, not a how-to or self-help book, and not a perfectly polished testimony. Through stories of dreaming, becoming, and letting go, Lauren shares what she has learned about faith, surrender, and the presence of God when life unfolds differently than expected.
Who is this book for?
Anyone living in the space between the life they imagined and the life they actually have. Lauren writes from her own life as a wife and mom, but the book is about living faithfully when life doesn't match the plan, and that isn't tied to a role or a season. Single, married, parenting, waiting, rebuilding: if you're somewhere in the messy middle, this was written for you.
Is this a heavy book?
It's honest. Lauren writes about grief, loss, and prayers that haven't been answered yet, and she doesn't tidy those things up. But the book is ultimately about hope, and about a God who is still writing something meaningful in the middle of the unfinished. Expect to feel seen, not weighed down.
Will there be an audiobook?
Not at launch. Past the Picket Fence releases in paperback and eBook on September 29, 2026. If an audiobook follows, the email list hears first.
Can I read it with my book club?
Yes. It's a story-driven memoir, and the questions it raises about expectations, identity, and trusting God in unfinished seasons are the kind that open up honest conversation. Read it with a friend or a group and talk about where you each see yourself in it.