Relentless

Relentless is the inspirational true story of a woman who climbs her way to the top of her industry after finding herself homeless at age sixteen. It’s Christmas in 1987 and sixteen-year-old Natasha Miller is excited for the boy who she has begun dating, Philip, to come over. But in a split second, Natasha’s mother decides to threaten her with a knife, telling her she is going to kill her. A chase ensues and although Natasha’s dad loves her, he isn’t willing to stand up for her. In fact, he himself turns to the bottle which seems to numb him to the chaos in their household. He tells Natasha to pack up some of her things and brings her to a local teenage shelter.

The mental abuse and anguish from her mother makes it impossible for Natasha to go back home. She ends up getting a job and staying with Gram, her dad’s mother. As I read the story, I felt so incredibly sad for this young girl. All she wanted was to be part of a loving family. Instead, the abuse led to anxiety and hopelessness.

But Natasha was a tough young lady. She was a budding violinist and was even given a scholarship to the University of Kansas and attended the school until she had to drop out due to mononucleosis. Through everything, Natasha perseveres. She works hard and meets many different people along the way. Moving to California with her new husband, Nick, Natasha becomes pregnant with their daughter Bennett. Although the relationship doesn’t last, she finds herself loving her daughter so much and is able to work from home while raising her.

Relentless is beautifully written and much of it feels as if you are sitting in a room listening to an old friend tell you stories about her childhood. The words flow naturally onto the page. I truly believe that Natasha’s entrepreneurial spirit is what pushed her through the hardest of times. She was able to release music, manage gigs, start businesses, and raise her daughter all at once. Her ability to shift from one project to another and figure out how to make things work, especially through the Covid pandemic, is one hundred percent admirable. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Natasha describes her relationship with famous songwriter, Bobby Sharp. I felt like he became a grandfather figure to her and motivated her through stories of his own to reach for her goals.

Relentless is a book that any person can learn a great deal from. No one is without some kind of struggle, and if a sixteen-year-old homeless girl from Iowa can make it onto Inc.’s 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies, then really, the sky is the limit.