Years after Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo met and fell in love (and documented the whole thing for reality TV), we're getting to know these Counting On stars on a whole new level. Earlier this month, their new book, the Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God, was released, and in it, the couple opens up about some pretty personal stuff. They share certain stories for the first time and reveal some surprising details about their lives that we never saw coming.
From the fact that Jinger and Jeremy almost didn't get married to the way Jinger ultimately decided to ditch the skirts and incorporate pants into her wardrobe against family tradition, there aren't many topics that are off-limits in this book. And as far as we can tell, these two are just getting started — they've clearly kept a lot bottled up all these years.
Although reading the Hope We Hold in full is definitely a must for any devoted Duggar fan, we've broken down the biggest revelations that Jinger and Jeremy share within the pages. Knowing now what was really going on behind the scenes, we'll never watch 19 Kids & Counting or Counting On in the same way again.
Reacting to Josh Duggar's Scandal
After it was revealed publicly that Jinger's older brother Josh had molested her and some of her sisters when they were younger, Jinger admitted that it was an incredibly difficult time in her life — and that her family fled their home state of Arkansas to escape the paparazzi.
"We were getting away for a few days until this all died down, to a place with plenty of land to run around outside without anyone seeing us," she wrote. "It would be the perfect place to escape the cameras without being cooped up inside for the foreseeable future."
Jinger's Decision To Wear Pants
Ever wonder why Jinger decided to start wearing pants instead of just dresses and skirts? According to what she wrote in the book, she examined the Bible after marrying Jeremy and realized that her convictions about modesty were different from what her parents had brought her up to believe.
"I realized that biblical modesty is deeper and more profound than wearing skirts instead of pants," she wrote.
Jim Bob Didn't Approve of Jeremy at First
As many fans already know, men who want to court a Duggar sister have to go through patriarch Jim Bob first — and after Jeremy answered an extensive questionnaire that his future father-in-law sent over, it seemed like his answers made him a nonstarter in Jim Bob's eyes.
Jinger wrote that there were some "red flags" popping up for him at the time, including Jeremy's theology.
Jinger Broke Up With Jeremy
At first, Jinger told Jeremy that she didn't want to court him, based on those red flags that Jim Bob was seeing and the fact that it seemed like everyone in her life was telling her it was a bad idea — though we all know now how things really turned out.
"If I said yes to Jeremy, I would open the floodgates to other people's opinions and criticism," Jinger wrote. "My heart was hardened. It felt like I wasn't myself, and something beyond my control was happening."
Jinger's Struggles With Body Image
Another topic that Jinger touched on in the Hope We Hold was her body image and the ways she's struggled with her weight in her life, especially when she was younger. In the book, she detailed the "extreme" dieting she did for about a month before asking her mom for help.
"It seemed reasonable at the time," Jinger admitted. "I didn't realize that my little weight-loss plan was teetering dangerously on the edge of an eating disorder."
Filming a Reality Show Took a Toll on Jinger's Friendships
Jinger revealed that some of her friends abandoned her when 19 Kids & Counting was picked up by TLC, while she struggled to figure out who was using her for her fame at the same time.
"Girls I invited over for a cookout in the backyard might be asked to step to the side so they weren't in a shot," she wrote. "I felt terrible as I watched them sit in folding chairs near the side of the room instead of on a sofa, trying to avoid the cameras."
Guys Were Breaking Down Jinger's Door
While Jinger was still considering courtships, she said she had a lot of options — too many, even, because sometimes the guys in question were "creepy."
"I understood it came with the territory when you're a teenage girl on a reality show, but sometimes it was crazy and a little creepy," she shared. "At one point, at least 25 guys had asked about me or my sisters within a couple of months alone."
Being Branded the Rebel Duggar
Going all the way back to the earlier days of the show, Jinger revealed that she'd been nicknamed the "rebel Duggar" by fans online because she rolled her eyes a lot and talked about wanting to live in a big city when she was older. But according to her, she wasn't actually trying to rebel against anything.
"I learned to think before speaking, to consider how what I was about to say might look splashed across the cover of a grocery store tabloid," Jinger wrote. "I learned to listen carefully to questions I was asked in interviews for the show and to think through how my answer could be twisted to play up drama."
Jeremy's Pre-Jinger Lifestyle
Unlike most members of Jinger's family, Jeremy went to college before going on to play professional soccer. But while he was still in school, he had a run-in with the law in 2008 that was preceded by his hard-partying lifestyle.
"The same scenario played out week after week, party after party, hangover after hangover," Jeremy confessed. "Lather, rinse, repeat."
Jinger Was Nervous Around Kids
Even though Jinger grew up in such a big family and was surrounded by younger kids all the time, she admitted in the book that she didn't feel comfortable with the idea of having one of her own for a long time.
"I was happy to comb my little sisters' hair or help my younger siblings with their music lessons," she wrote. "I liked kids, but the thought of having a child made me nervous. How in the world would I take care of a kid 24 hours a day, seven days a week?"
She Felt Guilty About Neglecting Her Religion
After her oldest daughter, Felicity, was born, Jinger was wiped (like a lot of new moms out there), and that meant she spent more time napping and less time reading the Bible — something that she felt guilty about.
"I'd enjoyed spending time in the Bible since I developed a hunger for it at 14," she wrote. "Now, I was so exhausted that if I had a free moment, all I wanted to do was sleep. I shouldn't be taking a nap, a voice nagged at me. I should be reading the Bible."
Jeremy's Ideal Partner
Much of the book is about Jinger and Jeremy's lives before they were married, and Jeremy shared an excerpt of his diary in which he described the woman he hoped he'd eventually marry.
"Monday, March 1, 8:50 a.m. Lord, bring me a partner, please. One who is in love with Christ, with a visible passion, humble, meek, willing to forsake all to follow wherever You lead us," he wrote.
"Not consumed with money and comfort. A wartime mentality. A servant, strong in faith. Walks consistently by faith. Lover of children. Physically attractive to me. Disciplined. Healthy lifestyle. Acquainted with the type of Christianity I'm striving to live."
The Newborn Days
In the book, the couple admitted that the early days with Felicity came with a lot of adjustment as they settled into parenthood, but they still considered it a beautiful experience.
"We also knew that if we messed up, there was forgiveness. Life as a family of three was beautiful. It was difficult, but even with the night awakenings and dirty diapers, by God's grace, it was beautiful," they wrote.
Their Miscarriage Was Their "Greatest Trial"
Jinger miscarried a pregnancy before welcoming her rainbow baby, Evangeline Jo, in late 2020. And in the book, she detailed exactly how heartbreaking that experience had been for her.
"I sat on the cold tile of the bathroom and hugged my knees to my chest, sobbing for the baby I never knew, the sibling Felicity wouldn't have. I wanted that baby so badly, but that wasn't enough to save it," she wrote.
Jinger's Diary Was Stolen
When Jinger and her siblings were younger, Jim Bob and Michelle would often allow total strangers who were traveling to stay at their house, especially fans. After one college student crashed there, Jinger discovered that she had stolen her diary and attempted to sell it on the internet (though it did eventually make its way back to its rightful owner).
