Really interesting memoir. Enjoyed reading it so much!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Prognosis was a good memoir about a brain injury and her accounts of her experience of living with it. A emotional story that was well written.

This was such a good book. I first rated it 4-stars for a few reasons but one being this was my first memoir. I had absolutely nothing to judge it on. Then the more it sat, the more my mind absorbed all I read, I realized this was truly a good book, especially considering it was the first she wrote. It deserves all it’s 5 stars.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Keep an open mind and understand that everything she writes about, she is writing about her life as a person with a brain injury.

There have been comments made about her focus being on the fact that she was a lesbian and how she shouldn’t have (which is so not true. She didn’t focus on it, that is her life. It’s no different than if she were married to a man and talked about him and other boyfriends all throughout the book. I think perhaps the reader may have been too focused on it themselves.)

Anyways, the point is, this was a really great book. Well written with a LOT of really inspiring and thought-provoking writing all throughout. Thank you Sarah Vallance for writing such a great book and for sharing so much of yourself to us readers.

“With work, I never had enough time to write. Now I had too much time. Freedom creates a prison all its own.”

“Like most introverts, I have few social needs, and if I cannot enjoy the company of the small handful of people I love, I would rather be alone. One of my many contradictions is that I don’t like people much, but I find comfort in having them around.”

“We brain-injured folk get a really raw deal. Doctors blame us for our accidents—as if we wanted a brain injury. Neuropsychologists think we invent our symptoms because we are emotionally unstable or trying to cheat the legal system. Society thinks we are violent and unpredictable. Families and partners tire of our mood swings. And I’m one of the lucky ones. There are scores of brain-damaged people who can’t speak for themselves.”

This was an interesting, well-written personal account of suffering a TBI with life-changing consequences.

I had trouble liking this book. The author is clearly resilient and has fought through a terrible situation, not only surviving but thriving enough to write a book. That is impressive. Yet I found her story very hard to read, not just depressing, which I expected but hard to push through. It wasn’t her responsibility to be cheerful, she’s been through hell but unfortunately it was a difficult book to get through for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

It's always hard to review a memoir (at least for me) because in some ways you are passing judgement on a person's life and choices. Sarah Vallance made a bad one when she got on a horse without a helmet and she more than paid for it. Her struggle with first having her TBI recognized, coping with the complete turn around in her circumstance and her recovery - amazing. She doesn't pull any punches. I'm sorry, though that I can't agree with one of her choices and dog lovers should be prepared. That's not a reason, though, to skip this- it's well written and fascinating. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a lot of nonfiction and several memoirs this year, and this one was just as honest and emotionally raw as Ginger Zee's Natural Disaster. The difference in this memoir is that the author is dealing with a whole new life after sustaining a traumatic brain injury.. Some of the question in this book over and over are, "How does one start over and pick up the pieces." and "What will happen to me." I have never had this kind of an injury but I felt like I was on the ride with Sarah Vallance as she tried to rebuild her life.

This is not a medical book with doctor's diagnoses and recommendations but the other does seek out several. This is a painstakingly honest memoir of someone starting over with their life as an adult. I found myself rooting for Sarah to succeed and find herself the entire way through. A must read,

I had a hard time putting this book down to do other things. This was a very inspiring and harrowing memoir about living with and healing from a traumatic brain injury. The author shows us what us like to live with a brain injury and how it not only effected her but her family as well.

This began as a very interesting story and a fascinating insight into what it is like to live with a brain injury. However I did find it difficult to connect with the author and therefore did not finish it.

I really enjoyed Ms. Vallance’s writing style and often found myself laughing while reading this memoir. She tells a compelling story of her accident and recovery, as well as her difficult relationships with family and lovers, and her adventures rescuing dogs and cats. She vividly describes her experience with a traumatic brain injury in a way that allowed me to understand what that can be like.

Although I found the author’s stubbornness frustrating at times (I still can’t comprehend why she was so unwilling to tell people about her injury), in many ways I found her easy to relate to. I loved her sense of humor and devotion to animals and could sympathize with her difficult family situation.

I liked how the author sprinkled facts and statistics throughout her narrative, complete with notes and references. This memoir was an entertaining way to learn about traumatic brain injury.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs and would like to better understand traumatic brain injury.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing how traumatic a brain injury can be long after the physical healing is complete. She showed immense bravery when reentering the workforce and facing her unpredictable future head on. I cannot even imagine what it is like to have your IQ drop suddenly and have to relearn things that we all take for granted. I am an animal lover and have to admit that one of the best parts of the book for me was reading about how her dogs were there for her and how their unconditional love aided in her ability to thrive!