Two words can best describe this book: Raw and Honest. Wow. Mel Lawrenz opened up a broken heart and bled himself all over pages to show us that we too can walk through pain and trials. When you have an author who is willing to show himself to others, it is always a blessing. Mel opened up his pain so that we could even see in the darkest corners what it is like. And although we cannot fully capture everything that his family felt through this season and still have that taste in their mouth today, I don't know how much closer you can get to tasting their pain than this. Well done. This was not an easy task at all and I can say on behalf of many people. thank you Lord for leading Mel down this path and thank you Mel for leaning into Jesus and allowing Him to make glory of your pain. Great read.

A heartfelt account of a father's healing after the unexpected death of his daughter. This book has an in-the-moment quality to it. Rather than feeling like the author is looking back from a distance, this story carries an immediacy that is captivating. It reads almost like a series of letters, referring to things that seem fresh and recent, raw and still tangled up inside the author's heart and mind.

My favorite part is the epilogue, and his wise words about how different this process - healing - looks for trauma survivors. It can't be said often enough that this is not a one-size-fits-all process, and Lawrenz is both gentle and firm in how he holds this space for all of us.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.