Member Reviews
This book is lovely. As someone who is grieving a young adult loved one who died in a sudden and tragic way, as well as the losses of beloved older family members whose deaths were not sudden but nonetheless heartbreaking, I am familiar with the gamut of phases and emotions grieving can manifest in. Grief is hard. It is individual. It is universal. I read a few memoirs around grief in the past year and found them touching but also completely unrelatable - they were someone else's story and grief, not mine. What I wish I had picked up first, and exclusively, is this book. It doesn't preach at me, allowing my own worldview to remain at the center where I prefer it. It doesn't tell me how to grieve, or why I should or shouldn't feel a certain way, or anything else inappropriate. It simply sits with me and gives me permission to think, or to feel, or to cry, or to laugh, or to wonder, or to ache. It is brief and accessible, moving and graceful, without being terse and inadequate.
"With a loved one's death, we step into a liminal space - we've stopped living our old life, but we've not yet stepped into our new one." - from the entry for Feb 22. This book sits with you in this liminal space. I am stepping into my new one, and carrying my grief and my memories and my joy forward. This book gave me space to do exactly that.
Thank you Shelby Forsythia and Zeitgeist for this ARC, but most of all thank you for publishing this needed and sensitive work.
Loved the concept of this book so much. This is a journal that helps the readers express and understand their grief, while learning to live with it by taking it step by step, day by day.
This book isn't meant to be read in one sitting, but in the course of a year or maybe longer depending when the readers feel they want to pick the book up and find some comfort in its pages.
It's been almost 6 years since my dad passed away and even after all this time I found myself in the pages of this book and saw that grief is a journey without a clear ending. I would definitely purchase this book and us it on an as needed basis.
(This would also be a great app that could send daily reminders/positive quotes to people)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.
I wouldn't normally pick up a book like this but found this to be insightful and really helpful.
Not at all what I was expecting.
This book spoke to me in so many ways. I lost both my parents in the last 6 months and needed a way to help me cope that was not overwhelming. This book was thought provoking and so helpful in dealing with my ongoing grief. So many books are difficult to absorb when you feel so immersed in dealing with a loss. This book provided small bits of helpful information in manageable doses.
I first encountered the author's work with grief via her podcast. Within a few years time, I was reeling on the heels of loss due to the deaths of a best friend, a sibling and my beloved dog. Forsythia's communication style is warm and affirming. I was grateful for the opportunity to read her new book having received an ARC from Netgalley. Their generosity in providing me a copy did not influence my honest review.
The book is formatted into "bite sized" (baby bites,) thoughts presented in a day-of-the-year calendar fashion. This style of communication for grieving works best for me. The subject lends itself better as being read with a slow and steady tortoise pace rather than reading like a racing hare. I only read the September through November entries (and not every day at that,) but the content was excellent. I do not personally know Shelby Forsythia but find her to be a much needed resource for the grieving amongst us in the 21st century. Her writing is such that one feels like she is offering unconditional support and positive regard. There's no wrong way (or right way) to "do grief" but some approaches are more effective and healing than others. I perceive that Ms. Forsythia has both the experience and the training to offer healing and respite to the bereaved. I loved the book. #YourGriefYourWay #NetGalley
This book was exactly what I needed. I've listened to Shelby's podcast a few times, and really enjoyed it, and the book was as good if not better. I like that it is set up as a daily page to read, and offers quotes, advice, and resources. I will be giving this as a gift to several family members!
Grief got me to read this book after I'd had it on my shelf for over a month and who knew that daily messages, reminders of the journey, the feelings and insights could be this comforting?
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. I believe that this is the kind of book to reach out to and keep close at a time as this.
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who has been diagnosed with grief caused depression (with a sprinkle of PTSD in there) there were so many tips in here that helped so much. I read it cover to cover instead of the intended daily entry, but I still found myself so held and comforted by the entries. I highlighted so much of it in my kindle, and plan on purchasing a physical copy to transcribe my notes in.
wow, I love love love this book. As a therapist, I've most often recommended Megan Devine's awesome book "It's OK that you're not OK" as a grief resource. But there are two problems with her book: it is really irreverent, which can be super comforting if you are irreverent yourself or really angry, but doesn't resonate with everyone. And, grieving people have a hard time reading - I know I couldn't read for over a year after my brother died. What is fantastic about Shelby's book is that it is in a "year devotional" style (not religious) - where each day of the year there is a short page with a practice or some information that is useful. Often there are quotes from others, which gives multiple perspectives. Some of the entries just give information about the grieving process itself and what is normal to expect. Some give activities you can try (I love how she always makes it clear that her ideas won't work for everyone). Some give resources - I think it's so great how she is willing to share every resource she's come across, even when it has nothing to do with her own "brand". All in all, this book is a fantastic resource for information, ideas and activities - and should be accessible even if you are grieving and reading seems overwhelming.
After losing my husband recently, I've been reading a lot of books on grief and coping. This one is the best by far. With short, concise chapters and down=to-earth suggestions, this book provides comfort and a sense of peacefulness to grieving. I think my favorite suggestion was to add a phrase to everything I do when I feel I'm not doing enough. Just add - 'while grieving' to whatever you're doing. It makes a difference and helps one realize we're doing the best we can.
I would recommend this book for anyone experiencing grief - whether for loss of a loved one or - in these uncertain times - the loss of life that we know it.
*thank you to Netgalley, Shelby Forsythia and Zeitgeist for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
5 stars.
This book is amazing. Grieving is probably the hardest thing we will ever go through and a time in our lives where we appreciate, even more so, the little comforts of those people and messages around us that help us, even a tiny bit, to be able to manage our way through the pain. This book isn't long. It's not a whole lot of reading. It's short little, helpful little comforts.
What I appreciated most about this book, was that you don't have to read it the standard way from the beginning to the end. You can flip to any page and begin reading, or even read it backwards.
When grieving, reading can become really difficult, so that's why the messages in this book are short and to the point.
I'm really appreciating this book to help me through one of the biggest losses I'll ever face right now. I would highly, highly recommend to anyone, to read this while going through the grief process.
Anyone who have ever been through the grieving process, this one is for you. There's no right or wrong way to grieve. Often, you reach for whatever you think might help. Shelby Forsythia's "Your Grief, Your Way" might be just the right resource for you. A compact daily prompt, each day holds something different for you to do, read, or think on.
I think this book was harder for me to review than I thought it would be. It's been a few years now and as I'm sure you can guess, the pain doesn't fully go away. I read this book quickly, rather than a day at a time so the processing was much more overwhelming than I had anticipated. That being said, remember to have grace and be careful with yourself while grieving.
While I don't agree with every technique or method mention in this book, I think that it's a great stepping stone. What works for me might not work for someone else and vice versa. This book offers many many options, so you can find what serves you best.
I gave this book 4 stars because I feel it has real helping potential for someone going through a loss. My mom made me a kind of prompt journal while I was mourning and I think that the prompts gave me peace. I don't know that a whole year of this book would have been helpful for me, but there were definitely things I learned and reassurances I needed throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I lost my father a few months ago and knew this book was something I needed. I am so glad to have this book and the different ways she highlights to deal with grief. I know that everyone deals differently and I liked how there were different ways about talking about grief and methods to help deal with your grief. I liked that there were daily messages and quotes from other grievers. A good grief handbook.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I like this book a lot. I just lost my brother last week. This book has been a big help to me put things in perspective. What a wonderful gift for anyone suffering through grief.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this special book at a time I needed to read it. It is a treasure.
This is a beautiful book that offers both a creative and pragmatic approach to workring through grief.
I got an advanced copy of Your Grief, Your Way by Shelby Forsythia. After having to back to back deaths of men in my life this month, I thought this book would help me. I love that there is a year of daily messages of comfort, starting in January. Everyone handles grief differently. This book shows the multiple ways to process grief.