Member Reviews
Welcome to the Grief Club is a book for people who are grieving. However, I think it’s a great book for everyone to read even if the person reading it is not grieving. There were so many pages and passages that I wanted to bookmark and highlight. There were so many things that I related to. The illustrations and diagrams were perfect. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this book.
Okay I absolutely loved and adored this one. I now need my own physical copy to flick through when the grief is feeling particularly overwhelming. This book just made me feel better about so many things, such as having conflicting thoughts about the person in your life that died, or that how they weren't perfect but everybody thinks they are now they've died. The whole book just made me feel like I wasn't alone, that my feelings are valid, even if they aren't always positive feelings about that person. Couldn't recommend this book more
A wonderful book that helps to cope up during your grief period. The writing is simple and kept concise so that the focus is on only the important points and the illustration makes the reading more fun.
I felt compelled to read this book for a number of reasons. Mostly, I was hoping to feel less alone in my grief. Despite the inviting and warm cover design, I have to admit that I was intimidated to open this book for a while, unsure of where it would take me in my mind. I was pleasantly surprised by how comforting I found Welcome to the Grief Club.
I've heard many times that we must allow ourselves to feel the pain and allow the grieving process to happen in order to move on, but through reading this book I've come to understand that rather than moving on and getting over it, we instead carry our grief with us, and as Janine states, it softens over time.
Even though my grandfather's death still affects me so strongly, I no longer cry every day. And even though I still think about the friends I've lost, I no longer blame myself for not reaching out enough when they were alive. I'm still grieving, and I still feel the void where they should be, but I agree with Kwoh that my grief has softened as time has passed.
I also really appreciated that the book touches how grief affects the body both mentally and physically, and also self-care for when you're grieving. I found it helpful to read about the ways that others can help you deal with your grief, whether that's helping with your housework, dropping off dinners, or just plain companionship. As a natural caretaker myself, knowing these things will help me take better care of others who are grieving.
Janine has a unique way of writing that made me both cry and laugh out loud at times. For such a heavy topic, there's also a lightness to this book. Kwoh made me feel less alone in my grief, and made me understand that there is no one way to feel it, no special roadmap to follow in order to do it right.
Overall, I adored the original illustrations and how this book was laid out. I like that the book can be read cover to cover or that the reader can choose to jump into whichever section they feel they could benefit from. Janine's prose felt like a pair of open arms inviting me in for a warm embrace, exactly what I needed when I was reading.
Although the book doesn't cover all forms of grief, there's a list of suggested supports and contact information to help with topics Kwoh doesn't touch on.
If you or someone in your life is grieving, this is book is a wonderful resource.
I honestly was really surprised by this book because I expected it to be super boring, but I thought it was very well written and the illustrations were charming!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book!
As a fiction reader, sometimes I find non-fiction or self-help books hard to read because they mirror relevant, and sometimes uncomfortable topics or concepts. This book talked about grief on a loved one's death and everything in between. As someone who has experienced this firsthand, I did not know that actually needed this. This book made me analyze the way I grieved, my feelings, thoughts, and emotions while grieving, as well as my behavior during that time. This book was actually fun to read, despite it addressing a sensitive topic, because of the illustrations in it and how the author wrote this in a way that is realistic and inclusive. Her writing style was so easy to follow that I think young readers can read too. This book was a lot to take in, but I felt safe and validated through the author's words. I definitely recommend such an important book to everyone.
It’s not the kind of book I normally give my opinion on, but when I saw it on NetGalley, I knew right away that I wanted to read it. Over the last decade, I have lost my parents and four grandparents. Six losses that I have experienced in completely different ways, but whose wounds I still carry, more or less healed, to this day.
At the beginning, I started reading this book with a kind of preconception, was it another one of those books where they tell you about grief in generic terms, naming the sacrosanct five stages as the only way you should feel after a loss? I was pleasantly (if I may say so) surprised to find that this was not the case.
In all honesty, I wish I’d had this book with me at every loss I’ve experienced. It would have helped me understand the things I was feeling. Maybe I wouldn’t have tortured myself so much by realizing that it was normal to feel differently about every loss. Of course, I’ve since become aware of this, thanks in part to therapy, but it took me years to push the door of a therapist when I have a book (or since my e-reader) in my hands every day.
If someone I know were to, unfortunately, join the grief club today, I would tell them about this book and lend them my ear to listen and my shoulder to cry on (if they need it, because the opposite is OK too).
I would recommend it to anyone, even if you are not part of the club, it might help you understand that loved one who is part of it.
Thanks to NetGalley, Workman Publishing Company and Janine Kwoh for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Received ARC from #NetGalley. My 30 yr old daughter's fiance died last month unexpectedly 10 days after their baby girl was born. So I got this book at a time where the subject matter was a good fit. The book is written in terms that anyone who has experienced a loss will understand. The advice is clear and relatable. This is not a how to book, it is there is no wrong way and that your not alone in your grief. Very well written book.
This book is written for all types of grievers--including me. I wish I had a paper copy to mark up and underline. She touched on the specific circumstances of my grief that no books have before. I felt like the author was a professional grief therapist, touching on things I have been struggling with like "finding meaning" in their death (you don't have to), "he was just an ex" (It doesn't matter how your relationship was labeled or understood by others), "Should I feel more upset than I am?" (feeling ok is ok), "Could I have prevented it?" (It is not your fault), not to mention acknowledging the jumble of feelings and the triggers. I think this book will genuinely help people, unlike a lot of self-help which seems to be self-serving.
While I've always been hesitant to dive into the dark waters of the grief-self-help section, Janine Kwoh's WELCOME TO THE GRIEF CLUB seemed like an accessible, non-devastating way to get a foot in the door. And that it was. Kwoh approaches grieving with a sympathetic ear, good advice, and warm encouragement. While this is not a comprehensive guide to navigating grief by any means, the read was charming and does offer some good "in the moment" advice for coping strategies and activities.
Echoing others, the formatting was wonky on my Kindle and I can't wait to see the finished product and get the full effect of this title. I also highly recommend a "follow" on Kwoh's Instagram page. I look forward to those posts and I'm looking forward to a hard copy of WELCOME TO THE GRIEF CLUB.
Welcome to the Grief Club is a book for those grieving the loss of someone. Sadly enough, I have suffered some losses already, and this book really felt like a big hug.
In the book, it is clearly stated that "the grief club" is here if and when you need them. Welcome to the Grief Club would definitely also be an interesting book if you were fortunate enough to not have suffered such a loss yet. Its approach to grief is so good and understandable.
I have read quite some books about grief already, but I really think this is the "best" one I have read up until now. Kwoh has a way of writing in which you feel understood. I think this is important when you have suffered a loss.
Thank you Janine Kwoh for writing this book. I'm sure it'll help a lot of people feel less alone.
** A copy of Welcome to the Grief Club was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
This book is like a hug to a grieving soul. It's beautifully written and illustrated. It resonated so deeply with me. I've loved Janine's work for years - this is a great addition to her work on care, kindness and emotions.
This is such a wonderful book for anyone grieving or supporting someone in grief.
So often a book covering these topics would be hard/heavy reading but the illustrations make it really approachable and breaks concepts down into bite sized pieces.
This book is a great reminder that our grief is valid and there is no hierarchy.
Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC I’ll be pre-ordering this book for my shelf
The Grief Club is for those grieving the loss of someone close. I have been fortunate enough to not have suffered such a loss yet, and the book clarifies that going through a break-up/heartbreak doesn't make me a part of the club but assures that they are "here if and when you need us". The fact that I couldn't completely relate to the book didn't make me love it any less. It's a wonderful little book for anyone going through any form of grief whether you are qualified to be a part of the "club" or not. There were many parts I could relate to and plenty of reassuring words I needed to hear. The cute illustrations and the colourful flowcharts make it a very vibrant, quick and comforting read. The book is also inclusive in terms of 'characters'. I would highly recommend this book to people who are grieving without a second thought.
Welcome to the Grief Club by Janine Kwoh
After loosing my father a few years ago, I struggled with my grief.
I recommend Welcome to the Grief Club to anyone, even young adults and children.
Very easy to understand, where you are in your grief (everyone is different), and how to help other's and how to be supportive.
Thank you to the author Janine Kwoh for writing this amazing book as well as the publishers at Workman Publishing Co, Inc.
I read and reviewed Welcome to the Grief Club e-book for my honest review on Netgalley. (I post all my reviews on Netgalley, Goodreads, Librarything, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.
Thank you so much Netgalley for this arc.
When I first received this arc I didn't trust myself that I would love this book so much but it did! I can't help it but I loved every part of the book that covers every topics like losing a parents, loved ones, friends and so on. The author has meticulously and distinctly convey the fixed emotions and messages that I personally felt in love with. It's not like I have lost a lot of my family members but I could somehow connect to every thing the author has dwelled on.
"it's ok to feel many things at the same time. Grief is a jumble of complex, ever-changing, and sometimes clashing emotions— sadness, rage, guilt, anxiety, and numbness, to name a few. Like uninvited, unwanted houseguests, they leave behind messes for you to clean up, keep you awake at all hours, and have no consideration for any plans you may have made for your day. They tend to come and go as they please, often without any notice or explanation. "
I loved the actual writing in this book, but I was not a fan of the kindle formatting. I'm sure it will be fixed before publication though!
As someone who has dealt with multiple losses in my life, I found this book incredibly relatable. It was a quick read, but isn't the easiest subject matter.
I recommend this to anyone who has dealt with any kind of grief.