This is great for someone going through the process of grief. At this moment, I am not. I would pick it up if I ever needed to.

In her poignant nonfiction debut, bestselling mystery author Clare Mackintosh bravely invites readers into the raw depths of her heartbreak and healing journey following the devastating loss of her five-week-old son. "Grief has run through my life like thread through fabric," she reflects, painting a vivid picture of the complexities of loss and the enduring power of love. Mackintosh's memoir transcends traditional notions of grief, offering a deeply honest and compassionate exploration of the myriad emotions that accompany profound loss. Drawing from her own experiences and the response to a viral Twitter thread, she extends a hand of solace and encouragement to those navigating the labyrinth of grief, reassuring them that while the pain may seem insurmountable, love endures, offering hope and healing even in the darkest of times. "I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This" is a luminous testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative nature of profound loss.

For someone who has recently experienced the loss of a loved one, this EARC was offered to me in a very timely fashion. I actually downloaded while my husband was in hospital but couldn't even look at it then, It was for me a painful read but one that spoke many truths, the main one being that grief is our own. Each person experiences grief in their own way. It is never the same for any two people. Clare Macintosh lost her infant son at five weeks, having never left the hospital. The 18 assurances that make up this book are based on her personal experience. It is a valuable tool for those who have lost a loved one, helping them to realize that what they are experiencing is normal for them. As we travel down the road of her personal loss we come to grips with our own loss.
Thank you to #NetGalley#IPromiseItWon'tAlwaysHurtLikeThis#SourceBooks for the EARC.

I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: March 19, 2024

I will start with my truth: I wasn’t sure I could get through this book in one piece. I lost my Mom, My Dad, my brother-in-law, and my beloved Aunt, in a short period and I still feel the immense loss to this day. My Mom’s death was challenging because she had fought so hard to beat breast cancer, and then it was a matter of just being alive long enough to attend my daughter’s wedding after college graduation. My Mom, my hero, toughed it out, bald and sickly, as she walked down the aisle at my daughter’s wedding with her grandson in full military regalia as her escort. Then we watched my daughter walk down the aisle to marry her sweet fiancée. My Mom won. On that day, she was victorious. The whole event was a grand moment for my family to come together, to laugh, to talk to my Mom and Dad, and for us to glory in a joyful memory. At her funeral, I was numb and talking to guests while my middle daughter was sobbing. It wasn’t until a year later that I thanked my daughter for doing what I couldn’t. My heart was broken at the death of my Mom, but I couldn’t lose it at her funeral. Tori did it for me. I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This is a great book, and the author shares a lot of truths about mourning and grief. It is NOT the same for everyone. We all have different triggers; some things come out of the blue, and you will lose it. I like that Clare Mackintosh reminds us that it is all okay. There are no hard and fast rules for how to grieve, but there is a truth that there will come a day when it won’t hurt as much. She is right. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a very well-written and thoughtful account of loss, grief, and the aftershocks that will surely come your way. Thank you to Clare for reminding me of so many good things. I will share this book with loved ones. #grief #death #shock #loss #love #life #IPromiseItWontAlwaysHurtLikeThis #ClareMacintosh #netgalley #sourcebooks

All of us, at one time will suffer a loss and feel the depths of grief. Mackinstosh is vulnerable and honest, so in turn we can reflect on our own loss with the reassurance that we are in a state of grief, but it will not always be as difficult. Here we have honest vulnerable assistance not banal remarks or useless platitudes. This is a difficult subject, but that makes the discussion even more needed. Buy this book for those that you know have suffered a loss, including yourself, it will provide gentle guidance.

Thanks to Cindy Burnett from Thoughts from a Page, NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this remarkable book.

Grief is both a difficult and challenging emotion. We all experience grief differently - how we experience it, and how we work through it when we lose a loved one is the topic of this excellent book by Clare Mackintosh.

"I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This - 18 Assurances on Grief" is a heartfelt book by Clare Mackintosh that talks about how she dealt with (and is continuing to deal with) the loss of her infant child, Alex. The book is comprised of 18 chapters - all beginning with..."I promise...". The book is an excellent source for anyone who is dealing with the loss of a loved one. Difficult at times to read - and I had to put the book down at times because of the difficulty of how to manage grief - I do think this is a good book for anyone who is dealing with the loss of a loved one and with grief.

Thank you to both netgalley.com, as well as Sourcebooks for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. I always love Clare Mackintosh's thrillers, but wasnt sure how she would come across as a non fiction author. I needn't have worried, she is such a graceful writer when discussing personal tragedy. I hope all people going through loss can experience this book. Glad she wrote the book she knew, from experience, was needed. 5 stars

Clare MacIntosh is one of my favorite writers. Her mysteries are well-written, with great characters and plots. This is her first non-fiction, and it also blew me away. Clare writes honestly and from the heart regarding the death of her 5-week-old son Alex, and how her grief has changed throughout the years. It is very raw and sad but also with threads of humor and hope. As someone who works in pediatric palliative care, I hope to share this book with many of the families with which I work. I think it is beneficial for anyone who has suffered a loss or is supporting someone who is grieving. I cannot imagine how difficult this must have been to write, but so happy it exists to help the bereaved navigate their grief. What a wonderful tribute to Alex. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars.

This book will be helpful to those who suffer a grief so sudden and so personal that there is no balm to the pain. Clare Macintish is completely truthful when she says the pain will change, almost with every interaction with those who knew you before and after.

"Grief is a river that never stops moving and can swell from a trickle to a torrent overnight."

Clare Mackintosh is a best-selling mystery author. She and her husband lost a twin when he was only 5 weeks old. After 18 years, she is now able to open her heart and her mind to write about this heartbreaking experience. What began as a Twitter thread has evolved into a book to guide others with her 18 Assurances on Grief. While she recognizes that everyone handles grief differently, perhaps there are threads that can be used to help others.
Each chapter provides some guidance along the way (ex. “I promise you will be happy again”, “You won’t always lie awake at night sobbing until you cannot breathe”). As the author notes, you do not need to read this from front to back. You can read each chapter independently of each.
The author was so honest with her thoughts and feelings throughout the book. It must have been heart wrenching to write. This book would be such an asset to those in need of grief counseling. Definitely a tough read but hopefully it will resonate for those in need. As the author states so honestly: "But we need to talk about our experiences. Talking about our emotions help us to process them; talking about our loved ones helps to keep them alive in our hearts."

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Cristina Arreola at Sourcebooks for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published in paperback on March 19, 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this readers copy for review. This is a beautiful and moving book about the author’s loss of her infant son and her grief as she processed it through the years. Claire Macintosh had premature twin boys, one boy survived and the other boy, her and husband had to make the heartbreaking choice to take off life support as he was progressively sicker and the team was unable to do anything to save him. She describes how she blames herself as she tries to care for her other son. The author gives what worked for her in her time of mourning and what definitely did not, in what to say and do for someone. This memoir was both heartbreaking and moving as it describes what a mother goes through when she loses a child, but also gives hope that she can make it through with support.

I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This is a grief book where a mom shares what it was like for her to have her 5 week old baby die and how she dealt with it over the course of 18 years. It’s a wrenching book and has some good tips but lacked true encouragement. Grief is definitely a hard subject and everyone reacts differently, this is her personal story. This is not for the person who is looking for an uplifting book that is in the beginning of grief but for someone who has sat with it for awhile and can begin to see past the initial shock. Even then there are places that are just downright depressing. Grief is not a happy time at all but this book was more of a rant in places and didn’t really bring me the hope or peace that I thought might come from reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

This is the guiding light I wish I’d had when my dad died. I appreciate that you don’t need to read it in order, and I can flip through it whenever I feel alone.

It’s the perfect gift to share with people who are grieving — it’s full of real advice and comforting words from someone who’s been there.

It’s also a good book for people who never know what to say. Read this to empathize and understand.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC of ‘I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This’ by Clare Mackintosh.

This was heartbreaking and enlightening all at the same time. It took me a while to get through as I wanted to reflect properly after each of the assurances. As someone who was experienced child loss and grief it really spoke to me. Such a good job with this one!

I really enjoyed this non-fiction book by Clare Mackintosh. I recently lost a loved one and it was good to have this book to read about grief. It was good to hear how she moved and continues to move through her grief. I am grateful for the tips on living through grief. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Written because of the death of her five-week-old son, author Clare Mackintosh's memoir is poignant, personal and helpful to others who grieve. Mackintosh knows that people grieve differently, yet the pain is universal. She is gentle with her writing, yet realistic about the hurt.

I haven't read Mackintosh's mystery books yet, but I am so glad that I read her first nonfiction book. I would recommend this book to anyone in any period of mourning and grief, and I needed it myself.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for an advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

This was a beautiful book... I am 3 years out from when my dad passed and I think this book is more for someone who recently lost a loved one. It was great and she is spot on, but it would have been better for me to read a few years back.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

18 assurances on grief is what Mackintosh offers the reader in this new release. She lays out each chapter with a promise, to give the reader a sense of hope in dark times. To provide a source of comfort and a place to cry. These are all things she went through herself with the loss of her son and father.

I found this book beautiful! I cried and felt so seen thru these pages. Mackintosh has a way with words and I can’t wait to read more from her. Her journey felt so relatable while also being unique.

I think if you’ve lost someone this is a great book to pick up because it offers insight into a long term grief journey. She gives you solace and hope for a brighter future. It’s not all commiserating and reflection on the difficult days. But about the light in between the clouds, what helped and what didn’t. It certainly will not be an easy read but it will be worth the tears.

“It will get easier, the woman said. Not better, but easier. And it has.”

Loved this book on grief - although born through an unthinkable heartbreak, it is sprinkled with hope. No matter what has caused your grief, I think all will relate to this book. Highly recommend.

Wow! Clare Mackintosh's non-fiction debut combines heartache with hope while sharing her personal and unthinkable tragedy. Everyone, no matter what loss they might have suffered, will glean comfort from this book. Highly recommend!