This book is not for anyone who may be triggered by the death of a child.

It is a beautifully written tribute to a list son. I am not ashamed to admit that it made me cry.

Books like this one remind us of what is truly important in life - family.

Readers who have children will hug their kids just a little bit harder after finishing this book. Readers without kids will want to phone their parents or close friends just to tell them how much they mean to them.

I think this type of emotionally impactfull book is necessary now more than ever before. DISASTER FALLS deserves every single one of the 5 out of 5 Stars that I have rated it.

While this tale was extremely sad and heartbreaking, it all hit too close to home. Reading through another person's grief while actively living your own grief is an exhaustive process, and therefore, this book is recommended to those who have not recently lost a loved one, especially a child, grandchild, or niece or nephew.

This was very hard to read. The pain it made me feel was gut-wrenching. I feel this may be too much for some to finish. I wouldn't recommend for anyone struggling with depression.

What a touching book about love and loss. I couldn't put this book down! My heart was in my throat the entire time, and I constantly felt ready to cry, hoping I never experience the same situation!

During a family vacation, the Gerson family loses their son Owen while white water rafting at Disaster Falls. Father Stephane spends the next months writing all hours of the day and night because he had "no words." Meanwhile, Owen's mother coped with the loss by moving constantly, expending the energy she would have put into parenting her son. Owen's brother Julian sometimes made demeaning comments about Owen to preserve his authentic self instead of seeing him as a hero.

This book touched me as a mother. I cannot and do not want to imagine the pain of losing a child! But if I did, I would write about it, too.

Here are the most touching thoughts from the book.

1. When he was still alive, Owen thought his dad was a wuss because he was scared. Stephane wondered if an 8-year-old can understand the dangers of the world. "Can they grasp the burden of responsibility? Someone has to look after kids. Someone, I told myself, had to be scared a lot.""

2. Stephane questioned if he would have made a different decision on the rapids if he had learned as a child to trust his instinct, asset himself and say no when necessary. I question the same for myself and am doing the hard work of finding my voice so I can speak out when necessary.

3. The family vowed to stick together no matter what. Would we have strength to do the same? It's too easy to blame, withdraw and handle grief alone rather than reaching out to your loved ones.

4. While listing likes and dislikes about Owen, Stephane sometimes learned toward strife because it is easier to mourn a difficult or tortured child than one who enjoyed all facets of life. I can totally understand this! We need to make sense of loss, even if we use irrational or false means.

5. The sadness kept surfacing without warning, but the sorrow evolved, the pain morphed and the body adapted. A grieving parent has the right to curl up and cry but cannot allow the grief to consume you. How would I do this?

While the last part of the book was a bit tedious with details of a lawsuit, I highly recommend this book and would definitely read it again.

Everyone experiences grief differently. Gerson worked through his, as well as that of his family, after the loss of his son Owen by tangling with the instrument of his son's death. What's equally important, however, is that he chronicles the impact of death on his wife Allison and his son Julian. The writing sometimes seems passionless and internally focused but that's Gerson's choice because at other times you will feel pain radiate off the page. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Disaster Falls is a tragic story about loss, grieving, and healing. It's a parents worst nightmare.

I found myself crying throughout the book and the story felt so real to me. Everything they endured can be felt as the words feel as though they were just pouring out of him. As a parent, I think the emotions are so strong because you put yourself in their shoes, and glimpse the agony and terror they live with.

I almost wished the story was told in chronological order, but it makes sense in the end.

3.5***

Disaster Falls by Stephane Gerson, which will be released this month, tells of the author’s experience losing his young son in a whitewater rafting accident. It is best summed up as a precisely written memoir of grieving – and the family’s grief is palpable. I don’t know if the feeling could be described any better than it is in this memoir. It is a very difficult read, but the family endures and for this reason, I think it could be a comfort to others grieving the loss of loved ones. (Napanee Guide, January 12 2017, pg 4)

A devastating and emotionally raw account of a family's grief.

This is a very emotional and heartbreaking story to read. I found myself needing to take breaks from the book many times. Losing a child has to be the most difficult thing to go through. As Stephane tells the story of his son Owen I could feel the gut wrenching pain he and his family have gone through. Do you ever get over the loss of a child? I don't think you ever do and I'm sure there are days that are more difficult than others.

A fun family rafting adventure turns to tragedy when Owen tragically drowns. There is no way to predict that the day would turn to grief as the family enjoyed their trip on the Green River. I can't imagine hearing your son saying "this is the best day of my life" and in a blink of an eye Owen is gone. How safe is river rafting? Did the guide make sure that the family understood all the dangers involved in the excursion? I can't imagine the guilt and torment Stephane feels at the loss of his son. The decision to put Owen in a smaller raft that fateful day will haunt Stephane for a very long time. Parents do everything they can to protect their children. Sometimes accidents happen that we have no control over.

Owen's family they must have been in shook when the realization hit them that he was gone. Stephane writes with a gripping and honest look at the toil it takes on him and his family. I appreciated his willingness to share his story. There are no parent books that warn us about every danger our children may face . We do the best we can to protect them but sometimes something happens that we have no control over. The book is well written with emotions that are felt on each page.

The book reminds me to make each moment count with your loved ones. We are not guaranteed one moment on this earth, so make the best of it while you can. If there are relationships that need mending don't wait till it's too late to repair them. Take time to appreciate what you have and most importantly cherish each moment with loved ones.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Librarything Early Reader program . The review is my honest opinion.