My Review:
I chose to read this book because my older sister is a recent widow and I was looking for some deeper understanding. I'm not sure if I got that, but this was a really good book for Christian widows and for those closely involved with them. When someone loses a spouse, you're at a loss as to how to help. There is no closer, more private adult to adult relationship than that of husband to wife. How do you help, or even understand how to support someone who's just lost their partner of that relationship? Mrs. Knight's book tries to shine some light into a very dark time and shed some understanding on the situation.

She talks about her shock and total disbelief when the doctors told her that there was nothing left and it was time to shut off the life support machines that were all that was keeping her husband's body alive. She simply couldn't accept it. She basically made them prove to her that her husband really was dead. I think I would have the same reaction. And I'm sure an awful lot of wives do have that reaction. You just don't want to let go of him, this man who is so special to you.

Kim discusses the stages of grief and how she goes through them in her own way, as each widow does. She shares everything from her good days to the days she stayed in her pajamas and ate popcorn. Days when she frantically searched for things that her husband would have been able to put his fingers on in a minute or only he knew, like passwords or account numbers. She's a very strong person, too. She carries on and fights through the problems as they arise. Her struggles are a heads up for those of us who still have our spouses. Get this information now while we still have the source!

She falls back on her faith in God and her church. She is involved in a supportive church with an active congregation and minister. I have to wonder, though, how it is for widows who aren't in a church or who don't have a strong faith in God. Who do they fall back on? Her whole premise of support falls apart if you don't have a strong faith and a support system such as her church. What do those widows do? Not every widow finds God when her husband passes. Not every widow has family and friends who will reach out and support her. Not every widow can become the "perfect widow". While I realize this is written from a Christian point of view, what about the rest of the widows? A Christian is supposed to reach out to those who don't know Jesus Christ. This book in no way reaches beyond the front doors of the church.

This book was provided free of charge by Broadstreet Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not being compensated in any way. The opinions are fully my own.
~Judi E. Easley

Although this is a Christian book and mentions church and prayer it might also be relevant to some none believers.
Kim lost her partner Drew and was asked to write a book about it. My partner of 32 years passed away last year and so I felt this book might be interesting to read. Kim gives the story of the sudden death of her partner Dale and how she has recovered, in the main, from the trauma and found the courage to go on and make a new life for herself. Knight shows many if not most of the different aspects of a widows feelings and emotions during the first years after a partners death and then follows each chapter up with a brief question section regarding the chapter to give the reader a chance to respond to what they have just read.
I felt this was a very interesting and valuable read and would recommend it to people in a similar situation.
ARC from NetGalley for an impartial review.