You Are Not Alone

After losing my mum, I became obsessed with Cariad’s award-winning podcast, Griefcast. It somehow manages to discuss death with vitality and humour – and the same goes for this book. She tells the tale of her long-term reaction to loss after losing her father as a teenager (“pain all over the floor, like I’d wet myself”), interspersed with homespun advice.

What eventually helped her was hearing other people talking about death and coming to realise she was now a member of a “club”. “Once I realised how full the club was, my grief-mess became a little lighter. I could see my grief as part of the human process… I could see it as part of living.”

I can’t recommend it more.

Definitely going to be a very close to the heart read for me. I lost my dad fairly recently and am still coming to grips with his passing. Grief can be very isolating and lonely so it will be wonderful to have a resource for people to help process their grief and feel less alone.

I had not heard of Cariad Lloyd’s podcast before picking up this book but it’s one I’m going to listen to as I found her book helpful exploring grief in a honest, thought provoking way.

The grief club is one no one wants to join. When you do, you can feel isolated, struggling with a variety of emotions. This book not only explores how lost you can be in grief but allows you to understand that there is no time limit on your emotions and no two people feel the same, each journey is unique. It also explores how you can support the grieving person with lots of useful tips and guidance.

Grief is part of living and loving. We all will experience it at some point in our lives and this book helps the reader to process their feeling in an informed and sometimes humorous way. , The inclusion of celebrity experiences shows how no one is exempt from grief.

Having lost both my parents , one recently I drew comfort from this book. It helped me understand how each grief was the same yet different. Growing up in a small community the support system around me definitely was beneficial.

This book will help you to remember you are not alone. Helping you to live on even though your life has changed because of your profound loss.

This resource, drawn from Cariad Lloyd's experiences with her award-winning podcast on grief, proves invaluable for those grappling with various forms of loss. Particularly resonant for individuals mourning the loss of a parent, the book seamlessly balances the challenging aspects of grief with surprising doses of humour. While not always an easy read, Lloyd skillfully navigates the emotional devastation wrought by grief.

The inclusion of celebrity experiences may not resonate with everyone, but it effectively underscores the universal nature of grief, emphasizing that it is a great equalizer that spares no one. In essence, the book offers a compelling read for those seeking a guide on how to live on, if not necessarily move on completely, after a profound loss.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a really sound resource for people struggling with grief in its various forms. Drawing on Cariad Lloyd's experiences with her award-winning podcast on grief, it is likely to resonate with many, particularly those suffering over the loss of a parent.

It is not always easy to read, but surprisingly often, is. Lloyd somehow manages to pack a lot of humour into the book - along with a fair chunk of the devastation that grief wreaks on your emotions.

The celebrity experiences she references may not appeal to everyone but it does deliver the message that grief is a great leveller, and something that no one is immune from.

Overall, this is worth reading if you're looking for a way to live on - if not necessarily move on completely - after profound loss.

**Listened to the audiobook and read along with the electronic version**

I have listened to the Cariad Lloyds Grief-cast podcast for a few years now, and so was intrigued with this book. At the beginning of the book, Lloyd writes about her own personal story and the death of her dad when she was a teenager. I have heard this previously on the podcast, but the book goes into so much more detail. Then the book went into a bit of a 'meh' stage, where it included excerpts from podcast episodes/quotes about other peoples/celebrities experiences with grief. At this point, I was left disappointed as I had heard this before being a fan of the podcast.
However, then the book gripped me again. Lloyd writes about the age you are when you experience loss/trauma and the effect this has. I found this very interesting and it was something I could personally relate to with my own grief of my brother.

Lloyd narrates the audiobook and I always love it when authors do this (for non fiction, specifically) and it also included excepts direct from the interviews from the podcast. This was a great addition.

Overall I got a lot from this book and there were lots of points that resonated with me.

A book about grief and loss is never going to be easy to read, right? Well, actually that's not entirely true. Cariad Lloyd has written this beautifully and has injected a great deal of humour. It was a hard read at times and dealt with a lot of raw emotion but there was enough balance to make it readable.

I found this a really interesting and moving read. Cariad has created a comforting book that helps those that have lost someone see that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. It contains details about her personal grief about the loss of her Dad at 15 years old as well as quotes from people that have appeared on her popular griefcast podcast. I also found the historical information about how grief was dealt with in the past interesting. There is lots of information at the end of the book about other reading material, podcasts and instagram accounts that I found really useful. If your lucky enough not to have experienced grief for someone I think this would be really useful to see how a friend or family member migt be feeling. I found it very helpful and comforting.