This was an incredibly thoughtful and empathetic read told from the viewpoint of Sofie who has been frightened of commitment since her dad died when she was a teenager and left her fearful of losing someone she cared about. Her husband Rory was so understanding of her fears and worked hard to reassure her over time so when she discovers she’s pregnant after a bout of sickness stopped her pill from working she realises she’s ready to have a baby and grows increasingly braver as the pregnancy advances.

This book starts by exploring Sofie’s feelings about pregnancy and how she blooms as she grows but the main focus is on the life in the immediate aftermath of delivering her stillborn son with the positive experience the hospital helped her have followed by weeks of grief as she tries to process the loss of her son and how her greatest fears have been realised leaving her unable to deal with the upset those close to her are also experiencing. The book explores different ways we process loss and how important it is to grieve but also to talk about what you’ve lost. The relationship between Sofie and her husband in the aftermath was a big focus on this as each dealt with things in their own way and were unable to truly help the other grieve which understandably puts their relationship under strain. Whilst I wouldn’t describe this book as uplifting it does end in positive ways with a focus on support and positive activities you can do to help you process events and start the healing process. Whether you or someone close have suffered such a loss or you want some understanding of such a situation this is a very balanced read told with an understanding that makes Sofie feel so very real.

Words can’t describe how much of an impact this book has. The grief, heartbreak, love and friendships truly make it such a beautiful yet soul destroying story. This is a book I feel will stay with me for life, I will be adding a physical copy to my shelf when this is published.