This is a book for everyone’s personal library, as everyone will experience grief at some point in their lives. A book to dip into when grief is so overwhelming, and you need a helping hand.

This is a book I wish I had read before ever experiencing grief.  Pete has taken us on his personal journey and described the overwhelming devastation, fear, anxiety and exhaustion that grief brings and explains how that is all “normal” which at the time it feels anything but.

He goes on to give practical tools to navigate all types of grief and explains how to cope in those early days. The need for self-care and how to extend that self-care throughout life as grief lives alongside us.

Every chapter is supportive and practical allowing time to nourish, rest and heal. Self-care runs through the pages of this book.

“Grief in a Digital Age” really struck me and is a chapter I wish I had knowledge of as how do you cope with “memories” appearing on social media when you least expect them and when you have not had the courage to even look at a photograph of your loved one? Pete also talks about the positive aspects of social media during grief and the support it can offer.

He goes on to suggest ways to support other types grieving, the loss of a relationship, friendship, a job and the depth of devastation following miscarriage and stillbirth. Which until you experience these situations you may not even realise you are experiencing grief.

It is the gentle practical help in this book that makes it stand out from other books written on grief, Pete has walked this journey, and he shares that personal experience from the devastation of loss to the step-by-step road to facing a new world and how to find support when grief overtakes you.

 Pete accurately describes in the conclusion of this book the journey and how living with grief is possible.

“With time, sharp pain lessens to an occasional ache for what’s gone. Space opens slowly for renewed purpose and possibility. But our lost loved ones leave lasting imprints-their influence can be found in our smallest gestures and deepest values. We carry remnants of those who shaped us. Cherish these traces while making space for new growth”

Why does Grieving Hurt So Much? Is a gentle navigation through grief with no right or wrong, no time limits just practical, emotional and spiritual support at the most difficult time in life.



Mrs T.Ralph BA(Hons) PGCE