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lindseybluher's review
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
A must-read for anyone who’s ever had a pet, tbh. But especially for anyone who’s ever lost a pet 💙 You’ll feel seen, embraced, and supported during every chapter of this book—and you’ll probably come out of every chapter learning something new about pets (alive or deceased).
crossinthepnw's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
My childhood cat passed away recently, and I checked out this book in hopes that it would help me work through some of my grief. I didn't end up reading it until nearly three months after she passed, but I'm so glad I finally did. It made me feel not so alone in my grief, and comforted that so many people all around the world experienced the same kind of heartbreak I have. I enjoyed hearing about all of Bartels critters she has lived with over the years, as well as stories from all of the people she interviewed. Highly recommend if you're experiencing pet loss or anticipate it happening soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Death
kelliekozak's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Dementia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ashtreene's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This book really helped me with the loss of my corgi. The line about an empty LL Bean bed had me sobbing for 10 minutes. I will make my way to St. Jay’s to visit the dog chapel now
xor73's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.25
I picked up this book to help me through the recent death of my best friend, my cat Jojo.
While this book had much to offer and made me cry thinking of the grief I am going through in regards to Jojo’s passing I was supremely disappointed when I finally got to the chapter on cats. Right off the bat Bartels tells us she doesn’t have much experience with cats. This is fine! You don’t need to be a cat lover to write about the significance of their loss. Except she proceeded to tell one story about cats and then write about several dogs for the rest of the chapter. It really ruined my experience in reading and appreciating this book.
Bartels offers so much compassion and understanding for the loss of many different kinds of pets and the meaning can be extrapolated to apply to your own specific pet. However, it felt like a disservice not to spend significant time dedicated to cats the way she had so many other animals throughout the book.
While this book had much to offer and made me cry thinking of the grief I am going through in regards to Jojo’s passing I was supremely disappointed when I finally got to the chapter on cats. Right off the bat Bartels tells us she doesn’t have much experience with cats. This is fine! You don’t need to be a cat lover to write about the significance of their loss. Except she proceeded to tell one story about cats and then write about several dogs for the rest of the chapter. It really ruined my experience in reading and appreciating this book.
Bartels offers so much compassion and understanding for the loss of many different kinds of pets and the meaning can be extrapolated to apply to your own specific pet. However, it felt like a disservice not to spend significant time dedicated to cats the way she had so many other animals throughout the book.
mihrreader's review
I wasn't quite ready to read this book yet, despite my best intentions. I ended up crying every time I tried to read it, so I knew I had to put it back for now and try again later when my grief wasn't so fresh.
rrothpeltz's review
5.0
A beautiful and intriguing look into confronting, accepting, and understanding the loss of nonhuman family members.