I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

The author's name was vaguely familiar to me--turns out I had stumbled on Offbeat Bride back in 2011 when I was planning a nontraditional wedding of my own. The founder of the Offbeat Empire, Ariel Meadow Stallings, had built a career on a marriage and lifestyle that, in 2015, she lost. First a major health crisis and then an unexpected divorce left her reeling, grieving, and trying to find her way. This book is meant to reach out to someone else going through their own "sh!tshow," although Stallings is quick to point out that she's not a therapist. The book is meant to take the role of a supportive friend who can help you plan a way through your crisis. In these days of COVID, and with so many passages that spoke to new and old wounds, I found myself crying more than once while reading.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

The author’s definition of “shitshow” and her descriptions of her panic attack experiences really struck a chord with me. Been there! However, I didn’t really find anything new as far as the afterglow goes. I have read several books in this vein, and I liked most of them more than this one. It might be a good first read for someone going through a difficult time but for me it didn’t do much to help.

It’s a great book if you’re really going through something (break-up/divorce, death of a loved one, etc.). Plenty of tough love, mixed with permission to grieve. I’m in a rut, not suffering from the loss of anyone or anything, so it didn’t really apply to me as much as I’d hoped. But if you’re going through a heartbreak (not just romantically), this book will help you get through it.

This is what a self-help book should be, because Ariel Meadow Stallings provides such great information that you can actually help yourself with it. She's direct, but never lecturing. Revelatory but never overwhelmingly so. For grief healing especially, which is what drew me to the book, this is the good stuff. You're always looking for keys that make everything simpler to see and handle. This book dials down the noise and everything else you may have tried, and hooks you in with the author's guidance. Highly recommended.

An extremely relevant book that has actionable steps at the end of each chapter to help you find your "afterglow." I loved that about this book because so many self-help books speak in the abstract, so to see concrete steps on the page was helpful as takeaways!

A really interesting informative at times laugh out loud read.A perfect book to read during this pandemic a guide steps to take when life’s full apart.Really enjoyed the book #netgalley#persusboojs

This book was not what I expected, well written and extremely funny. As we are in the middle of COVID-19 this book has been a breath of fresh air and one that I have recommended to both friends and family, This book also has an actionable plan that can be broken into smaller steps. I can't wait to see what's next for this author.