From The Lake House is a compelling memoir that follows author Kristen Rademacher's heartwrenching journey of rebuilding her life after two failed relationships, and the devastating loss of her baby daughter, Carly.

Kristen takes the reader on an emotional journey as she recounts the choices and hardships that she went through in regard to her romantic relationships, and the difficult battle to heal and move forward after giving birth to her stillborn baby daughter.

From The Lake House is a beautifully written and very moving memoir that documents the very sobering struggle that Kristen endured while battling the traumatic loss of her baby daughter, and how she finally was able to move forward in her life, while holding the precious memory of Carly with her always. You can't help but feel compassion and empathy as Kristen's story unfolds, it will tug at your heartstrings as her account of this devastating loss changed her life.

From The Lake House is an amazing memoir that will tug at the heartstrings and stir the soul.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher / author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Virtual Author Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/09/from-lake-house-by-kristen-rademacher.html

An absolutely powerful memoir about a mother's love and the quiet pain of women.
I read this one in one sitting and then immediately had to go back and re-read the parts that resonated with me the most. For me, the parts where Rademacher talked about her experiences with loss and coming through her depression were the most moving.

Rademacher was affected by the terror attacks of 9/11, not only because of the great loss of human life but because of a personal loss she suffered on the same day. The attacks caused Rademacher's long term boyfriend to rethink his life, and he decided to break up with her. Adrift and by completely by herself, Rademacher found that she had to rethink her own life in order to figure out what she intended to do next. She decided to go visit her brother in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the pace of life is slower and she would be able to think, plan and rejuvenate.

Very quickly, she fell into another relationship with a man who was almost entirely her opposite. Jason was a gun-loving, conservative, country boy whom Rademacher found charming despite their differences. She soon became pregnant and was elated to be creating new life. However, she was overdue and had to make an appointment to induce labor. Shortly before she was supposed to be induced, Rademacher discovered that her daughter would be stillborn and that she had to go through the traumatizing experience of giving birth to a child that she would not get to bring home. Of course, after the birth Rademacher went through a host of mental health issues that plagued her for many years.

Writing about the birth of her child and the emotional pain and depression that she went through afterward, Rademacher truly shines. I sympathized with her pain so much that when I finished the book I felt deeply changed by reading it. I highly recommend this chronicle of heartache and inner strength. Be sure to have a box of tissue nearby when you read it, I cried buckets. I already know that I'm going to remember it for a long time to come.

When I decided to read this book I did so because I too lost a child. When I realized it was a still born baby she lost and not a child she had known and loved for years I was disappointed. However I continued to read her story. Something about it captivated me. It is a story of losses, because all losses are not from death. She lost many things in her life her true love, her baby, her want of becoming a wife, and mother. I was able to relate to Kristen especially as she journaled to Carly. I did and still do this today. Each loss defines our life no matter how small which is something that is important to remember. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with loss. It’s captivating and helps you to reflect on your life.

From the Lake House is the author's personal story of how she coped with the loss of both her partners and her stillborn child. When Kristen's partner of several years leaves her suddenly, she moves to North Carolina in order to start over. There, she meets and moves in with a man, who is totally different from her ex. Her new love is a happy go lucky person, recently divorced, always short of money, and trying to start his own business in the construction/home renovation field. When Kristen becomes pregnant, both are excited. However, things take an unexpected turn, when the baby's heart stops, before it's birth. Kristen wonders, if it happened because she and her partner had a fight. Their relationship crumbles due to guilt, blame and perceived lack of support.
This well written book deals with a tough subject, a nightmare no mother wants to experience. What a heartbreak to lose a baby after carrying it for nine months! Her pregnancy was normal, up until the last moment. The author was an older first time mother, who was dealing with several issues. I hope, that in writing this book, she finds peace in her life. Maybe her experience will help others and their families, who find themselves in this unfortunate situation.

An absolutely powerful memoir about a mother's love and the quiet pain of women.
I read this one in one sitting and then immediately had to go back and re-read the parts that resonated with me the most. For me, the parts where Rademacher talked about her experiences with loss and coming through her depression were the most moving.
Rademacher was affected by the terror attacks of 9/11, not only because of the great loss of human life but because of a personal loss she suffered on the same day. The attacks caused Rademacher's long term boyfriend to rethink his life, and he decided to break up with her. Adrift and by completely by herself, Rademacher found that she had to rethink her own life in order to figure out what she intended to do next. She decided to go visit her brother in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the pace of life is slower and she would be able to think, plan and rejuvenate.
Very quickly, she fell into another relationship with a man who was almost entirely her opposite. Jason was a gun-loving, conservative, country boy whom Rademacher found charming despite their differences. She soon became pregnant and was elated to be creating new life. However, she was overdue and had to make an appointment to induce labor. Shortly before she was supposed to be induced, Rademacher discovered that her daughter would be stillborn and that she had to go through the traumatizing experience of giving birth to a child that she would not get to bring home. Of course, after the birth Rademacher went through a host of mental health issues that plagued her for many years.
Writing about the birth of her child and the emotional pain and depression that she went through afterward, Rademacher truly shines. I sympathized with her pain so much that when I finished the book I felt deeply changed by reading it. I highly recommend this chronicle of heartache and inner strength. Be sure to have a box of tissue nearby when you read it, I cried buckets. I already know that I'm going to remember it for a long time to come.

From the Lake House: A Mother's Odyssey of Loss and Love by Kristen Rademacher is a sobering look at failed relationships and infant loss. On the rebound from one failed romance, Rademacher jumped into another relationship without really considering important factors like lifestyle and finances. A rather reckless intimacy routine in this rocky coupling led to an unplanned pregnancy.

While the author had no doubts about the pregnancy and the soon-to-be baby, the pairing with the man she called Jason had so many Dead End, Caution, and Stop Signs as to not be viable. After losing the baby in stillbirth, Rademacher nearly lost herself. She did recover over time and removed herself from the toxic relationship although not before a second pregnancy, this one ending in miscarriage.

The book is a testimony to the strength of the human spirit and how one can come back from devastating loss and rebuild oneself with the help of caring family members and friends, even a special one she never met in person.

Kristen Rademacher has crafted an honest and compelling memoir about personal loss. Others who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a child as well as failed love affair will witness a profound healing the way one woman achieved it.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 20, 2020.

I would like to thank She Writes Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

The author perfectly captures the decisions that some women make when experiencing heartbreak. The honesty from the author about her decision to move to another state for a man and starting over, along with the red flags that spelled REBOUND RELATIONSHIP in her head and how tragedy changes her life yet again. This was a book that felt like fiction, but it was the author's real life experience. I really enjoyed this one.

Reviewing memoirs like From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher can be a challenge. On one hand, it seems mean and judgmental to critique the telling of another's true story, and on the other hand, there's an obligation to be honest about the telling of that story from a reader's POV. So, here goes.

From the Lake House had all the elements of a deeply personal and emotional memoir, but the writing fell short for me. It felt oddly detached and impersonal, and didn't allow me to become emotionally invested in the main character - and I really wanted to be emotionally invested in her and the story she had to tell.
This review is based on an advance copy read.