Cheryl Strayed is an amazing writer — there's no explanation needed.
In this novella, she takes on the relationship dynamic between her mother-in-law and herself...and it is peppered with humor and observation that is so unique to Strayed.
It goes on to show that you can find something meaningful in your relationships with people who are so very different from you...her writing validates and verbalises so many emotions that otherwise seem frivolous or indescribable.

A beautiful essay from Cheryl Strayed about first meeting her mother-in-law and then saying goodbye as she passed away. Cheryl has a way with words and describing emotions so succinctly that cuts through any fluff or awkwardness. She faces the truth head on and shares from a place of love. Highly recommend this latest writing from Cheryl Strayed.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This memoir is my first Cheryl Strayed and I was pleasantly surprised at how the prose flows. At no point did I feel as if I was being forced to read something unpleasant.

The book talks about two women - mother-in-law and daughter-in-law - and their fraught relationship over the years. Both of them continue to be civil to each other only for one reason - they love the same man.

As Cheryl's mother-in-law's health begins to spiral, she does her best to maintain her dignity while also managing to keep a distance from Cheryl. I liked that Cheryl wrote about it matter-of-factly. There were absolutely no judgments (I am more petty, I think).

It is a short book that manages to convey a lot.

4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC.

I was initially very intrigued to find out what this book was about as all I knew about it was that it had something to do with death, and although I had no expectations going in, I still somehow felt like they weren't met.

The book itself is well-written, but I didn't see anything especially unique about it, either. Perhaps it's due to my own lack of life experience involving a mother-in-law, as I have never been married, but I felt that perhaps I didn't fit into the target audience for this book.

I'm not completely put off from reading more of this author's works, though; if there's another title that interests me in the future, I may pick it up.

How Cheryl Strayed manages to write such an emotional gut punch with such limited words is inspiring. Her novel "Wild" is a favourite of mine, so knowing her history with her Mother made this all the more impactful. Writing grief is never easy, but Strayed makes it flow like poetry.

This was an interesting retrospection on impending death, grief and the whole harrowing process of what to expect when a loved one is sick. It is also a tribute to never knowing how a person might influence you. It's about the ability to let go of grudges and anger and provide forgiveness in difficult moments. It's absolutely moving.

I enjoyed this small memoir. I’ve been wanting to read Wild and when I saw this story was on Netgalley, I was excited to jump at the opportunity. For how short it is, the story packs and punch. I wasn’t surprised that I enjoyed it but I was surprised to the degree that I did. This was my intro to Cheryl Strayed books and I’m glad I took the jump!

This short story examines the relationship between Cheryl Strayed and her mother-in-law who has only weeks to live. She gains more insight into Joan's life which leads to a new understanding. This was an interesting and tender quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Series for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve loved Cheryl Strayed since Tiny Beautiful Things became one of my favorite reads last year. This was very quick read demonstrating Cheryl’s relationship with her mother in law when they first met and through her passing. Cheryl’s relationship with her mother in law was difficult in the beginning and progressed to a level of tolerance and respect for one another in passing years. Overall a good read and demonstration on relationships and how they develop and reveal at end of life.

This is a poignant novella of the author's own story of her mother in law, along with her dealing with her end of life. As the author describes how they first met to their last goodbye, along with the endless love between a mother and her son. A powerful short story.

A beautiful, non traditional mother/daughter memoir. Short and sweet with stunning writing. A lovely and honest portrait of a complicated woman, loved for who she was.

Simple, touching and thought provoking. Strayed is such a seasoned writer and she flawlessly turned a simple encounter with her mother-in-law into a story with universal impact and understanding. Short stories are hard to execute, and Strayed did it!

A very tender short story about the author’s relationship with her mother-in-law. This is a short but impactful work of non fiction that will leave you reflecting on your own relationships. I found it to be very moving and read it in one sitting. Great work by Cheryl Strayed.

This is a short memoir by the author, Cheryl Strayed, chronicling her mother in laws end of life journey. When her mother in law, Joan, was given only weeks to live, Cheryl and her husband Brian move her into hospice care and help her prepare for her impending death. Cheryl’s relationship with Joan has been complicated and given the finality of the situation they are facing, she is hopeful for some healing before they have to say their final goodbye. Cheryl reflects on conversations and interactions over their 20+ years of knowing one another.

This was very short, coming in at only 31 pages on Kindle, but it was an honest and reflective story. I didn’t feel a deep level of emotion coming from the author, but it was still touching in its own way. I am thankful I got to read the story, as it has some personal meaning to a similar situation I am facing with a loved one.

Thank you to NetGalley + Amazon Original Stories for the ARC. The pub date was 01/01/2024.

“It had been more than twenty years since she’d walked into that bar and I’d picked her last. She’d been alive in my life for nearly as long as my mother had. She was my family, my ancestor, no matter our distance or difficulties or disappointments, the truth of that finally crackling between us. “Thank you,” she whispered with more force and clarity than I thought she had left. In three days, she’d take her last breath as Brian held her. “Thank you,” she said again, like she wanted me to remember it. And I did.

This was a short memoir but a lovely one. The relationship shown between the two women was just so real and raw. I love Cheryl’s writing and the heart felt in her stories.

This is a heartwarming yet sad story. Cheryl is describing her complicated relation ship between her and her mother in law. Well written. would recomend.

This was a beautifully written first hand account of the author's relationship with her mother-in-law, particularly at the end of life stage. This was a very short memoir, but very powerful. In under an hour, I was able to get this very personal glimpse at Cheryl's relationship with her MIL and with the process of saying goodbye. So many years of family dynamics, emotions, and behaviors were packed in to this very short story, providing the reader a very real view on their relationship. Having recently experienced the loss of a parent myself, I appreciated Cheryl's openness and honesty and her own personal journey of loss. What a beautiful tribute to her mother-in-law, who will now live on forever in the memory of all who read this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an e-arc of this book.

Cheryl Strayed always has a way of getting me.

I feel like I can always relate to her stories even though my life experiences are so different.

Grief is always the undertone of her stories and what makes them so human.

I liked that this was a short story but a beautiful one.

I enjoyed reading this short story, which is a memoir. The way it's written made me feel all the emotions.

A memoir with honesty and raw emotions . Cheryl Strayed shares a heartfelt short story of her relationship through the years with her now terminally ill mother in law Joan. As Cheryl and her husband navigate Joan’s end of life , she reflects on their somewhat difficult relationship. I think this is a story many can relate to. Beautifully written!