Gilbert revisits a pivotal period in her life: her extraordinary bond with Rayya Elias, which evolved from friendship into romance, addiction, grief—and ultimately the author's spiritual awakening. Gilbert and Elias’s love story was complicated, marked by overlapping addictions—Gilbert to love and sex, Elias to drugs and alcohol—and culminated in Elias’s terminal cancer diagnosis and death.
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In Elizabeth Gilbert's first nonfiction book in a decade, she returns to the no-holds-barred memoir storytelling that catapulted her to renown in Eat, Pray, Love.

All the Way to the River recounts Gilbert's relationship with her best friend-turned-lover Rayya, a drug addict who died from cancer not long after she and Gilbert finally reconciled with the idea that their relationship was not platonic. They were also codependent and heading towards disaster as two addicts enabling each other in various damaging behaviors.

Gilbert reflects on this time in an authentic way that doesn't gloss over her own mistakes. Her longstanding and loving partnership with Rayya broke down as Rayya's cancer diagnosis and return to the yoke of addiction fueled her own self-destruction and chaos for the two of them. As they deal with heartbreak and devastation, much of it self-wrought, Gilbert intersperses her reflections with poetry seemingly embodying conversations between herself and her God.

I think the spirituality of this memoir will speak to Gilbert's longtime fans, and skeptics will still get a lot out of the stark realities of addiction — and embrace of self-love – this book offers. Thank you very much to Riverhead and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I feel inferior to the task of writing a review for this incredible book. I couldn't put it down until it was over. I have been a fan of Gilbert, like most people, since her bestseller. I've read all her books. This memoir is equal parts heartbreaking, hopeful and instructional. We all have our hearts broken by the infernal machine of the world, and Gilbert walks the reader through her particular heartbreak, but leaves us hopeful and buoyed in the end. Get ready for this to be an international bestseller. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Also, the only reason my library won't purchase is because I'm a school library (not appropriate for age group).

The most raw, emotional, and honest memoir I've ever read. A thread of mysticism weaves together this complex story of love and obsession, grief, redemption, and grace. Fascinating, eloquent, and eye opening.

This book was incredibly deep and personal. I didn’t know much about addiction before reading it, and it opened my eyes to just how powerful and heartbreaking it can be. It’s truly sad to see how people can become so consumed by addiction and how difficult it is for them to break free.

A heartachingly raw examination of grief and addiction in the way that only Gilbert can do it. Watching as she navigates the last months of her best friend/lover's life is so earnestly hard, and yet Gilbert teaches us so much about addiction and love along the way. I am still formulating my own thoughts on this but wow.

Woah. This raw, disturbing memoir is going to stay with me for a long long time. Elizabeth Gilbert takes with her as she dissects the last 18 months of her co-dependent, addictive relationship with her best friend and lover. It should be a harder read than it is, but even when describing her worst moments, Elizabeth Gilbert is just so charming and likeable.

Gilbert takes us on a journey through addiction and her way back out and then dealing with her grief after Raaya dies.
The writing is raw and real and sometimes hard to read. But her story is real and has great meaning.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

In a tremendous departure from Eat, Pray, Love. Liz Gilbert has done it again. I have admired her work through the years and was excited to get an early read of All the Way to the River. This book did not dissapoint! Gilbert delivers an emotional tribute to love, loss and what one needs to do to begin to put the pieces back together again.

I will admit I am a total and complete Liz Gilbert fan. She is one of my favorite authors and I adore every one of her books, for different reasons. I couldn't wait to read "All the Way to the River" as I had known about her relationship with Rayya and caring for her throughout her terminal illness, through various interviews. Yes, this book is heartbreaking, but there were also laugh out loud moments. I was on a roller coaster ride for sure. What I couldn't get over was how brutally honest she was throughout the book. While she calls Rayya out over her addictive behavior, she equally holds the mirror to herself and talks about her addictions in a brutally honest way that made me love and respect her even more. I can't imagine any other author writing with such incredible truth, beauty and sincerity. This is a book I will be thinking about for a long time. Well done Liz!

Review on Substack - https://substack.com/home/post/p-161237138?source=queue

Also reviewed on Goodreads

Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir is the story of her relationship with Rayya Elias, their battle with addiction, Rayya's death from pancreatic and liver cancer, and Elizabeth's journey to healing. This book is a very raw account of the last 18 months of Rayya's life, the love they shared, the destructive behaviors of addiction, recovery, forgiveness, the process of dying, and ultimately love of oneself and others. The book is interspersed with poetry, art, prayer.

The book was very, very well done. It was gut-wrenching, sad, hopeful, and beautiful in more ways than I can express in this review. The author does not shy away from admitting her own failures and being honest about her addiction. Likewise, she is completely open about Rayya's imperfections, something that I think would not be easy to do given the circumstances.

One thing that this book really did for me was educate me on the addictions of love, sex, and codependency. These are not things you typically think about like alcohol or drugs. I mean, how could LOVE be an addiction? I have to admit that I was skeptical at first; in fact, I did what I expect many non-addicts do - think "That's not a real addiction!" But the author does a great job at explaining how these things are very real and very destructive.

I will also admit that I'm very traditionally religious. This book is not that at all. The author's idea of religion and of God is very different. God is not necessarily a traditional image of God, though she and Rayya pray to a God. Her higher power, to use the language of the author, is one that is an enigma. She says this about God toward the beginning of the book:

Not a king, not a judge, not a father.
Not a mother, either - although that comes somewhat closer.
Not the word - but not against words.
Not a list of commandments - but an expression of extraordinary tenderness.
Not a series of laws - but an offering of guidance.
Not the silence - but the silence just beyond the silence.
Not a fact - but a knowing.

I loved that the author was so fluid in her expectations of God. At times throughout the book, she railed against him (of course), she begged for God's intercession, she sought God's counsel, she thanked God for her blessings, she cursed God. I admired that her idea of religion was an ever-present force in her life.

I'm so glad I got to read this really wonderful book. It is by no means an easy read, but well worth the time spent. 4.5⭐s from me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and RiverHead Books for an advanced copy of this book. It's scheduled to be published on September 9, 2025.