From the Lake House

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.

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.