Bittersweet: A True Story of Love and Loss ❤️‍🩹

By Lotte Bowser.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"I vow to make lemonade from the lemons life has given me, no matter how bittersweet it tastes".

This is the most raw and heartbreaking book about grief that I have ever read. It is a deeply moving and inspirational memoir about true love, the darkness of grief, and learning how to find your way back into the light.

From the moment Lotte first met Ben, she knew they were meant to be together. For a few years, their life flourished with successful careers, wonderful friends, and travel to every corner of the world. Their love was full of joy, passion, and an unbreakable bond. But when Ben was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, everything changed.

Suddenly, Lotte became his caregiver, navigating the overwhelming challenges of his illness and the desperation to find a cure. As the world went into lockdown, they travelled from London to Mexico in search of hope, refusing to give up the fight.

When Ben lost his life, far from home, Lotte was left to face an unimaginable reality: how do you find a future without the person you love most?

This book hits hard in so many ways. It makes you stop and think about the what-ifs of losing the person closest to you, the one you believe will be by your side forever. The overwhelming loss and the uncertainty of what to do with your future when that person is gone. Lotte’s writing is open and honest, allowing us to meet them both from the beginning.

We see who she was before she met Ben and how he brought her so much joy, showing us the beauty of their relationship. Then we are drawn into the heart-wrenching journey of his illness, her role as his caregiver, the small moments of hope, and the crushing fear that it might not be enough.

I spent multiple moments feeling as though my own heart had been torn out of my chest and stamped on because I could resonate so deeply with the emotions she describes. My own anxiety about never having enough time and the constant fear that something bad will happen to my husband impacts me daily. This book helped me confront those feelings and realise how much I need to live in the moment with him. It also reminded me that, as an individual, I am more than my marriage and relationship, even though it is hard to imagine a life without my own version of Ben by my side.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me cry so much, but I felt every emotion the author poured into these pages. It is a stunning, deeply emotional read, perfect for anyone, but especially those trying to navigate their way through grief. Heartfelt and heartbreaking, healing and hopeful, this memoir reminds us that grief and joy can coexist and that life after loss can still be beautiful, some may say bittersweet.

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