Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss


Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
150 Pages
Reviewed on 02/27/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

HOLLY ROSE HOLLAND is an Intuitive Author, International Speaker, Grief Coach, former spouse, parent and grief survivor. In moving through the grief process, she noticed many people stuck about death, relationships, employment and often changes in themselves.

Holly has always loved writing. She finds writing helpful for herself and others, experiencing grief and creating a new life after loss.

She practices wellness through nature, natural products and intuition. She travels to share her gifts with the world.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss by Holly Rose Holland is the non-fiction memoir of the author's life with her husband Mike after a devastating cancer diagnosis, the stages being laid out as a before, during, and after. Holland begins with a picture of a typical family, their life in Canada being one of happiness and comfort. As Holland transitions into Mike's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the memoir shifts a bit further into the self-help realm, providing experiences as the basis for assisting others who, sadly, may find themselves in a similar position. Advice is offered such as taking a family vacation when a diagnosis is received, how grief can be triggered by seemingly innocuous things, learning to manage “firsts” as a single parent, and gratitude for the moments left even when a doctor says, “Be sure to really enjoy this Christmas.”

First of all, how Holly Rose Holland was able to get Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss published without tear stains throughout is a mystery to me. The copy I have is now covered in them, ranging between happy and sad, particularly as her memories are detailed and her positivity just radiates from the page. My mother passed from cancer at the age of forty-three, and this is the book I wish my father had then. He fell apart not knowing what to do at all, and I don't know how we'd have coped without exactly what Holland imparts in a way I'd not considered before: through the kindness of others and faith in something greater than ourselves. Nobody wants to have to read a book like this, and I'm sorry that it needed to be written—but whether you are a person in a similar situation or you are being supportive of another who is, this is an excellent place to start.

Mamta Madhavan

Keep Moving: Creating a Life After Loss by Holly Rose Holland throws light on her experience of grief, death, and dying, and how a traumatic illness can also hold deep grief for the entire family. The book outlines the different stages when an illness happens and is difficult to diagnose, and she gives steps to diagnosis and treatment. The memoir chronicles the author's journey after her husband of fourteen years died from pancreatic cancer. Her words help readers who find themselves in similar situations to accept where they are at and move forward as much as possible. She also helps them to face grief head-on, experience it, and feel it so that they find their peace ultimately.

There are prompts and questions for funeral arrangements, a vision board/bucket list, will preparation, travel considerations, dietary requirements, pharmacists, long-term care, and hospice consideration at the end of Keep Moving which is useful to many readers. Holly Rose Holland is honest when it comes to sharing her story which makes it palpable to readers and connects with her grief and sorrow. She also covers the insurance rules in Canada which is also helpful to many readers out there who live in the same country. I like the author's approach to a topic that must have been painful and difficult to talk about and discuss in detail with the readers. She speaks about moving her husband Mike to the hospice, his death, funeral, her recovery phase and getting on with her life, showing readers how to move on in life after a loss.

Edith Wairimu

Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss by Holly Rose Holland offers practical advice and hope to patients suffering from chronic illnesses and family members dealing with loss. Holland lost her husband of fourteen years to pancreatic cancer. She shares about the process her family went through from the beginning when Mike was diagnosed to his death and the aftermath. Holland explains how their community’s support was critical in helping the family face the diagnosis, support Mike through the treatment process, and deal with the loss. Holland explores how to prepare and what actions to take, what the treatment process entails and important tips to consider during this time, coping with grief and pain, her husband’s experience of hospice care and what she learned during this time, creating a life and considering new activities after loss, and more.

In Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss, Holly Rose Holland shares useful tips that are accessible to anyone facing the death of a loved one and other forms of loss. Filling out the necessary paperwork, doing things that had been put off before, telling the children in the family about the diagnosis early are some of the helpful points explored in the book. Holland writes with a touch of humor that brings out the funny bits in the book and enlivens its scenes. She also offers hope and encourages survivors to allow themselves to create a life after the death of a loved one. Towards the end, the book contains pages that serve as guidelines for specific and important aspects to consider such as will preparation, hospice consideration, bucket lists, and more. Keep Moving, Creating a Life After Loss is a hopeful and helpful guide on dealing with illness and death.