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For Colb: the vow beyond “till death do us part”
Emily Cave invites you into the tragic but beautiful love story of her late husband, National Hockey League forward, Colby Cave.
At the age of 26, Emily suddenly became a widow a few months before her first wedding anniversary. With Colby’s sudden and tragic death, she was thrown into the public eye for the worst possible reason: losing the love of her life. Although many people didn’t know of their story until Colby’s passing on April 11, 2020, their journey actually began in 2013.
In this moving memoir, Emily reflects on the last decade of her life, full of heart-warming memories, and gut-wrenching stories, Emily demonstrates the resilience it takes to continue to live and find hope again.
Emily walks the reader through building a new life while at the same time continuing to honor her late husband with all that she does. Because, if not with Colb, then for Colb.
By being vulnerable and transparent with their story, Emily has become a public figure, known all over the world, for anyone who is grieving or has ever felt that hope was lost.
As Emily continues to move forward with her life she strives to encourage everyone that grief and joy can coexist. She reminds us that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye and not to take a single moment for granted. But most importantly, she wants the reader to know that no matter what you may be facing, always remember that you are never alone.
At the age of 26, Emily suddenly became a widow a few months before her first wedding anniversary. With Colby’s sudden and tragic death, she was thrown into the public eye for the worst possible reason: losing the love of her life. Although many people didn’t know of their story until Colby’s passing on April 11, 2020, their journey actually began in 2013.
In this moving memoir, Emily reflects on the last decade of her life, full of heart-warming memories, and gut-wrenching stories, Emily demonstrates the resilience it takes to continue to live and find hope again.
Emily walks the reader through building a new life while at the same time continuing to honor her late husband with all that she does. Because, if not with Colb, then for Colb.
By being vulnerable and transparent with their story, Emily has become a public figure, known all over the world, for anyone who is grieving or has ever felt that hope was lost.
As Emily continues to move forward with her life she strives to encourage everyone that grief and joy can coexist. She reminds us that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye and not to take a single moment for granted. But most importantly, she wants the reader to know that no matter what you may be facing, always remember that you are never alone.
174 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2023
7 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 13, 2023
Read this book in 1 sitting. I can confidently say this book changed my life 🫠🤍 everyone go read this book
August 28, 2025
This book was so deeply personal and candid I could never really put a rating on it. Cried so much but it was also so beautiful and had so many good lessons in it.
June 13, 2024
I appreciated this book and the underlying message but the writing was hard to tolerate. It felt very YA in parts but I will not judge someone’s grief journey. I wish her the best as she walks her path.
January 4, 2024
“Colby Cave’s death is a result of very, very bad luck”
This book had me crying from start to finish. Firstly, I’m sorry to anyone who had to experience a loved one dying during the Covid pandemic. Not being able to be there for someone you love is a wound I know will never heal ❤️ “I will not, ever again in my life, cover my pain to make others feel more comfortable.” Thank you Emily for writing about grief so openly and freely. Yours and Colby’s love story is inspiring. This book reminds us to hold our loved ones near and to never pass up on the opportunity to tell them you love them, and are proud of them. I encourage everyone to read, but only if you are in a mental place to hear about great loss & working through grief❤️❤️❤️
This book had me crying from start to finish. Firstly, I’m sorry to anyone who had to experience a loved one dying during the Covid pandemic. Not being able to be there for someone you love is a wound I know will never heal ❤️ “I will not, ever again in my life, cover my pain to make others feel more comfortable.” Thank you Emily for writing about grief so openly and freely. Yours and Colby’s love story is inspiring. This book reminds us to hold our loved ones near and to never pass up on the opportunity to tell them you love them, and are proud of them. I encourage everyone to read, but only if you are in a mental place to hear about great loss & working through grief❤️❤️❤️
December 28, 2025
Love, Tragedy, Grief, Faith, Hope and Grace-
For Colb - Emily Cave
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a full on hockey fan. From my non- bookish personal instagram account, I have followed the story of Emily Cave and the tragic loss of her husband, NHL player, Colby Cave since it was announced that he went in the hospital on April, 11, 2020. Unfortunately he had a colloid cyst that he never knew about and didn’t wake up after the emergency surgery. At 26 years old and married less than a year, she became a widow during the the Covid shutdown.
Emily was immediately thrown into the public spotlight. This book is her story, where she shares the loving relationship she shared with her husband. It also includes the story of her grief journey that almost took her as well, including the “death duties” that as a young newlywed, she never anticipated having to deal with. She shares the funeral she planned and had a full year after Colby’s death due to Covid imposed restrictions . And it’s the story of hope and love even after this life changing tragic loss.
In my opinion Emily has handled this all with such grace, both in this book and on her public Instagram account. She has given hope and support to many widows and widowers. She is raw, open and honest, sharing her highs and lows. She has honored her late husband’s memory, not only with her grace, but also by participating in a foundation she helped set up along with the Edmonton Oilers called Colby’s Kids. The foundation helps more kids have access to the game he played and loved.
Since this book’s publication, she has been able to enjoy life and love again. Emily recently married a wonderful man, Colin Boit, who she plans to write many new chapters to her life story. I know I’m not alone in wishing her and Colin the best in the many years ahead - she will always “be somebody that makes everybody feel like a somebody” ❤️
For Colb - Emily Cave
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a full on hockey fan. From my non- bookish personal instagram account, I have followed the story of Emily Cave and the tragic loss of her husband, NHL player, Colby Cave since it was announced that he went in the hospital on April, 11, 2020. Unfortunately he had a colloid cyst that he never knew about and didn’t wake up after the emergency surgery. At 26 years old and married less than a year, she became a widow during the the Covid shutdown.
Emily was immediately thrown into the public spotlight. This book is her story, where she shares the loving relationship she shared with her husband. It also includes the story of her grief journey that almost took her as well, including the “death duties” that as a young newlywed, she never anticipated having to deal with. She shares the funeral she planned and had a full year after Colby’s death due to Covid imposed restrictions . And it’s the story of hope and love even after this life changing tragic loss.
In my opinion Emily has handled this all with such grace, both in this book and on her public Instagram account. She has given hope and support to many widows and widowers. She is raw, open and honest, sharing her highs and lows. She has honored her late husband’s memory, not only with her grace, but also by participating in a foundation she helped set up along with the Edmonton Oilers called Colby’s Kids. The foundation helps more kids have access to the game he played and loved.
Since this book’s publication, she has been able to enjoy life and love again. Emily recently married a wonderful man, Colin Boit, who she plans to write many new chapters to her life story. I know I’m not alone in wishing her and Colin the best in the many years ahead - she will always “be somebody that makes everybody feel like a somebody” ❤️
June 15, 2023
Such a powerful story! Could not put this book down. Emily talks about grief in such an honest and candid way.
July 2, 2023
I'm not sure what I was expecting but it came up a little short.
August 22, 2023
I am going to start this by saying, 5 star for the story; 3 star for the writing=4 star overall.
I am not a hockey fan at all but, when I saw this book on Amazon, and read the synopsis on it, I knew I wanted to read it. The whole idea of losing your husband before you first anniversary was too much for me to pass up; i was instantly intrigued.
Like I said, for the story content, five stars. I think Emily does an excellent job of talking about her grief experience after her husband, Colby, suddenly passes away at twenty-five years old. I think a lot about her story is very different than other stories. Other than the fact that Colby was coming up in the NHL, they had just gotten married, they were young, trying to start a family of their own, and he passed away so suddenly, this all happened during a global pandemic. One part that really struck me as awful and completely unfair was when Emily talks about a message she received from someone who was also at the hospital while Colby was passing away. Spoiler alert here-due to the pandemic, Emily was not allowed to be at the hospital with Colby as he was passing away. The doctors called her and said he had little time left; she begged to be with him during this time so he did not die alone, and she was told no. In the end, Colby died alone, with a nurse squeezing his hand three times for Emily; instead of Emily, the wife he loved and was living his life with, next to his side. Days after the news was announced, someone messaged Emily on social media to tell her that they were at the hospital with their boyfriend while Colby was passing and, they went to visit him so he was not alone. While I understand this person might have thought this would bring Emily comfort, it does not, and I completely agree with Emily. Hospital policy, even during Covid was, if someone was under the age of twenty-four, they were allowed to have family or partners (boyfriend/girlfriend) with them in the hospital so they were not alone. Colby was less than four months past his twenty-fifth birthday and, instead of letting his soon-to-be-widow spend his last moments with him, she was denied entry. Meanwhile, down the hall, a teenager was allowed to stay with their boyfriend. How does this happen? Who was more at "risk" of Covid-Emily, whose husband was dying, or this kid down the hall? In the end, even if Emily got Covid from this experience, I am sure she would not have minded at all because she was there when her husband took his last breath. This one situation, which I highlighted in the book, made me so mad I wanted to throw the book across the room. I could not imagine Emily in this moment. I could not imagine how awful it was for someone to not be there when their legal husband died because he turned twenty-five months before. In this case, I was severely disappointed in the Canadian Medical system, as a fellow Canadian.
While the story and overall content was a five, the writing and other stuff was a firm three star for me. First off, the book itself is not written very well. I do understand that, I think, this was a Amazon published book so maybe it was not edited, or not edited very well. I also found a lot of gaps in the overall story. You get a very small overview of Emily and Colby before he went into the hospital. They met, they fell in love, Emily left school to be with him as he worked his way into the NHL, they got engaged, got married, had a miscarriage, then he was dying. The most info you get here is of Colby going into the hospital, the experience there, and then Emily's life afterwards. That is fine; I do understand that this book is supposed to be about her becoming a young widow and her grief experience but, I think the beginning of the book was such a missed opportunity. Maybe Emily thought everyone already knew about Colby, or knew about their life together. As a reader I can say here, I did not. I had to look Colby up after I started this book because, like I said, I do not watch hockey. I would have loved more info about their life before he passed away. We read how they met, their long distance relationship, then they got engaged and got married. No information on the proposal, or really anything about the wedding. It was so glossed over that I felt cheated by this section of the story. I think the reader would have gotten a full view of this love story if they had experienced the actual love story. I don't feel like I did.
So, in the end, I would recommend this book. I think, for a first effort, that Emily did well. I will stick with my four star overall here.
I am not a hockey fan at all but, when I saw this book on Amazon, and read the synopsis on it, I knew I wanted to read it. The whole idea of losing your husband before you first anniversary was too much for me to pass up; i was instantly intrigued.
Like I said, for the story content, five stars. I think Emily does an excellent job of talking about her grief experience after her husband, Colby, suddenly passes away at twenty-five years old. I think a lot about her story is very different than other stories. Other than the fact that Colby was coming up in the NHL, they had just gotten married, they were young, trying to start a family of their own, and he passed away so suddenly, this all happened during a global pandemic. One part that really struck me as awful and completely unfair was when Emily talks about a message she received from someone who was also at the hospital while Colby was passing away. Spoiler alert here-due to the pandemic, Emily was not allowed to be at the hospital with Colby as he was passing away. The doctors called her and said he had little time left; she begged to be with him during this time so he did not die alone, and she was told no. In the end, Colby died alone, with a nurse squeezing his hand three times for Emily; instead of Emily, the wife he loved and was living his life with, next to his side. Days after the news was announced, someone messaged Emily on social media to tell her that they were at the hospital with their boyfriend while Colby was passing and, they went to visit him so he was not alone. While I understand this person might have thought this would bring Emily comfort, it does not, and I completely agree with Emily. Hospital policy, even during Covid was, if someone was under the age of twenty-four, they were allowed to have family or partners (boyfriend/girlfriend) with them in the hospital so they were not alone. Colby was less than four months past his twenty-fifth birthday and, instead of letting his soon-to-be-widow spend his last moments with him, she was denied entry. Meanwhile, down the hall, a teenager was allowed to stay with their boyfriend. How does this happen? Who was more at "risk" of Covid-Emily, whose husband was dying, or this kid down the hall? In the end, even if Emily got Covid from this experience, I am sure she would not have minded at all because she was there when her husband took his last breath. This one situation, which I highlighted in the book, made me so mad I wanted to throw the book across the room. I could not imagine Emily in this moment. I could not imagine how awful it was for someone to not be there when their legal husband died because he turned twenty-five months before. In this case, I was severely disappointed in the Canadian Medical system, as a fellow Canadian.
While the story and overall content was a five, the writing and other stuff was a firm three star for me. First off, the book itself is not written very well. I do understand that, I think, this was a Amazon published book so maybe it was not edited, or not edited very well. I also found a lot of gaps in the overall story. You get a very small overview of Emily and Colby before he went into the hospital. They met, they fell in love, Emily left school to be with him as he worked his way into the NHL, they got engaged, got married, had a miscarriage, then he was dying. The most info you get here is of Colby going into the hospital, the experience there, and then Emily's life afterwards. That is fine; I do understand that this book is supposed to be about her becoming a young widow and her grief experience but, I think the beginning of the book was such a missed opportunity. Maybe Emily thought everyone already knew about Colby, or knew about their life together. As a reader I can say here, I did not. I had to look Colby up after I started this book because, like I said, I do not watch hockey. I would have loved more info about their life before he passed away. We read how they met, their long distance relationship, then they got engaged and got married. No information on the proposal, or really anything about the wedding. It was so glossed over that I felt cheated by this section of the story. I think the reader would have gotten a full view of this love story if they had experienced the actual love story. I don't feel like I did.
So, in the end, I would recommend this book. I think, for a first effort, that Emily did well. I will stick with my four star overall here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2023
I read this book because I had seen the author's story about unexpectedly losing her husband within a year of their wedding. He was a professional hockey player, young and just starting his dream career, when he died unexpectedly. The story is heart-wrenching and her grief is so real, it's almost tangible. Like you can almost feel the despair yourself when you read her words. The book was (annoyingly to me) poorly edited. On the one hand, I get it - it's meant to be a personal story so having it be too polished would be disingenuous but I don't think that a bit of clean up on misspellings and incorrect grammar would have been terrible. But, she's not a professional author - just a heartbroken widow - so maybe that's ok too. It's hard to sit with someone else's grief...and the author's grief brings out all the feels.
September 7, 2024
This is a must read. I heard about the tragic loss of Colby Cave through the media like many others. My heart immediately went out to his wife, Emily. I started following her on Instagram not long after to read and watch her updates. I’m happy she found the courage to write this book.
You could tell the book came from raw and real emotion. It was like you were there in real time the way she describes her tragic loss. The descriptions of the events and days that unfolded were gut wrenching but she really made me step back and think about my own life and marriage especially the “what if’s” if one of us were to suddenly die.
I definitely recommend reading this book even if you’re not a hockey fan. I don’t know much about the NHL or hockey in general but found connection to Emily’s words as a wife.
You could tell the book came from raw and real emotion. It was like you were there in real time the way she describes her tragic loss. The descriptions of the events and days that unfolded were gut wrenching but she really made me step back and think about my own life and marriage especially the “what if’s” if one of us were to suddenly die.
I definitely recommend reading this book even if you’re not a hockey fan. I don’t know much about the NHL or hockey in general but found connection to Emily’s words as a wife.
June 26, 2023
Emily Cave has been so strong since the very beginning. I have followed her on Insta for a very long time and have seen her ups and downs over the years. Her story is such a powerful one and shows her strength even when she didn’t want to be strong. She shares her love for Colby and their story. Powerful story.
November 26, 2023
Emily never promises to explain or make sense of grief. She simply explains her story and makes us and herself feel at peace with providing her take on a gut wrenching experience.
If you can at all relate to her story, whether being young and in deep true love, dating a professional athlete, or have lost someone, prepare to ball your little heart out.
If you can at all relate to her story, whether being young and in deep true love, dating a professional athlete, or have lost someone, prepare to ball your little heart out.
June 19, 2023
This book was heartbreaking. Grief is so complex; let alone grieving in the public eye. Overall a beautiful tribute to Emily’a late husband. This book makes you appreciate the little moments with your spouse.
August 24, 2023
Hard read about grief, if you are a grieving person. So well written, almost as if she was talking to you about her story with colb, very personable, heart breaking but so inspirational at the same time
January 13, 2024
After losing my husband in a tragic accident 7 months ago this book was exactly what I needed to read. Like Emily I wasn’t able to say goodbye. While reading Emily’s story I felt not so alone down the black hole, she was sitting right beside me.
June 16, 2023
Check in on your people, hug them, kiss them, tell them you love them. You never know when it’s the ‘last time’.
Glad I was finally able to get my hands on a copy
Glad I was finally able to get my hands on a copy
June 22, 2023
An absolutely beautiful tribute to Colb! A must-read for those who have heard of the tragic loss of Colby Cave and have come to know Emily because of that.
June 30, 2023
I knew most of this story because I follow Emily Cave, but it was beautifully written and just a tragic love story. I am SO happy she has found a new love. She deserves it! Be you Emily!!
September 2, 2023
What a story to tell, heartbreaking and uplifting
April 4, 2024
Heart wrenching… good easy read! ❤️
January 6, 2025
Loved this book! Not my typical read but was such a good one to start off the year, really reminds you to not take anything for granted because life can be shorter than we think.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews