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Our Interrupted Fairy Tale
Promising tennis players Chad Warren and Megan Williams met on the court when he was 26 and she was 16. Just a few days later, Chad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood.
While it would be more than three years and a bone marrow transplant before Chad and Megan finally kissed, it was the beginning of a love story you will never forget – and of a battle they shared and fought together.
While it would be more than three years and a bone marrow transplant before Chad and Megan finally kissed, it was the beginning of a love story you will never forget – and of a battle they shared and fought together.
372 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2013
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133 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 31, 2013
Full disclosure: I edited this book, and I'm a big fan of the author.
Here's the gist of the story:
"Promising tennis players Chad Warren and Megan Williams met on the court when he was 26 and she was 16. Just a few days later, Chad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood.
While it would be more than three years and a bone marrow transplant before Chad and Megan finally kissed, it was the beginning of a love story you will never forget – and of a battle they shared and fought together."
Megan is a family friend, and so we were aware of this story as it unfolded. When I agreed to edit the book, it was because I knew Megan to be a great storyteller with a story that deserved to be told, but I didn't expect to learn anything new.
I can't tell you much about what an emotional roller coaster it was to read this book in manuscript form without spoilers. But I can tell you that I felt emotionally dismantled many times throughout the process by Megan's recounting of Chad's battle with cancer, by their love for each other and by the honesty with which this story is told. Chad's blog and journal entries make up a large part of the book, and it was a privilege to get to know him through his writing.
Too often, we hear about someone who has cancer, and we hear about their "brave battle." We hear that they've won, or they've (tragically) lost. But unless we've been at their bedside and watched them fight to recover from the horrendous treatments meant to save them, we just never know the human cost. We don't know how the people around them grow in strength and love in order to support them; we don't see the great intentions and human frailty of their caregivers. We don't see their heroism or their exhaustion - or the bottomless well of their love for life.
I hope that everyone reads this book. It's a page turner, a sweet romance and a tear jerker, no question. But it also serves a great purpose, bringing us face to face with cancer and, in the process, revealing how incredibly wonderful life is.
Here's the gist of the story:
"Promising tennis players Chad Warren and Megan Williams met on the court when he was 26 and she was 16. Just a few days later, Chad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood.
While it would be more than three years and a bone marrow transplant before Chad and Megan finally kissed, it was the beginning of a love story you will never forget – and of a battle they shared and fought together."
Megan is a family friend, and so we were aware of this story as it unfolded. When I agreed to edit the book, it was because I knew Megan to be a great storyteller with a story that deserved to be told, but I didn't expect to learn anything new.
I can't tell you much about what an emotional roller coaster it was to read this book in manuscript form without spoilers. But I can tell you that I felt emotionally dismantled many times throughout the process by Megan's recounting of Chad's battle with cancer, by their love for each other and by the honesty with which this story is told. Chad's blog and journal entries make up a large part of the book, and it was a privilege to get to know him through his writing.
Too often, we hear about someone who has cancer, and we hear about their "brave battle." We hear that they've won, or they've (tragically) lost. But unless we've been at their bedside and watched them fight to recover from the horrendous treatments meant to save them, we just never know the human cost. We don't know how the people around them grow in strength and love in order to support them; we don't see the great intentions and human frailty of their caregivers. We don't see their heroism or their exhaustion - or the bottomless well of their love for life.
I hope that everyone reads this book. It's a page turner, a sweet romance and a tear jerker, no question. But it also serves a great purpose, bringing us face to face with cancer and, in the process, revealing how incredibly wonderful life is.
December 21, 2014
It was so refreshing to read a book about places I knew the names and general locations of. This book tugged on my emotions constantly. Sometimes I was happy, other times it made me angry, and most often it made me sad. It was beautifully written, and I enjoyed every word. If you're okay with a book making you cry, then this one's for you.
February 9, 2014
Well, something that I have been waiting to do for a couple of years now finally happened: I read 'The Book'. The one I saw my beautiful friend Megan Williams pour her heart in to, talk about, think through, worry about and grow through the process of writing. I was smiling on the first page, tearing up by the sixth and turning the pages quicker and quicker as I went. By page 35, I turned to my best firend and said what I was hoping I could finally say and truly mean: "this is good -- this is real good" -- more tears. It's been a long time since I have plowed through 300+ pages in one sitting and it took all my strength to not finish it off last night at 3 am when I could barely keep my eyes open. I'm glad I waited until this morning to give the ending the full attention that it deserved. Even though I knew how it would end, my heart was consumed once again with thoughts of how precious life is, and how lucky we are to have the kind of good people in our lives that make even that horrible word - Cancer - something worth fighting through and growing from. Thank you for doing my friend Chad Warren justice. Thank you for properly conveying the complex man that he was -- a funny, highly inappropriate shit-disturber with warrior-sized strength of character and a heart of gold. Thank you for being there for him even though he didn't always make it easy. And thank you for reminding me what it's all about -- those people, those moments and those experiences that fill us with joy and make us sparkle from within -- and love -- that's the bottom line, that's what's at the sweet core of both life and Our Interrupted Fairy Tale. Needless to say, you should pick up a copy.
January 15, 2015
This is a tough one for me to rate as it was obviously a very defining moment in the lives of many people involved. I thing the experience is such a personal one that the author possibly found it hard to give it a really good edit.
Just from the title alone you know the story is a sad one. It is a compilation of the author's memories of her relationship, blog posts from both the author and her terminally ill boyfriend, and love notes. At times these are repeated through the book which I found distracting. I think the book would have played out better with having an older, more seasoned co-author on board who could weed through some of the repetitiveness and narrowed the focus.
As a person who is easily moved I was surprised that I didn't get teary until I read about the last words Chad shared with his sister. That told me I identified more with that relationship than I did with the Chad/Megan's relationship.
Just from the title alone you know the story is a sad one. It is a compilation of the author's memories of her relationship, blog posts from both the author and her terminally ill boyfriend, and love notes. At times these are repeated through the book which I found distracting. I think the book would have played out better with having an older, more seasoned co-author on board who could weed through some of the repetitiveness and narrowed the focus.
As a person who is easily moved I was surprised that I didn't get teary until I read about the last words Chad shared with his sister. That told me I identified more with that relationship than I did with the Chad/Megan's relationship.
February 4, 2014
Don't let the title fool you. This is a great read for guys as well. Chad was a "guys guy" and hearing in his words how he dealt with cancer made it a compelling read.
June 17, 2024
Beautiful and heart-wrenching. I read this in two days and had a hard time putting it down, even though I knew where it was headed. While it wrecked me at the end, it also inspired hope and really showed how resilient people, Megan especially, are. I am in awe of Megan and her positively with life and continuing Chad’s memory and legacy. A well-written book that shows the brutal reality of terminal cancer to those battling and those supporting.
June 11, 2014
On Saturday I spent some time with Megan Williams, the author of 'Our Interrupted Fairy Tale'. After speaking with her about her book I knew that I absolutely had to rush right home and spend the rest of the day reading it. I had heard that this book was a perfect read if you loved 'The Fault in Our Stars'... and I definitely loved that book! As soon as I got home I proceeded to spend the next five hours out on the balcony reading Megan's book. I literally couldn't put it down! From the time I read the first chapter I was hooked and finally after 290 pages I decided to take a break. See the problem was I knew if I kept reading the book would end and I wasn't really ready for that to happen... emotionally and otherwise. I put off reading the end for a couple of days and finally gathered the courage to finish last night. Never has a book reduced me to the level of ugly cry that 'Our Interrupted Fairy Tale' did, but it was totally and absolutely worth it. This is a MUST read for fans of all book genres. For those who say they don't like romantic books, this book is so much more than that! For those who might not like books that involve dealing with cancer, I would say that it isn't over saturated with talk of cancer. I would say that this book is the most real and honest version of a couple in love dealing with a horrible cancer like Myeloma.
My favourite aspect of 'Our Interrupted Fairy Tale' is the way it gives the perspective of the person dealing with cancer as well as the other person stuck between lover and caregiver. I've read books before by people who have had cancer and what it feels like to be them, but rarely does a book delve into what it is like for everyone else. Megan offers such a refreshing real look into how she balanced being a girlfriend with being a primary caregiver. There are moments throughout where she talks about feeling tired and guilty, something that I think anyone in a caregiver role can identify with. She also speaks a few times about sharing Chad with Myeloma as if cancer is his mistress, I have never heard cancer described that way but it is so real that it breaks your heart. That could be what is drawing so many people to love this book as much as I did. It could also be the love story... It's both heart warming and heart breaking.
I have to say that if you loved 'The Fault in Our Stars' or even if you are just a human being, you will love this book... I guarantee it!
My favourite aspect of 'Our Interrupted Fairy Tale' is the way it gives the perspective of the person dealing with cancer as well as the other person stuck between lover and caregiver. I've read books before by people who have had cancer and what it feels like to be them, but rarely does a book delve into what it is like for everyone else. Megan offers such a refreshing real look into how she balanced being a girlfriend with being a primary caregiver. There are moments throughout where she talks about feeling tired and guilty, something that I think anyone in a caregiver role can identify with. She also speaks a few times about sharing Chad with Myeloma as if cancer is his mistress, I have never heard cancer described that way but it is so real that it breaks your heart. That could be what is drawing so many people to love this book as much as I did. It could also be the love story... It's both heart warming and heart breaking.
I have to say that if you loved 'The Fault in Our Stars' or even if you are just a human being, you will love this book... I guarantee it!
March 3, 2014
Read this if you liked: John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" or Will Schwalbe's "The End of Your Life Book Club" or anything by Lisa Genova.
Get ready to: Experience many "feels" while devouring this true story.
I had a lil' background to the real-life story contained within "Our Interrupted Fairy Tale" prior to opening the book to read. A few weeks before launch, I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Megan, and we chatted about the book, her motivation for putting it together, and what she hoped would come out of it. So, because of chatting with Megan, I knew that the book was a love story (hers), but that love was punctuated by the big, scary "C" word (.....cancer, that is, not the other "c-word"!).
Despite that prior knowledge (and my very limited connection to the persons in the story), I was not prepared for the huge feels I experienced while reading the book. There were tears. Lots of them. I may have even ugly cried. However, at the end I closed the book, thankful that I had read it and definitely wanting to share the story and experience with others.
Without getting too spoilery -- anyone interested in reading a non-fiction version of The Fault in Our Stars should pick up this book. Anyone interested in reading (from a first person perspective) how the Big C affects people in the "best years of their lives" should pick up this book. Anyone interested in seeing love develop in the face of adversity should pick up this book. Anyone interested in reading a GOOD self-published book should pick up this book.
Get ready to: Experience many "feels" while devouring this true story.
I had a lil' background to the real-life story contained within "Our Interrupted Fairy Tale" prior to opening the book to read. A few weeks before launch, I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Megan, and we chatted about the book, her motivation for putting it together, and what she hoped would come out of it. So, because of chatting with Megan, I knew that the book was a love story (hers), but that love was punctuated by the big, scary "C" word (.....cancer, that is, not the other "c-word"!).
Despite that prior knowledge (and my very limited connection to the persons in the story), I was not prepared for the huge feels I experienced while reading the book. There were tears. Lots of them. I may have even ugly cried. However, at the end I closed the book, thankful that I had read it and definitely wanting to share the story and experience with others.
Without getting too spoilery -- anyone interested in reading a non-fiction version of The Fault in Our Stars should pick up this book. Anyone interested in reading (from a first person perspective) how the Big C affects people in the "best years of their lives" should pick up this book. Anyone interested in seeing love develop in the face of adversity should pick up this book. Anyone interested in reading a GOOD self-published book should pick up this book.
February 9, 2017
A courageous & talented new writer whose first book gives us the opportunity to experience her extra-ordinary real life fairy tale. It is a story of courage, fortitude, resilience, and grace when faced with the loss of life and true love. It is told with authenticity & honesty & captures new love as it deepens and transforms into a deep and lasting human connection despite the tragic event of terminal cancer; as joyous as it is heartbreaking.
February 20, 2014
This book will truly melt your heart. Even as a "guys guy" this book had me in tears. To document such an experience is very impressive and Megan's done a brilliant job of articulating this experience. This is the first non text book I've read in 15 years and I did it in 3 days because I couldn't put the book down. Life is precious and this teaches you that.
March 31, 2014
This book was a real page turner. The story stirred up all kinds of emotions for me. It was a beautiful love story and Megan and Chad shared those innermost feelings on this journey of theirs. A must read!!!!
July 12, 2014
It was a cute read. Finished it in two days! Laughed & cried throughout the whole book. The best part for me was how their love for one another grew and become stronger even though they were facing difficult challenges.
August 17, 2014
This true story was written beautifully, easy to follow, and heartfelt. It gave me, a Haematology RN, an insight to my patients' full experience with MM. A truly exceptional gift from the author. I read the entire book in one sitting, I could not put it down. A must read.
February 1, 2015
This. Book. Is. Amazing. It goes far beyond a cute "love story" and reaches to the depths of what true love is. So good.
July 22, 2014
I loved this book. The emotional journey of the the main characters was so well written. It was truthful and profound. I read the book in one sitting.
November 14, 2022
Wow, this was such a raw, brave, and vulnerable novel. I can’t even begin to imagine the strength it must have taken Megan to write this after living through it all. As a two-time cancer survivor I found this book incredibly healing. It will stay with me for a very long time.
April 1, 2024
This was such a beautiful book. I live in Vancouver and my mom has met the Author or this book. So cool reading a recognizing the places in the book. I am also a cancer fighter and can relate to so many of Chad’s stories. Definitely a recommend read.,
December 18, 2017
Followed this as a blog several years ago. Finally got around to reading the book. Touching story
February 26, 2020
An amazing story start to finish. I generally don’t cry from books but by the end the tears were streaming. I loved that this was a true story, and local to my area; being able to point out the places they had been, and recognizing the locations brought a whole new level to this read. I felt a connection and a layer of truth to this book that I don’t find in most other books like it.
I send my love and thoughts to Megan, friends, and family, and hope it gives comfort knowing this book is still making a difference years later.
Congratulations on reaching $1 million!
I send my love and thoughts to Megan, friends, and family, and hope it gives comfort knowing this book is still making a difference years later.
Congratulations on reaching $1 million!
December 23, 2014
I don't normally read this type of book, but it was recommended by a friend so I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately, the only emotions I felt while reading it were frustration and annoyance at the poor writing and ridiculous number of spelling mistakes and typos. I understand this is the author's first novel, but it reads like a teenager wrote it and would be better suited to that audience than to adults.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews