What do you think?
Rate this book
Good Grief
'Brianna Pastor is by far one of my favourite new writers. If you want to feel seen and deeply moved, read Good Grief. Let the power of her writing guide you to a better life.' Yung Pueblo, #1 New York Times bestselling author
An expanded edition with over forty brand-new poems of the bestselling poetry collection Good Grief by Brianna Pastor.
When Brianna Pastor released her self-published poetry collection, Good Grief, she was blown away by the outpouring of support from people who reached out and said, 'Yes. Me too.' For anyone who has struggled with questions of identity or coped with serious emotional issues, including grief, trauma, anxiety and depression, this collection will help you find hope on the other side.
We don't know how long our pain will last. we assume that because it hurts now, it is probably going to hurt tomorrow. it may even hurt the next day. perhaps it will get worse. but we sleep, and you see, and we do this marvellous thing in our sleep - we mend. And tomorrow is not always what we thought it would be. From Good Grief
An expanded edition with over forty brand-new poems of the bestselling poetry collection Good Grief by Brianna Pastor.
When Brianna Pastor released her self-published poetry collection, Good Grief, she was blown away by the outpouring of support from people who reached out and said, 'Yes. Me too.' For anyone who has struggled with questions of identity or coped with serious emotional issues, including grief, trauma, anxiety and depression, this collection will help you find hope on the other side.
We don't know how long our pain will last. we assume that because it hurts now, it is probably going to hurt tomorrow. it may even hurt the next day. perhaps it will get worse. but we sleep, and you see, and we do this marvellous thing in our sleep - we mend. And tomorrow is not always what we thought it would be. From Good Grief
Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2024
97 people are currently reading
5105 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
September 10, 2023
4/5 ⭐️
- I’m not usually into poetry and I didn’t really know if this would be something I’d enjoy, but I loved reading these poems so much! The last half was my favorite and I really resonated with so many of the poems. It felt like she jumped into my brain and put my feelings into paper.
- The first half of the book was really sad and I didn’t connect with it as much, but I see how necessary it was because it really told a complete story. Once you get into the last half of the poems, they’re really inspirational and I found myself just so engrossed in each one.
- I love how so many of these were really short and would honestly be so easy to go back to read again and again. Will definitely be reading more from this author!
- I’m not usually into poetry and I didn’t really know if this would be something I’d enjoy, but I loved reading these poems so much! The last half was my favorite and I really resonated with so many of the poems. It felt like she jumped into my brain and put my feelings into paper.
- The first half of the book was really sad and I didn’t connect with it as much, but I see how necessary it was because it really told a complete story. Once you get into the last half of the poems, they’re really inspirational and I found myself just so engrossed in each one.
- I love how so many of these were really short and would honestly be so easy to go back to read again and again. Will definitely be reading more from this author!
March 10, 2023
so i was influenced by tiktok again..
i loooove poetry. like it's perhaps my fav genre.
this was.. okay. nothing bad nothing great.
a few of the poems were really good (i loved the one about turning 30 !) but overall nothing spectacular, like what I felt after reading Dearly (yes I know I talk too much about this book.. what can I say ?)
i loooove poetry. like it's perhaps my fav genre.
this was.. okay. nothing bad nothing great.
a few of the poems were really good (i loved the one about turning 30 !) but overall nothing spectacular, like what I felt after reading Dearly (yes I know I talk too much about this book.. what can I say ?)
February 13, 2023
not usually a poetry person but so many of these poems resonated with me.
“how can you feel the freedom of the sun when you have not sat for a while under the shade of the trees? surely, you can learn to appreciate both.”
“how can you feel the freedom of the sun when you have not sat for a while under the shade of the trees? surely, you can learn to appreciate both.”
August 13, 2023
A collection of poems and short stories about grief, loving yourself, and living in the moment. It was a nice short read.
“there are people waiting to meet you. people waiting to love you. there are places that stand still until you ve stepped foot in them. something really beautiful
could happen for you in the morning. there is so much waiting for your arrival. arrive there.”❣️
“there are people waiting to meet you. people waiting to love you. there are places that stand still until you ve stepped foot in them. something really beautiful
could happen for you in the morning. there is so much waiting for your arrival. arrive there.”❣️
February 16, 2023
Nothing special—you could’ve told me this was Rupi Kaur and I’d believe you. I didn’t relate to a lot of the poems but the ones I did relate to were good!
May 14, 2025
Mama these are not poems, they are Instagram captions.
October 10, 2024
‘Because I loved you too much to not feel the weight of your absence’
August 13, 2024
“there will always be safety here for you because i have created it for me and for all the intricate versions of ourselves that we will ever be”
🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
GOLLY….this is a fantastic collection. no surprise that i wept the whole time !!!! pastor has such a gift at communicating a lived experience to her readers. i've been profoundly touched by this work. i look forward to reading more of her work in the future!
🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
GOLLY….this is a fantastic collection. no surprise that i wept the whole time !!!! pastor has such a gift at communicating a lived experience to her readers. i've been profoundly touched by this work. i look forward to reading more of her work in the future!
September 1, 2023
Did not speak to me at all.
April 30, 2024
this is so tumblr coded. i am also so tumblr coded
October 12, 2024
“arrive there”
March 20, 2023
how i love poems
March 28, 2024
This encapsulated so much of my feelings through this time period of my life. Truthfully, I feel absolutely seen— and generally books have never made me feel that way like this. These poems and prose were emotionally raw and I believe that more of the world should read them to help themselves come to terms and accept these feelings.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for access to the e-ARC.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for access to the e-ARC.
February 23, 2023
really loved these. one of my favorites:
“i am alive to learn and unlearn, to relearn and unlearn and learn again. i am here to unpack and develop and understand the value in struggle. i am here to hold my grief the way it deserves to be held, for as long as that takes. i am here to learn that there is no judgement where there is love. i am here to understand that i am not small. i am here, and i am learning that this is a big thing”
“i am alive to learn and unlearn, to relearn and unlearn and learn again. i am here to unpack and develop and understand the value in struggle. i am here to hold my grief the way it deserves to be held, for as long as that takes. i am here to learn that there is no judgement where there is love. i am here to understand that i am not small. i am here, and i am learning that this is a big thing”
January 12, 2023
Brianna Pastor's poetic debut does not disappoint and will resonate with many. Good Grief (amazing title!) is a poignant introductory collection that sets the stage beautifully for what's to come from Pastor
February 3, 2023
3.5. Not every poem was for me and not every style was for me, but i could feel the author’s catharsis in every word. Just wish it had brought more of my own as well.
May 17, 2024
Loved this.
December 9, 2024
Felt sad, couldn’t sleep. I read this, and I think I can go to sleep now.
November 9, 2024
Some poems which were written well but overall I think that the collection is just another demonstration of social media poetry.
February 19, 2025
I was a bit underwhelmed. Pastor's brave acknowledgement of depression and trauma was a quick, relatable read. There were also some moments of beautiful clarity and insight.
Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed by the collection as a whole. Most of the reflections were a little cliche, or expressing very real, understandable thoughts, but not in a way that felt novel or unique.
I think this might really resonate with younger audiences, but for me, it was a bit of a let-down, compared to similar meditations on grief, loss, identity, etc, like Bluets by Maggie Nelson. Other books of poetry on grief have gripped me. Good Grief passed over like soft breeze.
Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed by the collection as a whole. Most of the reflections were a little cliche, or expressing very real, understandable thoughts, but not in a way that felt novel or unique.
I think this might really resonate with younger audiences, but for me, it was a bit of a let-down, compared to similar meditations on grief, loss, identity, etc, like Bluets by Maggie Nelson. Other books of poetry on grief have gripped me. Good Grief passed over like soft breeze.
July 4, 2025
"I chose not to name these poems or put them in any particular order. If I name them, they stay with me, and I am more than ready to let them go."
Good Grief is a collection of poems exploring grief, trauma, and healing.
I appreciated the brevity of the collection and found several poems genuinely moving. The book makes for a quick, emotionally resonant read. That said, most of the pieces didn’t linger with me for long—except for the opening line, which struck a perfect chord and set the tone beautifully.
Good Grief is a collection of poems exploring grief, trauma, and healing.
I appreciated the brevity of the collection and found several poems genuinely moving. The book makes for a quick, emotionally resonant read. That said, most of the pieces didn’t linger with me for long—except for the opening line, which struck a perfect chord and set the tone beautifully.
February 13, 2023
Reading this after “All About Love” was a really good combination. They complement each other immensely. Brianna really gets into the grit of grief. We have to accept it and learn to love ourselves in that place, or it will consume us and turn us into the person who kicked us into that very hell.
Learning to love our grief turns it into “good grief.”
Learning to love our grief turns it into “good grief.”
March 5, 2023
bought after reading some of her poetry on Instagram and I’m so glad I did.
She did a beautiful job of acknowledging the duality of deep pain and self love.
Her story is one of significant trauma so there were definitely pieces I couldn’t relate to, but the beautiful thing about grief is that at its core, it is a shared experience.
This book felt like pain was warmly embraced
She did a beautiful job of acknowledging the duality of deep pain and self love.
Her story is one of significant trauma so there were definitely pieces I couldn’t relate to, but the beautiful thing about grief is that at its core, it is a shared experience.
This book felt like pain was warmly embraced
February 16, 2023
beautiful. so lovely. short and sweet yet i found myself having to sit and mark certain poems just because of how they resonated. truly beautiful. highly reccomend
February 26, 2023
One of my new years solutions was to read my poetry and I’m excited for it!
November 16, 2024
Can’t stop won’t stop reading poetry 😭 I love it
February 11, 2023
The first poetry book I’ve ever purchased, and I loved it!
March 3, 2023
if you’re a lost and heartbroken young adult, you should read lol! you’ll feel respected and understood. that’s all we really want to feel anyway.
October 14, 2023
Kauniita ja herkkiä runoja
August 3, 2024
Highly highly recommend. Not even necessary for grief from death but grief of the life you had planned
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews