life after you

by Hayley Grace

From the breakout author of save me an orange comes her second book, a collection of poetry focused on letting go and reminding that every ending holds the seed of a new beginning.

In life after you, Hayley Grace describes the highs and lows of love, loss, and what it means to reclaim your life after it’s been broken. In her distinctive poetic style, she takes readers on a journey that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable.

Her words were meant to find you if you have loved deeply and fought to heal.

“sometimes healing feels like
climbing a spiral staircase.
you think you’re moving in
a never-ending circle,
but really
you are just moving upward.”

-- from life after you

 

We, “Nilya PressTM,” are the ones doing the spiral binding and not the author, publisher, or rights holder. Please be aware of this when you purchase this spiral-bound book from the "Nilya Store!" on Amazon.com. We expertly applied a spiral binding for you after purchasing this book, which was originally paper bound and owned by the rights holder! A wonderful spiral-bound book that is easier to handle and opens flat will soon be in your hands, making it simpler to color, sketch, follow a recipe, go over, or take notes for study. If you have any inquiries concerning the spiral binding, please use the Amazon email system to get in touch with us through our "Nilya Store!" storefront. Regards! "Nilya PressTM"

 

 

 

 

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction

122 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2024

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m giving this book five stars just for the nine lives poem alone.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is like it knows what I've been through. the way the author uses metaphores to describe the love they had made me laugh too. she just knows how it is. i loved how she broke it down in three parts. of each life she lived in with him, before him, and after him. all the things she says is so relatable. it describes that situationship you had that might've turned into love for you but not him. and how he wouldn't commit to anything, when you wanted more and he knew but didn't do it with you he did it with the next girl immediately. he didn't greive what you guys where like how you grieve but he will at some point after all the women don't go to him anymore it will hit him.

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I thought Save Me an Orange was 5 stars, this book was a 6 star read for me! I appreciated the emotional depth that these poems had to offer. I felt connected with this book (more so than the last one) because I related to it so much. I enjoyed marking up the pages so I can come back and re-read them when I need a relateable pick-me-up. I'm so glad I read this book, and I know the author's moving words will stick with me for months to come.

[Kiani Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book at the start of the year because I saw one of the poems on TikTok and it made me cry. Once I had the physical copy in my hands, I shelved it pretty much immediately because I couldn’t relate to it. 7 months later I’ve never related to anything more and absolutely sobbed as I made my way through it. I know this will be one I’ll be picking up to read multiple times throughout the next few months and I can’t wait until my tears turn to understanding and acceptance.

[𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 ☮︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

“sometimes healing feels like climbing a spiral staircase.”

“I remained gentle, despite it all.”

“Step 8: Be kind. Who knows, the girl parked next to you at the beach might also be grieving someone who is still alive too.”

[Nora Marquez-Hilario · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m giving this book a 2 star review. The thing I like about reading/writing poetry is that you feel like someone understands, and if a poem hasn’t ripped you apart inside-out then you haven’t experienced real poetry yet. This book did not do it for me.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Angie Botner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy healing! This adorable little piece took me into the depths of the abusive relationship that I survived from from the beginning to the point I’m almost to now. This book is raw, real, and so truthful it’s insane. I was hooked from the first word until the acknowledgements and am already planning to add this to my “re-read” list. I recommend this book for any human who has been through a rough break up and is on their healing journey, and those who have been lucky enough to avoid the cluthces of a toxic or abusive situation in order to relate to those close to you that might be going through the healing journey.

[Miliza Andrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s impossible not to relate to something written in this book. For most of the book I was like “Shit where was this when I was 17 and utterly broken by that asshole?” and it really is beautiful to see how people overcome the worst that happens to them. More than being relatable, this book is necessary. It’s beautiful to see in words what I’ve come to realize in real life. Everything heals.

[hattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes healing feels like climbing a spiral staircase. You think you're moving in a never-ending circle, but really you are just moving upward."

UGH. don't I just LOVE hayley grace. so so so so good.

i love being able to read the poems that I hear on tiktok in an actual book and seeing them all come together.

4 stars

[The Bookbutterfly's Quotage · Rating 4 out of 5]

some poems pulled my ribs in a little too tight
and whispered truths I hadn’t named yet.
others felt like echoes
of words i’ve read before
in different fonts,
different heartbreaks.

it’s a diary left open on the floor,
pages stained with ache,
metaphors soft as bruises.

i wanted to feel every line
—but not every one stayed.

still,
she captured something honest
about loving someone
who didn’t know how to hold your softness.

not a masterpiece,
but a mirror.
and sometimes,
that’s enough.

she writes with a harrowing tenderness,
the kind that doesn’t beg to be understood,
just witnessed.

and though not every word landed
as it was intended to,
the ones that did
still haven’t left.

there’s beauty in the trying —
in the way she bares the ache,
lets it breathe.
lets it sit beside you,
bound in the silence of a shared scar,
a reflection of your own

this book won’t save you.
but it will draw stars around your scars,
quietly reminding you that even in the wreckage,
there’s a shape worth finding.

not quite a lifeline,
but close enough to reach for
on the harder nights.

[♡︎ e l i s e ♡︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ 4.9 stars

i have so many emotions right now after finishing this.

i started reading this after i had just gone through a breakup, and let me just tell you, i was in a completely different place then.
this book has slowly and silently changed me.
i never entirely realized either.

but now? after finishing? wow.
i haven't been able to stop smiling for about an hour now because i've fully realized that first of all; i actually didn't deserve that treatment, second of all; i have a life outside of what i believed was love, and third of all; i'm over him. completely, and utterly over him.

i'm able to recognize that when i'm "missing him," i'm not actually missing him. i'm just lonely.
and being lonely every once in a while, is so much better than being with someone who didn't believe you were worth sticking around for.

[Kristin Masse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayley Grace is gold. I don’t care what anyone says.
She is wise beyond her years.
I purchased this due to her TikityTok about a quote from what I thought was from this book about the “funny friend” but I MYSELF was mistaken.
Yet this was still a masterpiece in itself!

Hayley is going to go incredibly far. I know she will. Each book (second one that I’ve found now) goes more into her soul & opens up about the hurt she’s been through. Which I can easily relate to (in my early 30’s).

This specific one focused on relationships & being with that one you know is NOT good for you & staying with them. As women and/or men; we’ve been there & done it.
Having a book to read to know you’re not alone, is beautiful in itself.

Xoxo

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a whole bunch of poems taking you through the process of pain and grieving a person who isn’t dead. It shows how even if you are heartbroken it gets better and you have yourself at the end of the day. Love starts in you and one day will be able to be shared with another (and not the person you sobbed over and begged to treat you right, or the man you gave your all to, for him to just walk away and come back only to twist the knife in your back even more). This book is a beautiful journey of how you will be able to move on and you are not alone with how you feel right now, no matter what stage you are at with moving on.

[Gizell Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book made me cry a lot because It relates to my life and this book is 5 stars everyday even tho I'm in the middle of reading it I love it so much and I want Hayley grace to keep writing more books because they mean something to me and I don't like to read but this book I would read it for eternity.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had very high hopes for this after reading Save Me An Orange, as well as after learning the book’s premise. Perhaps it was meant to be read while in the thick of a certain season. I am sure I will revisit it and hopefully I will find more comfort in these poems. There were several that I loved and connected with, of course.

[McKinlee Kegin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it had relatable poetry. I actually follow this author online. It have very good depth with emotion. This book makes me feel like knows exactly what I've been through. The way the author uses metaphores to describe the love they had was good. Some of the poems brought me to tears. Just by reading the poems I can see the passion and hurt and love from the author.

[Addilynn Riggen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like it as much as the first one. It wasn’t bad. The ending was the best part tho. Page 110. My favorite page in the whole book. The first book is really good but this one is not as good as that one. It’s still good in its own tho. I do feel like the middle was a little long but it was still good. Have fun reading❤️

[Gia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book. I just went through heartbreak in the past month with being broken up with January 1st at 12:00 on the dot. Yup NYE with my family. And this book explained every single feeling I felt. Thank you for writing this book truthfully.

[Lucy’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt like a warm hug that I needed. I could see parts of my journey through each section and really helped me put into words all the emotions I have been feeling recently. Cannot recommend enough

[jane💌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i bought this poetry book yesterday at 0:55 am impulsively and i do not regret it !!! i binge read it this afternoon and i loved it so much !! here’s one of my fav:)

"but i don’t have 9 lives,
i just have this one
so i guess i’ll spend it
sitting by the ocean
and
waiting for you"

[Tru · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 January
6 January

[Jules wendzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

her poetry makes me 😭😭

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emotional - two pages stopped me in my tracks. Quick read

[Lillian Sjerven · Rating 5 out of 5]

devastatingly beautiful.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG YALL THIS BOOK SO CUTESY IT TAUGHT ME SO MUCHHHHHH 5 STARS IT NOT ENOUGH SHE SHOULD MAKE SO MANY MORE BOOKKSSSSSSSS

[E.R.C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good poem book I didn’t have any bond with it but I’ve never been in love, but this book was an easy read and I really liked it.

[Shyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing poetry book and love how it’s chronological of your author moving through phases of her life.

[Karly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

She is my favourite poetry author and somehow can speak directly too me through her poems.

[Shayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn.