What do you think?
Rate this book
When Things Collapse
When Things Collapse
: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Survival, and Strength
In 2014, while grocery shopping with her two young children, Emma Jean receives a life-altering phone her estranged ex-husband has become an active shooter. His subsequent incarceration causes her to confront the painful past she hoped she had long buried, forcing a reckoning with the way their shared history collides with the fragile peace she has spent years building.
Emma Jean’s journey with Alek begins as a charmed romance, one many people only dream of. But after the birth of their children, Alek’s mental health deteriorates, spiraling into a terrifying transformation from successful professional to disheveled conspiracy theorist and doomsday prepper. Trapped in a relentless cycle of fear and emotional abuse, Emma Jean struggles to keep herself and her children safe under the cloud of Alek’s mental illness.
When he begins indoctrinating their son with a dangerous, warped worldview and a loaded gun ends up in the hands of their 5-year-old, Emma Jean finds herself faced with an impossible decision, grappling with whether to sever her children’s relationship with the man she had once chosen for them to love.
In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Emma Jean sheds light on the complex emotional ties that often blind us to the dangers lurking in our relationships. When Things Collapse reveals how our own misplaced empathy and our children’s unconditional love for the abuser can bind us to toxic, destructive cycles, making it harder to escape. With its shocking twists and psychological depth, this memoir will captivate both true crime enthusiasts and readers drawn to compelling, real-life stories of survival.
In 2014, while grocery shopping with her two young children, Emma Jean receives a life-altering phone her estranged ex-husband has become an active shooter. His subsequent incarceration causes her to confront the painful past she hoped she had long buried, forcing a reckoning with the way their shared history collides with the fragile peace she has spent years building.
Emma Jean’s journey with Alek begins as a charmed romance, one many people only dream of. But after the birth of their children, Alek’s mental health deteriorates, spiraling into a terrifying transformation from successful professional to disheveled conspiracy theorist and doomsday prepper. Trapped in a relentless cycle of fear and emotional abuse, Emma Jean struggles to keep herself and her children safe under the cloud of Alek’s mental illness.
When he begins indoctrinating their son with a dangerous, warped worldview and a loaded gun ends up in the hands of their 5-year-old, Emma Jean finds herself faced with an impossible decision, grappling with whether to sever her children’s relationship with the man she had once chosen for them to love.
In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Emma Jean sheds light on the complex emotional ties that often blind us to the dangers lurking in our relationships. When Things Collapse reveals how our own misplaced empathy and our children’s unconditional love for the abuser can bind us to toxic, destructive cycles, making it harder to escape. With its shocking twists and psychological depth, this memoir will captivate both true crime enthusiasts and readers drawn to compelling, real-life stories of survival.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2025
7 people are currently reading
41 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
Read
February 15, 2025*Paperback
Rating Recommend?: Yes 👍🏻 (I don’t really believe in rating memoirs as they reflect each person’s own experiences and POV)
Thanks to @emmajeanrowin @KateRockBookTours for allowing me to be part of this book tour!
“Because I will know, day after day, that I’m married to the kind of man who could jab a knife into the back of a woman still bleeding from the birth of his child.”
This book dives in to a toxic & abusive relationship in so much detail. It was a very dark and sad book. I had to take breaks while reading it because the content was so heavy. I’ve you’ve ever experienced DV in your life just brace yourself because it can bring a lot of that back to the surface even after you’ve healed.
It’s so important to be able to recognize unhealthy relationships especially when someone is suffering from mental illness and you just want to help them. First and foremost you need to make sure YOU are safe. Remember just like on a plane you need to mask up before you can save others.
I wish that the author was notified when her abusive ex was released from jail, she was told she would be notified and she wasn’t. This is a perfect example of what resources like VINE LINK are so important. Seriously if you are a victim and are in need of a heads up when some abusive a$$hole get out of jail go register at www.vinelink.com. There is even a QUICK EXIT tab if you have to jump off the site real quick.
The author set a good example for her children about getting away from an unhealthy relationship and then showing them what a healthy relationship looked like
Rating Recommend?: Yes 👍🏻 (I don’t really believe in rating memoirs as they reflect each person’s own experiences and POV)
Thanks to @emmajeanrowin @KateRockBookTours for allowing me to be part of this book tour!
“Because I will know, day after day, that I’m married to the kind of man who could jab a knife into the back of a woman still bleeding from the birth of his child.”
This book dives in to a toxic & abusive relationship in so much detail. It was a very dark and sad book. I had to take breaks while reading it because the content was so heavy. I’ve you’ve ever experienced DV in your life just brace yourself because it can bring a lot of that back to the surface even after you’ve healed.
It’s so important to be able to recognize unhealthy relationships especially when someone is suffering from mental illness and you just want to help them. First and foremost you need to make sure YOU are safe. Remember just like on a plane you need to mask up before you can save others.
I wish that the author was notified when her abusive ex was released from jail, she was told she would be notified and she wasn’t. This is a perfect example of what resources like VINE LINK are so important. Seriously if you are a victim and are in need of a heads up when some abusive a$$hole get out of jail go register at www.vinelink.com. There is even a QUICK EXIT tab if you have to jump off the site real quick.
The author set a good example for her children about getting away from an unhealthy relationship and then showing them what a healthy relationship looked like
March 10, 2025
This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for a long time. One I started reading it I couldn’t put it down - from the very first chapter on I was hooked on Emma’s story. This book is raw and honest it felt like I was reading a thriller.
I definitely got emotional reading this book and it’s a reminder how important it is to not ignore bad behavior as it slowly gets worse in a partner. Emma talks about red flags that we sometimes ignore but we must break the cycle.
She takes us through her relationship with her ex-husband and we see how over time it really deteriorated into a toxic and unhealthy relationship. He was dealing with mental illness but was also violent and abusive and Emma had to make some really brave choices, and I believe it saved her and her kids’ lives.
If you or someone you love is dealing with DV or a toxic relationship, there are resources to help. I KNOW it can be scary and complicated but help is out there. My DMs are always open and here is the National Domestic Violence hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
If you are someone who loves true crime and stories based on a true story, I think you will enjoy this memoir.
✨What To Expect:
🌻True Crime
✌️Second Chances
💖Women Empowering Women
🖤Chilling Psychological Twists
💜A Mother's Fight To Save Her Children
I definitely got emotional reading this book and it’s a reminder how important it is to not ignore bad behavior as it slowly gets worse in a partner. Emma talks about red flags that we sometimes ignore but we must break the cycle.
She takes us through her relationship with her ex-husband and we see how over time it really deteriorated into a toxic and unhealthy relationship. He was dealing with mental illness but was also violent and abusive and Emma had to make some really brave choices, and I believe it saved her and her kids’ lives.
If you or someone you love is dealing with DV or a toxic relationship, there are resources to help. I KNOW it can be scary and complicated but help is out there. My DMs are always open and here is the National Domestic Violence hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
If you are someone who loves true crime and stories based on a true story, I think you will enjoy this memoir.
✨What To Expect:
🌻True Crime
✌️Second Chances
💖Women Empowering Women
🖤Chilling Psychological Twists
💜A Mother's Fight To Save Her Children
January 29, 2025
This was a poignant true story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. When one is in the beginning stages of dating, we sometimes brush aside the red flags in favor of the romantic person we see. This book is a cautionary tale to our Daughters, Nieces and cousins as we journey thru this story, reading the good and the bad . There is strength in reading others stories..so read this book. It is heartbreaking but yet triumphant as the human spirit is strong.
March 6, 2025
📚 BOOK TOUR BOOK REVIEW 📚
When Things Collapse
By Emma Jean Rowin
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Emma Jean Rowin
📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and Emma Jean Rowin for the invitation to be a part of this book tour and this #gifted book in exchange for my honest review!
📚MY REVIEW:
When Things Collapse was such a poignant story and such a captivating read. Billed as a memoir for true crime enthusiasts, this book was so much more. This was a beautiful story about really awful things, but what I will remember most about it was Rowin's incredible ability to show her children what true strength looks like and to remind them they're worthy of everything good that awaits.
Rowin's writing and storytelling skills were wonderful, as she wove the dichotomy of the difficulties in her marriage with her ex-husband Alek and the security within her current marriage to her husband Scott. Despite the fact she was sharing terrible stories about Alek's downward spiral and the ways in which he treated her during their marriage, she didn't over- dramatize or sensationalize his behaviors. Sure, his behaviors were appalling and made me want to cover my eyes and my ears till that part of the story was over. But Rowin shared the stories in such a calm and factual way, it was clear she wasn't trying to make his bad behaviors the focus of the book.
In fact, I think one of the things I loved the most about her storytelling was the time and care she took in detailing the beginning of their relationship. She wrote of Alek's charms and likeability with such honesty -- it was refreshing. So often in situations with domestic violence or emotional abuse, there's an all or nothing mentality. The notion that the abuser is all bad, all the time. But that's never the truth. There was something there that created love to begin with, and it's that little voice in the back of one's head, hoping that it just might eventually go back to the way it used to be, which keeps someone hanging on. Rowin's writing crafted her story in a way that humanized the arc of her own experiences and the arc of the experiences of her ex-husband too. At the end of her story - so many years later - I could still feel the empathy she had for the man she fell in love with all those years before. It takes a pretty remarkable woman to demonstrate such care, kindness, and empathy surrounding terrifying experiences like those Rowin endured. Her resilience just shines in these pages.
I have to offer a special thank you to Emma Jean for the beautiful gift box of sweet items she sent with the book. Not only was everything beautiful, but I appreciated the subtle ways you chose to share your advocacy and educating with these items too. Thank you for being brave enough to share your story, and thank you for sharing it in such a powerfully moving way. Five resilient stars.
#WhenThingsCollapse #EmmaJeanRowin #KateRockBookTours #WhenThingsCollapseKRBT #bookreviews #bookrecs #memoir #truecrime #womensfiction #booklover #bookaddict
When Things Collapse
By Emma Jean Rowin
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Emma Jean Rowin
📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and Emma Jean Rowin for the invitation to be a part of this book tour and this #gifted book in exchange for my honest review!
📚MY REVIEW:
When Things Collapse was such a poignant story and such a captivating read. Billed as a memoir for true crime enthusiasts, this book was so much more. This was a beautiful story about really awful things, but what I will remember most about it was Rowin's incredible ability to show her children what true strength looks like and to remind them they're worthy of everything good that awaits.
Rowin's writing and storytelling skills were wonderful, as she wove the dichotomy of the difficulties in her marriage with her ex-husband Alek and the security within her current marriage to her husband Scott. Despite the fact she was sharing terrible stories about Alek's downward spiral and the ways in which he treated her during their marriage, she didn't over- dramatize or sensationalize his behaviors. Sure, his behaviors were appalling and made me want to cover my eyes and my ears till that part of the story was over. But Rowin shared the stories in such a calm and factual way, it was clear she wasn't trying to make his bad behaviors the focus of the book.
In fact, I think one of the things I loved the most about her storytelling was the time and care she took in detailing the beginning of their relationship. She wrote of Alek's charms and likeability with such honesty -- it was refreshing. So often in situations with domestic violence or emotional abuse, there's an all or nothing mentality. The notion that the abuser is all bad, all the time. But that's never the truth. There was something there that created love to begin with, and it's that little voice in the back of one's head, hoping that it just might eventually go back to the way it used to be, which keeps someone hanging on. Rowin's writing crafted her story in a way that humanized the arc of her own experiences and the arc of the experiences of her ex-husband too. At the end of her story - so many years later - I could still feel the empathy she had for the man she fell in love with all those years before. It takes a pretty remarkable woman to demonstrate such care, kindness, and empathy surrounding terrifying experiences like those Rowin endured. Her resilience just shines in these pages.
I have to offer a special thank you to Emma Jean for the beautiful gift box of sweet items she sent with the book. Not only was everything beautiful, but I appreciated the subtle ways you chose to share your advocacy and educating with these items too. Thank you for being brave enough to share your story, and thank you for sharing it in such a powerfully moving way. Five resilient stars.
#WhenThingsCollapse #EmmaJeanRowin #KateRockBookTours #WhenThingsCollapseKRBT #bookreviews #bookrecs #memoir #truecrime #womensfiction #booklover #bookaddict
May 27, 2025
Full review at: https://readingourshelves.wordpress.c...
This one was billed as perfect for fans of true crime, and I guess I can see why… there are guns, violence, and jail time involved. But I read it more as a fan of memoirs about women overcoming rough pasts!
Emma met her first husband, Alek, in college. She fell hard and fast, and almost immediately started putting up with some bad behavior from him. He was smart and good-looking, and everyone saw him as “stable” from the outside, so Emma didn’t want to ruin the vision, it seemed. And his bad behavior wasn’t constant, at least not in the early years.
After graduation, Emma goes into marketing and Alek goes into finance. He’s doing well, and able to afford to move them into better housing situations every few years.
When Emma is about to have their first child, though, she is wrangled into being a stay-at-home mom, which she hadn’t originally intended. Then, as Alek transitions into working from home, he spends more and more time falling into online conspiracy theory rabbit holes. And she -and their now two kids – are at home with him all the time. This leaves little room for her to get away from his increasingly bizarre beliefs and actions.
Slowly, she starts admitting to a few people that there are problems at home. She even tries kicking him out a few times, when she is fed up, but she always ends up wanting to repair things because she thinks the kids need their father in their lives.
Eventually, though, she does stand up for herself. When she sees how this boosts her daughter’s confidence, she knows that taking care of herself is a more important example for her kids. Alek keeps the house in the divorce, but initially Emma only moves the kids a few blocks away, so they can still have a relationship. After a few incidents, even that gets to be too dangerous for her liking.
Meanwhile, Emma falls in love with a divorced dad from her hometown, who she’d met through mutual friends. She remarries, and together they have five kids who are roughly the same ages.
It is this version of Emma who finds out her ex is shooting at the street that runs by his current house, convinced everyone who uses it is trespassing on his property. When he is taken into custody, he asks Emma and her husband to collect all his goods from the property, so the government doesn’t confiscate them. Emma has been trying to get the kids away from him, and her second husband adopting them would legally help with that, so she makes Alek a deal… she’ll get his “stuff” if he promises to not contest the adoption.
This book goes back and forth between the current situation, with Emma going out to the property and finding all of what Alek’s doomsday-prepper stash includes – and Emma and Alek’s earlier years, when they were married and having babies and how it all went sideways.
It’s a quick read, barely 200 pages, but not light in content. Obviously, warnings for violence, with both emotional and physical abuse being a part of that.
This one was billed as perfect for fans of true crime, and I guess I can see why… there are guns, violence, and jail time involved. But I read it more as a fan of memoirs about women overcoming rough pasts!
Emma met her first husband, Alek, in college. She fell hard and fast, and almost immediately started putting up with some bad behavior from him. He was smart and good-looking, and everyone saw him as “stable” from the outside, so Emma didn’t want to ruin the vision, it seemed. And his bad behavior wasn’t constant, at least not in the early years.
After graduation, Emma goes into marketing and Alek goes into finance. He’s doing well, and able to afford to move them into better housing situations every few years.
When Emma is about to have their first child, though, she is wrangled into being a stay-at-home mom, which she hadn’t originally intended. Then, as Alek transitions into working from home, he spends more and more time falling into online conspiracy theory rabbit holes. And she -and their now two kids – are at home with him all the time. This leaves little room for her to get away from his increasingly bizarre beliefs and actions.
Slowly, she starts admitting to a few people that there are problems at home. She even tries kicking him out a few times, when she is fed up, but she always ends up wanting to repair things because she thinks the kids need their father in their lives.
Eventually, though, she does stand up for herself. When she sees how this boosts her daughter’s confidence, she knows that taking care of herself is a more important example for her kids. Alek keeps the house in the divorce, but initially Emma only moves the kids a few blocks away, so they can still have a relationship. After a few incidents, even that gets to be too dangerous for her liking.
Meanwhile, Emma falls in love with a divorced dad from her hometown, who she’d met through mutual friends. She remarries, and together they have five kids who are roughly the same ages.
It is this version of Emma who finds out her ex is shooting at the street that runs by his current house, convinced everyone who uses it is trespassing on his property. When he is taken into custody, he asks Emma and her husband to collect all his goods from the property, so the government doesn’t confiscate them. Emma has been trying to get the kids away from him, and her second husband adopting them would legally help with that, so she makes Alek a deal… she’ll get his “stuff” if he promises to not contest the adoption.
This book goes back and forth between the current situation, with Emma going out to the property and finding all of what Alek’s doomsday-prepper stash includes – and Emma and Alek’s earlier years, when they were married and having babies and how it all went sideways.
It’s a quick read, barely 200 pages, but not light in content. Obviously, warnings for violence, with both emotional and physical abuse being a part of that.
March 17, 2025
Emma Jean Rowin shares her raw yet powerful story of love, loss, survival, strength, healing and second chances at life. I really enjoyed her writing style, her true crime memoir read more like a thriller. She weaves together the story of Alek, her first husband and father to her children, with her current husband, Scott, as the story goes back and forth from past to present. I think this structure was done really well. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time, I was hooked from the first chapter until the very last page.
I liked how she started the story from the beginning showing that the man she originally fell in love with, married, and had children with, was a totally different person than the one in the end. Showing that mental health can start out small but gradually become worse until it is spinning out of control. We can blame ourselves for not seeing the signs or not doing something sooner, but until you are in that position I don’t think we fully grasp how difficult that is to do or even fully see it when you are with someone day in and day out. Just goes to show how quickly life/relationships/people can change. Things may look good on the outside, but we never know what battles people are enduring on the inside or behind closed doors.
Rowin was clearly the victim but she doesn’t play the victim card in her story which I thought was very empowering. I think she really did a really good job at stating the facts and not putting much opinion into it. I think it would have been really easy to bad mouth him but she doesn’t. Even after everything she and her children had been through, she wrote with empathy and even advocated for her ex-husband's mental health, which in my opinion is an incredibly strong, resilient, and inspiring woman.
I liked how she started the story from the beginning showing that the man she originally fell in love with, married, and had children with, was a totally different person than the one in the end. Showing that mental health can start out small but gradually become worse until it is spinning out of control. We can blame ourselves for not seeing the signs or not doing something sooner, but until you are in that position I don’t think we fully grasp how difficult that is to do or even fully see it when you are with someone day in and day out. Just goes to show how quickly life/relationships/people can change. Things may look good on the outside, but we never know what battles people are enduring on the inside or behind closed doors.
Rowin was clearly the victim but she doesn’t play the victim card in her story which I thought was very empowering. I think she really did a really good job at stating the facts and not putting much opinion into it. I think it would have been really easy to bad mouth him but she doesn’t. Even after everything she and her children had been through, she wrote with empathy and even advocated for her ex-husband's mental health, which in my opinion is an incredibly strong, resilient, and inspiring woman.
February 28, 2025
✨🔮🌞🌕🍄🌕🌞🔮✨
REVIEW - BOOK TOUR
When Things Collapse - Emma Jean Rowin
4/5⭐️
✨✨✨✨✨✨
This book totally hit me. I usually never read books like this one but something about it just told me I needed to and I’m so glad I did! My heart broke for Emma Jean in this one the struggle and journey she had to go through with her ex husband. You have all the strength. Emma Jean gets a call about her ex husband and then brings us back and on the journey of their relationship. It’s definitely a hard one for sure with mental illness, racist behavior, violent acts and abuse but Emma Jean found the support she needed and all the strength to protect her children. Applause to you for that. I definitely cried some tears while reading and gasped many times but it was a wonderful read and I totally recommend.
📚📚📚
If you like to read:
- Women empowering women
- True crime
- Second chances
- A mothers fight to save her children
- Chilling psychological twists
… You should definitely check this out
📚📚📚
Thank you so much for sending me a copy for an honest review in my own words. #AD
@katerockbooktours @emmajeanrowin
✨What’s a book you’ve read that’s out of your “norm”?
#arc #giftedcopy #books #booklover #smut #booknerd #bookfriend #bookish #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookloversunite #instabook #bookporn #bookphotography #reviews #igbooks #ilovereading #smutty #bookaddiction #bookhoader #hotnsexy #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #yummy #givemeallthebooks #readingthepainaway #booktok
REVIEW - BOOK TOUR
When Things Collapse - Emma Jean Rowin
4/5⭐️
✨✨✨✨✨✨
This book totally hit me. I usually never read books like this one but something about it just told me I needed to and I’m so glad I did! My heart broke for Emma Jean in this one the struggle and journey she had to go through with her ex husband. You have all the strength. Emma Jean gets a call about her ex husband and then brings us back and on the journey of their relationship. It’s definitely a hard one for sure with mental illness, racist behavior, violent acts and abuse but Emma Jean found the support she needed and all the strength to protect her children. Applause to you for that. I definitely cried some tears while reading and gasped many times but it was a wonderful read and I totally recommend.
📚📚📚
If you like to read:
- Women empowering women
- True crime
- Second chances
- A mothers fight to save her children
- Chilling psychological twists
… You should definitely check this out
📚📚📚
Thank you so much for sending me a copy for an honest review in my own words. #AD
@katerockbooktours @emmajeanrowin
✨What’s a book you’ve read that’s out of your “norm”?
#arc #giftedcopy #books #booklover #smut #booknerd #bookfriend #bookish #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookloversunite #instabook #bookporn #bookphotography #reviews #igbooks #ilovereading #smutty #bookaddiction #bookhoader #hotnsexy #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #yummy #givemeallthebooks #readingthepainaway #booktok
March 22, 2025
BOOK TOUR
When Things Collapse by Emma Jean Rowin
This memoir brings us through the journey of Emma Jean and her ex husband Alek. The books starts as Emma Jean gets a call that Alek has been shooting at his neighbors and takes us through their past relationship and everything leading up to this point. This memoir is a powerful glimpse into the realities of DV and shows us how Emma Jean so courageously deals with things. Not only for herself but for her children.
I do not normally read memoirs but I am so glad I read this one. This one had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down. This was so well written and had me feeling all the feels. And the PR box was EVERYTHING, so beautiful, and so well thought out.
Thank you @emmajeanrowin and @katerockbooktours for including me in this book tour. #WhenThingsCollapse #BookTour #Memoir #TrueCrime #KateRockBookTours #EmmaJeanRowin
When Things Collapse by Emma Jean Rowin
This memoir brings us through the journey of Emma Jean and her ex husband Alek. The books starts as Emma Jean gets a call that Alek has been shooting at his neighbors and takes us through their past relationship and everything leading up to this point. This memoir is a powerful glimpse into the realities of DV and shows us how Emma Jean so courageously deals with things. Not only for herself but for her children.
I do not normally read memoirs but I am so glad I read this one. This one had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down. This was so well written and had me feeling all the feels. And the PR box was EVERYTHING, so beautiful, and so well thought out.
Thank you @emmajeanrowin and @katerockbooktours for including me in this book tour. #WhenThingsCollapse #BookTour #Memoir #TrueCrime #KateRockBookTours #EmmaJeanRowin
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2025
I was not expecting to be sucked into the book on the first page, but I was and didn’t want to put it down. This powerful book shows the actual ups and downs of the author’s lived experience. We often wonder why people stay in these relationships. There is no one easy answer, but author Emma Jean discusses this in her interview on the Write or Die Show.
The author does a great job early on describing how, growing up, it was about what the outside world saw. So long as the outside thought they were a good couple, everything was fine. Her description of a common truth was spot on, making it easy to understand how it progressed from love-bombing to desperation.
I was not expecting the twists and jaw-dropping moments. I can not imagine the strength it took to live through it and share it with the world in a raw and powerful book.
If you enjoy non-fiction, this is a fantastic book.
The author does a great job early on describing how, growing up, it was about what the outside world saw. So long as the outside thought they were a good couple, everything was fine. Her description of a common truth was spot on, making it easy to understand how it progressed from love-bombing to desperation.
I was not expecting the twists and jaw-dropping moments. I can not imagine the strength it took to live through it and share it with the world in a raw and powerful book.
If you enjoy non-fiction, this is a fantastic book.
March 3, 2025
When Things Collapse by Emma Jean Rowlin is a powerful and moving exploration of real-life struggles, loss, and resilience. The author skillfully depicts the emotional turmoil and strength of women who unexpectedly find themselves in abusive relationships. It's a book that grips you from start to finish. Through her honest and expressive writing, Emma Jean brings her personal experiences to life, allowing readers to feel every emotion alongside her. The book encourages empowerment and the courage to face adversity. Additionally, the author tackles complex issues such as mental health, making this an inspiring read that will resonate deeply with anyone who encounters it.
February 24, 2025
A beautiful and heartbreaking memoir.
Emma Jean is in the grocery store when she gets a phone call that her ex-husband is shooting at people who drive by his property.
The author then takes us back on a journey through their relationship, from early days at university to young parents, and through Alek’s spiral into mental illness, conspiracy theories, racist behavior, and violent, threatening acts.
As a single mom she finds a stable, strong, supportive and patient partner who is there for her as she continues to navigate the turmoil her ex brings to the lives of her and her children.
Emma Jean is in the grocery store when she gets a phone call that her ex-husband is shooting at people who drive by his property.
The author then takes us back on a journey through their relationship, from early days at university to young parents, and through Alek’s spiral into mental illness, conspiracy theories, racist behavior, and violent, threatening acts.
As a single mom she finds a stable, strong, supportive and patient partner who is there for her as she continues to navigate the turmoil her ex brings to the lives of her and her children.
March 20, 2025
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book was beautifully done. As I was reading, I would remember it’s a memoir, not fiction, and really think about how much strength this woman has. I feel she did a great job of showing the ups and downs someone feels during their time with an abusive or toxic partner and where things can go from leaving. She also showed how much love and respect she has for herself and her children to break the cycle. I think this is an important read for many people.
This book was beautifully done. As I was reading, I would remember it’s a memoir, not fiction, and really think about how much strength this woman has. I feel she did a great job of showing the ups and downs someone feels during their time with an abusive or toxic partner and where things can go from leaving. She also showed how much love and respect she has for herself and her children to break the cycle. I think this is an important read for many people.
March 19, 2025
When Things Collapse is a powerful and emotional story that explores resilience in a marriage overshadowed by mental illness and escalating danger. The main character’s journey through loss, change, and self-discovery felt so raw and real that I found myself completely invested in her struggles and growth. Rowin’s storytelling is both raw and honest, shedding light on the complex emotional ties that can bind individuals to toxic relationships. She explores how misplaced empathy and a child’s unconditional love can perpetuate destructive cycles, making escape seem nearly impossible. My heart broke as I turned the pages, yet I was also filled with gratitude for a safe and healthy marriage. Rowin’s survival story is a must-read for those interested in mental health, how its deterioration can alter a family forever, and the strength required to rebuild after domestic violence.
@emmajeanrowin Thank you for allowing me to read your story. Your strength and resilience is inspiring.
@emmajeanrowin Thank you for allowing me to read your story. Your strength and resilience is inspiring.
March 24, 2025
I was captivated from beginning to end. Well written with wit, grit, compassion and honesty. I felt like I was in the story with her. I hope this speaks to all those sitting in a sad chair to stand and walk in a new direction.
January 11, 2025
This memoir grabs your attention and holds it with its horrifying revelation of a character’s mental decline. As the author writes from her gut in vividly descriptive prose, she handles flashbacks deftly and courageously makes the decisions she must in order to save her children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2025
This memoir reads better than a lot of fiction and the storytelling/writing is fantastic. I could not put it down. Definitely worth reading!
January 21, 2025
The fact that this book is a memoir makes it even more intriguing and devastating to read. Very well written and honest. Highly recommend!
March 4, 2025
Amazing story and great lessons to learn!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews