Pretty Painful Grief Letters: For when grief is too big for words — but you need them anyway.

by William Hunter Howell

From the creator of The Pretty Painful Grief Book, with over 35 million views on Instagram and TikTok, comes a collection of heartfelt letters about the depths of grief and the heaviness of healing.

Grief is brutal. It doesn’t follow rules. It doesn’t come with instructions. It just crashes into your life and changes everything. Pretty Painful Grief Letters is a raw, vulnerable, and painfully honest collection of letters that put language to the feelings most people don’t know how to say out loud – written for those moments when the silence is too loud, when the ache is too much, when you just need to feel seen.

Born from late-night journal entries, early-morning heartbreak, and those invisible moments in between, these letters are for the ones who have screamed into their pillows, cried in the car, stared at the ceiling at 3 a.m., or simply pretended they're fine in a world that doesn't understand. They don't offer false hope or clichés. They don’t try to fix your grief. They simply sit with you in it. Like a friend who doesn’t flinch at your pain.

Originally shared on Instagram, these letters have reached over 21 million views, connecting with grieving hearts all over the world. And now, these words live here — for you to hold, read and reread, scribble on, highlight, cry over, and return to whenever grief shows up uninvited.

This book is for you

You're tired of people telling you to "move on."You're craving something that feels real in the middle of all this pain.You want a place to unload the stuff that’s too hard to say out loud.You're ready to start acknowledging your grief — without shame or pressure.Inside these pages you’ll

Viral letters that have resonated with millions on InstagramThoughtful journal prompts from The Pretty Painful Grief BookRaw reflections on heartbreak, death, identity, loneliness, love, and everything in betweenSpace to write the words you wish you could say — to the person you lost, to yourself, or just to the universeThis book is for the person crying in the shower, driving in silence, rereading old texts, feeling like a stranger in their own skin. It’s for the ones who are grieving someone they’ll never stop loving, trying to figure out how to live a life that doesn’t look or feel like it used to.

Read it cover to cover. Flip to whatever page you land on. Scribble in the margins. Fold down corners. Tear out pages. Pick it up when grief smacks you out of nowhere. Let it hold your hand when no one else can. There’s no “right” way to grieve — and no “right” way to use this book.

There’s just you. Your grief. And a place that finally understands.

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" we're not very good at talking about it. William Hunter Howell's book is superb." - Stephen Fry

"I feel this book has saved me." - 5* Reader Review

"I am really loving this book. Thank you so much for putting it out there." - 5* Reader Review

"This book has truly helped me understand my grief a little better, especially on the real bad days." - 5* Reader Review

Genres: Grief

247 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2025

About the author

William Hunter Howell (1988 - Present) was born on the east coast of the United Kingdom to political parents and a background of adventure, before the lure of the yellow brick road saw him move to London in his early twenties.

His debut book 'Affable in Adversity" shot to Number 1 Best Seller on Amazon, and enlightens its audience to the subject of what it was to be bereaved in his late teenage years. With a flair for the English language and the expanse of its offering, William Hunter Howell has a pedigree in luring his reader into a world of gritty and clever honesty, drawing out a vast spectrum of emotions with his unique perspective of all things intriguing.

Whilst William Hunter Howell has a plethora of work set for release, his 'Mad Ones' series is a style that pays homage to the rebel writers of the beat generation.

Reviews

[Lindsay L · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 “everyone grieving must read this” stars.

Absolutely incredibly touching book of poems to support a grieving heart. This will undoubtedly speak to the heart and mind of anyone grieving. Truly beautiful, raw, honest, heartfelt, helpful and healing words. I have never felt more “seen” in my grief.

Can be read a page here and there, or in larger chunks. Would be a beautiful gift for anyone grieving.

[Maude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im afraid i wont be able to find the right words to describe how much this book helped me. Just know that if ever you are going through grief, i am deeply sorry for you. The best gift you can give yourself is space and time, to feel everything you are feeling. Healing does not have a timeline. But if ever you want to feel less lonely, feel seen, have words put on what you can’t describe, do yourself a favor and read this book. I promise you wont regret it!

[Liz Engelsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s like someone took the labyrinth of thoughts right out of my head, organized them, made them beautiful, and put them on paper. Highly recommend for anyone navigating the loss of a loved one.

[Zoe Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book helped me feel seen and acknowledged, that I'm not alone and that some people must get it. I cried almost every time I read it, but I felt it was helping me really feel those feelings!

I lost my brother to suicide 3 years ago, and picked this up and starting reading as the 3 year anniversary was approaching, at a time where most people no longer ask you about it so it felt really needed.

Just wish grief was something we spoke about more and were better at talking about.

[Reyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3/5⭐️
Great grief book.

[Kristin Babb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel so seen and understood.

[Fleur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was certainly interesting. First of all, and I’m sorry but I NEED to get this off my chesticles, I do NOT understand what this author/person has against capitalising the first word in a sentence. It’s giving Instagram poetry but without it being poetry and I DON’T GET IT.

And since I’m starting with criticisms (how refreshing), I have never read anything so repetitive. And I mean… copying the exact same, I don’t know, 8 lines, but just adding 4 new ones? Like people wouldn’t notice? I do not approve. And you know, the message being repetitive is one thing, because honestly, the grief I’m experiencing is also extremely repetitive. Howeverrrrrr, the least you can do is, I don’t know, try a few different sentences, make it look like you’ve tried? Or just leave out half the pages.

It’s not all bad though. I enjoyed the journalling thingy in the back. I kept feeling like it was aimed more at the loss of a partner, though I don’t know why because it’s all quite… general. Anyway, if you see this copy at my house, put it back. Those salty patches may or may not be tear stains. Because even though was a tad theatrical for my taste, it could also be painfully relatable at times.

I praise it especially for doing exactly what it aimed to do: sometimes, reading it felt like talking to someone about it, especially if it’s been a few months and the noise of loss has retreated to the background, to a place seemingly out of reach of those around you who do not share your grief. And you’re in this place where it’s no longer at the forefront of everything and no one asks about it anymore and it’s nice because it becomes your own thing again, but it’s also kind of lonely. So, long story short: worthy temporary stand-in for a friend, not for everyone, author allergic to capital letters.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lost my sister in Nov. and was struggling to stay afloat when I bought this book. It was comforting to know others have felt the same. I circled, highlighted, dog eared and journaled my way through and just finished today. It’s not an easy book to go through, it is so incredibly difficult and I wish to God it didn’t have to be written, but we are human, it can’t be avoided and it helped me get through the roughest part of grief…accepting it won’t ever go away. Thank you to the author, this was an important book that I so desperately needed.

[Jennifer Furber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must have for grief. It’s the perfect nightstand book when feeling isolated and alone in grief. Little letters/vignettes on grieving perspectives that are true and relatable. I wish I’d gotten it for myself so many months ago.

[Chelsey Bornn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for anyone that’s currently in the trenches of grief. This book has seriously taken every feeling, thought and moment I’ve gone through, wrote it down on paper and made me feel seen. It’s spoken for me when I couldn’t find the words to describe to others how I was feeling. I highlighted everything that I related too, which was probably most of the book 😅.

[Maria Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Grief is exhausting enough without carrying the weight of making it look easy. Heavy enough without the added pressure of pretending I’m strong for everyone else”