How To Fall Apart

by Liadan Hynes

Well-known columnist, journalist and podcaster Liadan Hynes writes a monthly column 'Things Fall Apart' for Image magazine where she speaks candidly about life after her marriage breakdown and navigating the ups and downs of parenthood as a single mum.Here in her first book, How to Fall Apart, with humour and honesty, Liadan examines marriage, motherhood, happiness and how she's living single but surrounded by love.

Paperback

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get into this book at all, I did not connect with the author at all.

[SadieReadsAgain · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of a marriage can be many things - a heartbreak or a relief, a betrayal or a mutual decision, a long time coming or a total shock. No one goes into a marriage hoping that it will end, but unfortunately for many of us that is what happens. It is what is happening to me, and of course I've turned to books to find solace, advice and guidance. I found all those in How To Fall Apart.

Liadan Hynes is a journalist who has written about her life as a single mother following the end of her marriage. In this book she takes us back to the time of her break up, how she made it through the fog and sharing the lamps that lit the way until she was able to see her path more clearly.

I drank this book up, I read it in a day. Liadan's writing is so personable, so open and just so easy to connect with. Although this is based on her own experience, the emotions and struggles she went through are fairly universal - my situation is different in that my marriage hasn't ended mutually (it ended due to infidelity) and yet I could still identify with all of the feelings. And with that foundation, as the book turned to the things that did (or didn't) help in the healing process, I trusted that these are also fairly universal. There are, of course, things that Liadan had access to which are not within the reach of every individual - life coaches, yoga courses, even private therapists which could be beyond many budgets...I know they are out of mine! But even in these, I really took a lot just from the insight she gained and shares with the reader.

And in that insight I really appreciated how this isn't just a book for those left floundering after a relationship ends. Many of the healing approaches could be applied to any sort of loss or trauma, because they focus on the person and aim to soothe and build them back up from whatever it is that has changed the trajectory of their life and left them feeling lost.

At the core of both book and healing is something that we can all do with more of and happily can all find ways to seek out - the strength, love, support and help of other women. Friendship is such a strong theme throughout much of the healing discussed, and I thought that was incredibly refreshing. Whether it's a local book group, a bougie yoga retreat, or just your mum/bestie/sister giving you a hug in the jammies you've been wearing for four days straight, this can be a transformative love. It is often something that gets overlooked, but connection to the women around you can be far more healing than throwing yourself back into the dating game. That's a reassuring message that I will take with me, and has been the push I needed to stop isolating myself but to instead seek out deeper bonds with the women in my life. I will definitely keep dipping back into this book as I continue on my own path through the fog.

Oh, and this book also persuaded me that *right now* is probably not a good time to get a puppy. My mum is very relieved.


I was sent a copy of this title as a NetGalley from Hachette Books Ireland in return for a review. All opinions are my own.

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maeve actually gave this to me last year and I found it a little tough to get through until recently when I finished it and loved it! Author wrote it through her divorce -raising her little girl as a now single mother in her 40s and moving on with life without her husband. Mostly centres around the breakup but the way she talks about loss really tapped into grief as well and I thought the way she described it really comforting. It’s not a smooth story of improving everyday and the fact that feeling a loss can come and go for cycles was written really well. She also put emphasis on having friends in similar situations of life as you as well as the importance of female friendships which I loved💖💖 She talks about lots of different methods of self care from therapy, exercise types, retreats ect as well as stuff she scoffs a little at like crystals and meditation - and finds positive messages in trying new things that you might not previously have done and being stronger from it! Really think this is a great book
3 stars because it took my too long to get into it

[Mariana W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦' 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘹@𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵' 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘈𝘱𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘹@𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 “ 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 😫💔

[Becks11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A easy read about divorce and how to move on with no sugar coating. Pure and realistic