HEARTBREAK NEVER READ SO HUMAN.

What Love Took, What Grief Gave isn’t your typical self-help cheerleader.

It won’t have you writing a letter to your ex and burning it under the moon.

It’s more like sobbing on the bathroom floor, texting them (twice), and accidentally healing in the middle of a Tuesday.

Funny, messy, brutally honest, and very human.

This isn’t about “moving on.”

It’s about what happens when you absolutely don’t, when you cry in your car, stalk their socials, rethink your entire childhood, and somehow become your own damn soulmate.

This book isn’t here to wrap your heartbreak up in a neat bow, it’s here to sit with you in the mess.

The love that lingered. The grief that stayed. And the pieces of you that fell apart only to be rebuilt stronger.

If you’ve ever had your heart shattered and still had to show up for work the next day, this is your book.

For the ones still carrying love with nowhere to put it.

For the ones who tried to "move on" and found that grief had other plans.

No gimmicks. No quick fixes. Just raw stories, and the kind of hope that only comes from truly embracing the journey.

This is for anyone who’s been brought to their knees by love, and found, somehow, a version of themselves worth standing back up for.

Ava McGillick

Voice