The Protocol of Indifference – A Patient’s Memoir from a Post-Soviet Healthcare System by Yury Hrynko

October 21, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Protocol of Indifference – A Patient’s Memoir from a Post-Soviet Healthcare System by Yury Hrynko
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A bilateral tonsillectomy was supposed to be a step toward better health. Instead, Yury Hrynko woke up in intensive care unable to see, unable to speak, and fighting for every breath.

After regaining consciousness, he found himself facing a terrifying reality: unbearable pain, the sudden loss of his vision, the inability to communicate, and a desperate struggle to survive.

The Protocol of Indifference is a medical memoir about survival, resilience, and the human cost of traumatic complications after a medical procedure. Told through the voices of Yury and those closest to him—including his wife and parents—this book follows one family’s journey through a year of uncertainty, fear, determination, and hope.

Following complications that occurred during and after the procedure, Yury faced a cascade of life-changing consequences: a loss of vision that gradually returned over time, nerve damage, loss of his voice, severe neurological complications, and a dangerous infection that threatened his recovery. For months, he had to relearn basic abilities, including speaking, while adapting to a body and life that had suddenly changed.

Yet the greatest challenge was not only physical recovery—it was being heard when his condition was repeatedly underestimated.

From the frightening moments immediately after the procedure, to the days when his symptoms were dismissed, and finally to the doctor who recognized the seriousness of his condition and called for emergency help, this memoir presents a firsthand account of a patient’s struggle to survive, recover, and reclaim his life.

Set within a post-Soviet healthcare system, The Protocol of Indifference is not a story about blaming individuals. It is a story about human vulnerability, family support, resilience, and the importance of compassion in medicine.

Medical mistreatment is never acceptable.

I was flabbergasted by Mr. Hrynko’s experiences with the medical community both as a child when he had his adenoids and part of his tonsils removed without the use of any anesthesia as well as how he was treated as an adult after he had multiple infections of his remaining tonsils and was advised to have a tonsillectomy for health reasons. Untreated pain can be quite traumatic, especially when it’s this severe, and he shared his memories of these surgeries openly and in great detail.

Some of the most memorable portions of this book for me were the ones that explored how people who have disabilities, chronic illnesses, or other medical conditions can struggle to convince the doctors and nurses who are treating them to take their feedback seriously. This is unfortunately far more common than the general public may think it is, and it can cause long delays in treatment and diagnoses that aren’t always accurate. What made this particular case even worse is that the author’s physical difficulties with talking, eating, drinking fluids, and swallowing among a long list of other problems were caused by the same surgery that was supposed to cure him!

What ultimately encouraged me to give this a full five-star rating were the sections written by the author’s wife and parents. Family support is so important for people who are going through health issues, but not everyone necessarily thinks to ask the patient’s support system how they’re feeling during those moments. I loved learning how everyone worked together to make the best of a terrible situation, especially when it came to the soups they made and the daily visits they arranged. Little things like these can be so meaningful and life-saving, especially in a country where a hospital has such limited resources.

The Protocol of Indifference kept me perched on the edge of my seat from the first sentence to the last one. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD

October 15, 2026 By 1 Comment


Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD
Publisher: Rodale Books
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Whether your struggle to lose weight has lasted years or started more recently, GLP-1 medications will help you finally end it. While GLP-1s have redefined how we treat obesity, the search for expert care is likely to leave you feeling confused, overwhelmed, and unheard. Misconceptions are everywhere. Many doctors are still catching up with the science. And you may find a prescription but not the medical supervision you need for the best results.

In Weightless, Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen, an expert in obesity medicine, delivers the real-world strategies that have helped thousands of patients achieve health goals that once felt out of reach. Her deeply compassionate approach sees obesity, not as a personal failure but as a chronic health condition that deserves medical treatment. Drawing on years of clinical expertise and the lived experience of her patients, she explains how to:

Rethink what you know about weight management: Learn why “eat less, move more” is an outdated and ineffective prescription.
Give your GLP-1 journey a strong start: Choose an experienced provider, ask the right questions at every appointment, and get better outcomes if you’re using telehealth.

Preserve muscle for long-term success: Follow Dr. Salas-Whalen’s advice for increasing protein intake and optimizing your strength training.

Protect your progress: Manage side effects with evidence-based care, recognize when you need a dosage change, and know what to do when GLP-1s don’t work.

Adjust to life after GLP-1s: Navigate the unexpected physical, social, and psychological changes that accompany significant weight loss.

Comprehensive and empowering, Weightless offers judgment-free support that ensures you never feel alone on this journey.

I like the layout of the book. It flows seamlessly and makes complex scientific concepts easy to understand. Dr. Salas-Whalen offers advice on finding the right medical provider, setting realistic expectations, and preparing for medical appointments. She provides insights into potential side effects and emphasizes that the goal is to lose fat while improving overall health and managing your well-being both during and after treatment.

I particularly benefited from the information regarding the critical role of protein in weight loss. The protein cheat sheet included in the book is fantastic, and the appointment checklist will be incredibly helpful for future doctor visits. Additionally, the varied and relatable personal stories really connect the science to real human experiences. It’s evident that Dr. Salas-Whalen genuinely cares about her patients. If you are currently taking a GLP-1 medication or are considering it, this is the most useful book I have come across. It left me feeling confident about my journey, providing clarity on what to expect in both the short and long term, as well as insights into the future of weight-loss medicine.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Borrowed Bouquet by Jody Chaffin

October 6, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Borrowed Bouquet by Jody Chaffin
A Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mystery, Book 5
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A bouquet nobody sent. Forty-eight puzzles to the truth.

All week, the Larkspur Hollow Garden Club has been selling Valentine’s parcels — a bouquet and a card to every house in the valley — to save a grand old Vermont house from falling down. On the night of the benefit, quiet, kind Winnie Talbot receives the most beautiful flowers anyone has ever sent her, and a card asking her to meet.

By morning she has been pulled from Larkspur Creek. The whole Hollow agrees she slipped on the ice. Retired schoolteacher Eleanor “Nell” Ashworth does not.

And nobody can say who sent those flowers. There is no order form, no payment, and no shop in the county that could have grown a rose like that in February.

But this time, the detective is you.

Each chapter hands you a scene and a word search. Solve the puzzle, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue — a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a secret the Hollow would rather keep buried. Track them across forty-eight puzzles and you’ll be ready to name the killer, the motive, the weapon, and the place before Nell does.

Six suspects. One bouquet nobody can account for. A verdict only you can reach.

Valentine’s Day is a terrible time to be alone.

I’m thrilled to finally be able to give a five star rating to one of the Larkspur Hollow Garden Club mysteries. Including love in this tale was what ultimately propelled me into making this decision, although I can’t say what type of love it was without giving away spoilers. What I can say is that even thought this was about a murder it was heartwarming as well. The main characters felt more well-rounded than ever, and I deeply enjoyed getting to once again explore their complex relationships with one another.

As I originally mentioned in my review of The Buried Bloom, this series does an excellent job of exploring small town politics. It’s something that was present in that very first book but also continued to be included later on in the series in all sorts of memorable ways. This time around, it centered on the complex relationships that can develop between people who have mixed feelings about each other but are forced to interact more than is emotionally healthy for them due to the limited opportunities for socializing in such a tiny community. While I don’t want to share any spoilers about how that sort of relationship can turn out, I adored what the author did with it and am excited to see what he comes up with next.

The rose analogy worked quite well for me even though I do not grow flowers or garden in my spare time. It will be interesting to see if readers who are more familiar with gardening feel the same way, but I thought those scenes describing how roses can be grown at times of the year when plants in general do not typically bloom not only added some beauty to the storyline but also complemented the life of the victim nicely. They always felt like natural additions to the plot, and I would have happily read even more of them had this been a longer piece.

The Borrowed Bouquet immensely satisfied me.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Desert Star by Michael Connelly

September 18, 2026 By 1 Comment


Desert Star by Michael Connelly
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

The two must put aside old resentments and new tensions to run to ground not one but two dangerous killers who have operated with brash impunity.

It’s been a year since Detective Renee Ballard quit the LAPD, only to promptly return when offered her dream position. By doing so, she left Harry Bosch – and their joint dreams of working together – in the dust. Now, Ballard has reached out to Bosch, to request he join her new fledgling Open Unsolved division and help keep it alive. Can Bosch and Ballard return to working together when so much resentment still bubbles between them?

I’ve been reading this series for more than twenty years now, and still I find Bosch to be a gripping, page turning read – one that almost never fails to pull me out of a reading slump. Bosch is absolutely getting on in years now (aren’t we all?) and I appreciate Connelly not making Bosch able to easily run and jump and climb and do stuff virtually no seventy-something man can do no matter how fit or strong. Still mentally sharp, with decades of experience and the savvy knowledge of where to place one punch (instead of starting to brawl or chase) I found Bosch a joy to read.

Even though it’s set in modern – post covid – times, this book really retained that grittier, older style boiled detective feel that the series as a whole has always held for me. I felt the blend of old school and newer requirements was brilliantly handled. Things like a quasi psychic working on the team doing the genealogy/ancestry tracing online and through the web records mingled with Bosch’s knock on doors and well worn shoe leather really resonated with me and helped me turn these pages long past my bed time.

I also enjoyed how Ballard and Bosch both managed to work together while respecting each other’s strengths – and weaknesses. They can each be somewhat prickly and I remain firm in my opinion the reason they are able to work so well together is despite their differences in personality and approach, beneath it all they respect each other and value what they can both contribute. With that underpinning every step – even when they’re out of synch or frustrated with each other – there isn’t much they can’t both come back from with a bit of time, space and discussion.

Readers should know there is a wealth of history backing this series – it spans back to The Black Echo first published in 1992 – and I can thoroughly recommend this series as a whole for those who like a slightly gritter, more old school hard boiled police procedural series. That said, I feel this book can absolutely be read as a stand alone.

I feel the working relationship between Ballard and Bosch is well detailed as is the very cold case Bosch is determined to solve – and the carrot Ballard uses to lure Bosch onto her team. I do feel readers should be able to thoroughly understand and enjoy this book just picking it up by itself. But you’re missing out on an exceptional series if you’re not tempted to go back to the beginning and enjoy every part of this story. Highly recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe by Alice Bohane

September 11, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe by Alice Bohane
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A young mother.
A quiet new home.
A voice that should not be there.

Genna thought this house would be a fresh start.

After months of exhaustion, panic, and holding herself together for her baby son, she needs somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. Somewhere that can finally feel like home.

At first, the house gives her exactly that.

Then, through the static, she hears a woman whisper:

He’s not safe.

There is no recording. No proof. Nothing anyone else can hear.

But the warnings keep coming.

Someone has been watching. Someone knows this house.

As the signs move closer, Genna begins to wonder whether the locked doors are keeping danger out…

or keeping her exactly where someone wants her.

Not every home is a safe one.

This novella was perfectly paced and deliciously scary, especially given the fact that everything in it could have easily happened in real life. There was never a point when the suspense tapered off enough for me to feel comfortable putting this down to do something else. Instead, I felt a pang of regret every time I had to take a break which is exactly what I love to find in this genre.

The character development was strong but also a little ambiguous at times. Sometimes I wondered if Genna’s perception of events matched what was really happening due to how much she worried about everything involving her infant son, although I must leave it up to other readers to decide for themselves how trustworthy her perception of everything was. What was more important to me was how she reacted to the subtle threats that kept being made against her family.

I should note that there was a cliffhanger ending which felt perfectly appropriate for the beginning of a new series. Of course certain reader questions must be put off until the sequels arrive for something like this. That’s honestly half of the fun of reading this sort of thing, and I liked the fact that Ms. Bohane was so comfortable leaving her audience hanging…for now. This was an excellent example of how to write this sort of ending in a satisfying matter while also remaining true to everything that needs to remain mysterious until the final book is released.

Love, Fail, Repeat Part I – Not Safe was a chilling thriller that kept me on my seat from the first sentence to the last one.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

You Know Why by J.T. Ellison

September 4, 2026 By Leave a Comment


You Know Why by J.T. Ellison
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation—and life as she knows it—begins to unravel.

Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.

Struggling to comprehend these accusations, fate delivers one more blow: a violent accident that leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life. With nowhere else to turn, Brooklyn leans on Eden for support. But each kindness feels too rehearsed, feeding her doubts about Eden’s motives and Trey’s true past.

Brooklyn has her own dark history she’d rather forget and confronts an unsettling possibility. Her life is not what it seems, and the truth is a trap—laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.

You Know Why by J.T. Ellison is a gripping psychological thriller filled with secrets, suspicion, and unexpected twists. The story follows photographer Brooklyn Locke, who travels to Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children for the holidays. But when Trey mysteriously disappears at the airport, Brooklyn’s vacation quickly turns into a nightmare.

As Brooklyn searches for answers, she meets Eden Barrow, a stranger who makes a shocking claim: she is the sister of Trey’s first wife, whose murder ten years earlier left Trey as the main suspect. Brooklyn is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her husband. After a violent accident leaves her fighting for her life, she becomes even more dependent on Eden, but Eden’s kindness feels suspiciously calculated. At the same time, Brooklyn must face parts of her own past that she has tried to forget about.

One of the strongest aspects of this novel is Ellison’s writing. The story has a good flow and moves at a steady pace, making it easy to keep reading. The tension is maintained throughout the book, and there is always a feeling that something is about to happen. Just when you think you understand what is going on, another clue or revelation makes you question your assumptions.

The characters are also well written and complex. Brooklyn is especially interesting because she is not simply trying to uncover the truth about Trey—she is also forced to confront her own secrets and the possibility that her entire life may not be what she believed it was. Eden is intriguing because it is difficult to determine whether she genuinely wants to help Brooklyn or has another motive entirely. She seems sincere,

Another strength of You Know Why is the way Ellison places clues throughout the story. Readers are given pieces of information that can seem insignificant at first but may take on greater meaning as the story develops. These clues encourage you to form your own theories and keep guessing about who can be trusted.

Overall, You Know Why is an engaging and suspenseful thriller with well-developed characters, strong pacing, and plenty of mystery. The writing keeps the story moving, while the clues and twists maintain the tension from beginning to end. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you questioning the characters and trying to figure out the truth before the final reveal, this is a book worth picking up.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman

September 1, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman
Lords in Disguise, book 1
Publisher: June Third Enterprises, LLC
Gene: Historical
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

When a spirited activist falls for a footman, will love survive when she learns he’s really the earl behind the cause she opposes?

Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

Miss Frances Wharton is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party—and find herself a husband. Frances would rather wed a goat than the pompous man her mother has in mind, so in order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew. The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises? In a game where everything is false, can they convince each other that their love is true?

The Footman is an Earl is the first book in the Lords in Disguise series and can easily be read as a standalone. However, after enjoying this book so much, I definitely plan to read the second installment in the series.

One thing I especially appreciated was the Author’s Note before the prologue. Combined with the prologue, it provides a wonderful introduction to the cast of characters and immediately made me feel connected to them. It also increased my anticipation to begin the story, even after the synopsis had already captured my interest. This was my first Valerie Bowman novel, and I found her writing style to be engaging and effortless to read.

Frances is the heroine of the story, and I loved that she is clever, sincere, humble, and intelligent. She is exactly the kind of woman the hero, Lucas, has been hoping to find. I especially enjoyed her hilarious shenanigans as she tried to avoid marrying the man her mother had chosen for her.

This was such a fun and refreshing read because I’d never read a historical romance in which the hero was the one in disguise. I’ve read plenty of stories where the heroine disguises herself as a man, but Lucas posing as a servant was far more entertaining. Even better, his disguise carries a deeper purpose that is revealed later in the story when his deception comes to light. It’s a wonderful example of Valerie Bowman’s skillful storytelling, as she ties Lucas’s deception into Frances’s passion for advocating for the poor.

The connection between Lucas and Frances felt genuine, making it easy to become invested in their romance. Their chemistry was irresistible, and Lucas’s friends—who are also in disguise—added even more humor and entertainment to the story.

I found the plot to be fresh and original, with a smooth pace that kept me eagerly turning the pages. By the time I reached the end, I was completely satisfied and already looking forward to reading the next book. I highly recommend The Footman is an Earl to anyone who enjoys witty, engaging historical romance with memorable characters and a unique premise.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

James by Percival Everett

August 18, 2026 By 1 Comment


James by Percival Everett
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

I read Huckleberry’s name, and I was back in the 60’s reading Huck Finn in my high school. But this wasn’t Mark Twain’s book. This was someone who had written a book of the time, these times, the 21st century. This was a good story, but it had reality in it. It was full of those things we sometimes don’t like to face.

I am really not sure how Everett did this. He wrote a story I couldn’t put down, one of bad guys and good guys, troubled times, and good times. He included words that I would have put a book down immediately had I read some of the words included. Words I would definitely find offensive in today’s world. I’d be ashamed that someone had called anyone those names. Yet somehow, he portrayed the truth all mixed with reality, even humor, mixed up with a story you just can’t wait to know how it ends. How in this world he did it, I cannot tell you.

I can’t find anything to pick on except for maybe a few typos and for this story even I can forgive those. That’s saying a lot. I can say you will have lost out if you don’t read it.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Another One for the God of Insects by Cobalt Stone

August 17, 2026 By 2 Comments


Another One for the God of Insects by Cobalt Stone
Publisher: KDP
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sanderson McCaffrey knows two things for certain.

The first is that some land takes care of the people who respect it.

The second is that government men never know when to leave.

For generations, the McCaffrey family has farmed the same South Texas soil. The crops survive droughts that should have killed them. The harvests come when they shouldn’t. And whenever outsiders push too hard, ask too many questions, or dig too deep into things that don’t concern them, trouble has a way of finding them.

Sanderson doesn’t pretend to understand it.

His father didn’t understand it.

His grandfather didn’t understand it.

But they all learned the same lesson.

Some questions are better left unanswered.

Twelve-year-old Sally McCaffrey has grown up hearing stories, working the farm, and learning the unwritten rules that have been passed down through her family for generations. She believes the world works the way nature works. Flies feed spiders. Spiders feed birds. Everything feeds something.

When a young state agriculture inspector arrives to investigate the McCaffrey farm’s impossible production records, he finds a family hiding something he can’t explain and a field that refuses to behave the way fields should.

The more he digs, the more determined he becomes to uncover the truth.

The more determined Sanderson becomes to send him home.

Neither man realizes how little control either of them actually has.

Set against the backdrop of South Texas farm country, Another One for the God of Insects blends rural folklore, family legacy, quiet dread, and Southern Gothic suspense into a story where the greatest danger is not what can be seen in the fields, but what has been waiting there all along.

Some inherit land.

Some inherit money.

The McCaffreys inherited something else.

Nothing is more important than respecting the land that sustains us all.

The world building was understated but complex. Readers who have any experience with farming or rural culture will have a little bit of an advantage with this piece as the descriptions of people who are from these subcultures was subtle, but I think it can also appealing to anyone who is unfamiliar with these subjects so long as they pay close attention to the dialogue and character development. This was something that should be slowly savored, especially once the inspector from the Texas Department of Agriculture arrived and began disregarding the instructions the main character gave to him.

Speaking of character development, Sanderson’s gruff, no-nonsense personality was perfect for a protagonist who had spent his entire life on the family farm. He valued choosing one’s words carefully and embracing the silence of the countryside if one didn’t have anything useful to say. Other readers should get to know his other personality traits for themselves, but he struck me as a solid example of what the average farmer is often like.

This tale included one of those endings that can make someone pause and go back to reread the last few paragraphs. I adored how open to interpretation was and how much it trusted the audience to pick up on the few clues that had been provided in order to know what deep secrets Sanderson and his family had been protecting for so many generations. If the rest of Mr. Stone’s work is anything like this, I want to read it all!

Another One for the God of Insects made me yearn for a sequel.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment by Venchele Saint Dic, MPH

August 13, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment by Venchele Saint Dic, MPH
Publisher: Pathway Coach Writing
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Before choosing a future with someone else, take time to understand the reasons behind your desire for marriage.

Why Do I Want to Get Married? is a thoughtful guided journal created for singles, divorced men and women, people dating again, and anyone seeking emotional clarity before commitment.

Through reflective prompts, emotional clarity exercises, and intentional self-exploration, this journal helps readers uncover what they truly desire from marriage, partnership, healing, and love.

Inside this journal, you will explore:

• beliefs inherited about marriage
• emotional readiness for partnership
• healing after heartbreak or divorce
• loneliness versus genuine desire
• relationship patterns and boundaries
• healthy marriage values and vision
• self-worth beyond relationship status

This journal is not about rushing toward love.
It is about understanding yourself before choosing your future.

Because marriage is not the prize.
Self-awareness is.

Marriage can have many different meanings, all of which should be explored carefully in advance.

This was one of the most unique books I’ve reviewed so far here at Long and Short Reviews due to the journal format of it and how much space was left for readers to work through their own feelings about marriage, why they desire it, and what they hope it will bring to their lives. There were a series of in-depth questions about this topic with space left below each one for someone to write answers to a wide variety of questions about romantic love, commitment, hopes for the future, and one’s expectations of what each of those things may look like.

I was hoping the author would include a section that focused on memories of past dates and relationships and was thrilled to see this wish granted. It was nice that the questions didn’t make negative or positive assumptions about what those experiences were like as people’s experiences with this topic can vary greatly. Sometimes certain patterns can reveal themselves by looking back at one’s previous choice of partners, though, so I was glad that this was mentioned as well.

What ultimately encouraged me to give this a full five star review was the section that covered what might happen if the reader never ends up getting married (or married again, in the case of people who are widowed or divorced). Not everyone who yearns for this milestone will necessarily reach it, so having a backup plan is important even while one continues to go on dates and work on themselves as they wait to meet their future spouse. I loved the flexibility of the questions in this portion and thought they provided a well-rounded approach to the subject of wanting to be in a happy marriage but not yet knowing when, how, or with whom that might happen.

Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment was a thorough and thoughtful workbook that I’d recommend to anyone who hopes to be married someday.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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