Getting Back Out There

December 1, 2014
Lawyer and grief counselor Elliott (Getting Past Your Breakup) offers readers humble and perceptive advice for recovering from heartbreak and reentering the dating world. In the five years since her acclaimed debut in 2009, Elliott has faced a number of ordeals: the death of her husband from brain cancer, a debilitating back fracture, a break in her hand that wouldn’t heal, and a tumor found in her knee during an MRI. In addition to her own experiences with love and loss, Elliott draws from friends, family, and colleagues, as well as couples who have sought her counsel. Elliott’s underlying message is that one must first grieve properly and learn to let go of past relationships, no matter how toxic, perfect, or tragic they were, before beginning new ones. Perhaps most perceptively, she identifies the early stages of grief as the crucial time to build reasonable standards and realistic expectations for future relationships. Elliott’s wisdom—well reasoned, unassuming, and based on experience—is not to be missed. Agent: Diane Freed, FinePrint Literary Management.

December 1, 2014

Elliott, creator of the blog Getting Back Out There, leads readers through the steps of attaining success in the next relationship, using an approach that helps us to recognize, evaluate, and change the negative patterns that have sabotaged previous partnerships. She organizes her advice into the "Five Rs": Readiness, Rejection, Recycling, Rebounding, and Retreating, and demonstrates, via case studies and personal accounts, how to handle snags along the way. Elliott's experience as a lawyer and grief counselor buoys her suggestions, such as creating a compatibility checklist and deciding which attributes are unacceptable and which ones are negotiable. VERDICT Extremely encouraging for those who wish to build a healthy relationship and get on with life.

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