The first thing I have to say about this book is, What an emotional read!
Tears were dropping down my cheeks at an alarming rate reading this book, I was a snotty sniveling mess. What a beautifully written, honest and emotional read that was.
Rio Ferdinand thought he was in control of his life, until the day his beautiful wife died, and his life changed forever, not only his life but the life of his 3 children. This book not only highlights how coping with grief is so difficult, but how one parent has to suddenly take on the roll of being both parents.
When you're the parent that wasn't in charge of the household, the daily running of things, you hadn't even realised the task of the school run is a military operation that you didn't realise just how much needed to be done, then life changes and changes in a big way.
Facing all these changes as well as suffering the loss of a loved one must be so so difficult, and in this book Rio tells us just how he found it, how he coped and didn't cope. How the children managed each day or didn't manage. This is a raw and honestly written book. It's an absolutely heart wrenching read, and anyone that has suffered the loss of someone they loved will understand a lot of what is said in this book. I also hope that this book will help anyone currently going through grief, to realise that grief is normal, anyone/everyone can suffer with grief at some stage, some cope better than others, there is no right or wrong way.

We also learn in this book of Rio's upbringing, his journey into football and him meeting his wife Rebecca. As I said earlier this book is emotional, it is very well put together, raw, honest, moving, i'm stuck for words on giving this book the justice it deserves. But if one person going through grief can find any form of comfort or help from this book then it's all been worth it for Rio, jumping out of his comfort zone and admitting that he's not a super human robot. And it shows that just because you are up there in the lime light, doesn't mean you are not affected like any other human being. Well done for writing this book Rio, I hope it also helped you.

Picking up Rio Ferdinand's new book, I absolutely did niot know what to expect. As I stopped following his life timeline after he left Manchester United, I was totally clueless about the trauma he faced when his wife died of cancer.

As I don't watch TV, I did not even realise he had a TV show where he shared his grief to millions of viewers.

This book is a follow up to the TV programme. He gives a backgroud of his life (from growing up in Peckham to being an international football star).

He tells us how he met his wife and just as he decided to retire from football to spend more time with her and their children, she fell ill with cancer and died within months.

In sharing his grief, Rio provides different mechanisms for coping with grief. He describes how he initially succumb to alcoholism and had to snap out of it for the sake of his children.

He also started seeing a counselor and meeting with a support group of men who were widowers also.

His book reminded me of Sheryl Sandberg's book where she also shared her grief of losing her husband.

Just like Sheryl, Rio shares the guilt he felt when he started dating again after the death of his wife.

Even if you have not lost a close relative or loved one, this book helps you learn how to empathize with those who have.

This was a heartbreaking yet heart warming account of Rio Ferdinand's account of life after his wife's death from cancer. A very honest and moving story of how he accepted that he needed help and the struggles he had as a single parent. Excellent read.

Rio Ferdinand’s BBC documentary charted his journey as he attempted to come to terms with the tragic death of his wife Rebecca. The reception to the documentary caught him by surprise. “I knew I needed help to come to terms with a death,” writes Ferdinand, “[but] along the way, what I have discovered is that practically everyone else does too.”

Grief and loss are inescapable. These emotions inevitably impact each of us. Ferdinand has written Thinking Out Loud to continue the conversation about grief and to help those who have had to deal with unexpected death. It’s an insightful and moving written account that will continue to raise awareness about the impact of loss on our lives.

Whilst the book does give an excellent insight into the mindset of a top footballer, it’s not simply for football fans. It’s not your typical post-sports career money making autobiography. Instead, it is a book about loss and grief and how to mourn. It's about the void that Rebecca's death left on every aspect of Ferdinand's life. It’s a book about trying to parent your children after the death of your partner. It’s a book about the impact of Ferdinand’s upbringing and career as an elite sportsman on his ability to show emotion. It’s a book about men’s mental health and how many men have never been taught how to mourn. It’s a book with great advice for those who have been through what Ferdinand has been through.

Ferdinand’s story is heartbreaking, but it could easily happen to anyone. That is why this is an important book. It’s easy to read and I highly recommend it. Thanks to Ferdinand for continuing to use his experiences and his position as a former footballer to help and encourage others.

Heartbreaking and honest account of footballer Rio Ferdinand’s journey through grief after the devastating loss of his wife. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from this book, but it was beautifully written and I could hear Rio’s voice and feel his heartache and loss with every word. Beautiful and poignant book that will stay with me. Highly recommended.

I was looking forward to reading this book. As someone has recently encountered a bereavement that was very close to me - I felt like this as a book that might be able to help me.

I could review this book in two ways,... one as a autobiography and the other as a grief self help book.... but I think this has a good balance of them both.

I think the overriding message from this book is positive and that grief is so unique and personal - that we are all different and basically whatever gets you through the days is OK.

The bit about the memory jar is such a good idea, I think for children losing parents its a wonderful way of holding onto the memories that time steals from us.

It's a really sad story of his families experience of grief and I felt genuine empathy for them all.... and I think he wrote the book beautifully in what must have been such an awful time. I hope for him the experience was cathartic. I think for him to be able to pass on what his family has learnt from this awful experience will definitely be of help and benefit for other children and young adults in the same situation.

This book is heartbreakingly good, when you see Rio on the TV and think about everything he’s gone through, then sit down and read this book it all brings it together.

As a mother, reading Rebecca’s story and how Rio coped with the loss, just broke my heart! What a strong man sharing this with you he public!

I read this in a few hours. It was a brutally honest, raw account of Rio’s loss of his wife, as well as stories of their life leading up to that point - good and bad. It was sad in many moments but still had a positive message about life and love continuing. I admired the honesty of the writing and found it very compelling and easy to read.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm not sure why I got this book. I don't like football and, though I'd heard of Rio Ferdinand, I wasn't a fan. However, I glanced at the first page and could. not. put. it. down.

I sat in the bath and sobbed my heart out reading this book. I then went to bed and stayed up far too late reading and crying until my husband took the book from me and suggested I stick to reading fiction in the future. This is a heartbreaking account of a man coming to terms with his emotions following the death of his wife. It was an interesting insight into the life of a footballer too - and I say that as a rugby fan - but mostly it's a story about how life is too short and you don't always get the future you planned for. My heart is well and truly broken.

A very honest account of Rio's life following the untimely death of his wife. Sad, Honest and recommended reading. Tissues are a must.

Most people will know Rio but after reading this book I don’t think anyone could imagine the heartbreak he suffered as outwardly he never let it show to anyone only his closest family and friends. It is an amazing read and even though he is going through the grief process he wanted to help others which I find admirable. It just emphasises that although he may be famous he is still a normal person going through a loss just like us. He is amazing father to his kids and I wish them all the best for the future.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It’s been an emotional heartbreaking book. The first few chapters if I’m honest I wanted to put it down, and not because I thought it was no good but because I couldn’t get over his selfishness. I think I would have left him within the first 6 months. Rebecca was obviously smitten and would have done anything for him. As the book progressed though Rio got less intense. This is most definately one of the most heartbreaking real life stories, He has endured a lot of loss in his young life. Two women who are probably the most important people in any mans life and he lost both in a short space of time is just horrendous. A well written book, hopefully his life gets better as time moves on, and he finds happiness in this new chapter of his life.

Once I started this book I could not put it down. I was Incredible, so very insightful and extremely heartbreaking, I was in tears within the first chapter. It is also a very inspiring book and something I would turn to again for support and advice if I should ever need it, and would definitely recommend to anyone who finds themselves having lost someone close to them.

Considering Rio admits that he is quite a 'cold' person/closed book he has done an incredible job of overcoming this for the sake of his children. This in turn will help countless other people who read this book to take steps along their journey of grief. It's exceptionally brave of Rio to open himself up like this and it's amazing to see someone using their fame for an enormous amount of good.

I wish him all the best and his children have an amazing father to look up to. Well done and keep fighting.

Wow, what a fantastically moving book that was to read. I obviously knew from the media about the death of Rio's wife but hadn't really paid too much attention to it. It was enjoyable reading about his perspective of how things developed and how he and his kids are slowly getting over their grief. Well worth a read.

I had already read and enjoyed Rio Ferdinand's biography but I was a little doubtful whether I wanted to read this due to the main subject matter of the book. I did choose to read it and was glad I did, yes it was sad and upsetting but it was a lot more than that. It helps to explain Rio's grief and how he manages to cope in such difficult circumstances bringing up 3 young children who are also struggling to cope with the tragic loss of their mother. Rio confesses that he has always struggled to show his feelings but now he must take on the role of both mother and father as well as trying to get through his own life. This is a very good read about a difficult subject, Rio Ferdinand shows bravery and resolve to overcome his most difficult situation.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me cry. A great read. Rio tells his story which is so sad but how he has coped is amazing. The bit about guilt just made me think. We all think we can do that or see them tomorrow and we don’t know when we will run out of time.

A couple of years ago I wrote a list for Riffle of books that helped me through the grief I felt after my mum died (which you can find here if you’d like to read it). The loss of my mum changed me in so many ways and I find that I’m still drawn to books where other people have worked through their own grief. Thinking Out Loud is a book that I’ve been interested in ever since I first heard about it and I finally picked up a copy last week. If I were to re-write my list, Thinking Out Loud would definitely be on it.

Thinking Out Loud is such an incredibly open and honest account of Rio Ferdinand’s grief after losing his wife Rebecca. After her death he suddenly found himself in sole charge of their three children and had to not only work out how to run a household but, more importantly, he had to figure out how best to help his three young children through their grief and he is so open about how he struggled to know what to do. Each of his children outwardly reacted differently and Rio is very candid in sharing how he just didn’t know how he could help them whilst desperately wanting to help them through it.

Rio is very honest in this book and fully admits that he was in denial about his wife’s illness, that he buried his head in the sand and he explores why he did that. He also shares how some of the things that happened were seemingly lost from his memory, that he genuinely couldn’t remember how things had happened. I can understand that – it’s like your brain just can’t cope with the horror of what is happening and it seems to shut down.

In the book we get to hear a bit about Rio’s childhood, and then how he met Rebecca along with the story of their relationship. Rio wasn’t brought up in an environment where feelings were spoken about and then he became a professional footballer at a young age and his mindset became very focused on how to win, how to move on from failure without dwelling on it. He is very candid in the book and on looking back he sees that he perhaps wasn’t always the easiest person to live with and how he wishes he had listened to Rebecca more. Guilt is something that Rio keeps coming back to as the book goes on and I could really identify with that. I think it’s really common to feel guilt when a loved one dies, we always feel like we could have done more or been better. I appreciate when someone is so honest about it, like Rio is in this book, as it will help others to understand their own feelings.

As Rio was making his documentary for the BBC, Being Mum and Dad, he got to speak with other widowers and some of their stories are featured in this book. It was heartbreaking to read those stories and to see how much their wives still meant to them but it was also lovely to read of the men who had eventually gone on to find new relationships.

Rio acknowledges at the start of this book that he realises that some people will want to read his whole story but others will just want, or need, the advice that he has to give so he tells readers they can skip to a later chapter where it’s more about what he’s learnt, which I think is brilliant. These later chapters have such great wisdom in them about things that might help, and all the advice is spot on. I used to take a notebook to my mum’s oncology appointments but having a friend there who could do all the listening and the note-taking would have made things so much easier. I also completely agree that however hard it is for you, it’s really important to let your loved one speak of their wishes as they come towards the end of their life. I know that listening to my mum talk of what she wanted at her funeral broke my heart but after she died I was so glad that I could do that one last thing for her exactly as she’d wanted it. Rio is right – as difficult as it is – we all need to learn to be better at talking about death.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, and especially to people who are looking after a terminally ill loved one and people who are grieving. I cried a lot when I was reading this book but by the end the tears were healing tears. This is one of those books that will really stay with me, and one I will re-read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thinking Out Loud is out now!

This book is a honest and heartbreaking account from the mouth of a man who's lost his soulmate
How he had to learn to interact with others in the darkest times
Loved it . Stayed awake into the early hours reading this.

This is a beautiful and touching memoir . I cried through most of the book. Rio really opened his heart and soul in this biography.
A recommended read for anyone .

A beautiful well written book really hits home about love and loss lovely to hear how men deal with thier emotions most don't like to let them show but obviously they need to deal with thier grief a real tear jerker but it's a subject that needs to be talked about well done Rio loved reading about your beautiful family and no your wife would be very proud of you God bless