By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file.

In the hours that followed a suggestion was made: did Ellidy want to harvest Chumpy’s sperm and try for the baby they both wanted so deeply? It was a perfect Wednesday morning when Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin kissed his partner, Ellidy, goodbye to go spearfishing. I probably wouldn’t have plucked this off the bookshelf of my own volition and now I can appreciate what the term “book hangover” really means.Heartstrong is just such an unforgettable book about love, joy, loss, grief, hope and finding a way to keep going in the darkest of times. Ellidy is determined to keep the memory of her partner Chumpy Pullin strong, to honour his spirit and for their daughter, Minnie.

All I can say is that, yes, it made me sad and I cried (a lot), but it's not the sort of sadness that leaves you feeling empty without purpose. And I had no idea posthumous sperm retrieval was a thing that's possible, such a challenging time, but being able to have that option is amazing.I do want to start following her story on social media but as for the book, not a 'good read' at all. A quote that really stuck with me from this book was 'a flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long'. She loves the ocean, animals, the outdoors, sewing, cooking, camping, surfing, travelling, yoga, food and wine.

The strength that you have is truly INCREDIBLE, I know it can’t always be easy but I truly believe your story will help so many people in all different walks of life.After losing my soul mate and hearing that this feeling of deep love ignites the exact same way with others brought me to some weird peace and the fact Ellidy had that love and loss made me feel not alone. I get that the story is tragic but felt that it was poorly written and really gave me almost no insight or feeling for both the author and Chumpy Pullin.

Life is so so short and you just never know how much one decision truly will impact not only your life but everyone else’s lives around you. I don't think I have ever cried so much while reading a book, and my heart broke with every page of reading how unfair and heartbreaking the loss that Ellidy and Chumpy's family have been through.The author and her partner have quite a following of people who wanted to know their story and I imagine this to be the reason for the high ratings.