Reviews
“The Destiny of Our Stars” is an excellent read about the step-by-step journey of the grieving process. It reminds us that time does not heal all wounds, but requires a steady grip on the shock, numbness, and emotional highs and lows it deals one. The author, Greta McNeill-Moretti, fluidly takes the reader through not just the ups and downs of her grief of losing her husband, and love of her life, but also her life’s journey that brought her there. She keeps the well-written narrative interesting, intriguing, and at times hysterical. Reading this book will make you realize that grief does not follow a predictable path, but is a process of adjustment.
– Thomas E. Mullin, Advance Reader
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McNeill-Moretti discusses processing the loss of her husband in this inspirational memoir. The author lost Lawrence, her husband of nearly 44 years, after his protracted battle with brain cancer. An endless checklist of obligations carried her through the last phases of his illness and the first months after his death, but eventually, the loss caught up with her. “I kept busy going about my daily life, and constantly blamed myself for things that were completely out of my control,” she writes. In this memoir, McNeill-Moretti reflects on how the events of her life prepared her to handle widowhood and aided the author in her long journey to a state of healthy acceptance. McNeill-Moretti’s confessional prose blends introspection with a kind of spiritual poetry: “I’m grateful I found the way back to my life, albeit I know I will never be the same person I once was,” she writes. “I’ve archived those sad days into a space somewhere in the back of my mind where they belong.” There are funny moments as well to balance out the sad in this raw, unique, and distinctive memoir of loss and change.
– Kirkus Reviews
Greta McNeill-Moretti’s The Destiny of Our Stars is a heartfelt memoir about love, loss, and renewal. At its core, it’s the story of a woman navigating widowhood after losing her soulmate, Lawrence, to brain cancer. The book moves from raw grief to spiritual awakening, with reflections on fate, synchronicity, and the mysterious ways the universe brings meaning to suffering. It’s not just a chronicle of mourning; it’s a roadmap through the darkest corners of heartbreak toward the quiet light of acceptance and hope.
The author writes with such sincerity that I often felt like I was sitting across from her, listening to her unpack her life. Her words are simple, but they cut deep. I admired how she didn’t shy away from the messy parts, depression, guilt, the confusion of still wanting to live when your reason for living is gone. She uses humor in surprising places, and it works. It keeps the story grounded and human. Sometimes her honesty stings, but that’s what makes it beautiful. It’s a book that feels lived, not written from a distance.
What really stayed with me was her belief in synchronicity and destiny. I was moved by her conviction. It’s impossible not to root for her as she rebuilds her world, piece by piece. Her reflections on love extend beyond romance. She writes about compassion, family, and friendship in ways that make you think about your own life. At times, the detail is overwhelming. But I think that’s part of the magic. She doesn’t let you skim through her pain. She makes you sit with it, the way grief makes you sit still until you learn to move again.
I’d recommend The Destiny of Our Stars to anyone who has lost someone they love or who simply wants to understand what real resilience looks like. It’s for people who appreciate writing that’s emotional but never self-pitying, and who don’t mind tears mixed with laughter. This book is raw, deeply personal, and surprisingly comforting. It reminds you that even when life shatters, the pieces can still reflect light.
– Thomas Anderson, Editor In Chief, Literary Titan
The loss of a spouse, for any reason, is a tragic and life-changing event, and Greta McNeill-Moretti’s The Destiny of Our Stars is a deep dive into the process of grief and recovery that stems from one of life’s most challenging trials. Losing her husband Larry to a Glioblastoma, the author comes to see both her marriage and her recovery as being filled with signs and directed by the hand of destiny. Through hard work and the process of mourning, she is able to accept her fate and forge a new identity while honoring the memory of Larry.
The connection between Greta and Larry truly is intense, and their first meeting is almost cinematic in its emotional gravitas: “It was as if time stood still. We found ourselves wrapped in each other’s arms, bodies close.” The author takes the time to make the reader understand this, to inform us about their past and her belief in destiny, so when the diagnosis comes, it is truly harrowing, and we share her sense of shock.
The author is able to find comfort in her friend Fran and at the Glioblastoma Support Network and the National Brain Tumor Society, where she meets others who understand and can share their own trauma with her. But nothing can stop the inevitable:
“With no control, and certainly no alternative, I let him go. Several minutes of quiet solitude passed, as I lay holding him. It was the twilight of our love; the raw, cruel and unfiltered ending, concluding in its intimate finality.”
To make things even worse, six months after Larry’s death, her dog Buddy dies. It must have hurt terribly, but a new canine pal, Harry, now accompanies her.
The bulk of this book deals with grief, the processing of pain, and a spiritual exploration into suffering and growth, with the author making clear the two are intimately connected: “Painful endings are not final; they are catalysts for transformation and renewal.” It is also important to pay attention to the signs, and a big one is on the way for our author.
One day, while getting the grub ready for her new pup, Greta is watching Dan Rather interview a former rock star on television. She wonders which “Steven” he is talking to. Not Steven Tyler, he’s too much ... no, it’s Steve Perry from Journey, the refined and handsome elder statesman of classic rock, and she notices something that she had never before noticed:
“I still don’t believe that this was a coincidence, as my heart and intuition both tell me otherwise. Still, my common sense tells me it’s not something that was meant for me to ever understand completely.”
Greta believes that there is no way that this can possibly be a coincidence, now realizing how much Perry resembles her ex-husband. This important moment cements her belief in the power of destiny. She addresses this once more when explaining why she believes that Larry is still present in spirit:
“Maybe a type of soul metempsychosis occurs, a rebirth, where a soul continues existence in another realm until it is steered once again by destiny.”
The Destiny of the Stars is not a book that will be turned into a tent-pole movie because of its intricate plot and over-the-top action. That’s not its job. Its job is to strip away all the illusions and show us how devastating the process of grieving can be. However, growth and understanding are attainable; the author reminds us that love and destiny, together, form an architecture, the foundation of our lives. If we can truly comprehend this, then we can have on hand what we need when the grief hits us like some cosmic tragicomedy. What McNeill-Moretti does best in this fine memoir is to give hope to the readership, which is important, for we will all one day stand in these shoes.
- Paul Knobloch for Reader Views, 5 STARS, Finding Meaning After Devastation
Greta McNeill-Moretti’s The Destiny of Our Stars is a memoir where readers are introduced to Moretti’s experience as a widow and the aftermath of losing her beloved husband to cancer. She describes the emotional and physical tolls of grief, including a nervous breakdown, depression, going to therapy, and how a moment during the anniversary of her husband’s death became a lifesaver.
McNeill-Moretti goes through great detail explaining how grief can show up in your life in many forms, like social withdrawal, strained interactions, sleep deprivation, appetite, health, and concentration. She shares an expanded narrative on her husband’s and mother’s cancer and caregiving, in addition to her memories of her childhood and family dynamics. Readers will find this book to be insightful as McNeill-Moretti deep dives into her experiences, reflects on fate, and the outlook on life when you incorporate support, boundaries, and therapy.
I love how McNeill-Moretti is raw and honest while she shares with readers everything she went through. Some of the most profound moments for me were when she talked about survivors’ guilt and grief-cleaning her husband’s belongings. It was so emotional for me because my family and I went through something similar. Readers will be able to resonate and learn how to navigate grief and all of the things that come with it, simply by reading this memoir. She gives us an honest portrayal of how grief can unfold, and it may be slightly different for some, but it still resonates with many.
The backbone of the book really comes out when McNeill-Moretti shares how falling in love can be exhilarating, but there is unglamorous work that goes into sustaining a marriage. She also documents illness and loss that is seemingly prolonged, and she shares how the act of devotion can be honestly exhausting. She gives us a deeply human view of how cruel mortality can be and how it takes courage to really let go.
One of the moments that really sticks, and I think readers will agree, is in chapter ten when McNeill-Moretti shares how she sensed “the calling” before Larry passed. She describes how outside felt very still, no birds were in sight, and the silence just felt wrong. This was profound for me because she was describing how grief shows up before it becomes visible. When she raced to hospice, I felt her pain. When she talked about how she missed the moment he passed as soon as she stepped away to get water, memories of my great aunt flooded in because she took her last breath as I stepped away too. This really struck a chord with me.
I can appreciate how McNeill-Moretti doesn’t make healing look tidy and quick. It takes time. She identifies her behaviors and talks about how the intervention came at the most critical time. She discusses therapy, but she doesn’t make it the instant solution, just a part of the ongoing grief and process that many need when trying to regain stability. I think readers will be able to appreciate how she describes grief as something that can change shape, and her words are encouraging in how she discusses the importance of remaining open to life even after devastating circumstances.
The Destiny of Our Stars is compelling, and readers who find this style of memoir appealing will see it as more than a guide. It doesn’t promise closure. But it offers a look at grief through someone else’s lens and lived experiences. Readers who have enjoyed similar heartfelt memoirs like You Can’t Do It Alone: A Widow’s Journey Through Loss, Grief, and Life After by Maria Quiban Whitesell will find McNeill-Moretti’s memoir emotionally resonant with a fresh take on devotion, grief, and loss.
Reviewed by Demetria Head for Reader Views (01/2026)