Grief’s Gift: A Daughter’s Journey of Brokenness, Grief, and Learning to Trust God Again (a memoir of gradual goodbyes and hidden hellos)

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About this ebook

2026 GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS — BRONZE WINNER, GRIEF & BEREAVEMENT

Some losses shatter you in an instant. Others break you slowly. What do you do with the grief that comes piece by piece?

For Carmen Allen, dementia and cancer didn't steal her parents all at once—they took them slowly, memory by memory, until she was living through one gradual goodbye after another.

And in the quiet ache of that unravelling, she often found herself asking:

God... where are You?

But tucked inside the fading were moments she didn't understand until much later—small, unexpected glimpses of comfort and timing that didn't feel like coincidence at all.

She came to recognise them as what she now calls “hidden hellos”—quiet reminders that even in the silence, she wasn't as alone as she felt.

Grief's Gift is a daughter's raw story of heartbreak, faith stretched thin, and the surprising ways hope can begin to reappear—even in the middle of loss.

This book will help you:

• Recognise God's presence even when He feels quiet

• Find language for wrestling with your faith without shame

• Experience the comfort of a story that mirrors your own


Alongside her story, Grief's Gift includes a practical section for daughters and caregivers—with checklists, guidance for navigating aged care, explanations of legal terminology, and the wisdom Carmen wishes someone had shared with her sooner.

Discover the hidden hellos that can be found even in life's hardest goodbyes.

Get your copy of Grief's Gift today.


2026 GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS — BRONZE WINNER, GRIEF & BEREAVEMENT Some losses shatter you in an instant. Others break you slowly. What do you do with the grief that comes piece by piece? For Carmen Allen, dementia and cancer didn't steal her parents all at once—they took them slowly, memory by memory,...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews
Puleng Mamabolo
May 13, 2026
“In her book, Grief’s Gift, Carmen is refreshingly transparent and explicitly genuine in sharing her experiences of grief and how it painfully unfolded, or maybe, unraveled. Because of her openness to share the good, bad, and ugly of her journey with grief, how broken - in every sense she was, I felt seen and knew for sure I wasn’t alone.
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Veronica Colless
May 12, 2026
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone going through the journey and the grief of losing their parents or loved one through dementia or ill health. Carmen's rawness and honesty in addressing these issues as a Christian is both confronting and inspiring and the practical information included about navigating the health system at such a time is invaluable.
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Steve Allen
May 13, 2026
Grief’s Gift is a great read for anyone facing the ordeal of seeing loved ones going through ageing, illness and end of life. This book had me laughing, crying and thinking deeply about where God’s love fits into the mess of our lives. The author’s honesty throughout makes this a very relatable book - not at all a volume of dry theology. It’s a story of glimpses of light woven together with seemingly endless problems that give way to surprising resilience. And all with a healthy dose of humour.
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About the author

Carmen Allen is an award-winning, best-selling author whose writing blends action, allegory, and faith. For years, she tucked her dream of becoming an author away in a drawer—convinced it wasn’t possible. Then life took her through a long season of caregiving, loss, and grief. Writing became both her lifeline and her calling.

Her middle-grade series, The Molly Greenwood Adventures, has reached thousands of young readers around the world, praised for its fast-paced, clean stories that nudge children toward courage, character, and hope. With this memoir, Carmen shares the other side of her story—the cost of holding onto a dream while walking through heartbreak.

She now writes full-time from her home on the east coast of Australia, where she lives with her husband and childhood sweetheart, Steve. Together they treasure time with their two sons, daughters-in-law, a granddaughter, and two grandsons.

Carmen Allen is an award-winning, best-selling author whose writing blends action, allegory, and faith. For years, she tucked her dream of becoming an author away in a drawer—convinced it wasn’t possible. Then life took her through a long season of caregiving, loss, and grief. Writing became both...

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