The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments

4.8 | 9,268 ratings

Price: 2.99

Last update: 08-18-2024

About this item

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Passionate advocate for end-of-life care and TikTok star Hadley Vlahos shares moving stories of joy, wisdom, and redemption from her patients’ final moments in this “brilliant” (Zibby Owens, Good Morning America) memoir.

“This extraordinary book helps dispel fear around death and dying—revealing it to be a natural part of our soul’s evolution.”—Laura Lynne Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Signs and The Light Between Us

Talking about death and dying is considered taboo in polite company, and even in the medical field. Our ideas about dying are confusing at best: Will our memories flash before our eyes? Regrets consume our thoughts? Does a bright light appear at the end of a tunnel? For most people, it will be a slower process, one eased with preparedness, good humor, and a bit of faith. At the forefront of changing attitudes around palliative care is hospice nurse Hadley Vlahos, who shows that end-of-life care can teach us just as much about how to live as it does about how we die.

Vlahos was raised in a strict religious household, but began questioning her beliefs in high school after the sudden death of a friend. When she got pregnant at nineteen, she was shunned by her community and enrolled herself in nursing school to be able to support herself and her baby. But nursing soon became more than a job: when she focused on palliative care and hospice work, it became a calling.

In The In-Between, Vlahos recounts the most impactful experiences she’s had with the people she’s worked with—from the woman who never once questioned her faith until she was close to death, to the older man seeing visions of his late daughter, to the young patient who laments that she spent too much of her short life worrying about what others thought of her—while also sharing her own fascinating journey.

Written with profound insight, humility, and respect, The In-Between is a heartrending memoir that shows how caring for others can transform a life while also offering wisdom and comfort for those dealing with loss and providing inspiration for how to live now.

Laura Lynne Jackson says, “This extraordinary book helps dispel fear around death and dying."

Top reviews from the United States

lauren c

Kind and curious stories

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024

I learned of this book from the authors Toktok. Her videos had been popping up for some time and I really enjoyed how she spoke about the interesting encounters she had come across in her work as a hospice nurse - as well as more personal topics. This book is also a lovely blend of her life and her encounters with unexplainable occurrences that seem to surround the end of life.

I bought the book several months ago, but finally picked it up and devowered a third of it in a day. A couple busy days later and I just realized I didn't pack it for my work trip and I'm so disappointed I won't get to enjoy more of the authors stories in these next few days.

The chapters build on one another, but primarily focus on different patients. An easy book to pick up and put down or read in one sitting. The author does a great job explaining medical concepts and you get to join her journey as she explores her career.

I think I was expecting more woo-woo phenomena, but it's so lovely and interesting that I am not at all disappointed (plus I've still got several chapters to go!)

I hope you get this book and enjoy it as much as I am!

KendraStarReviews

Journeying Through Life, Death, and Profound Revelations: A Must-Read Book

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023

In her remarkable book, Nurse Hadley takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, sharing her experiences as a new nurse (and as a single mother dating Chris) to an experienced nurse alongside the poignant stories of her patients. With an engaging and personable writing style, she effortlessly draws readers into the world of life, death, and patients' profound impact on her life.

Each chapter of this book introduces a new patient (including her boyfriend's mom) and their unique story, allowing us to witness firsthand how people live and the process of how they die. Through these stories, Hadley skillfully offers profound life lessons that transcend the boundaries of the medical field, leaving readers with a wealth of insight into the human psyche and our relationship with mortality.

What sets this book apart is Hadley's ability to blend her narratives with the significance gleaned from her patients' journeys. This parallel storytelling approach lends depth to history and allows readers to connect with Hadley profoundly. Whether you find yourself laughing, shedding tears, feeling awe-struck, or pausing to re-read passages, you'll quickly realize that Nurse Hadley's words have a transformative power beyond the pages. Nurse Hadley teaches the reader through storytelling as her patients teach her their life lessons.

As a gifted writer, nurse, and YouTuber, Hadley captivates readers by challenging societal views on death. By sharing her experiences and the wisdom gained from her patients, she encourages readers to reflect on their beliefs and confront the inevitable reality of our mortality. Through storytelling, she gently guides us toward a greater understanding of death and helps us prepare for its profound impact on our lives and those we love.

Nurse Hadley's book is a must-read for everyone. Whether you have personally experienced loss or are simply curious about the human experience of dying, this book will touch your heart and leave an indelible mark on your soul. It serves as a compass, guiding us through the uncharted waters of death and revealing answers we may not have known we were searching for. She also shows that some people are not who they seem.

Ultimately, Nurse Hadley's words offer solace, enlightenment, and a renewed perspective on life's most profound questions. With its engaging storytelling and her wisdom from experience and skills, this book is a testament to the power of human connection and the importance of embracing life's final journey.

I did not want this book to end.
Please write more, Nurse Hadley.
Pictures: 1: Hardcover front, 2 &3: Conclusion pages, and 4: Excellent tone in writing, 5: Rawness of Hadley's style.

Sabrina

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024

Well written. Loved the personal stories shared. Helped me through a tough time. Great value for the book on Amazon versus other platforms.

Salima

really well written

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024

I was in between 4 and 5 stars, went for 5. This is a calming, nice, interesting, feel-good book. The young and wise-beyond-her-age RN author writes about her hospice experience with 12 patients, and what each has taught her, life wise (see the "A special thank you" section at the end of the book, pp 255-259). Hadley Vlahos' job puts her in touch with end-of-life patients, each trying to come to terms differently with their own terminal medical condition, each with different kinds of familial support (or lack thereof), and all living in the space of the fragile life/death balance. Within this frame, the author also shares about her own life, not intrusively, but through short narratives of her own life, embedded here and there within the stories of her 12 patients, so that by the end of the book, the reader not only has learned about her patients, but we have also come to know her, and her good heart. I stress her good heart here. She is, obviously, professionally competent by training, but as each page gets turned, her wisdom and love for her end-of-life patients shines through. I think this is probably what impressed me the most about this book (not taking anything ways from the 12 protagonists of her chapters): the profound love and patience and care and tenderness with which she approaches her patients, her job, and life overall. In this sense it's a "feel good" book, because her quiet, loving, tender approach to nursing and life is the underlying motive of this book. Her compassion and dedication are manifest in every page. I went for 5 stars instead of 4 because her prose is super readable, no jargon, linguistically the book flows nicely, it's like hearing someone telling stories, and this readability is worth that extra star for me. This book calmly and professionally normalizes end-of-life and death (we all die, so normalizing death is always helpful) and gives insight into a hospice nurse's job and, in this case, to her profound sense of compassion.

Tyler R.

Amazing

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2024

Great info, excellent and very engaging writing. Inspiring and comforting

Alexia

saint complex, very “humble” braggy. autobiography

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2024

how many times she mentioned being young became comical. she also named the wrong song from randy travis, that song doesn’t exist. she was mixing luke combs and randy. i liked reading each different story though. she also came off as a pick me with all the bragging and pointing out how much better she is than other nurses plus the whole i’m so skinny and i’m just a young wee baby. a little cringe but worth the read.

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