Spoiler Alert: Read This Book!

Like most people, I hear about cancer all the time. It looms over us. My mom had it. My husband works in it daily as a radiation therapist. His mom passed from it. It’s just always there. (I even had my second basal cell removed today so as to keep skin cancer as far away from me as possible!) So I don’t usually seek out books to read about the Big C.
Spoiler Alert.
I had no idea what Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies was about when I bought it. I saw Andy Cohen holding the book on Instagram four days ago, I pre-ordered it on Amazon and it downloaded to my kindle the day it came out. I started reading it last night around 5pm and only stopped because I had to go to a brush-up rehearsal for a show I’m in. 
I hadn’t read anything about the book. As I started, I realized I loved the writing style. It wasn’t until the character said his name was Mike that it dawned on me it actually WAS a memoir and that wasn't just some cute sub-title decision. This may come as a shock to Mr. Ausiello’s ego (and i mean nothing bad by this)…but I didn’t know much about him prior and the guy has been in the entertainment industry as long as I have and WAY more visible. Sorry, Michael….I should have known you sooner. Because trust me, we would have been best friends. I can tell. The author's word choices, his turn of a phrase - I was engulfed in his storytelling and stayed up until 1am reading more than 1/2 of the book & devoured the rest today all under 24 hours! (PS: Reading it on the kindle app on an iPhone 7Plus….so kudos to the apple battery life!)
The book is all about love and loss. It is heartbreaking. It is funny. It is powerful. Yes, the title really does say it all. Michael’s partner Kit of 13 years is diagnosed with cancer and this is their journey during that last year. But we get to see snippets all through their relationship. I LOVE that he doesn’t sugarcoat it and turn it into a fairy tale. It’s real. It’s hard. Relationships are hard. And THAT makes it beautiful. (Friends would call me today to check to see how my procedure went & I would answer the phone in tears as I was at the end of another chapter. Basically everyone that called got a dissertation on this book and heard very little about the stitches on my upper back.)
I’ve been with my husband 17 years. We too have had our share of ups and downs. Being with anyone for that long isn’t easy. You go through slumps. You try and navigate your way and make a relationship/marriage into what works for you. All couples must do it. 
The biggest compliment I can the author is that I fell in love with my husband all over again reading this book. I thought of us through so much of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. But it made me appreciate every single moment I’ve had with Anthony and i wouldn’t trade those for the world. 
Michael Ausiello & Kit CowanI’m sorry for Mr. Ausiello’s loss, but I celebrate his love. I celebrate Kit’s life. If your goal was to make sure Christopher “Kit” Cowan is remembered….you succeeded, Michael. He is in my mind and my heart today as I finished the final chapter. Much love to you as well. (You can also donate to a Kit Cowan Scholarship Fund which I did right away.) 

Read this book. Memoirs are meant to shed light on someone’s life in the hope it will touch someone else. I think this book could be in the relationship guide section of a bookstore, because it could strengthen many relationships simply from reading it.