The Kids Are Fine.
The House Is Quiet.
So Why Does Everything Feel So Strange?

The target audience is women, but as a Dad with children now leaving home there is a lot that is relevant here for blokes too. This is something that has been at the back of our mins recently, my wife and I. Sarah takes us on a journey broken down into three parts: Empty Nest Reality Check; Rebuilding Your Nest; Flying Solo. It is packed full of useful advice, especially if you are a single mom.

The Empty Nest Reset is an uplifting and practical guide for the moment the house goes quiet and the silence seems loud. After 29 years with kids at home, I recognized myself as the subject of the book. The author follows women stepping into empty nests, whether without goals or overcommitted, and offers practical, compassionate guidance for rebuilding a life with joy and purpose. I especially valued the advice on setting boundaries and learning to say “no”; it felt freeing and doable. Short, relatable stories and actionable suggestions make it easy to try something new, like hobbies that have been set aside or investing in friendships. So embrace your empty nest and live the next chapter of your life.

The Empty Nest Reset is book to help you rediscover yourself after your children have left home. This book gives you excellent advice written in a witty and clever way. This book supports you and allows you to become you again.

I've read six books on the empty nest situation, and this was the best. Perhaps reading several books finally put me in the right shoes, but I think the author does an above average job of making the transition real, dealing with all the relevant issues (prepaing, saying goodbye, being at a distance, long term change, fathers/couples/single parents/siblings, romantic relationship renewal/exploration, new directions with work/personal growth, boomerang kids), and providing a breadth of sound, supported ways of dealing with all that. Different parents and kids have different dynamics, so it is so useful to think this through ahead of time and have a resource to rely on with good and varied advice of what to do and how to deal with so may conflicting feelings.

This book is funny, real, and so encouraging. It captures the mix of emotions after kids leave and gives practical ways to rediscover purpose. The checklists and prompts are helpful. A perfect companion for navigating the empty nest with humor and hope.

With my son about to depart for Uni and a daughter only a couple of years behind, I felt as though I needed a bit of guidance through this period of immense change. I am incredibly close to both my kids and bringing them up through a whole host of difficulties has been the most fulfilling part of my life. Even though I work and have a great marriage, I knew that in the next couple of weeks there was going to be a large void appearing in my life. Then I discovered "The Empty Nest Reset" ....

To be frank, up until the point of delving into this book I had considered myself to be over-sentimental and a bit of an idiot for feeling so unbelievably sad at the prospect of my son's departure. What made it worse was that even though on the outside he was thrilled and excited about leaving for a new chapter in his life, I could tell he was panicking. After reading the first few chapters, however, I realised that all these emotions were not the ridiculous rantings of an overly clingy parent, but that they were actually normal feelings and were to be expected. All the case study examples were excellent, giving the points of view of both the parents and young adults and also comments from professionals such as university pastoral care and family psychologists.

This book is so easy to read, partly because of its practical, straight to the point advice, but also because you immediately relate to everything in it and feel that you are not alone. It was as though I was reading word for word the thoughts and feelings going on in my head and somebody saying "that's ok, you're not daft you're a great Mum". I would recommend this book to any parent, who after years of wishing that the kids would give them a bit of peace and quiet, suddenly would do anything to hear themselves shout "TURN THAT DOWN!"

This book feels like a breath of fresh air for anyone navigating the “empty nest” stage. It doesn’t sugarcoat or throw clichés at you—it’s real, witty, and filled with practical tools that actually help you move forward. I loved how each chapter mixes humor with raw honesty, tackling topics like loneliness, identity, and even intimacy in a way that makes you feel seen and supported.

The checklists and exercises at the end of each chapter are a game-changer. Instead of just reading, you’re actively rebuilding your sense of self step by step. The “First 30 Days of Rediscovery” bonus was especially helpful—it gave me structure during a time when I felt completely lost.

If you’re standing in a quiet house wondering, “What now?” this book is your survival kit. It made me laugh, reflect, and most importantly, take action. Highly recommended!

Bought this as a gift for a friend who was really struggling with the idea that her son was leaving home to go to university. She said she found it very useful and it has helped to ease her worries a bit.

The book helps in restarting our life after the kids left the house and we are left feeling lonely. The book gives many ideas like starting new activities in our free time and taking holidays to visit places. Few other ideas mentioned in the book like starting a new romantic relationship or having new friends.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone that us coming to the time in life when the children leave and you are Empty Nesting. It made my transition in to a more hopeful transition and made it very normal to feel the way I was.

At 37, reading The Empty Nest Reset gave me a glimpse of what’s ahead. The book mixes humor and honesty while guiding parents through identity shifts once kids leave home. Practical exercises, raw reflections, and witty insights make it both entertaining and useful—definitely not fluff.

This book really spoke to me at the right time. The author writes with humor and honesty about what it feels like when the kids leave home, without sugarcoating it. I appreciated the mix of practical advice, little exercises, and gentle nudges to start focusing on myself again. It felt like having a supportive friend who understands exactly what you're going through. A comforting, encouraging read.

A refreshingly honest, witty guide for empty nesters rediscovering themselves. The Empty Nest Reset offers practical tools, bold truths, and empowering prompts to help you reclaim identity, intimacy, and independence. It’s not fluff, it’s your survival kit for building a second act that’s truly your own.

A huggable, "rah-rah, go you!" manual for entering the empty nest, this book is for parents who are (or will be) discovering or re-discover their life beyond kids. Based on a combination of wit, heart, and actual lived experience, The Empty Nest Reset is a practical, relatable, deeply human way to re-claim, re-love, and/or re-discover your non-parenting self. From getting your time back, to re-connecting with your (pre-kid) passions (or discovering new ones), this book is a helpful reminder that the life you thought was over isn’t—it’s just changing.