Reviews & News

What Readers & Reviewers Are Saying

Dementia in the Raw: Confessions of a Caregiver UNCENSORED has been recognized for its honesty, practical approach, humor, and unfiltered look at the realities of dementia caregiving.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

“A helpful tool for the loved ones of people with dementia.”
— Kirkus Reviews

Dementia in the Raw was reviewed through Kirkus Indie in September 2026.

BOOKLIFE REVIEW

BookLife described Dementia in the Raw as a candid and deeply personal caregiver memoir that combines emotional honesty with practical tools for families navigating dementia.

“The writing is brutally transparent.”

“At times heartbreaking yet infused with wit and humor.”

The review also noted Lisa Berlanga’s resilience and said that readers facing similar caregiving situations would appreciate her “unfiltered account.”

BookLife Takeaway:
“Candid memoir depicts caregiving a loved one with dementia.”

READERS’ FAVORITE

Readers’ Favorite — Five 5-Star Reviews

Dementia in the Raw received five 5-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite.

Reviewers highlighted the book’s Four Stages of Caregiving, practical organization strategies, journaling, humor, emotional honesty, caregiver burnout, and Lisa’s willingness to discuss the emotions caregivers are often afraid to admit.

“The situations she describes will be familiar to anyone who has lived through dementia, and the way she talks about burnout, frustration, and exhaustion is as real as it gets.”
— Anne-Marie Reynolds, Readers’ Favorite

“The book is a practical survival guide to caregivers, offering sound advice while sharing wisdom and inspiration.”
— Leonard Smuts, Readers’ Favorite

“…the balancing act between keeping a loved one safe and trying not to lose yourself in the process.”
— Makeda Cummings, Readers’ Favorite

“If you’re currently navigating the mental and emotional toll of caregiving and looking for a practical map through the fog, then this book is for you.”
— Ibrahim Aslan, Readers’ Favorite

“For any caregiver tired of being told to find the silver lining, this book offers something rarer: permission to be angry, exhausted, and still capable of finding your way through.”
— Karen Tolentino, Readers’ Favorite

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

Readers on Amazon and Goodreads have described Dementia in the Raw as honest, relatable, informative, and refreshingly real.

“Quite informative and eye-opening.”

“So realistic and informative and even a little funny.”

“Humorous and very authentic.”

“Doesn’t sugarcoat anything.”

MORE THAN A MEMOIR

Readers repeatedly respond to the same thing Lisa hoped to accomplish when she wrote Dementia in the Raw: telling the truth about caregiving without pretending that love makes the experience easy.

The book talks openly about anger, guilt, exhaustion, resentment, grief, family conflict, burnout, impossible decisions—and the humor that can sometimes help a caregiver survive them.

You can love the person you’re caring for and still hate what caregiving is doing to your life.

And you are not alone.

NEWS & MILESTONES 

FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2026

Frankfurt, Germany • October 7–11, 2026

Dementia in the Raw: Confessions of a Caregiver UNCENSORED is headed to Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany, as part of the Combined Book Exhibit’s New Title Showcase.

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s largest trade fair and one of the world’s most important marketplaces for books, content, publishing rights, and licensing. Each October, publishers, literary agents, rights professionals, media, authors, booksellers, and representatives from related creative industries come together in Frankfurt to discover new titles, build international partnerships, and negotiate the rights that can bring books to new markets, languages, and audiences around the world. Frankfurter Buchmesse

For Dementia in the Raw, participation means the book will move beyond its U.S. audience and into an international publishing environment where industry professionals from around the world are actively looking for books, ideas, and stories with the potential to reach new readers.

The paperback will be displayed through the Combined Book Exhibit New Title Showcase in the USA Pavilion, with the eBook included in the digital showcase. Combined Book Exhibit describes its Frankfurt showcase as an opportunity for books to gain visibility among international buyers, publishing professionals, rights buyers, and media representatives attending the fair. Combined Book Exhibit

For a first-time independent author whose book began as one daughter’s experience caring for her mother, seeing Dementia in the Raw represented on an international publishing stage is an especially meaningful milestone—and another step in the mission to bring the caregiver’s side of dementia into conversations far beyond home.

THE RELATIONSHIP BEHIND THE BOOK

These are just some throwbacks.. Love you mom, always! ❤️

Follow the Journey

New reviews, interviews, events, publishing milestones, and caregiver-related projects will be added here as the journey continues.