Author Samuel W. Pullman’s latest novel follows a young nurse’s journey from trauma and addiction to recovery, connection, and renewed hope.

[South Florida] Author Samuel W. Pullman announces the release of his latest novel, Love After Heartbreak, a story that takes an honest look at the toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on frontline healthcare workers, and the long road many are still walking toward healing.

The novel introduces readers to Sarah, a young nurse whose career took her to a major hospital in New York City, where she found herself at the center of the pandemic’s earliest and most devastating days. Tasked with the harrowing responsibility of managing the overwhelming number of patients lost to COVID, Sarah worked around the clock for months, living at the hospital and pushing through conditions few could imagine. The experience left her with PTSD, a struggle with alcohol, and a deep sense of needing to disappear from the world.

Love After Heartbreak doesn’t gloss over what that recovery looks like. Sarah’s path includes hospitalization, therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the slow, difficult work of learning to trust again, both in others and in herself. Her story reflects the experiences of countless real healthcare workers who carried invisible wounds long after the headlines moved on.

“There’s a tendency to think the pandemic is something we’ve all collectively moved past,” said Pullman. “But for a lot of people, especially those who worked on the front lines, the effects are still very real. I wanted Sarah’s story to honor that, and to show that recovery is possible, even from something that devastating.”

Through Sarah’s journey, Love After Heartbreak offers a compassionate portrayal of trauma, addiction, and the slow rebuilding of a life, resonating with readers who lived through the pandemic themselves or who care about someone who did.

Love After Heartbreak is available now in print and digital formats.