If I Could Hold You Again

A long-distance call while on holidays brought news of the most devastating kind for Collette Wolfe and her husband Anthony. Their daughter Leanne had died, having taken her own life. Soon, diaries were uncovered sharing her experience of horrific bullying in the years leading up to her death.

In the months that followed, Collette battled crippling grief and guilt for not having know the extent of her daughter’s suffering. Beset by hopelessness, as demons from her own childhood resurfaced, she faced her darkest hour. Then something remarkable happened.

If I Could Hold You Again is a story of tragedy and redemption and of finding a way to face the future with courage, love, and a mission to help others.

Author Biography

Cork born and bred, Collette Wolfe is a mother, grandmother and activist. In 2007, her almost 18-year-old daughter Leanne took her own life after years of sustained bullying, which she documented in secret diaries, but never told her family about. Since discovering Leanne’s diaries, Collette has worked tirelessly to educate young people across Ireland about the issues involved in bullying. She has been outspoken as the mother of a teenager who committed suicide in Ireland’s media, appearing on The Late Late Show and Morning Ireland, among other shows. If I Could Hold You Again is her first book.

Brian Finnegan is a Dublin-based author, journalist, ghost-writer and editor. His debut novel, The Forced Redundancy Film Club, was a published in 2012, while his follow-up, Knowing Me Knowing You, was released to critical acclaim in 2014. Brian is one of Ireland’s foremost ghost-writers, the name behind several bestselling autobiographies for Irish and international celebrities.