Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero

Written by Amanda Kloots and Anna Kloots

Narrated by Amanda Kloots

Performed by the author featuring original music by Nick Cordero.

Amanda Kloots bravely reflects on love, loss, and life with her husband, Broadway star, and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero, whose public battle with COVID-19 and tragic death made headlines around the world.

In March 2020, Broadway star and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero was hospitalized for what he and his wife, Amanda Kloots, believed to be a severe case of pneumonia. Entering the hospital, they had every reason to believe that Nick—a young father and otherwise healthy man—would return home. After an eventual diagnosis of COVID-19 that led to Nick’s being placed on a ventilator, Amanda took to documenting their journey on social media, showing the dangers COVID-19 posed to everyone, regardless of age. Her updates quickly captivated millions, inspiring people around the globe to dance each day to Nick’s song “Live Your Life” and offer positive thoughts and prayer. When he passed away after ninety-five grueling days in the ICU, the world grieved for Amanda, her infant son, Elvis, and the future COVID-19 had snatched away from them.

Live Your Life is the story of Nick and Amanda’s life together—of their beautiful relationship, of Nick’s dramatic fight for survival, of those sudden tragic months that permanently changed her world and ours—and of their interrupted future as a family. From the confusing early days of his illness to searching for signs of hope in every update from the doctors to the healing sound of Elvis’s laughter, Amanda details how she approached even the most devastating moments with the personal optimism and faith that have shaped her life. Written with her sister Anna Kloots, who was with her every step of this journey, Live Your Life explores how Amanda’s willingness to accept help from an entire community of people—friends, family, and even total strangers—played a vital role in enduring this hardship. In the process, she offers a touching meditation on how even the worst times have silver linings that deepen our connections to the world around us and to the people who matter most.

What emerges is an inspiring and unexpectedly uplifting message for life in the time of COVID, a vision of courage for anyone coping with overwhelming loss or the collective trauma of what the pandemic has taken from us. A poignant reflection on love, hope, motherhood, and the transformational power of music, Live Your Life is a love letter to Nick and a reminder that, sometimes, celebrating life today is the only path through tomorrow’s darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063078284

Amanda Kloots

Amanda Kloots is a celebrity fitness trainer known for her positive and empowering attitude, and a cohost of The Talk. A former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette, she met her late husband, Nick Cordero, when they scarred together in Bullets over Broadway. She and her son, Elvis, live in California.

Reviews for Live Your Life

[Gordon wright · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a tear jerking book. I really appreciated the author reading it and sharing her strength and weaknesses thru the whole ordeal. The thing that stood out in the book that I can't understand is why they treated her husband as if he had covet 19 and none of his test ever showed positive for it.

[Alicia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written (and read). I remember seeing Amanda's Instagram page when Nick was intubated, finding her story through another account. To read the behind the scenes details just brought to light how much strength and love she and so many others had to unexpectedly shoulder when everything was unknown.

[Carura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The audiobook is hands down the best way to experience this title! Thank you Amanda (and Anna) for sharing your journey of loss, faith and love during such an unprecedented time. It is truly a reminder to live your life.

[Katie Parany · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely and raw. I was very emotional over this book.

[ewelina3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing story. I am most moved about the family relationships author described, the network of people willing to help and her strength to fight for her husband. Just mind blowing. How lucky is that family to have each other, get along this well and support one another in time of crisis.

[Teresa Lickman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book to be heard, not read! You will laugh, cry and sing, then hug your loved ones close.

[Larissa Prates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a touching story from a time humanity will try to forget but should remember how it felt to be isolated and going through something as a collective. Beautiful things can come out of pain and grieve, Nicks and Amanda’s story is exactly that. The story is narrated by Amanda, which instantly makes it better. It could only have been told by her…

Ps: there’s a lot of trigger warnings check that out before reading

[Anne Ku · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! Genuine. Would love to play Nick’s song with my ukulele group

[Cindy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story and know it had to have been hard to tell. I cried along with Amanda as she told her husband's story. So sad and so unreal to hear. I feel her words will help others to be more aware of what this virus can do to you and your family. Thank you Amanda for Nick's story.

[Cathy Langevin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

True story about the reality of Covid 19 and how it affects so many people that surround a loved one that dies from this virus

[Anna Parsons Nobles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. Glad Amanda was able to do the audio book. No one else could have. Finished it in 2 days.

[micareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nick Cordero was a Broadway star with rock and roll dreams. He was also the love of Amanda's life and a new father to baby Elvis. Sadly, he passed away from COVID-19 on July 5, 2020 after a 95 day fight for his life. In this story, Amanda reflects back not only on his time in the hospital but on their lives together. She looks back on how they met, how they fell in love and ultimately how she had to make the decision to let him go. This is the story of so many families who had to look back on good memories and make the choice that was best for their loved ones. Amanda brought attention to Nick's plight through social media and had the world praying, hoping and singing for Nick's recovery.

This was a book I had been looking forward to since hearing of its release and my only mistake was listening to the audio book. I broke down in tears several times while listening to Amanda discuss the four times she received a call from the hospital telling her to get there as soon as she could and that Nick didn't have much time left. I had been following along during Nick's journey and cried along as the world was told that Nick had lost his fight. I am grateful for the look into what it took to do everything they could to keep Nick alive and the fact that Amanda loved him enough to let him go peacefully.