Reviews by Tag: grief

Lennie’s’ sister is dead. Unsure of what to do in a world without her sister the The Sky is Everywhere explores Lennie’s grief and relationships that form through her grief. There’s Toby who was her sisters’ boyfriend and seems to understand how she’s feeling. Despite knowing it’s wrong she finds herself drawn to him and can’t stop finding her way back to him. The encompasses her with total guilt. Then there’s Joe.  Joe is magical, he makes her feel like a new person and she feels brighter around him.

In Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, a Chinese American family lives in Ohio during the 1970s. Lydia, a teenager and the middle child, is pressured by her parents to live the life they didn’t have. Her mother pushes her to be a doctor while her father constantly encourages her to socialize with others as a chance to be popular at school. One day, Lydia is found dead at the neighborhood lake. This novel unravels the cause of her death by exploring each member of her family and sharing their stories.

Summary: Amelia Griffin became best friends with Jenna Williams after her father left and her

family fell apart. They bonded over their love of books their favorite ones being a series called

the Orman Chronicles. They are very excited to be able to meet the author at a book festival the

summer before college. However, not everything goes as planned. While Amelia is in the

bathroom, Jenna gets to meet the author, N. E. Endsley, who is having a panic attack. Jenna is

Elizabeth “Biz” Martin Grey seems to have everything in control. She has her mother,

she has the twins, Billie and Dart, she has Grace, and she has her father, who tells her stories

about her as a child. But, Biz knows that her father died when she was seven. Still, she seems to

have everything in perfect shape. That is, until she almost drowns in the ocean, and a new boy

named Jasper jumps in to save her. Biz is grateful, until she realizes that he ignores all the time

Counting By 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a realistic fiction book. Willow is incredibly smart

and counts by 7’s to calm and comfort herself. She struggles with making friends, but she has

her parents, which is all she needs to survive. One day, after going to a counseling session with

the school counselor, Dell, she discovers that both her parents have died in a terrible car

accident. After the accident, Willow feels lost and alone. But, slowly, she begins to make new

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy is a memoir recounting the actress’s

childhood through her twenties, with a focus on her relationship with her mother. Though likely

surprising to her millions of fans, the iCarly and Sam & Cat star never wanted to act. With a

narcissistic mother who had dreamed of being a child star and plenty of money issues in the

family, Jennette was forced to fulfill both her mother’s dream as well as become the

In Helena Fox’s debut title How It Feels to Float, we follow the protagonist Elizabeth, or Biz, as she goes through the struggles of grief, identity, and mental health after the traumatizing events she has gone through. Biz’s father died ten years ago, and then she recently kissed and got rejected by her best friend. Her mental health takes a downward spiral, and we watch as she attempts to recover from these obstacles.

Finley Sinclar’s older brother, Will, was murdered recently. Finley is headed to Ireland just like Will, for a study abroad program. On the plane ride to the land of saints and scholars Finley happens to get seated right next to Beckett Rush, an actor who many girls Finley's age are obsessed with. Finley doesn’t care much for Beckett, until she meets up with him again in Ireland. Finley has to deal with jealous girls at school, the start of an eating disorder, and trying to find meaning in her relationship with God. Finley has a lot on her plate, will she be able to keep it together?

A chat bot, created to keep Vanessa's memory alive. The secrets Bailey finds in the depths of chatting. What really happened to Vanessa? Were there secrets kept, not shared between the two best friends? Vanessa had died that night, but what had caused her car to slide off the bridge? Message Not Found by Dante Medema shares the story of Bailey and Vanessa, two teenagers living in Alaska, that were inseparable best friends. That is, until one dies after swerving and sliding off a cliff driving home.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds follows a story about a 15-year-old boy, Will. When Will’s brother, Shawn, is shot, everything turns downhill. Will’s father also died, so all he has is his mother; who is devoured in grief after the death of his son. But Will has no time to grieve; he must stick to the rules:

Rule #1: NO CRYING

Rule #2: NO SNITCHING

Rule #3: TAKE REVENGE