YA

Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger

Lori Carroll
Six Goodbyes
buy now

“Two teens maneuver painful routes through profound grief as well as the complex quagmire of severe mental illness… Ultimately hopeful, and readers will connect with the messy, visceral lives simmering on the page. Profoundly emotional and truthful.” – Kirkus

Grade: 4.5

I found Six Goodbyes We Never Said, because as a reader I enjoy personalities, relationships and dialogue.  In YA, the current trend is epic multi-book sagas with fantastical worlds, creatures and adventures abounding from one page to the next. I’m scrolling through the releases one week and here’s a book about 2 teens (Naima and Dew), both orphaned living with new families, both with mental health issues and now living next door to each other.  I had a feeling it would be up my alley. 

The book is written from both characters perspectives.  What you don’t know going in, Dew is working through his grief by recording his life as if he is a news reporter.  Every time you switch to Dew’s perspective it’s whatever he just recorded. That took a little figuring out, but once I got used to it, it was easy enough to follow along. 

Dew has been there for about a year and Naima has just moved in. The new parents push them together in an attempt to build a support group due to their similar situations. Naima is having none of it, but Dew sees the potential. Naima grudgingly begins to accept a friendship from him.

My heart broke as I learned about these characters. It started to heal as they were healing, but in the end it’s a journey that they aren’t finished with. Ms. Ganger did a beautiful job connecting the audience to the characters journey. Writing teenagers in grief is tough, but I felt the author did a fantastic job of making the process feel realistic.

In YA, I find it very important to talk upfront about what specific age range books can be read.  Every young reader’s maturity level is different. This book is good for all young readers. I would see no issue with a middle grade reader picking this up, as long as they understand death, grief and mental health situations.  To be absolutely clear, this is not a love story. 

Bottom Line: If you read this book, there will be feels.  I’m really looking forward to reading the next book by her. 

 

Lori Carroll

Lori Carroll

Owner at Jan's
Starting late in life reading, Lori made up for it by becoming a voracious reader. Recently she bought an established bookstore in Beaverton, OR and now spends her day surrounded by nothing but books and booklovers!
Lori Carroll

Latest posts by Lori Carroll (see all)