In a Nutshell Reviews - The Grief Edition

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights. It's a well known fact, that I have a special place in my heart for "grief" books, and as I was looking at these three books, I realized they were all stories dealing with grief and loss, and all very wonderful and hopeful as well.

Going Places
Kathryn Berla
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Hudson Wheeler is a teen for whom everyone had high expectations, but since his father was killed when he was ten, he's felt unmotivated to pursue much other than his art. During his senior year, he decides to home school, thinking he will get to relax and focus on his two lazy businesses. But instead, he experiences love and rejection for the first time; meets an athletic girl who shows him by example what it means to be a man; and solves the painful mystery of the WWII vet whose poignant plight forces Hudson out of the comfort zone of boyhood.

This is my second Berla book, and I have to say, she knows how to write a book that tugs at my heartstrings. I really loved being able to accompany Hudson on his journey, as he took a crooked path in trying to find his way back from his grief and towards his future.

• Pro: I instantly like Hudson. He had an interesting voice, and I was so happy to be with him on this crazy journey. 
• Pro: There were a multitude of other characters to love as well. Fritzy and Mr. Pirkle were two stellar characters, who brought so much to this story. I must also share my love for Jennifer, the boy poodle, who they dyed pink. I smiled every time Jennifer was on page. 
• Con: There were two romantic threads in this story. One thread was tied off, the other not so much. I sort of want to know what happened, because that was the ship I was rooting for.  
• Pro: Yeah for older folks! This was the second book I read in two days, that showed some love for our seniors. I was so pleased with all the different ways Berla presented these characters, and think it's important to show seniors and teens interacting in positive ways. 
• Pro: It was nice to see an "alternate path" presented in the story. Maybe traditional high school and college is not for everyone, and it's important to show that there are other avenues that can lead to success and happiness. 
• Pro: Hudson's mom was sort of awesome. She didn't make these new life choices easy for Hudson, nor did she allow him to do it all on his terms. There was bargaining and compromise, and I loved the way she treated him as an adult. 
• Pro: The main plot was one I love - a good coming of age, self-discovery type story, but there were a bunch of great sub-plots too, which were done in such a way, that I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of story I was getting. 
• Pro: Connection is something I feel we don't have enough of these days, and part of what helped Hudson "find" himself, was connecting with others. In his effort to withdraw, he actually widened his social circle, and gained so many beautiful things by doing it. 
• Pro: Hudson's struggle with trying to live up to other people's expectations and seeking validation gave me more to love. I think it's very human to need these these things, and I was really happy with the resolution Berla gave him concerning these needs. 
• Pro: When Hudson finally opened up and shared some of himself, the concept for his graphic novel was born, and it brought tears to my eyes. 

Mr. Pirkle told me that the most difficult thing a man has to do in life is to open his heart to someone. In his mind, he had failed, but I knew different. I knew he had succeeded. And I knew that one day I would too. 

Overall: A beautiful story of love, loss, friendship, connection, and finding the places you will go.

The Astonishing Color of After
Emily X.R. Pan
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Magical Realism
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

The Astonishing Color of After was a beautiful and painful portrait of those left behind when a family member takes their own life. It explores the pain and the loss suffered by Leigh, but also the complicated relationships that exist in families and the need for forgiveness and healing.

• Pro: First and foremost - this book was beautifully written. Pan's prose was vivid and gorgeous. She painted the characters' emotions with sweeping brushstrokes, and I was right there with them, fully immersed in their fear, joy, and pain. 
• Pro: Magical realism is one of my favorite genres, and those magical elements were used so wonderfully in this story. The Smoke and Memories sequence was such a brilliant way to give the reader different points of view. 
• Pro: Pan took us on an awesome trip to Taiwan. She showed us so many special sites, but my favorite thing was all the food. It was a virtual feast! 
• Pro: I loved the way the story bounced back and forth from past to present, from happy to sad. It was interesting that Pan chose to explore Leigh's relationship with her best friend, Axel, in addition to those with her mother and father, but I think it was a good way to alleviate some of the sadness and inject some hope into this story. 
• Pro: This was Leigh's healing journey, but it was also her journey of self discovery. She struggled with her ethnic identity, her belief in herself as an artist, her place in Axel's life, her inability to get all the answers, and her guilt over not being there for her mother. Pan did such an amazing job getting us inside Leigh's head and taking us along with her on this path to self discovery. 
• Con: I think the book was a tad too long. It could have been edited down a little.  
• Pro: Leigh learns a lot about her mother and all the family secrets. This insight opens her eyes and has her re-examining things with a  new perspective. I really appreciated this growth, and also the awesome twist Pan threw in there. 
• Pro: I thought the mental health part of the story was handled in a respectful and sensitive way. Pan addressed how everyone was affected by Leigh's mother's mental illness and her suicide, and it is important that it was approached in this stigma-free way. 

Believing is a type of magic. It can make something true. 

Overall: A gorgeously written tale, which took me on a magical journey from the throes of grief to a place of healing, understanding, self discovery, and finding beauty in the pain.

The Secrets We Bury
Stacie Ramey
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

In an effort to escape his family, Dylan decides to hike the Appalachian trail—but he never expected to run into love.

Dylan Taggart is on the run. His family is trying to put him in a school for psychologically challenged students, and he gets it—he has anger issues. But Believers Charter School is a complete overreaction. So he decides a six-month hike on the Appalachian Trail is the perfect place to hide out until he can legally drop out of school.

Dylan wanted independence, but being alone on the trail is more than he bargained for. Then he meets a mysterious hiker named Sophie, and the two begin to develop a bond he never expected. But will love be enough to escape what they're both running from?

If I had know there were so many characters in this book dealing with grief and loss, I would have read it so much sooner. There was so much grief and loss, but also a ton of love, growth, understanding, and most importantly, healing.

• Pro: I loved being in Dylan's head. His character had this voice, that I could not get enough of. I found him so real and interesting. 
• Pro: Let's face it. This was the closest I will get to hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I must say, what a wonderful trip Ramey took us on. She did such a good job conveying the difficulty and the wonder of trail life, as well as educating us on the ins and outs of hiking the trail. 
• Pro: Ghost and Rain Man were such fantastic characters. I loved getting to know them, and was so invested in them early on. 
• Pro: Grief, grief, everywhere! So many characters carried heavy hearts, and they needed each other and their time on the trail to provide some relief from the pain of their losses. 
• Pro: When Dylan talked about his dad, I couldn't help but smile. Their relationship was so special, and I loved that Dylan felt he had someone on his side, when his dad was there. 
• Pro: I learned so much about Processing Sensory Disorder from Dylan, and really liked the way he shared the things he did to alleviate his discomfort as well as the ways it affected him and those who were part of his life. It was awesome to see him pushing through some of his difficulties, when he was on the trail. He acknowledged it was hard, but he did it and hopped some major hurtles while he was hiking. 
• Pro: This hike was transformative for Dylan. He made a lot of mistakes and angered a lot of people, who were important to him, but he also learned how to see things in a different way, and how to be a better friend, cousin, and son. 
• Pro: Yep, there was a little romance, and you know I adored it. So sweet and awkward, but so genuine. 
• Pro: I shed some tears, both happy and sad, but was most overjoyed with the forgiveness that multiple characters needed and received. 

There are moments in life that are as perfect as the first line in a good book. Or the last line. They're waiting for you to notice them. This is one of those moments. 

Overall:  A breathtaking journey along the Appalachian Trail, which showed how "trail magic" can help bring one peace, clarity, understanding, and restoration. 

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any of these books?

Let us know in the comments!