Review: Emotional, Gut- wrenching, Relatable, Well-Written
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2014
Those are just a few of the words to describe this novel by Amanda Dick. I advise this book for mature readers as the subject content is not for young readers. This is the story of five friends who are all struggling to come to terms with the suicide of their friend Danny, three years before. They meet up annually at the beach house as they have always done since the suicide. They stay in touch throughout the year and see each other as well but the gathering at the beach house is always different.Kate was Danny’s girlfriend at the time and right before his suicide they had a fight and she had left their home in fear. Lacey and Gavin are married and just suffered a miscarriage prior to coming to the beach house.  Max has been avoiding everyone as he has fought his own demons since the death of Danny as he was the one to find him. Finn is falling for Kate and is grappling with those feelings and also with the knowledge he was the last one to see Danny alive.The five friends are all at different junctures of the grieving process. This book demonstrates all the stages and outcomes of what happens to those left behind in these situations. It is clear that the author spent time making each character relatable and unique so the reader could clearly see where everyone was in this process. This is a story of love, forgiveness, personal growth and facing the future that one may not have planned for. I absolutely loved this story and commend the author for tackling this tough issue so well.