This book has it all, coming of age, mystery, loss of a loved one, and everything that leads a lost 16year old to try to move on with her life after the loss of her mother. Great writing/plotting.

I received an early copy of this book in return for my independent honest review. This well written and well translated book got me thinking about all perspectives of grief from those of a young adult coming to terms with the loss of a parent, the widowed spouse trying to move on with life and also the older generations in our lives who have seen so much and felt grief in all its dimensions. In my opinion this book tackles love, loss coming of age in a easy to understand way that is emotional and believable. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions.
Great book for its target audience, but also as a parent it helped me understand how loss affects our children in different ways to us.

*I was provided a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

The only reason this book didn't get five stars from me is that I wish it were longer. I wish it didn't end when it did, at what seemed halfway through a revelation and halfway through a summer that we could have followed until the end.

The House at 758 follows Krista as she tries to come to terms with a family tragedy that she experienced 2 years ago. Life has moved on around her, including her dad, but Krista isn't ready to move on. Through rekindling old relationships and beginning new ones, Krista tries to heal, but she just can't forget about the house at number 758.

With as many ups and downs as the hills of San Francisco where Krista lives, this really is a great read with a compelling plot line and lovable, realistic, characters.

Opening line:
"The house wasn't hard to find."

Krista is angry and hurt since her mom died and she lashes out at the world. At her dad, his girlfriend, a boy who takes a sudden interest in her, etc. I hoped she would be able to have some happiness or peace. She did start to feel a little better, especially with her grandpa.
I liked the beginning. I was pulled in with intrigue to why she was stalking the house. The stalking carries on through the book. But the reveal wasn't a big deal. And the twist wasn't either.
I wasn't sure why the grandpa was in the story? He's sweet and cares for Krista and then he leaves.
The writing is great. I think there will be more great books from this author!

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

I wasn’t sure if request this book or not but what I did wanted was a different story. This is a book about love and loss which is narrated in a special way.

We have the main character – Krista – who’s devastated because of the death of her mother and now she’s living with her dad’s girlfriend in the same house. She decides to stalk the house at 758 every day she can and stay there for hours. That’s the moment when she’s going to meet Jake.

I loved the main character because she is different in all the ways. I liked the way she expressed her feelings as they are very realistic and I could feel such sympathy for her. Jake was a good character. Although I would rather more of the two of them – Krista and him. It was a good relationship but the author could have gotten into detail.

One of the thing that I most liked was the profound style of Kathrin Berla. This was a really good story which also is set in summer so that makes it more enjoyable. I’m glad I choose well.

A beautiful, quietly moving book about dealing with loss.

I wish that Krista's grandpa had arrived earlier in the story - I loved their relationship, and the glimpses into his history, and feel like exploring this more rather than spending most of the time on the love story would have been better, but it was still an enjoyable read.

One of the things that I most liked of this book is the evolution of Krista, the main character. I could relate to Krista's depression. Also, I liked how the author transmits loss, love and forgiveness.

I would have liked more this story if it had been longer, because I think the final of the book is precipitated and a little bit forced.
But even so, I recommend reading The House at 758 for how much it transmits with so few words. I will read more books of Kathryn Berla.

Krista is in the throes of severe grief after a tragic accident altered her family forever. While time has passed since the death of her mother, Krista refuses to move forward. Even though her dad has a new girlfriend and is working through his grief, Krista has moved out of her house to live in a tent on her garage roof. She spends time waiting and watching the house at 758. However, when Krista's father forces her to watch her future step siblings and help take care of her aging grandfather when he visits from Venezuela, Krista begins to gain a new perspective on life. She begins to open herself up to a new potential love interest and work through her grief.

I loved the unexpected, but lovely family connections found in this book. Krista's grandfather was one of my favorite characters in this novel. While I felt that many plot points were not fully developed, like Krista's grandfather's past and the varying layers to the accident, I still enjoyed the book.

The House at 758 is an enjoyable read, it looks at the longer-term impacts of loss and grief, and moving forward. The book focuses on the main character Krista and how her mother’s death has impacted on her life even after time has passed.

It is thought provoking and different from other YA books I’ve read. A lot was packed into 250 pages some I felt may not have been necessary considering the length of the book, however it did not feel rushed.

It was nice to watch Krista develop and grow whilst working towards moving past the huge loss she experienced. The characters were well written I especially enjoyed reading about her grandfather, a character we get to learn a lot about, and who takes a prominent role once he enters the book.

Overall, I feel this is a well written it’s a story with a lot of truth to it, it embraces the fact life isn’t fair but you can keep going despite it, in that sense it is an empowering read.

I've been in a reading slump for a little while now and this book finally got me out of my slump. I really liked this book, it is written really well and the characters are written perfectly. There's a hint of mystery in the book as we get subtle clues throughout about Krista's grief and by the end, we know what happened and why the house at 758 is so important and why she visits so often.

Coming of age stories are always an interesting read. They can either be the best books of the year, or tricky to consume. Up until I started reading this book, I had never met a coming of age story that was somewhere in the middle.
The House at 758 contains a side of the coming of age trope that we don’t get to see often, a somewhat unexplored theme. It’s backing that theme up with well-written characters, fluid writing, and interesting plot points. And then something unexpected begins: we get to see useless things happen. We get to see unnecessary plot points and dialogue, one of the few flaws this book has, but it affects it in a major way.
It’s a quick read, and the writing is incredible. It’s not a bad book, but few moments in it took away from my overall impression.

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked right away. I guessed early on what the heroine was doing, stalking out the house at 758, but was really surprised by the reveal that her sister also died, not just her mother, and surprised by the actual circumstances of their deaths. It was a good character arc for the heroine and a satisfying read.

This book was something really special. Its a story of a young girls loss and heartache. Krista is full of hate and guilt over the death of her mother. Blaming the young driver of the car and blaming herself.
After her mother's accident all of kristas relationships are strained. she pushed away her friends, her neighbor and mother best friend and her father who she hates for moving on in her opinion too quickly. Krista visits the house at 758 everyday trying to get closure and some form of justice for her mother. but she only ends up hurting herself. so when her grandfather comes to visit, krista trys to distract herself by finishing the story of his life her mother started. she soon realizes that you cant live your life with hate in your heart and must forgive others to be able to move on.
The house at 758 is a moving and unforgettable read that will really stay with you.

I'm not really sure of how I feel about this book. I finished it about 2 weeks ago and have just been reviewing it mentally, trying to get my thoughts in order before writing a review.

When we first meet Krista, she is having a bit of a rough time as her mum has recently died and her dad has had his girlfriend move into the family home. Krista has a tent on the roof of the house which is where she seems to spend a lot of time.

I started to get drawn into the book when Krista started to stalk a house (if that's even a thing ~ can one even stalk a house?) Krista seems angry that so many people in her life have managed to move on from the loss of her mother and Krista is understandably having issues about this.

There is of course a love interest in this book with a lad called Jake. I didn't really think that this was particularly necessary as Krista had so many other things going on in her life , but hey, when has life as a teenager ever been straightforward?

I found this a really easy book to read. It flowed well and I liked the fact that it was easy to follow Krista's thought process.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book when I started reading it but I really enjoyed it in the end. A sad but happy tale about loss and the aftermath.

This book features a coming-of-age story about Krista, whose mother recently died. She hasn't yet gotten over the death and is still burdened with grief every day. Krista deals with her grief by periodically visiting a house, the house at 758, which has a significant meaning to her. We spend half of the story trying to piece together the mystery surrounding that house and its inhabitants, although I guessed rather early on what her reasons were for continually going there. In the latter half of the story, we learn about Krista's grandfather, who has come to stay with her for a short time, and his years spent in camps during the Holocaust. We hear stories from his life, so although this is a contemporary book, there are bits and pieces of powerful 1940s historical fiction.

Krista's grandpa's story is more than just a war narrative, though: it's a passionate story focused on the time we have left on this earth and making the most of that time. That is ultimately what the whole book is about, and the grandpa's stories tie very well into that.

The main emphasis of this story is the importance of family. Although there is a mild romance in this contemporary novel, it is like the third or forth sub-plot, which I found to be refreshing. The romance was the only part that I found to be slightly unrealistic. It moved a little too fast, probably so it could fit into the short book, but I did appreciate that it remained a clean romance.

The House at 758 is a simple story, calm and relaxing, but powerful. It's about how one small moment in someone's life can make a lifelong impact in someone else's life. These important messages are delivered through Berla's lyrical prose that was easy to enjoy. Although a shorter read, this book doesn't lack in characterization or depth, for the most part.

I really like Krista as a protagonist, and I'm going to miss reading from her perspective now that the book is over. I related a lot to her, and it was comforting to read about her and her life.

"Hate doesn’t hurt the hated person . . . it only hurts the person who hates.”

This is a good story about grief for teens, but it doesn't feel wholly original. I've read dozens of versions of the exact same story.

Krista's life is a mess. She lives on the roof of her house and refuses to sleep in her own room because of something that has happened to her family. Her Dr father has a new relationship with his secretary and Krista seems to have only one friend at school due to a tragedy that has occurred.
It is Summer two years later, and after shoplifting something from a store in the mall, a boy called Jake comes into her life. But does she deserve happiness? And what of her Grandfather from Venezuela, who has a history that Krista's mother was recording before her death? And finally why is it that Krista feels compelled to keep driving to the House at 758?
Interesting if somewhat depressing at times book about families and the terrible things that can change their lives in an instant and the blame games that occur afterwards. I loved the part where Krista takes Chad and Emma ( her Dad's girlfriends' children) to the House and the resulting friendship that develops between Chad and Krista as a result.
The cockatoo part was laboring the regrowth metaphor a bit, but it was still a lovely story and I could easily recommend this to a girl from Year 7 upwards as it was very clean. ( Heck was used instead of Hell).😜
I also liked the part where Krista reminisces about family LORE and how certain stories are kept and elaborated on and retold. And how there are appropriate responses such as laughter to them now, whereas when they were actually happening, that may not have been the case. Lovely.

I really tried to get into the book but I couldn't so I cannot say much about the story. It just did not grab my interest.