A really great read about first love, loss and the importance of family. Also, how lovely is the cover?!

A few things prevented this from being a 5-star though, mainly the many sub plots that all could have been fleshed out a bit for a more satisfying conclusion and Krista's relationship with Jake felt pretty fake and predictable. Her grandfather's illness and diagnosis seemed like it was going to be a major deal, but I was left a little disappointed by him returning to Venezuela and that being the end of it. The confrontation with Omar was also a bit flat an underwhelming. That said, I did really enjoy it.

"keep adding to your life - a little bit this, a little bit that,"

I didn't know what to feel about this book at first, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It made me feel giddy and nervous at the same time and that's really rare for me.

I like the family aspect of the book because not a lot of YA books do that nowadays. The book is focused on both the teen individual's life and the family in general. The plot is something that I know a low of teenagers who are going through the same thing would be able to relate to.

There are certain things about the 'love story' that I still find too cliche but even I have to admit that it was pretty cute and again, still managed to make me feel giddy.

This was so mysterious.


"but dont go with hate in your heart"


this is a lowkey beautiful book

An enjoyable, yet predictable read. There is little about THE HOUSE at 758 that is surprising. The themes are familiar, the tropes are familiar, and YA narratives concerning grief are a dime a dozen. However, the way that Berla conveys emotion that gives this book a slight notch above many others. The highlight is not the romance, which I felt could have been omitted entirely as it didn't add much, but the relationship between the protagonist and her grandfather. It felt touching, honest, and real. If you don't mind reading a book that's an amalgamation of every other YA tale about grief with an emphasis on character work, then THE HOUSE at 758 is the perfect solution for you - but if you seek something that does something new and fresh with the theme, you may be better served elsewhere.

Going into this one, I was trepidatious. I wasn't sure I like our heroine, Krista, I wasn't sure I was in the mood to deal with angsty teen grief. However, the more I read, the more I read. Pretty soon it was far later than I should have been up and I was done and very satisfied. For me, it was her relationship with Chad and her grandfather that really made her a better and a more real character. The character development happened naturally, and it allowed the reader to learn to truly appreciate Krista and her situation.

It's hard to describe this book. It's sad but it's also happy. It doesn't have the happiest ending but in some ways, it does. It's not the saddest book, but in some ways it is. I highly recommend this one and will be sharing it with customers and coworkers.

This is a great book. It deals with some very troublesome issues at an important way. Completely authentic storytelling without preaching or condoning. While it includes some complex issues and borderline behavior, overall this is a great read, wholeheartedly recommended.

Thanks for the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Plot: Krista is a 16 year old teenager who is going through the phases of grief as explained in the book, she lives with her father, a doctor who is also a control-freak and Krista, her father nurse and his new love after the loss of Krista's mother. So the book starts with describing Krista's depressive life, she and Emma are like the two hands of a weighing scale, if one is happy the other will be sad... Although Emma is trying her best to fit in!

Krista keeps driving to house 758, where supposedly she sees "someone" who did "something" and that goes on and on for many pages and we are supposed to be curious to know who and why (To be honest, I was curious but it dragged more than it should have).

Also, Jake now is brave enough to get into her life, he has always been there but he didn't have the courage to face her but know once that "thing" has happened and she longs for a normal life, Jack is the only one who treats her in that way.

Also, her sick grandpa is paying them a visit for medical purposes and he also has that effect of old people of being carefree and speaking his mind so he kind of changes her life.

Things that I like:
* There were some good quotes throughout the book, the writing style is not so special but it was not half-bad
* The psychological aspect was well written and as a medicine student I could relate to Krista's depression
* The Grandpa character was also very well-written and realistic!
* Beautiful cover, I don't know why, but I like it very much!!

Things that I didn't like:
* Although this was a fast read, the book could be even shorter because some parts were unnecessary and repetitive.
* I already have a diagnosis for Mr.Grandpa, I thought that it was an important part of the story but then it was suddenly ignored!
* Some parts were not very convincing.

Summary:
This is not supposed to be a very happy story, life is not fair and that exactly is what this book depicts. It was good in being realistic and it felt like watching a family movie. sometimes I am in the mood to read something depressive and this was a good choice! But don't be fooled as it is also about moving on and second chances!!

Fav Quote:
"I couldn't hate everyone- there were too many to hate. Where would I stop? Hate doesn't hurt the hated person... it only hurts the person who hates."

In this coming-of-age-over-a-summer novel, sixteen year old Krista is still struggling with the death of her mom who passed away two to three years before. It doesn't help that her dad seems to have moved on and has moved his girlfriend into his house, or that her best friend is away for the summer, or that she hasn't been able to face the person she holds responsible for her mother's death.
The author constructs the story so that the plot is unveiled slowly. We don't know the details surrounding Krista's mother's death until well into the story and even then we don't know the full truth until the last chapter.
When Krista's grandfather comes to visit she encourages him to tell his story about being a Hungarian Jewish holocaust survivor thus completing a project her mother had begun.
During the summer Krista also begins a relationship with one of her high school clsssmates, Jake.
There's a lot to like in this book. It's well written. Krista's grief is very real and there are enough twists in the plot and subplots (perhaps too many) to keep a reader's interest to the end. I gave the book three stars for a number of reasons.

I found the author hid the details of the mother's death long after a conscientious reader would have figured them out. Revealing it earlier would have allowed us more time to really understand Krista's struggle. Also the reveal of the details in the police car seemed contrived.
I don't want to give any spoilers but I felt blindsided by the final surprise reveal. In hind sight there were two big clues which had given me pause when I encountered them but I still felt a bit cheated, as if that final detail was unfairly dropped in. I can't imagine why it never came up in any discussion with anyone at all.
While I liked hearing the grandfather's history it felt very much on the periphery of the story line until the last few lines of the narrative.
Krista's dad and his new girlfriend seemed particularly out of touch with the reality of adult life. I found it hard to imagine myself in Marie's shoes and making the choices she made.

So, overall an interesting albeit flawed summer read.

This was a lovely young adult read about family, love, death and regret. I liked that we had to wait to find out what happened to her mother and sister, and we had little hints dropped along the way. Her Grandfather's story about the Holocaust was particularly interesting too and he was a wonderful character to hear about. Overall I'd recommend this book for a shorter, but still sweet read.

Interesting story, coming of age, love and loss, and well written. It was interesting how instead of wanting to tackle the emotions that Krista was dealing with in her own life she decides to stalk The House at 758 . I loved Krista's grandfather and the storyline between the two of them. Jake was well placed as the love interest and and I wish that there had been more between the two of them, but I enjoyed the parts he was in.

A light quick read, would recommend!

This was a really touching story. Krista has recently lost her mother and she is trying to deal with the emotional loss in the aftermath. It is summer so she is out of school and her best friend is going away for the summer. This book is really well-written and very sweet to read. Krista's father's girlfriend moves into their house as well, something else for her to deal with along with her father pressuring her to find something to do for the summer. There is a bit of mystery about who actually lives in the house at 758 and why Krista is kind of obsessed with it. She starts dating super nice Jake who is really supportive and also helps Krista to start to heal. Her grandfather comes to visit from Venezuela and she helps take care of him which is good for her as well. Plot twist at the end answered a lot of questions... Krista was a great character, honest, angry, emotional etc, and that really came through in the writing. Definitely liked this book! Great coming of age story.

"The House at 758" opens like a thriller and I'm so glad it veered into a very character driven YA drama. Main character, Krista, 16, is battling grief because her mother died the previous year. Krista begins to take care of herself and reach out to others during a very stressful and confusing time. Her relationships with her father, his gf, the gf's children--scary, will they become step-siblings?--and a neighbor deepen the narrative. Also of interest is a first love, and very compelling exploration of her visiting grandfather's youth in Nazi-occupied Hungary. There is much to love in this novel, recommended for fans of Jandy Nelson and Joan Bauer. Note: sex goes as far as making out and there are no drugs or drinking.

I think younger readers will appreciate and relate to this book more than me (I'm 27).

First, I didn't understand the "love" interest. She pushes him away because of a kiss but allows him to make comments about checking out her ass while they run? It just didn't make sense to me. The scenes didn't flow smoothly. While the writing was good the setup was choppy. There was no real spark between Krista and any of the characters.

I will say I was interested to know what happened and why she was obsessed with 758, but when it was finally revealed it was quick and a little dull. There wasn't enough ending, it was, here's what happened, I'm giving Emma this doll now, everything's better. I just didn't feel satisfied with it.

A late-nighter for me.  That's what this one was.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I finished it in less than a day.  It was that good. 

Krista's life isn't going so well.  Still grieving the unexpected death of her mother, she's also trying to cope with her dad's new live-in girlfriend.  Her best friend is gone for the summer leaving Krista with nobody to confide in.  Rather than facing her problems head on, she escapes.  To a tent she's pitched on her roof, to her car, anywhere but where her issues lie.  

Her dad has tried to convince her to resume therapy but she's not interested.  She'd rather, quite obsessively, watch the house at 758.  Why does this particular house hold her interest?   And what is she hoping to accomplish?

When she meets Jake, she begins to have a purpose.  Still, she has so many things she's dealing with that having any kind of a romance proves difficult.  Then her grandpa comes for a visit.  He's also mourning the loss of her mother, his daughter.  Can he help Krista find her way back to those she cares about?

Lots of things going on with this story, but they blend together seamlessly.  I loved reading Krista's thoughts, especially in her self-imposed isolation on the roof.  She's grieving but also avoiding grieving at the same time.  And the house at 758?  There's a reason she can't stay away.  It won't take you long to connect the dots, but the full story doesn't come until closer to the end. 

Note:  Although this is the debut novel from this author, the Spanish version was released several years ago.  This new release is the English version.

I really enjoyed this book and the changes and emotions it takes you on, how you get a look at the past and present at the same time.

A sweet story about learning to cope with loss.

I found Krista to be a relatable character, with good character development. I enjoyed her relationship with the other characters in the book.

After only being available in Spanish, it’s good to see a publishing house realized what a moving story this was and deserved a shot in the English-language market so more people can have their heart broken and healed by Berla’s talent.

Particularly with everything going on in the world right now, grief is becoming a mainstay of the human conscious and Berla shows how different people handle tragic events with no right or wrong way to move through the process. She has created an emotionally moving piece that could have been just another sorrowful story but she manages through some uplifting character work to turn it into something heartwarming and educational by showcasing trauma through the balance of love and family.

By examining tragic experiences from another’s perspective it added this whole other dimension of beauty and healing. As a parent I found the story uplifting as it reminded me that parents and kids heal from the same situation differently and come out with different needs so we should be respectful and understanding that how I process things as an adult and what I want to do to move on isn’t necessarily going to work for my kids so I should give them the space to find what will.

Berla’s story was so rooted in realism you could easily walk away from this book and apply some of the character lessons to the world around us in hopes of helping others.

My reviews were posted on my blog as well as on Goodreads.

A good story with equally as good of a message for teens struggling with grief and forgiveness.

I decided to read this book when I saw it offered on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The description and cover both appealed to me. The House at 758 blurb and reviews promised I would find a deeply moving and mysterious coming of age story and it delivered on the coming of age part but not so much on the mystery.

Krista is sixteen years old and is struggling with the unexpected death of her mother when her father unexpectedly finds a girlfriend and has moved her into their home. Her father is desperate for Krista to move on as he has but she just can’t stop obsessing about The House at 758 and she further secludes herself from her home and new family by moving out into a tent on top of the roof. It isn’t until her Hungarian/Venezuelan grandfather visits does she start to deal with her grief and how to move forward.

I really did enjoy this story and I like the way the story is told from a teenager’s perspective trying to deal with the loss of her mother while also dealing with her changed relationship with her father. I also like the message its delivers to teens dealing with extreme grief and trying to put your best foot forward. The pace of the story was at times slow for me but it is written very well. This is a bit of a spoiler alert so continue with warning. The whole mystery of The House at 758 was a let down for me. I predicted who inhabited this house early and that was ok because I thought I knew were this story was going only to be a bit disappointed. I wanted the book to explore more with Krista and Omar. Both of them together exploring the path to forgiveness and not letting a terrible tragedy destroy them. The Epilogue of the book attempted to put these two characters together but it felt very rushed. I really wanted to learn more about Omar and how the tragedy was impacting him two years after. The unexpected part of this story I found myself enjoying was the life of Krista’s grandfather a survivor of the Holocaust. Through learning his past during WWII Krista learns filling yourself with so much hate and grief debilitates you more than the tragedy itself.

This book is a coming of age story. There is a bit of a sweet romance with Krista and Jake but romance is not the main plot of this book. There is no language or violence to speak of. I would recommend this story to readers age 13+.

An enjoyable read, no huge surprises but the links to history provided a little more scope than the average teen romance" likeable characters and growth and enough to shed a tear to.