Cover Image: The Beauty That Remains

The Beauty That Remains

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Member Reviews

Odd to read this just after The Window: both books include twin girls who have been "untwinned" (yes, it's a thing) and run track. Instead of one person grieving, here we have four, all bound together by their loss of someone somehow involved with the band Unraveling Lovely. They're a diverse group in just about any and all ways you can think of "diverse" and the author does a great job of making that feel natural, not an example of diversity because it's "in" or "cool". So yay for that!

But... the multiple POVs, the relatively stereotypical plots and subplots and character arcs? If only they'd felt as natural as the characters themselves.

ARC provided by publisher.

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Thank you to Random House Books and Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk in exchange for an honest review. Woodfolk’s debut novel is a sad, sad book dealing with a trio of teens who try to make sense of the loss of three other teens (sister, friend and ex-boyfriend. The characters are well drawn, and authentic dealing with devastating grief, loss, love, and devastation. Each of the three teens narrates through chapters as they tell their stories, uncertainties, and speak to the power of friends, family, and relationships. As the book moves forward, the reader will be gripped by Shay’s, Autumn’s, and Logan’s loss, their sympathetic stories kept me turning the pages, as they use their love of music, friendship, and family to find “the beauty that remains” after their lives are irrevocably changed. This book stole my heart, teens will love this positive, affirming tear jerker. Highly recommended!

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The beauty that remains is a heartfelt and beautiful book about grief and the process of healing. It offers one of the most realistic and raw portrayals of loss through the narratives of three teenagers who’ve lost their loved ones:

Autumn has lost her best friend to a fatal car accident.

Logan has lost his ex-boyfriend to suicide.

And Shay has lost her twin sister to cancer.

All three have been affected in different ways and all three have varying coping mechanisms. Autumn is having trouble figuring out her emotions; she’s stuck in a cycle of blame– blaming herself, others and even her best friend herself for the accident. Logan hides his complicated feelings for his dead ex behind alcohol. And Shay, who’s experiencing panic attacks and anxiety, hides from her grief.

Autumn, Shay and Logan are connected through music as well as death and grief, but ever since the death of their loved ones, creating/enjoying music has been almost impossible. We follow all three as they struggle through everyday life, trying to move on past the gaping hole in their lives.

This book addresses this heavy topic well, handling it with care but never shying away from the gritty truth of it. And it manages to be uplifting while doing it; not bogged down with sadness and pain. I also immensely enjoyed how diverse the cast of characters were and how music was a connecting stream throughout the whole novel. There were times when it felt too repetitive and I started losing interest, but for the most part I enjoyed it.

Overall, The beauty that remains is a well-written novel perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and anyone searching for realistic, enjoyable reads that pack emotional punches.

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This book dealt with interconnected stories of varying grief in teens' lives. It felt realistic and is sure to connect with young readers.
A readalike to Turtles All the Way Down.

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I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This is an amazingly beautiful heartfelt story of loss and grief, very well written,  and touching.
This was my first book by this author,  I absolutely enjoyed every second of it.  It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 4 star rating!

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Autumn, Shay, and Logan are connected through music—and grief. Autumn, who lost her best friend just weeks ago, is struggling to find herself without Tavia here to guide her. Shay’s twin sister Sasha died after years of fighting Leukemia almost half a year ago, but the debilitating panic attacks she’s trying to hide from her family and friends are threatening to undo her. Logan is drinking and lashing out, unable to cope or heal after the suicide of his ex-boyfriend Bram. He hasn’t been able to write a song since. They all used to be connected through Unraveling Lovely, the epic band put together by Logan, managed by Shay, and always cheered on by Autumn. With so many griefs and secrets separating them, will music be enough to bring them back to themselves and maybe even back together?

The Beauty That Remains is such a beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of grief and healing. Woodfolk’s writing is lovely and earnest. Autumn, Shay, and Logan’s experiences and griefs all felt entirely distinct, and it’s particularly interesting to see characters in three different places with their grief and responses to it. Autumn, whose loss is most recent, struggles to release her emotions at all. Shay’s grief and sorrow has manifested in a panic disorder and anxiety that she’s trying to hide from her loved ones so they don’t worry. Logan, who doesn’t know how to process his grief over someone he had barely talked to in the months leading up to his death, falls into bad coping mechanisms that push everyone away. All of their issues and feelings were explored with such care and empathy, and I especially appreciated that there was never a magic cure for anyone. Autumn’s feelings for her best friend's brother Dante don’t magically make her sorrow and guilt go away, and although the support of Shay’s friends is very important it doesn’t cure her panic attacks.

It’s a sad book of course—the whole premise is about these three young people dealing with unexpected death and grief—but it never feels over the top or unnecessary. The Beauty That Remains feels like a very honest portrait of what it’s like to lose someone you love and the difficult journey of trying to keep going after that kind of loss. Ultimately, though, the book is very much about hope: the hope of things getting better, the hope of healing, the hope of everything good that’s left even after you lose someone you love. The title really says it all; this book is about discovering “the beauty that remains” even after devastating loss, and hope in time—and with help—you can begin to find it again.

This is just a lovely example of what a great YA book can be, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Adam Silvera’s History is All You Left Me, and Nina Lacour’s We Are Okay.

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This is a beautiful, heartfelt story of loss and grief, good for fans of Adam Silvera. Beautifully written, very moving.

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I didn't expect to read the entire book in one afternoon...but once I started reading, I was so engrossed in the story, I couldn't stop myself. It's definitely the kind of book I'll be recommending to our customers (along with a package of tissues!)

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I loved this book until I got to the very end.

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I received thisARC from Netgalleyin exchange for an honest review.

Death has a way of driving people apart but also bringing them together. The book focuses on 3 people who are grieving over their losses, be it a sister, a best friend, or an ex-lover.

At first seemingly completely separate stories, but are all eventually brought together because of a shared interest. I do think one character's connection to all of this was a bit stretched but it'd be too much a coincidence if it worked too well.

The author did capture the grief of it all well. And she did a good job capturing the emotions of the "side characters". The people dealing with the people experiencing a deeper grief or guilt.

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There’s not enough words for me to describe how much I loved The Beauty That Remains! So so so breathtakingly beautiful! Tears & smiles for days, this book will stay with me forever. Full review will be posted closer to release date, on my blog (www.mandaareads.blogspot.com & www.goodreads.com/mandaareads_) so hurry up 2018 because this books need to be in my hands NOW! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy!

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I am beyond broken.

I am shattered.

~

I received an eARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE IN A WRITERS SLUMP?

LIKE A READING SLUMP BUT... FOR WRITING?

Generally, I'm the kind of person who likes to write my review for a book I've finished straight away, when my pain is still raw and my thoughts still completely hooked on that one book.

But right now, it's been 2 days since I actually finished The Beauty That Remains, and I'm still s h o o k.

Completely and utterly shook.

This book - it was just so beautifully and emotional in the most captivating way.

I entered it thinking I knew who I was, but left it with an entirely new perspective of life and... just. Wow.

The start of this book left me numb, shaking and emotionally unstable.

There's no time for a deep breath before you are captured into the story line - it happens instantly, dragging you under and expecting you to stay for the long haul.

And I absolutely loved it.

'The Beauty that Remains' is an agonising tale brimming with loss, pain and anger that allows you to emotionally engage with the characters from the very first page.

The story follows three people who lose someone essential to their lives. Someone far too young to be buried. Someone who takes a part of themselves away with their passing.

Shay loses her twin, Sasha, to cancer.

Autumn loses her best friend, Tavia, to a fatal car crash.

Logan loses his ex-boyfriend, Bram, to an overdose.

But when they lose someone - it comes into question, what should they be allowed to gain?

Ashley Woodfolk has truly taken a hammer and chisel to my heart in this novel, smashing my emotions into pieces and then building them back up again, bigger than before.

I'd definitely say that this book is perfect for fans of All The Bright Places and The Fault in Our Stars (so people who actually enjoy having their heart ripped out of their chest and then stomped into the ground).

And this book is perfect.

It's written so well that I honestly don't regret a single flicker or pain that Woodfolk managed to cause me. I might be slightly bitter at her about it (WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BREAK MY HEART SO? c;) but this book is honestly such a beautiful roller coaster ride.

Every single one of the characters had living, breathing dimensional personalities that I honestly couldn't help but adore every single one of them. There was no blandness or same-old same-old when it came to the different POV's, and the cast themselves were so diverse and unique, and let me see into other people's eyes in such a connective way, that I'm incredibly happy for the chance to be widening my experiences of the world.

Whilst this book definitely had a moving plot (no matter how slow things progressed), the main focus of 'The Beauty that Remains' is definitely the characters, so if you're s fan of kick-ass, action packed books, then I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one to you.

Each chapter has to be processed slowly, for its deliciousness is not something that should be gobbled up and forgotten about.

Because the plot wasn't brimming with action, I feel that anything I say specifically about it would probably be a spoiler, and therefore I'm gonna keep my mouth zipped tight and just push you towards the book (it's best to go in blind, I promise - as long as you sit next to a box of tissues and wrap yourself up in a sleepy-burrito blanket).

This book was genuinely so beautifully written that my heart just feels all warm and sappy just thinking about it, and it was a perfect collision of a contemporary/coming-of-age story that explores how we all deal with grief in the most captivating, but equally heart breaking way.

*Deep breath*

SO.

IF YOU LIKE HAVING YOUR HEART TORN INTO A THOUSAND MILLION PIECES, then, YEP, THIS BOOK IS THE ONE FOR YOU.

I now need to go get in contact with all the people close to me and just remind them how much I love them.

(Insert single manly tear here).

- SilverWolfReads, howling her opinions online xx

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We begin by being introduced to three different characters (Autumn, Logan, and Shay) within the first three chapters and we are given an insight as to what maybe happening, but it won't actually register until the end of the chapter. I don’t know about you but I was left with an ache in my heart for each character. I instantly wanted to gather the three of them and just hug them. Although it may seem like these three characters live different lives, we start to get a sense that they may be connected after all through a band called Unraveling Lovely. For Autumn, it's her best friend's brother's band, for Logan he was the lead singer, and for Shay she was the manager and close friends with one of the bandmates. After the fallout of this band, the band members drift away and live their separate lives and we see our main characters suffer a tragic tragedy.

The book itself is about grief and how everyone has a different way of coping with loss and finding something that will give them closure and a sense that it's time to let go after x amount of time. Personally, I was not able to fully understand exactly what they are going through, but I do know the pain of unexpectant loss of someone. Also, I will admit this book had me in tears quite a few times… ok more than a few. I cried and repeatedly texted my best friend that I love her and am extremely grateful to have her in my life and I can't wait to make her read it when it releases in 2018.

The characters were beautifully written and I loved how diverse they all were. The book was well written although there were a few parts where I just want to grab X person and shake them asking what are you doing? I didn't expect to love it as much as I did; I have found a new favorite.

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3 1/2 stars

Ashley Woodfolk weaves together three different stories of tragedy, all told from the viewpoint of a young teenager who has lost someone (a twin, a best friend, an ex boyfriend).

I really enjoyed most of this book. I loved Shay's relationship with her mom, the two of them trying to figure out how to exist in a world without her other half and without her daughter. I liked that Logan was forced into therapy and ended up finding meaning and help within himself. Autumn was likable and relatable, a young girl who still speaks to her dead best friend via normal forms.
I got a little annoyed with the fact that (it seems like) nearly all YA books now are centered around music. It felt a little trite, especially when Autumn's story seemed out of the music fold and kind of forced in.

Overall, I would recommend this book to all readers :)

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I loved this book and its portrayal of grief. I've read a lot of multiple-perspective books where the author does a poor job of differentiating the various characters' voices from one another, but this one was expertly done. Every character had a unique voice, and all of their grief rang true to me. This was a fantastic book and I will definitely be pre-ordering it for my classroom library!

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This book told three separate haunting stories of loss, yet wove them together with the common thread of music. I loved the creative way each character connected with the deceased-via different social media. At times, it was hard to follow the storylines until I realized that in some way, all three dead teens and their friends' paths were destined to cross in a most unique way. Excellent writing...bringing these characters and their pain to life on the pages. It's a book that I know many of my students will enjoy as much as I did.

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Autumn, Shay and Logan share a love of music, but when the band they all love implodes, mostly because of Logan, it will be death that brings them all back together again. Autumn has lost her best friend, Tovia, Shay lost her sister Sasha and Logan’s ex-boyfriend Bram is dead. As they all navigate their grief in their own ways, with no light at the end of the tunnel, and all of them wondering how differently things could have panned out if only. Can they come out the other side of their grief or will it consume them completely?

The Beauty That Remains is one of those books that surprises you with how emotional but lovely it is. Going in, I didn’t know how heavy it was in regards to the deaths that occur, nor was I aware that all three narrators had lost someone, in different ways, so it was a deeper read than I was expecting. However it was also a beautiful, lyrical read. I’m not a big noticer of author’s writing - I don’t notice poetic sentences or flowery language, etc, but I liked the writing in The Beauty That Remains; I loved the very real, very harsh look into grief.

The Beauty That Remains has three narrators - Shay, Autumn and Logan. Through some random twist of fate not only have all three lost people they loved, but they all had dealings with the same band, which was a nice thread? I liked the way it brought them together, I should say. I related to Autumn the most, having lost her best friend she’s trying to muddle through, helping Tovia’s brother Dante, who Autumn is also in this will-they-won’t-they relationship that was more likely will-they the night Tovia died and there’s a lot of guilt and grief there. Shay also really spoke to me, having lost her sister (which is unimaginable for me - my sister may very well do my head in most of the time, but damn if I can’t be without her) and then Logan, who I just wanted to squish in a big hug. All their stories were just so heartbreaking, and I understood why Shay ran away from her problems, when Autumn kept messaging Tovia, why Logan drowned his sorrows in a bottle and bad decisions with boys. Grief does weird things to you, you just have to work through it, one way or another.

One thing I feel like I need to point out is how diverse The Beauty That Remains Is. Autumn is Korean; Shay and her family are black; Logan is gay. It’s just filled to the brim and I loved it. I love reading about different cultures and different people to me. This is Ashley Woodfolk’s debut novel yet it reads like an accomplished writer, who’s written loads of books, it’s so perfect in every way. It hits you really hard, but to see the characters grow lights something up inside of you. It’s worth being there for all their bad moments, when you get to the end. It made me feel so many things and I teared up so many times. The Beauty That Remains is an incredible thought-provoking, diverse read and I thoroughly recommend it.

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4.5 stars.
Beautifully written. Loved the way the stories weaved together to create a rich tapestry. A very powerful and emotional story. Highly recommend this one.

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Sad yet hopeful, heart wrenching yet uplifting, it is hard to believe that The Beauty That Remains is a debut. Autumn, Shay, and Logan have all lost someone they loved deeply. All three are damaged and unsure how to begin again. Through music and friendship, they each search for the promise that their lives can be happy again one day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

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