I received this from Netgalley forever ago, but it got buried in the pile of other novels I have been reading.

<U> Six Goodbyes We Never Said </u> possesses a fantastic title, cover, and premise. That being said, the execution left much to be desired. I felt absolutely no connection to Dew or Naima, which was an absolute shame since their backstories were a hot mess of grief and intrigue. As far as characters go they were mediocre protagonists. That coupled with all of the missing pieces/explanations and the fact that the storyline felt stagnant resulted in this 2 star rating.

So. The two protagonists : You had Dew, who was adorable, respectful, compassionate, and just allaround a little ball of severe anxiety stalking people whilst clutching his recorder. He sounded very sweet, but also like a kicked puppy you would want to squeeze and comfort. He made me feel sympathy, not empathy. I should have felt more empathy for him. And as for Naima...I did not really care for Naima's ridiculously backwards and immature/cruel attitude much of the time, especially to her stepmother Nell, but I can see what the author was getting at with it. Still...nothing between Naima and Nell felt resolved by the end, so I took issue with that. The entire "healing journey" did not feel so healing to me, even for Dew. What was the point?

In a similar vein, I am not entirely sure I understood Violet's character role in relation to the protagonists...why was she important without being important, if you know what I am saying. She seemed over-the-top with her talk of auras and crystals, but her entire relationship with Dew lacked any sort of genuine depth - and did she love him or not? Was she catty with Naima or just loving and chill? What was with the end of her presence in the book? Heck, what was Naima and Dew's relationship, ultimately? I have so many questions!

Aside from all these character issues, the storyline also fell flat in general. It didn't feel like anything really happened, even though I know that Naima and Dew were supposedly helping each other through the grief process. Hmn. But why, other than the fact they were both orphans? I needed more background there. I would have also liked to learn more about the interactions between Naima's Dad and Dew, and why that was such a driving force in his desire to know her. There were so many ends that could have been tied up but were not! That's why this book ended up being just okay for me.

Sweet and quirky book about two neighbors both learning how to navigate life with loss and mental illness. It is refreshing to have more books available that deal with real life problems like these.

Naima uses anger and avoidance to deal with what she feels is true--she's the cause of her dad's death because she miscounted. She tries to control everything she's able to in life by following her rituals of six--always six.

Dew's anxiety cases him to struggle to vocalize his emotions as he processes the sudden death of his parents. To help him process, his new adoptive parents have given him a tape recorder to be able to talk things out.

Dew has decided that he and Naima should be friends because of their similar struggles. Which is NOT gonna happen if Naima can help it!

I enjoyed reading about the life lesson each character helps the other learn. However, since the book dealt with such heavy themes, and Dew was portrayed to be odd for having a more positive outlook, there was barely anything to break up Naima's ceaseless complaining. I had a hard time feeling drawn to finish the book.

Naima Rodriquez has just lost her father and it has turned her world upside down. She was upset after the last time he left and she hadn't been in contact with him the way she usually would have been while he was deployed. She decides to move in with her grandparents, since she is used to them and they are used to her quirkiness. When she discovers that her grandparents have a new neighbor, Dew and that he spent some time with her father before his final deployment, she may have to leave her comfort zone in order to find out what was going on with her dad in his final days.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.




This book was surprising for me. I wasn't sure what to think of Naima. I lost my father over 10 years ago, but under very different circumstances. I wish I had someone who I could have talked to like Dew who had been with my father when I couldn't be. Naima has a lot of quirks and she isn't too keen on new people. She was upset with herself about how she had been treating her father in her last days, but she wasn't pleased with how he treated her either.

This was a cute YA novel that was alright for me. I felt some parts could have been stronger. This is first book I've read by Candace Ganger, but I will read more of her titles.

I didn't finish this book because I just couldn't get over Naima's behavior. Even though she is grieving, that isn't a valid excuse to treat Nell horribly. I'm sure there's an audience for this book. I'm just not it.

This is definitely an important book because it deals with heavy topics, such as OCD, PTSD, and losing a parent, and I thought they were handled in an insightful and realistic way. While the writing style was a bit disjointed at times, I still loved this book.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Naima Rodriguez struggles enough with life with her OCD and GAD. Now, her dad has died while on his sixth tour in the Middle East. She is traveling with her stepmom to her grandparents' place in Indiana to have a memorial service for him on the 4th of July. There, she meets Dew (Diaz) Brickman, who is also grieving the loss of his parents and dealing with anxieties of his own. Dew copes by speaking into a voice recorder to get out the thoughts he can't say. Dew hopes that he and Naima can become friends and find a way together to get through their grief. The last thing Naima wants, however, is to let someone in.

First of all, I need to say that I HATE the fact that the characters in this book were doing balloon releases. Even if you use the “biodegradable” balloons mentioned in the book, they take months or years to decompose, and the attached strings can strangle animals.

This book started really strong for me and then got a little cliché at the end. At times, the writing was a bit disjointed. I liked the formatting that was used at times when Naima was repeating words or thinking of something she wanted to say to her dad. As someone who suffers from anxiety and whose dad died without getting a chance to say goodbye, I could really related to the things Naima and Dew were feeling. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said is flying across a sky of emotionally impactful themes like mental health, finding individuality as a bi-racial, adoption as truth be told, and feministic viewpoints. The presence of a genuine author's note and list of trigger warnings at the start of the story immensely enhance the reading experience. Interweaving love, friendship, and family into a cloth of raw honesty and riveting storyline, this own-voices contemporary certainly leaves the reader with too many emotions.

Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero—a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her.
Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It’s causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed—just not in the way he, or she, expects.

I was actually kind of properly excited to start reading this book. I requested it on NetGalley, excited that it mentioned GAD (or general anxiety disorder) by name, and was ready for some proper good mental health rep. Unfortunately, I was left a little disappointed. Our main character, Naima, is kinda unlikable. I understand that characters must have flaws, and that Naima had her reasons for being rude and standoffish, but there were a lot of times when I kind of just wanted to stop living inside her head because she did my head in so much. And I guess sometimes that can be pretty cool in a book, but it didn’t work for me in this novel.

I was much more interested in Dew (yes, Dew), our seemingly secondary protagonist whose page-time is more limited that Naima’s, but perhaps that’s a good idea, because I could easily see myself getting as exasperated with this literal fedora-wearing nice guy who we’re meant to side with. I’m not even kidding, this guy chases our female protagonist in attempt to get her to pay attention to him so much, even after Naima asks him to stop.

In addition to the characters being unbearable at times, Six Goodbyes We Never Said features a plot that kind of doesn’t know whether it wants to dip in and out of chronological order or not. It’s less dizzying and more confusing to figure out when and for how long the story skips ahead.

Sometimes, Candace Gangers hits it just right and you feel a glimmer of hope or a black hole of devastation, but a lot of the time, you’re kind of just left a little bit frustrated that you’re having to experience it with these characters.

It contains basically every trope in the book; from a cutesy, edgy coffee shop to a protagonist with a nickname that is so ridiculously derived from their full name, you’re questioning it through the whole novel. I reckon Candace Ganger should be congratulated on making her characters more than their respective mental illnesses, because, as annoying as our protagonists are, they’re certainly well-rounded and real, which is something a little harder to come by in books that deal with these kind of topics.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said should hit all the right beats that make a novel interesting and engaging, but instead, we’re left with what reads like a jumbled-up essay.

If slow moving, who-we-are-as-humans and how-we-cope novels are your cup of tea, I’d definitely try this book out. But if you’re looking for more of a substantial plot with characters that you actually want living in your brain for a good few hours, I’d give Six Goodbyes We Never Said a miss.

Even though Six Goodbyes we Never Said wasn’t what I thought it was, I thought it was going to be about Naima dealing with losing her dad. Instead it focused on her dealing with her OCD which was fine. It was still a good read. Teens who have the same issues will find this book to relate too. Though I wish the book touch on losing her military dad a little more, because I think we need more YA books featuring Military families and the things they go through.

This is a great book for anyone who feels like I do that mental health needs to have advocates in our society, instead of trying to brush it under the rug.

Two teens with very different world views are trying to cope with grief and the way it is handled in this book is admirable. Good read.

This story was emotional, and covered many different stages of grief, anxiety, and depression. Naima and Dew are in a terrible situation that unfortunately many people face everyday and it was a good thing for me to read and see their experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That’s why, when I read books like this, I get so excited for our youth. ⁣
⁣
Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a YA that addresses loss, friendship, self worth, & a multitude of heavier issues teens face today. ⁣
⁣
The dual storylines that intersect at the end drew together a story that I truly enjoyed. I would recommend checking this one out!

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I liked this book but felt confused with the formatting. I wasn’t always sure when Naima stopped and Dew began. I also was a little disappointed that Naima is not actively in therapy after her father’s death. I think her character really needed to be seeing a therapist and talking through her feelings. I liked that it didn’t end up as a love story but more a story about supporting one another as humans.

I was drawn to Six Goodbyes We Never Said due to the subject of mental illness as I struggle with a few myself.

There was so many touching and unique moments thorughout the book, I also really loved how Candance put a peronsal note in the beginning of the book which pulled me in deeper to the book, it was touching for Candance to give us a glimpse not only into her life but what drew her into writing this novel.

I definitely think that one of Candace's strengths is writing about mental illnesses and showing her readers what effect it has but how it can be okay.

Candace does an amazing portayal of her character Naima and Dew who are struggling with their own challenges of anxiety, loss and grief. I felt like our main charcters built a strong foundation with each other which is built on strenthening one another up from the struggles they have both endured.

Overall, I really enjoyed Six Goodbyes We Never Said and would definitely recommend it to a lot of people.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said is A story about two grieving teens and how they each process a loss in their lives. It’s a bit complex and emotional but you become attached to these two characters and their relationship. One of my favorite reads this years.

A very realistic representation of mental health issues. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I appreciated this. This was a heavy book but it hit on so many important concepts.

Such a thoughtful representation of mental health, love, loss and everything in between. I hope more people read it to learn empathy.

This was a beautiful story about grieving.

There was some great representation of mental health in this book. Dew has anxiety and panic attacks. Naima has anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. I really liked the way her OCD was represented in the repetition of words and sentences. It showed the way she repeated actions and words right on the page.

Though both Dew and Naima were orphans, they had very different experiences. Dew had been adopted by his foster parents, and had a new family. Naima had just lost her father and couldn’t reconcile her final goodbye to him, when she ignored him. They had some things in common, but they dealt with their problems differently.

I loved this book!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I almost did not finish “Six Goodbyes We Never Said.” Having lost my father due to a car accident when I was 15, reading about Naima and Dew brought back the loss and the anger that teenage me felt. So, I had to stop reading and pick it again after a few days.

Candace Ganger brought out raw emotions; her writing was straight forward and just cut through my heart. This book is not for the faint of heart, whether you have experienced tragedy or not. It feels like “grief unplugged.”

I wish a could write more and give “Six Goodbyes We Never Said” an encompassing review. But I can’t because if I do, I will be laying on these pages all the heartache I felt so long ago.

So, let me just say, read this book with an open mind but be aware that there are triggers here mental health issues.

“Six Goodbyes We Never Said” is Rated M for Mature due to subject matter.

I ended up DNF'ing this book because I really struggled to like any of the characters. I didn't particularly mesh with the writing.