When I first came across Six Goodbye We Never Said I was intrigued, not only by the cover, but the concept as well. Grief is a subject that we rarely discuss because it makes so many people uncomfortable and brings up feelings that so often we are told to keep inside. Not only do we rarely talk about it in public settings, but we rarely see this topic touched on in such a vulnerable way in fictional literature, at least in my experience. All that being said, I knew that this was a book that I wanted to add to my collection and experience for myself. Of course that excitement was amplified when I was asked to take part in this blog tour!

Without giving away too much of the story, we meet Naima at a difficult point in her life. Her father has passed away during his tour of duty as a Marine and has recently been cremated. Her stepmother, Nell, is in the process of taking her and her father's ashes to her grandparents house. While trying to work through her grief, she's also working through her General Anxiety Disorder, her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and her suicide attempt the summer before. How is she supposed to survive without her father around? How could he leave her like this?

At the same time, we meet Dew, who has been waiting for the opportunity to meet Naima since the moment her father talked about her when they met last summer. He truly believes that Naima is his soulmate and the one person who can understand the grief he's going through as well since losing his parents. He loves his foster family without a doubt, but it seems like just when he begins to be happy, he enters a crowd of people and it triggers a panic attack related to his parents as if he's forgetting them and disrespecting their memory. There's something about being able to talk to someone who truly understand what you're going through because they're going through it too.

Naima has no clue what she's in for when she meets Dew, but you can be sure she's in for quite the ride.

What I really enjoyed about this book were the voicemails and emails between Naima and her father. They were very personal and you could feel not only the love that they had for each other, but the hurt and anger that Naima felt as well. Including those in the book added a special touch to what I was reading and I think that it was a great idea. The other thing that I enjoyed was that this really was not a love story. This isn't a romance. I think sometimes we as readers and authors look for romance in a book such as this one to bring up some comfortability and also to have an uplifting moment between characters. You can't always find yourself in romance. More to the point, guys and girls can be friends without it turning into a romantic relationship and I think that Candace portrayed that very well. I struggled to get through Dew's point of view a lot of times and the writing felt a bit disjointed, but I still really enjoyed the read. It brought up a few uncomfortable feelings for me grief wise, but I think that was a good thing.

I think this was a very raw book that showed a lot of honesty. It isn't a light read by any means, but it was a different read for me and took me out of my comfort zone, which was great. It may not have been perfect, but it was still worth the read.

This was a good read and I enjoyed the subject matter. It moved along a little slowly for but I appreciated the story. I think it will make an impact on teens and young adults who read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publish for an eARC of this book. I really enjoyed reading this Six Goodbye’s We Never Said by Candace Ganger. At first I got confused on how it was written and when it changed the point of views. I thought there were just typo’s happening but apparently it was the change of point of views. I found it funny that Naima named her plant after her step mom. I loved how Namia was for Equality rights. There was a line I loved she said to another character, “Equality isn’t a phase,” I’d challenge. “It’s a basic human right.” - Naima I liked the way she said that. Six Goodbye’s We Never Said had a lot to do with grief for a couple of characters. I get that Naima was dealing with grief but I felt bad for how she treated Dew when he wanted a friend. I didn’t like how is adopted mom made him feel like they were going to be soulmates. I liked that she mentions IT by Stephen King. She mentions the clown but she doesn’t know or say that the clown is Pennywise. When Naima says that she would rather keep to herself than reply on anyone else I related to that line a lot. I feel like that a lot, since I have had a lot of people let me down or just leave a lot. When Naima mentions the sweltering Midwestern June heat the Midwestern heat is very humid and it’s hard to handle it. I found it funny that Naima wasn’t really interested in Dew until someone else was into him. I liked how they helped each other deal with their grief.

I was sent a NetGalley widget via email and got an uncorrected proof of this book so things might be different in the final copy.

I am so torn about my feelings on this book. I understand the importance of the book and how it deals with some hard hitting topics and while I personally can't speak from experience about the representation of the mental illnesses in this book I feel like it is depicted accurately. This is an own voices book and along with the mental illness rep there's also bi-racial rep, fat main character rep as well as so many others.

On the other hand it was very slow going. The majority of the book is Naima being incredibly rude to other characters for no reason and that really started to get on my nerves. When you read the synopsis you think that you are going to read a story about how 2 characters who are grieving the loss of their parents and also dealing with some sort of mental illness and in some cases multiple mental illnesses helps each other get through it but that doesn't happen until the last 20ish percent of the book which then made it seem rushed in the end.

I will say that I felt Naima's emotions so much more than I did with Dew. I got teary eyed a few times reading Naima's POV. Speaking of POV I had the hardest time especially in the beginning keeping up with whose POV I was reading.

That's pretty much all I have to say about this book. While I didn't hate it it definitely could have used some more fine tuning.

This was a difficult book to get through with the many complexities that come from mental illness and grief. Definitely a TRIGGER WARNING for death of a parent, suicide, and mental illness.

The mental illness representation in this book was spot on. I thought this was an incredible look into characters who all struggle with different mental illnesses and then they are bombarded with a massive amount of grief and trauma. There were times I just wanted to shake Naima for how she was acting, but it wasn't her fault. These characters are not always dealing with their grief in the most constructive ways, but readers are given the chance to learn from their mistakes. You could tell the author really new what she was talking about when it came to GAD, OCD, PTSD, and grief, as she deals with some of these issues herself. 

In a lot of books I've read recently, I've noticed that I haven't been enjoying dual perspectives as much as I have in the past. I'm not saying that all multi perspective books are bad or that I'll never read and enjoy that kind of story ever again, but I do think it has to be a really special story and characters for it to work. What I'm wanting is more focus on one main character and to dive in deeper with that person. Despite Naima being an unlikeable character, I think I would have enjoyed it more from just her perspective. Dew’s grief could still be shown as a way to help Naima but I think his sections were a little lacking. I also think there needed more grounding in the narrative—something that might have been helped with more focus. As we shifted back and forth between characters, I had a hard time telling where in time we were and which perspective. 

I really loved the side characters—both families and the co-workers at the coffee shop. Everyone was trying so hard to help our main characters through their grief while also grieving themselves or, like with Dew's family, tackle two new kids who have lost their parents and are now living with strangers. There was so much support coming from these families, you knew as a reader that these teens were going to be okay in the end. 

If you want an honest look at mental illness and grief, I definitely recommend you take a look at this book when it comes out on September 24th.  

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a lot to take in, but worth it in the end. It takes on some pretty heavy topics in a very straightforward and immersive manner, to the point of it almost being stressful which is a testament to the author’s writing skills.

In the beginning I think Naima is pretty unlikable. She is rude to everyone, but in the end I think she starts healing and getting better, especially when it came to her family. I loved Dew and his relationship with his sister. One thing that really stood out to me in their relationship was how careful he was about how he spoke around her, realizing how fragile she and her mental state were. He could be pretty all consuming at times, acting like he thinks he is above everyone because he really wanted to meet and get to know Naima, but I could mostly see where he was coming from. He was just a super sweet kid who tried to see the positive in everyone.

One think this book did well was Dew’s panic attacks. The one in the beginning of the book at the farmers market was so realistic, especially to the ones I’ve experienced. It could be triggering to some people, so please be aware while reading this book. I admire that she wrote the mental health issues so well. They were expressed so clearly, you can tell the author has either experienced these mental health problems, did extensive research, or both and I applaud her for it.

I enjoyed how this book threw two struggling teenagers together but didn’t have them hook up. I rarely see books with teenagers of the opposite sex who end up just as friends. It was refreshing.

What I loved about this novel was the introduction into the life of young adults struggling with depression, anxiety, and OCD. A lot of times we experience “perfect” characters…perfect looks, perfect personality, you get the picture. Having experienced some of the same struggles that our protagonists go through, I felt this was a real and accurate depiction of someone encountering depression, anxiety, and OCD.

The author brings in a very diverse character set. The relationships and struggles are genuine to how “real life” is experienced…the fights, the emotions, the heartbreak. Although, sometimes I felt like the protagonists were a little juvenile and disrespectful to the other characters. Yes, we all have problems and some people might not understand, but we should still treat others respectfully.

Another unique aspect of the novel is the voicemails and recordings. I loved that! It helped break up the more trying scene and was a creative way to depict the personalities of some of the characters.

The only downside I had was that the plot wasn’t clear. This isn’t your typical novel. This book is more about being able to let yourself rely on others to help you through your struggles. It is a story of growth and healing.

Ganger does a great job of providing insight into the life of people struggling with depression, anxiety, and OCD. With a little humor and a lot of personality, Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a story of healing, dealing with love and grief, and growing with the help of family and friends.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a book that tackle the hard topics and topics that really should be discussed more. Through multiple perspectives we get to see the different ways individuals deal with things like anxiety, depression, OCD, and grief. Both of our leading characters have lost parents and are now dealing with their lives and the fall out that has come from these losses. Ultimately they find each other and are able to be the support that the other person needs. Naima and Dew are both written in ways that make them very easy to tell apart. They each have their own distinct voice that makes in easy to follow along with their struggles.

All that being said, this book is hard to read, if you are the type (like myself) who prefers an easy read when you read contemporary novels this book may not be for you. However, I still believe that this book is worth the read simply because of the own voices representation of topics that need to be discussed. 

Overall, this book is one that should be read if you want a real look at anxiety, OCD, and depression. Also kudos to Candace Ganger for including the appropriate trigger warnings in the beginning of the books. 

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

ARC Review: (Trying not to spoil the story). This book was one that kept me picking it up again and again, even when I thought it wasn’t initially my cup of tea. It follows two teens, Naima and Dew, in how they cope after the deaths of each of their parents.

The POVs were both very original, especially for a teen fiction genre that’s soaked with rom-coms. I loved the concept of having emails, voicemails, and brief memories scattered throughout the book. In a way, it was very refreshing even though it deals with such a sensitive topic. It had me on the verge of tears every time either one of the characters recalled painful moments from their pasts. I felt like I was grieving with both characters, Naima when it came to her OCD and depression, and Dew with his anxiety. (**Note: if you’re especially sensitive to things like anxiety, PTSD, or panic attacks, I’d say be careful while reading this. The author also put a helpful trigger warning in the beginning**).

the story is one that we don’t get too many of, so it’s a definite must read. I rated it four stars because it was slightly overbearing at times because of the heavy topics discussed within it. This is so well written that I can’t stress it enough. Please get yourself a copy when it comes out from a library or bookstore!

I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was slow and boring to me. Very depressing as well. 2 teenagers had both lost their parents and their grief is not handled well and they seem to have serious emotional problems.
Naima pushes everyone away and is what I would call a mean girl. Her dad was in the marines and killed while on duty and up until he had died she had ignored him for leaving her.
Dew's parents died suddenly and he needs to come to grips with it. He was put into foster care and adopted by a great family.
These 2 become neighbors and Dew tried to be friends with Naima but she keeps pushing him away.
For 2 kids who seem to be getting help it seems to make them worse.
I received this for an honest review from St. Martin's and NetGalley.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a hard-hitting contemporary told in dual perspective from the point of view of Naima and Dew, both of whom have suffered some serious losses in their lives. The book is ownvoices for social anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD representation and I think is really important that this kind of stories are being told. That’s why I feel awful for rating it with just two stars, but this was not for me. There’s barely any plot besides both MCs coping with their grief and mental illness, I was not the biggest fan of the writing style, which felt disjointed and at times even confusing and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters (I liked the adults better than any of the MCs). Dew was not so bad but Naima, although has more than enough reason to be angry, was so cruel and rude to almost everyone around her, especially her stepmother, that it made reading from her perspective exhausting and frustrating.

CW: loss of parent, depression, social anxiety, PTSD, OCD, intrusive thoughts, suicide attempt (off page), fat phobia

I just can’t get through this. I’ve tried and tried and tried. I don’t know how much of a me thing it is but maybe this just isn’t my type of story or writing style. I try to give every book the benefit of the doubt. I’m just having to DNF this one. With all respect and appreciation for the author and publisher (I mean hello, a trigger warning at the beginning of the book?? Yes please) I just don’t think this book is for me.

I can usually connect with a character at the beginning of a novel, sometimes a bit further in. That wasn’t the case here. I didn’t like any of the characters and beyond that the writing style just wasn’t my thing and I think that’s okay. There’s a book out there for everyone, and if it interests you, TRY IT! This just wasn’t that for me.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Candace Granger's novel Six Goodbyes We Never Said, dives into the world of love and loss of the main characters parents. In a raw exposure of the emotional and psychological scars left in behind. As if this is not heavy enough there is the spotlight on the mental health issues each of the protagonist has been diagnosed with as they work through there struggles and challenges to rebuild a life.. The characterization demonstrates the honest of these topics in profound manner. Unfortunately, this book falls short in few other areas that make it a slow and at times a challenging read outside of the serious topics it explores. I like this book, but did not love it.

An intensely personal, introspective book about dealing with loss and mental health issues. This book is more of a character study than anything else---there isn't a whole lot of plot to speak of; instead, the book focuses on Dew's and Naima's personal journeys toward healing after loss and toward making steps to connect with the world despite mental health issues that make that very difficult. It's quite obvious that Ganger put her heart and soul (and a lot of herself) into this book. Dew and Naima are complete opposites in many ways: Dew is a marshmallow of a soul who just needs to get past some of his broken past, whereas Naima is distant and often angry (which made her a little difficult to connect to for me---but this is a personal issue I have with this type of narrator). Be prepared---Dew's and Naima's stories are heartbreaking.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

This was a really hard book for me to rate because I liked it but I didn’t love it. I think this book covered a lot of important discussion points and could be relatable to many people that may connect with the characters. However, this book was a little too heavy for me personally which made it difficult for me read. Candace Ganger is an extremely talented author and I did enjoy her writing style. My reasons I didn’t enjoy the book were more personal preferences rather than the author doing something to make me not like it. I had a lot of mixed feelings while reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 2.75/5

I didn't have any expectations when I started this book. I knew what it talked about, and I knew (well, more like hoped) I would enjoy this book. Obviously I saw the ratings, and I read a few reviews too, but I didn't let it shape my opinion on this book.
What I liked most about this book was how it dealt with mental health issues and the loss of a parent, going as far as putting these themes in the spotlight. I think the author did a really great job on this part, which helped develop the main characters too.

However, that was it. The main characters were great and well-developed, but it felt like the rest was neglected : there wasn't really a plot to speak of, the secondary characters felt like ghosts to me, and overall I was bored throughout my read.

I wasn't expecting the book of the century when I opened this novel, but I certainly wasn't expecting to be this disappointed either.

The amazing characters in this story were what made me love this book so much! Naima and Dew both warmed my heart and I related to them and felt for them in so many ways. One of my favorite characters was also JJ--Naima's grandmother. This book is a YA that deals with some HEAVY topics--SO MANY heavy topics--PTSD, grief, OCD, social anxiety...to name a few. There was so much going on with these characters that at times it was overwhelming (imagine how the characters felt!). I felt the book did have a bit of a slow pace at times but I still really enjoyed it.

I loved the format of the book--the voicemails from Naima's dad, her poems, and Dew's "news" headlines at the beginning of the chapters. I LOVED Dew's headlines. You root for and feel for these characters the whole book. I felt so connected to them throughout the story. The emotional and heavy at times, this book covers areas that so need to be written about and normalized.

My favorite quote from the book--the quote that made me just STOP and re-read it, and share it:

"If you want to count the time, start with now. It's all we're guaranteed. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now."

THIS. BOOK. I have cried reading a lot of books. There has been pretty crying, slight weeping, full-on crying, and ugly crying. This was an ugly crying book. As soon as I read the first chapter, I knew I was in trouble. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let's talk format and characters, and then we can get into FEELINGS!

The formatting of this book was absolutely brilliant. I've said it 1000 times but I'll say it again: I love a uniquely formatted book. It makes reading so much more interesting. This book was formatted in a few different ways. First, it was split between Naima's and Dew's point of view and their voice were both so unique that it was a joy going on this journey with both of them.

But that's not all. Naima's portions always started with a voicemail and Dew's portion were made to look like he was telling the story through his voice recorder. If there is any book that is begging to be turned into an audiobook, this one is. To be able to hear Naima's dad's voice and then her own...oh god, where are the tissues??

Ok, on to characters! Where do I even start? I don't know if I've ever read a character as closed off as Naima. Maybe that's why I connected to her so much. I've been in that closed off state before and I get the protection she's trying to put around herself because she just can't deal with everything. Her world imploded when her father died and every OCD tendency she had before needed to increase so nothing else bad would happen.

But the writing doesn't let that define her. She may have OCD and so much anxiety she can barely breathe sometimes, but she's also soooooo strong and fierce. You don't grow up with grandparents like that (omg they are delightful) and not be a bit of a badass.

And Dew. The sweetness! He is the epitome of a cinnamon roll. He is so lovable. But while that is part of his personality, that is also part of how he protects himself. Where Naima uses her anger to keep people away, Dew wants to be friends with everyone and wants to please. And oh boy, do I relate to that as well lol.

He uses his voice recorder to get out his feeling and express himself in a way that's just for him. But his recorder soon becomes a security blanket that he needs to let go of in order to move forward. And guess who helps him with that? A girl named Naima.

I love how these two become friends. They are so different, but also have quite a few similarities. At first, I thought Dew was trying too hard and not taking Naima at her word. She said she didn't want to be friends. That should have been the end of it. But that is part of Dew's anxiety and his compulsion.

He's been imagining meeting her since the day her father told him about her (oh yeah, you know Naima's deceased father?? Dew has met him!). Now that she's here, he feels like he knows her. It takes him awhile to realize he doesn't, but by that time, both Naima and Dew have grown and are ready to be friends. I don't know if it would have been a healthy friendship if they'd been friends right off the bat.

And let's talk about Faith! Faith is up there as one of my favorite characters in the book. She is Dew's adoptive sister and still trying to understand that these people who adopted her aren't going to send her back. She is temperamental, been through quite a lot (she's been in the foster system), and just wants to be loved and accepted. She may be young, but she's already a badass. The girl is already wrestling, wearing whatever she wants, and not letting anyone tell her its wrong.

But she's also allowed to be a young girl too. There's a scene at her first wrestling match where she comes dresses as a professional wrestler and all the other kids are just dressed like kids. She has a moment of insecurity (I have never wanted to hug a fictional child more) but Dew sees her and goes over. He ends up giving her a pep talk and that brings back her confidence. It's a moment I won't forget because I have been Faith. I have felt unsure and insecure, but my brother is much older than me so he wasn't there for pep talks or confidence boosts while I was in school. And it was just so good to see (and yes, of course I cried!).

Time for feelings! This book made me feel so many things and even though I read it a couple of weeks ago, I've still been thinking certain scenes (mainly the one by the water which I will not spoil!).

The day after I finished reading, I started noticing how I was changing my behavior so I wouldn't stand out or be noticed, and that needed to stop immediately. So I've been giving myself more of a break and allowing myself to be me and not what I think others want or like or need.

I haven't been through any of the things Naima or Dew or even Faith have been through. My parents are still here and I don't have OCD. I do have a pretty whopping case of anxiety that's controlled through medication and therapy. Maybe that's why I connect with this book and these characters so much? I get why Naima needs to count and why Dew needs his recorder. I've clung to routines, hoodies, tissues, bracelets, stuffed animals, and probably lots of other things I can't remember. Seeing them all let go and live and make mistakes and apologize...I needed that more than I expected.

Before I began reading, I didn't expect to add this to the list of books that changed me, but it has and it's on the list. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm giving Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger 5 out of 5 stars. Be ready for this book when you read it because it will blow you away.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said comes out September 24, 2019.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review on this blog tour.

3.5 stars

Review

*Trigger warnings for suicide, mental health issues, strong language*

"I watch the back of him.  He's so alone.  A star falling from the sky without a single planet to catch him.  I start to wonder if it might not be so bad to fall right along with him."
I'll start off with saying that Six Goodbyes isn't an easy read - it's complex, hard hitting and thought provoking, and at times difficult to swallow.  This YA contemporary keeps an even pace throughout, with mostly alternating pov's from the mc's Naima and Dew.  Both have suffered unthinkable loses, and you would think that this would pull them together, but when Naima is involved, nothing goes quite to Dew's plan...It definitely isn't a love story kind of book, so you're in the wrong book if that's what you're looking for. 

I much preferred Dew as a character, though I felt that the focus was definitely more on Naima.  I found her quite a hard character to like, I did eventually warm to her, but it did take me a while.  I wanted to pick Dew up and put him in my pocket to keep him safe, in the words of Big Foot, he is a mini-muffin and must be protected at all costs, I loved how quirky he was.

I absolutely loved some of the side characters too - Violet, Big Foot and Faith especially - they really cracked me up and added some much needed humour into the book.

I did feel that the book explored Naima's grief, GAD, OCD and PTSD well, and you could really tell that the author knows her stuff, and really looked into these issues.

I will say is that I found the book quite difficult to differentiate between Naima and Dew's pov's at times; possibly just due to the eARC being an uncorrected proof; so I'll definitely try to keep an eye out for a physical copy when it's released as I'd like to see if it makes more sense on paper as opposed to on screen.

Thanks to Sarah at St Martin's Press for arranging for me to be a part of this blog tour, and providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really heartbreaking (yet also heartwarming) story of two teens Naima and Dew, suffering from different disorders/anxiety issues, while learning to deal with some heavy grief/loss. The story felt very raw and honest and it was very interesting to see the world from the perspective of 2 teenagers who are very different from myself. I thought the author did a great job of representing a lot of different social issues that teens face today, as well as helping to bring awareness and help remove the stigma that often times comes with mental illness. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.