While this story was at times deeply sad as it followed the story of Edward, the lone survivor of a plane crash as he struggles with guilt and supreme loss; it was also a deeply uplifting tale of love and survival. Told in alternating storylines between after the crash, and pre-crash (while in flight) I loved every minute of it.

Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3083034933

BOOK REVIEW: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Book Club Favorite and a T.I.M.E. Favorite… ✨😎✨

Fabulous book! Told in a dual timeline of this one boy’s experience.

One timeline is leading up to this cataclysmic event in his life that actually propels him into his second experience. But both timelines are being told simultaneously.

Absolutely masterful writing and wonderful character development! There are so many characters in this book that are multidimensional, totally unique, completely fleshed out… And every single one of them adds into the story and makes it resonate even deeper within you.

There is nothing wasted in this book… Just wonderful!

And, there's a great “young girl on the rise” character as well! A “young girl” that you just know “this girl is going places!” You're going to know her when you see her. And, I am still hoping I grow up to be just like her!

Dear Edward by Anne Napolitano.
New 2020 Release: January 6, 2020


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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Denise Wilbanks | T.I.M.E. at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my free resources for book club support, reading and DIY home ideas inspired by each recommended book to support you in bringing your favorite book to life in your life and home…

You can see my full review and resources for Dear Edward by Anne Napolitano at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/reading-wrap-up-january-2020



✨😎✨A big thank you to Ann Napolitano, Random House – The Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

5+⭐️Amazing!! Well written. Characters that you could empathize with. It made me happy; it made me sad. I loved how Edward dealt with with being the lone survivor of the plane crash. He lost his family but learned to love the family his friend Shay, his aunt and uncle and his principal made as well as the people that he met as a result of the crash. Will definitely pick up other books but this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Edward survives a plane crash against the odds. This book details how he overcame, or tries to overcome, his ties to that fateful flight. Immensely beautiful and haunting, he will stay with me.

DEAR EDWARD by Ann Napolitano was an excellent read. The story follows a 12 year old boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. I was a little nervous to read it thinking it would be very dark but out of the darkest times come the brightest lights and my favorite book reviewer, Thoughts from a Page, recommended it to me and she has yet to steer me wrong! This story follows Edward as he grows through adolescence and learns more and more about himself as he learns more about the people on that flight. It is a reminder of all the development kids go through emotionally during that age and how much transformation occurs. It also has a very strong message about the importance and tether of family and friends. The story rotates between the past (airline) and present (growing up) and the writing is excellent. It reads faster than I expected and I think this book would make an excellent book club choice. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Dear Edward is an amazing book. Heartbreaking and deeply emotional, it takes you to the very center of tragedy and pulls you through it, like Edward, to healing and life after.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Dear Edward. Oh my. Dear Edward is right! This may be one of my favorite books of 2020 to date. This poignant, heartbreaking and resilient story features young Eddie (now Edward) and his heroic and unlikely survival of a devastating plane crash. On the way to LA from NYC, Edward and his family are on a plane with 191 passengers. What follows is the inevitable crash and aftermath. As the sole survivor, Edward must somehow pick up the pieces and begin life again-living with his aunt and uncle in New Jersey.

But how does a boy of 12 take on the weight of 191 families, desperate for connection to the last person who saw their loved one alive? Told in alternating timelines, and with a cast of charming, supportive characters, Dear Edwards is poignant, memorable and ultimately hopeful. Pick this one up!

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Edward is a heartbreaking story! 12 year old Eddie is the only survivor of a plane crash that claimed the lives of his parents and brother. After the tragedy, his aunt and uncle take him in. Eddie struggles to make sense of why only he survived. I enjoyed reading Edward's journey through his grief and facing his new reality.

I love a book that makes you question what you would do or how you would feel in that moment. Dear Edward is a story about a young boy, who is the only survivor of a plane crash. He must learn how to navigate through his new life without his mother, father, and brother. This is a story about not only how Edward processes his new life, but how the outside world views him, being the only survivor.

This was a beautiful story about not always thinking that you have time. It will definitely make you cry and think about the relationships in your life.

I really enjoyed this book! Dear Edward is so different than the typical books I read, but I really enjoyed this diversion. The characters were very well developed and very likable.

Edward himself is such a complex young boy. His development through such a tragic situation is heart wrenching. Imagine losing everyone, just like that. I often ask myself if I would want to be the one to live? Before this book, I would've said "no." This book changed my mind.

Dear Edward is a beautiful story. This book would come highly recommended from me!

#NetGalley #DearEdward

Thank you for giving me a book that I couldn’t wait to get back to when I had other things to do first! I’ve started several books that just don’t grab me and it was getting to be a chore until I started this one. Sweet Edward’s tale is filled with heartache and hope. I liked how the story went back and forth between the present and the passenger’s lives as they were on the last flight of their lives. Makes you think about the people this actually happens to and how they each have their own stories. Well done! I enjoyed it very much.

One of my favorite books I've read so far in 2020. Beautiful, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at the same time. I knew from the first couple of pages this book was going to stick with me. The writing and descriptions were so vivid. I came to deeply love Edward and the rest of his "post" and "pre" crash family. One of those books you hug at the end.

4.5 stars
I’m still processing all that I think about Dear Edward. There is a lot to think about. The story weaves between Eddie Adler and his fellow passengers on the flight from NYC to LAX and Edward Adler, sole survivor of said plane trip. I really really liked this book. It’s well written, melancholy as hell, thought provoking, and a raw honest Depiction of grief. My husband lost a family member, a brave firefighter, on 9-11. I taught in Newtown when Sandy Hook happened. What the book captured so well for me is the nature of large scale grief. Grief that isn’t only your own, but the countries’ grief. Sometimes people involved in mass tragedy like this become almost stuck or trapped in their grief- like society doesn’t let them move forward. The author captures this so well on behalf of Edward. His tragedy isn’t just his. The world wants in. And of course, the survivor’s guilt.
This isn’t an easy read, but it made me think. I love the hope portrayed at the end as well. ❤️
#netgalley #arc #dearedward

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for my complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Dear Edward was an interesting read alternating between the day of the plane crash where “Eddie” was the only survivor and “Edward” as he ages. It held my interest throughout the book.

Particularly, weaving the stories of Eddie’s family members and other passengers tied in nicely to the end when Edward stumbles upon multiple letters addressed to him.

I felt like the development of Edward’s aunt and uncle could have been explored a bit more. I don’t believe any parent or guardian would tolerate him sleeping on the floor of the girl, Shay, next door for so long, despite the trauma he went through. The unique friendship they held was sweet and I like how their relationship wasn’t sexualized like many other books.

I was sad to see the book end and like contemplating the future Edward and Shay.

This is not my usual type of book, but I couldn't put it down. It was difficult reading the chapters that took place on the plane, but I was totally invested in the mending of Edward's broken heart.

What an emotional book!! This was an overwhelmingly sad book that also had me Googling real-life sole survivors of plane crashes. Pretty crazy stuff. Oh did I mention that my husband is doing private pilot training? HA. YIKES. This book is based on 9-year-old Ruben van Assouw who was the sole survivor of Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 on May 12, 2010. 103 lives were lost including Ruben's mother, father, and brother. Heartbreaking. In the book, Eddie-now-Edward also lost his mother, father, and brother. He's sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle who live in another state. The book cover the subsequent few years (3 maybe?) after the plane crash. It's hard to read. There's not a lot of happiness. I didn't want to pick it up at times because I didn't want to be dragged down. Some parts of the gut, specifically the one part where Edward says that he's okay with his parents' dying (obviously that's not exactly it, that sounds bad lol) because he was supposed to grow up and leave them anyway but Jordan was always supposed to be there. 😭😭😭😭

Twelve year-old Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills his entire immediate family. In the aftermath, he struggles with his new life living with his aunt & uncle, other people's curiosity about him and why he alone survived, and of course, the loss of his parents and older brother. Edwards finds refuge in his new friendship with the neighbor girl, and through the next several years engages with the loved ones of other passengers in order to help himself and them heal.

Beautifully written, Dear Edward is a reflection on our connection to one another and how humans seek explanations for the seemingly uncontrollable events in our lives.

Dear Edward is an incredible book, and most likely will be one of my top 10 of 2020. I appreciated the slow unwinding of both the flight and Edward's growth and healing years afterward.

I enjoyed this book. I liked learning about the other passengers on the flight, even knowing their ultimate fate. I loved the relationship between Edward and Shay and really liked the characters of Uncle John and the principal. At times, Edward seemed older than his years and quite self-aware but, rather than annoy me, I found it reasonable given his situation.

While the premise of a plane crash can often turn people away, this story was beautifully and delicately told that while yes, reading it can be emotional, but it had a greater purpose. 

Told in alternating times- the time in the plan before the crash and Eddie's life after the crash- the author does an incredible job weaving the two timelines together. Even though we know a crash is inevitable, this book took us inside the plan to learn about the people on the flight, how they connect in small ways and what their deaths mean to the people left behind. 

After the crash, we follow Eddie as he moves in with his Aunt Lacey (his mother's sister) and uncle John, who are going through their own struggles of infertility and miscarriage. While they try to embrace Eddie as family, his neighbor Shay is the one he is drawn to and bring him comfort. When they stumble upon locked bags in the garage they are exposed to secrets they refuse to look away from and work together to make things right. 

This book can feel difficult at times to read but I think the author did a wonderful job of telling a realistic story all while being sensitive to the storyline and the characters. It's more than a tragic storyline, it's about hope and love and discovering life again after loss.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (Though I must add: I enjoyed it so much I ended up purchasing it as part of my Book of the Month Club selection)