A modern look at Hamlet through the perspective of a teen dealing with grief, love, and family. Dane Riley is still reeling from the death of his father after returning home from boarding school, it doesn’t help that his mother is now dating his father’s best friend. Dane is dealing with so much grief and after his failed suicide attempt has started seeing therapists. He is angry and sad, angry at his mother, angry at the people who have moved into his house, and missing his father. Then there is Ophelia, the girl who lives next door who Dane has been madly in love with yet he can’t seem to ask her out. The story follows Dane as he struggles through his new family dynamic and all the anger and grief that is bottled up inside of him as well as the budding romance. It was such an interesting take on Hamlet and definitely a fresh one. The story deals with mental health, grief, and the aches and pains of growing up. Dane was a relatable character in that, I understood where he was coming from, I was there. Now that I’m in my 20′s I can still remember being a teen and feeling all that sadness and anger but also questioning everything and trying to find some point about where my life was going next. Dane’s fears and anger and struggles are relatable and reading from his perspective was great. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

As a fan of authors like John Green, who write candid experiences of what it is like to be a teenager, I really enjoyed this book. Spears also intertwines sarcasm and humor into the novel in a masterful way. Very emotional and raw, an important book about mental health and adolescence.

This is a sad, powerful story of a teenage boy dealing with loss and betrayal and trying to find a reason to keep living, excellent character development and a sweet romance. It ended somewhat quickly and it felt a little bit not finished to me. but still worth reading

I didn’t end up reading this one because the reviews dropped drastically on Goodreads. I have many books to read, and I can’t spend time on books that drop in ratings.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this ARC -- SO happy having the opportunity to read this so early!

This book happily reminded me of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," which just so happens to be one of my favorites or, maybe, a bit of Holden Caufield (Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, which I actually didn't love as a teen and maybe need to reconsider reading as an adult).

It centers on Dane Riley, a teen struggling with his mental health after the death of his father to, what I inferred was, cancer. Dane still texts his Dad's phone number and, oddly enough, still receives texts in response. Dane is shuffled to a number of therapists, by his mom, and the relationship between Dane and his mom are strained, to put it lightly. Mom is now dating the best friend of her late husband and Dane can't stand him nor his son, Eric. And, if that's not enough to add to the mix, Dane has a crush on the girl next door and he doesn't even know how to handle all that.

At its heart, this is a book about grief and learning how to be move forward. On the surface, it's a conversation about mental health, dark humor, and family relationships.

I loved it. And, it absolutely didn't hurt that it was very reminiscent of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Not so subtle clues, like the fact that Dane's crush is named Ophelia and the book is broken into Acts, help define this link. But, look more closely and more deeply... It really talked to the nerd in me.

I received a complimentary copy of The Tragedy of Dane Riley from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I couldn’t really find common ground with this one. An overindulged, awkward, rich kid loses a parent—which the other parent barely acknowledges. The kid can’t handle his own emotions and isn’t really allowed to feel or express them, so a ton of money is thrown at therapy and drugs instead of/before actually experiencing the stages of grief. I could not relate to much of this novel. (This is kind of the whole problem with teenagers today...They think everything should always be perfect and pretty, and if it isn’t, it can be fixed with drugs.) I spent some time just being very frustrated with these characters. The only decent ones in the bunch seemed to be the mom’s boyfriend and the neighbor girl’s dad. Super depressing book, with a hint of a happy ending. With that being said, it was decently written, and I managed to finish it with some satisfaction that the girlfriend will tell the kid to grow up and maybe she has changed her terrible outlook too. I didn’t feel any huge epiphanies with this one—mostly just frustration.

Dane Riley is (debatably) clinically depressed, but reading his story is utterly delightful. <i>The Tragedy of Dane Riley</i> put a near-constant smile on my face with its sarcastic, smart prose, despite the often heavy topics. Dane is a high school senior. His father passed away and Dane feels like he's the only one still grieving, especially compared to his mother who has quickly moved on to a new romantic relationship--with Dane's dad's best friend. While Dane is adamant that there's not much reason to continue living, he soldiers on and we get to hear about his relationships with friends, mother, therapist, and the elusive (and attractive) girl-next-door. Overall, Dane seems like a good guy who just needs a little help focusing on the brighter side of life.

I could not put this book down. Highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for me to read and review!

I've two other books by this author, and I really like her style. It genuinely impresses me how well she writes male main characters. I've never been a teen boy myself, but it seems like nails it every time. Her characters are often not incredibly likeable for some reason or another, but you find yourselves rooting for them anyway.

Of the three of her books I've read now, I think this is my least favorite. That is not to say I didn't enjoy - I did - but it took me quite a while to really get into it. The grief and loss is well done, and it feels authentic. His inaction with Ophelia was maddening at times, but I understand why he was so afraid to make a move.

Ultimately, the book got much more interesting to me around the 65% mark, and from then on I devoured it. Overall, while it isn't my favorite Kat Spears book, I appreciate the subjects that were tackled here and I did enjoy the book.

4.5 stars

Reading ‘The Tragedy of Dane Riley’ is like taking a deep dive into the teenage brain… it’s uncomfortable, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s utterly beautiful.

Dane Riley is desperately trying to hang onto his sanity whilst also mourning the loss of his dad. Everyone around him, his mom included, seems to have to moved on, and be completely okay. But Dane feels the exact opposite of okay. In fact, he’s starting to feel nothing at all. He’s starting to feel like there isn’t a place in his life for… well, him.

One of the most compelling elements of this novel is the way that author Kat Spears gives us a front row seat to the thoughts of her protagonist. We as readers understand his anguish, his confusion, and his sadness in an immersive way. And that makes this read as difficult as it is edifying. I appreciated how Spears was able to encapsulate the insecurities of youth in a way that honors and validates them. I especially enjoyed the unfolding of Dane and Ophelia’s relationship. It’s authentic and flawed and an utter joy to read.

One caveat I’d add is that if you’re sensitive to talk of suicide and mental health, this might prove to be triggering for you. But for those who are able to mine this novel’s depths, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I received an ARC of this novel courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.

This poignant story of a grieving teen, Dane Riley, really moved me. His powerful reactions to the loss of his beloved father to cancer are deeply felt, as is the outrage he feels when his mom hops into a new relationship. Add the push-pull relationship with neighbor teen Ophelia and you have a teen in full angst mode. Clearly, Hamlet vibes abound!

Kudos to author Kay Spears for dealing with loss and depression so openly. The story can be heavy at times, but its deft treatment softens the blow. A must-read for mature teen/YA readers.

4 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 22 Jun 2021
#TheTragedyofDaneRiley #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press,
and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook. I requested it for the sole purpose of previewing before my students would read it. Although it was serious and felt heavy at times, I do think they will enjoy it. We have a student & teacher book club at school where we read diverse YA books and I believe that this may be a future contender for us!

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

I think that, overall, this story was mostly nice. I liked the discussion of mental health and finding yourself. I always enjoy seeing characters struggle to find their place and overcome it, but that’s about all I truly enjoyed.

I think some of the choices were a bit too much for me. I’m not a big Shakespeare fan, but it’s clear a lot of direction was taken from his works, like Hamlet, and it caused me to lose some interest. It felt so unnecessary and a bit like it was trying too hard.

I really didn’t much care for the way revelations will be made and then next to nothing will be done about it either. Like with Dane and Ophelia. Or Chuck for that matter. I also feel like Dane’s emotions and depression could’ve been better written. It felt like we were being given the very basic, overly stereotypical version of depression with no real depth.

Thus story wasn’t bad by any means, but it lacked a lot of oomph. I don’t even know.

Spears is the master of character development and Dane Riley is no exception. This modern look at Hamlet grabs the reader from the start and doesn't let go, even on the last page. Dane is the kind of kid you want to bring home to fix him dinner; you want to wrap him in a bear hug and not let go. His heartbreaking grief at the loss of his father coupled with his genuine attempts to navigate his senior year will have you calling your son just to tell him you love him!

Caring about what happens to Dane isn't the only compelling reason to read The Tragedy of Dane Riley. I also became attached to his crush, Ophelia, his friend group, the Extreme Sports Asians, and the coyote, which just may be the reincarnation of his Dad. And even though I'm just as horrified as Dane that his mom took up with his Dad's best friend, I could even sympathize with her wanting to have her happy son back.

The Tragedy of Dane Riley is an edgy, honest look at depression, grief, loss and relationships that will have you cheering for the underdog! I would recommend this book for high school students as it refers to underage drinking and drug use. There is also a considerable, and appropriate, use of curse words.

First off, you may want to make sure you are in a good place mentally before reading this. There were a few moments I had to put it down because it could be a little heavy. However, it was very well written. Dane Riley is a teenager whose dad recently died. He's trying to cope with that, his mom seeming to move on too quickly, being a senior, girls, and so much more. A lot of his thought processes were relatable and were things that have gone through my own head before, in dealing with grief, sadness, and insecurities (with a decent amount of existentialism.) (Probably why I found it a little heavy sometimes.) Between a new therapist and the help of his neighbor and a caring teacher, Dane trips through his senior year and begins to discover his own meaning of life.

Though the book has a good message, I wish it were fleshed out a little more! The ending came up on me very abruptly and I wanted a little more. Every now and then there would be a scene that I was interested in seeing what happened next, but it would just be cut off and not addressed in the next bit. This totally could have been the intent of the writing, but it left me feeling like something was missing. A good read for someone who can sit with grief and empathy.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Dane is grieving the loss of his best friend and mentor, his beloved father. His mother quickly takes up with his father's best friend, Chuck, which Dane views as a betrayal to his father's memory. Another reviewer astutely pointed out that this story has parallels to Hamlet - and not just because of the names of the characters. I also agree that a lot happens in this novel and that although there is plenty of introspection, Dane's emotional reactions needed to be more fleshed out in some cases. Conversely, some scenes drag on too long for this same reason. (I am thinking of that scene where Ophelia is drunk and Dane describes, at length, the colour and texture of her barf SEVERAL TIMES. Enough already! The repeated use of the words "pink chunks" started to wear on my last nerve pretty quickly!

What bothered me most is that Dane is infatuated with Ophelia, and shortly after the Infernal Vomitus scene, Ophelia whines that she only went to the party to make Dane jealous. This declaration appears to have ZERO effect on Dane - he does not act on this hint from Ophelia. He deflects any hope or possibility of a relationship between them despite this startling declaration of interest on Ophelia's part. Whaaaaaaat? I get that Dane is deeply depressed, but hey, if someone tells you they are seriously interested you, you'd probably feel a TWINGE of happiness or hope, right?

And even though Ophelia is in deep trouble with her Dad, and grounded for life, she plays hooky from school with Dane. Granted, during that outing, they have a deep discussion about the meaning of life:

..."You mean you feel as if your life has no meaning?"
"Yes."
"Is that what you're worried about?.... Of course your life has no meaning. Unless you do something meaningful, life is meaningless."
"That's depressing."

Well, my jaw dropped after reading this empty platitude. Seriously? What is Ophelia's definition of "meaningful". You can't make such broad pseudo-philosophical statements like this and not get pounced on. Then she takes this lofty debate in the opposite direction. Ophelia points out that squirrels don't look for a reason to live, a squirrel just "is." I'm all for people learning to be happy with themselves and stop torturing themselves by comparing their life with someone else's, but Ophelia had better not join the debating team. I actually liked her comment about life not being about beginnings and endings, but I disagreed with her because it certainly is about beginnings, the parts (experiences) in between and the endings. These are just descriptors and are definitely NOT the secret for a happy life. What if the parts in between are tragic or stressful? How can you celebrate those "in between parts"? See what I mean by making broad statements that don't really ring true?

Don't get me wrong: this story has a lot going for it, and Kat Spears writes well. Grief and depression and suicidal thoughts have crippled Dane, and all the king's horse and all the king's men cannot seem to put Dane back together again. Many reviewers gave this novel four and five stars. I'm going to confess that Shakespeare's Hamlet tired me out and I wanted to tell him to "snap out of it already" like Cher's character did in the movie Moonstruck. I had the same impulse here, but in this case, I wanted Dane to grab his MANY opportunities with Ophelia and run! I'm rating this one a 3.5 out of 5.

This wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't for me.

This novel had elements of Hamlet. Dane Riley's dad just died and his mom is dating his dad's best friend. There's the ghost element and the love of his life, Ophelia. I liked the casual nods to Hamlet. It was nice, but this book was a little too much for me. (Yes, I know Hamlet, the source material is a bit too much, as well.)

I also wanted more closure when it came to Dane and Chuck, the maybe-future-step-dad. There was a big reveal about Chuck and it just got left behind.

But overall, this was a nice story about a young man struggling with many different things finding himself and a place in the world. I just didn't love it, but many people probably will adore this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for this e-ARC! I really appreciated the opportunity to read this novel.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Dane is an 18 year old student who has just lost his dad and his mother surprisingly moves on a little fast with a new love interest, whose son is bully and jerk. As someone who experienced grief but not for a parent, I related to Dane but felt a little removed as I'm quite a bit older than the targeted reader. I think that a more mature teen might appreciate this book.

I really wanted to whole-heartedly love this book with no reservations. Dane’s father died of cancer and losing someone, especially a parent, like that is a very specific experience. It affects everyone differently — child, significant other, friends. I thought that having an understanding of this experience would help me relate to Dane more. That’s not exactly what happened.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed. It was an accurate depiction of loss. I’ve said this about a few of the books I’ve read surrounding loss and grief but, the truth is, they’re all right. Dealing with death in life is not pretty and takes on so many forms for different people. I guess you could say that any depiction of loss is accurate but, from the authors I’ve read, their words resonated most with me and my experiences.

Like I said, Spears got it right. The anger, the hurt you feel, the hole that you feel like won’t ever be filled again. The hopelessness of it all. One of my favorite lines comes from Dane’s inner thoughts when he’s visiting his latest therapist, Dr. Lineberger:

“ “I’m sorry,” when acting together, are the two most useless words in the English language when someone is talking about death.”

After you lose someone, you hear those words so many times, they start to lose meaning after a while. It’s like someone trying to put a band-aid on a crack in a dam. They might feel better after saying it, like they did their part to help fix the issue (you), but in reality, the crack is so big that nothing short of a miracle could fix it.

What I think Spears did well here that I don’t see too often in other books about grief, was tackle Dane’s relationship with his mom — the remaining parent; the surviving parent. Life can become a balancing act for both parties after a situation like that one, with both parent and child trying to simultaneously deal with their own emotions and each other’s. Dane’s relationship with his mom is complex to say the least, and is a focal point of the story. Even though it’s written from Dane’s point of view where it’s easy to hate his mom and be irritated by her, if you’ve been in a similar situation, you sort of understand where she’s coming from.

Although this is Dane’s story, we learn a lot about the life of his neighbor (and love of his life), Ophelia, and her complicated relationship with life and her family. Spears does not shy away from the topic of mental health issues as it is important to both Dane and Ophelia’s lives. One of my favorite parts in the story is when support came from one of the most unexpected places (to Dane).

As much as there were things I liked, there were also things I didn’t. I’m going to blame the first one mostly on the age difference between myself and Dane. Dane is eighteen years old and still in high school. I am a 22 year-old college grad. The way I grapple with death and grief and loss is wildly different now than it was at age 18. I think, if this book came out when I was 18 and I read it then, it would have been a 5-star read for me. Sometimes there were moments where I found myself unable to be anything but annoyed with Dane. I had a similar experience with Tiger Tolliver when I read How to Make Friends with the Dark. It was only upon reflection of the entire book that I started to like her more.

I felt like there was the potential for more to be explored/explained in this book. It felt like every time there was a Big Moment, we were quickly onto the next without ever getting to fully unpack the last. I had hoped for more in-depth conversation or at least thought from Dane’s POV about what was happening. This could also be my own fault for coming into the book with such high expectations since I related to the way Dane lost his father. There were a few times when I looked back at what I just read in case I missed something because it moved on so fast.

A smaller thing that bothered me was that, on top of moving between moments so quickly, there was nothing indicating the switch in location/scene. One minute Dane was with Ophelia and in the next paragraph he was with his therapist. No warning, nothing separating the two experiences. Just from one to the next. This was one of the reasons why I reread lines so often because I would get confused about what was going on and wanted to know if I missed something. I usually didn’t.

Despite all of this, I haven’t given up on Dane Riley or this book just yet. I think if I give it another read later down the line, I might enjoy it more. Perhaps it could just be that it didn’t resonate with who I am right now and where I am in life. Overall, I think I would recommend it to others and I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's press. This was such a deep read for me. Its not often that you read a book where it is a male teen who suffers from a mental illness.
Dane's father passed away after a long battle with cancer. It seems to have been a long time but Dane himself wasn't aware of how long it was since he only found out toward the end. That alone broke my heart.

I will say his mother fusterated me to no ends. It was like she believed he didn't have a right to grieve...no "right" is the wrong word....he didn't have a need to grieve might be a better way of looking at it. Whatever he was feeling was wrong in her eyes. and she believed that meds would fix him. Things get even worse with his mother's new boyfriend and his son. His son is hell bent on making Dane's life hell.

This is truly an emotional roller coaster of a book and Kat Spears perfectly captured the range of emotions that people go through with grief, misunderstanding, fear etc. I really loved this book!