I really enjoyed this audio book.

This is a story of Lucy, sister to a dead brother and new to a school that suffered the tragedy of a shooting. The story follows Lucy as she struggles to adapt to her new school, make friends with people who have lived through something so tragic but unifying and hard to relate, at the same time of dealing with her own grief of losing her brother in a different way to the losses experiences by her peers.
It's a hard hitting subject aimed at middle grade ages 9-12 and id say it hit that pretty perfectly for such a tough subject.

I found this a really easy listen, the narration (which also happens to be the author) is spot on and it flows really wonderfully. I find it really distracting when narrators change their voice for characters but Emily has a lovely tone and speed to her narration.

I really like Lucy's character. She empathises well with her peers but holds and expresses her own feelings without coming across as selfish or unkind, I would say she feels quite mature but I think that would reflect the events she has experienced in her young life.

I enjoyed the relationships and friendships in this book, exploring jealousy and how to deal with forgiveness as well as the importance of dealing with and facing grief and how grief effects everyone around us. I do feel some children will connect with how Lucy feels about her parents and the awkward sadness following their loss. It doesn't try to lull us into a false sense of characters, they are really real with their own flaws, its real. I love that.

I will say I only felt like I really knew the main character Lucy,, her parents and Avery quite well. The other characters didn't come to life for me or have any real depth or benefit to the story. It didn't bother me too much but with a school based book I'd have liked a little more from peer groups that wasn't too obvious. Things seemed to work out a little too easily with school friends, I'd have liked a little more drama from some spiky characters.

A really poiniant and important book for young readers. Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Audiobooks for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

Whew! What a ride. This book will have you giggling at some funny math jokes and then crying as you sit in the grief of all the characters. Lucy's brother Theo recently died from a congenital heart condition and her parents have moved her to a town that is still recovering from a school shooting 4 years prior. Lucy's new bedroom belonged to a girl killed in the shooting and every member of her class has a story to tell her about their experience on that dreadful day. How does Lucy even start to fit in? How can she move on when she is harboring her own secret grief? This story explores grief, the awkwardness of middle school, and finding your voice in such a gentle and caring way. I was a little wary going in how these big topics of grief would be handled, but I thought it was so well done.

Content Warning: Grief, Mass/School Shooting, Bullying

This book follows a middle school girl whose family has moved to find a fresh start after the death of her little brother from a heart defect. She and her parents are having trouble processing their grief. When she starts school in a town where all of the kids have lived through a school shooting, she sees the many varied ways that people deal with loss and trauma. She also befriends the social pariah, not knowing the reason for her outcast status is that her step brother was the shooter. Will she withdraw her friendship after she finds out in hopes of fitting in or will she remain loyal and direct the other kids' attention to the many positive attributes that the outcast has?

This deals with death, shooting, grief, and middle school social hierarchy, but it not overwhelming and should be suitable for readers 12 and older.

It also contains a LOT of math analogies, jokes and references, which may appeal to some more than others.

The narrator did a great job.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I love the play on words of the title and the overall cleverness of the writing. It also captured a variety of grief journeys interwoven with normal issues a middle schooler faces at home and at school. The audiobook version was well done and engaging.

Heartbreaking and uplifting. I’d suggest reading this with kids because it needs a lot of discussion and unpacking. It deals with multiple trigger topics not limited to but including school shootings and death.

This was such a beautiful read! First of all, the narrator was amazing and the story was quite engaging.

We follow the life of Lucy, a twelve-year-old girl who has just lost his little brother and whose parents have decided to move to another city to "start fresh". She is now the new kid in a school full of survivors of a shooting that took place four years ago. Little by little, Lucy comes to terms with her reality, works on her complicated relationship with her parents and starts meeting new people.

I loved this book and I think it would be amazing for middle grade children. It definitely touches difficult topics (mainly grief), but I think it was respectful and it could be very helpful for people who may be going through something similar.

I read a lot of middle grade and this just wasn't up to par in my opinion. It tries to tackle a very serious topic (school shootings) which I appreciate, but the writing is just mediocre. Some of the events and dialogue were just too convenient and even contrived at times. Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me.

Audio: The narrator was great and kept me engaged the entire book.

A beautifully written story about trauma, heartache and loss. Even if the circumstances are different, loss changes people and can be hard to discuss. I loved the narrator and the emotion she brought to the performance

Trigger warning: school shooting survival, loss of child, trauma responses.

This book is definitely one that you will want to have tissues by when reading! During the course of this book we follow two characters who have both dealt with traumatic events in their lives. We watch these two characters open up throughout the course of the novel. I loved the friendship that the two girls created and this book definitely tugged at my heart strings. This book does cover school shootings though so if you are triggered by those I wouldn't recommend reading this book. This is definitely a book I recommend to anyone though. It warmed my heart and broke it all in between the pages!

I listed to AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler through audio. I throughly enjoyed this middle grade book.

After the loss of Lucy's little brother, her family decides to move to another house in a different town. In hopes of starting over and leaving behind sad memories, Lucy's parents make this decision without discussing any plans with Lucy. It just so happens that the new school for Lucy is recovering from a school shooting. A school shooting that Lucy was not a part of. As we walk with Lucy in this new environment, we see how she experiences loss, change, family issues, PTSD, friendships and expressing her own feelings.

We also see how hard this age can be to make new friends and to lose old friends. It is sad that a lot of these topics have to be discussed at this age, but sadly they do. Therapy and counseling for this age, and all ages, is also very common now. I am glad to see this topic also covered in this book.

I loved this book and would recommend it to all ages.

This was a free audio book from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC audiobook of AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler from NetGalley.

This book follows Lucy who lost her brother to a heart defect and her family moves away to have a new start. At Lucy's new school, her classmates are still grieving from a school shooting that occurred before Lucy came. To help cope with all the grief that encompasses her, Lucy turns to the certainty that is math.

This is the first Emily Barth book I have read and every single chapter was stunning and I loved Emily's narration of the story as well! This story tackles so many dark and painful issues in a way that is digestible for younger audiences as well as adults which is an impressive feat. I loved this book so much!

I'm not usually a reader of heavy topics nor middle grade; but the love of math drew me in.

Although the topics were heavy, it was a beautiful read and explored grief and grieving in a heartfelt way. Loved it and pre-ordered it.

This was a pleasant read. I loved listening to this and really needed a nice middle grade to settle down and listen to. I recommend it for people who need a break from typical young and new adult novels.

I received an ARC audiobook of AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler from NetGalley on June 15, 2021.

After her brother's death from a congenital heart defect, twelve-year-old Lucy is not prepared to be the new kid at school—especially in a grade full of survivors of a shooting that happened four years ago. Without the shared past that both unites and divides her classmates, Lucy feels isolated and unable to share her family's own loss, which is profoundly different from the trauma of her peers.

Lucy clings to her love of math, which provides the absolute answers she craves. But through budding friendships and an after-school mime class, Lucy discovers that while grief can take many shapes and sadness may feel infinite, love is just as powerful.

I am a fan of books that deal with heavy topics. In her debut novel, Emily Barth Isler thoughtfully explores the tragedy of a mass shooting at an elementary school, loss, and friendship.

AfterMath is told from the point-of-view of twelve-year-old Lucy. She and her family move into a community that is still attempting to heal after the tragic shooting four years prior. Her family are also trying to heal from the loss of her little brother. The way Lucy is written, she actually sounds like an authentic pre-teen. The story is well-developed and incredibly moving.

I look forward to owning a physical copy of this book and whatever else Emily writes.

This book follows a 12 year old girl who has dealt with the loss of her brother and has to face a big change of moving to a new town and school. Throughout this book, there is a lot of mention of tragic loss between the main character and her classmates and dealing with said losses. This was heartbreaking as no one should have to deal with these feelings, especially as such a young age. But the author has captured the feelings of a normal teenage girl just going through her trauma and her love of maths. I really enjoyed listening to this audible and very excited to listen/ more of Emily Barth’s books in the future.

I listened to this book in one day and loved it. It will stay with me for a while. Beautifully written. Deep and poetic.

AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler was a really thought-provoking look into family and community after a loss. Lucy, a twelve-year-old, is starting off the school year in a new house and going to a new school after the loss of her brother. Oh, and the school that she starts attending is still recovering from a school shooting. Unbeknownst to her, she starts the school year off by sitting at lunch with Avery, who happens to be the school shooter's sister. There's a whole lot of oomph and all of the feels in this book. For me, the most gut-wrenching moment was when Lucy finally goes off on her mom and tells her exactly how she's feeling towards the end of the book. It was heartbreaking but beautifully written. I think this book is good for anyone to read/listen to, but I feel that those that have suffered a loss at a young age will appreciate this story and will hopefully get something a bit more out of it than your average reader.

The author narrated the book as well and I thought she did a great job sounding like an adolescent girl and didn't mind the narration at all. I did notice that three chapters, 9, 11 and 15 were very quiet and it sounded like there were audio problems. I had to skip over those chapters because even with the volume all the way up in my car and on my phone, I could barely hear the audio. Thankfully I still was able to follow along with the rest of the story.

I simply don't have the words for how brilliant this book is.

Lucy loses her brother to a congenital heart defect, and her parents are looking for a new start. What better place than a community that understands loss? Moving to a community that is familiar with death, her parents think the transition will make their loss feel easier, but Lucy finds it to be anything but. How does she fit in with everyone who experience a school shooting? How can she share her loss, when theirs seems so much greater? Will she every escape the shadow of the shooting or the shadow of losing her brother?

The tragedy of loss, the darkness of trauma, the breadth of one person's decisions, the fragility yet resiliency of children, the power of friendship - this book has it all. What a stunning read, with so many nuggets of brilliant writing, yet perfect for a middle grade audience. Emily Barth Isler did an outstanding job of tackling very difficult and delicate subjects with both truth and tact. I'd recommend it to any of my friend's children. The audio book (read by the author) was also done very well.

I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. I read and reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This was my first time listening to an audio book and I must say I was pretty impressed, I loved the narration!!
This book deals with many important issues, mainly mental health, again I loved the narration!!

I listened to the audiobook of AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler and was utterly surprised to find out later that the book's narrated by her too!! It's a beautiful, yet heart-breaking that the same time. We have all heard about the countless school shootings in USA and that's something so appalling that I could never understand why no gun control measures were ever passed. And I was looking for a read that could give me more than the CNN news stories do. And AfterMath, a middle grade book, being based on a school shooting was just perfect for me. This MG literally amazed me, the narration, storyline, character development was flawless.

***Right from the beginning I would like to give you trigger warnings for this book, the story deals with a lot of traumatic issues like school shooting, violence, suicide etc. So please know that before diving into this book!!

Lucy, a twelve year old, has recently lost her brother to a heart defect which he was born with. After Theo's death, Lucy and her parents move to another place for a fresh start. But when Lucy join her new school she finds out on the first day itself that everyone there was a survivor of a school shooting four years ago. I cried while listening to the kids talk about the shooting in the book, it was shattering to know that there are kids who are dealing with this as I read this book. It's a burden they'll bear for the rest of their lives, the loss of a friend, a brother, a sister, a child.

Every chapter was beautifully written and I was lost in the book till the last word. In the book, Lucy's character is one which I'll cherish knowing for the rest of my life. And it's not only Lucy, Avery"s character was another aspect of the story which wouldn't ever let me go. After reading this book, I've simply fallen in love with the author!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook! I am so thankful for it.