I haven't read a lot of books that deal with grief, because it tends to be a very sensitive topic for me, having lost friends and family in recent years. But I was blown away by how Medema wrote grieving, it felt honest and true to how I grieved the loss of a friend.

My only real issue was the pacing, it felt a bit slow and I never felt the desire to pick up the book when I wasn't reading. I think at least 50 pages could've been cut out.

I think everyone who reads this will feel different about the ending, I think some will love it and others will hate it. I find myself in the middle, I think the ending was surprising, but also felt like an anti-climax, it left a lot to desire but was yet somewhat satisfying.

Overall a good book. I cried but more because of my personal experiences than the emotions of the book itself, I think if this interests someone they should absolutely read it.

Wow. A stunning take on grief, losing a friend, girlfriend, secret lover, daughter. Vanessa was truly the center of this plot/singular character combo. While Bailey, her “comedic relief best friend” (her words!), has grown through her grief, Vanessa is the focus of this novel. The way the author gives the reader snippets of her personality, and how each time we find a new piece to the puzzle the image has changed. This is more than a story about death and grieving, I saw this as a story busting up the single story narrative. Can one person every truly, wholly know another person?

This ARC was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review, thanks publisher!!

Bailey and Vanessa were the closest of friends, they considered themselves sisters. Bailey the STEM student who will take after her mom in the coding industry, and Vanessa, bookish girl who dreamed of writing her own book one day. Until Vanessa's car gets into a terrible accident and she dies. But she was not where she was supposed to be. Now Bailey, dealing with her grief, codes a program to talk and text to her like Vanessa would have in the hopes of figuring out what she was doing on that road when she should have been heading home. An incredible book about grief, loss, love, and moving on.

I absolutely loved this book! I did call the twist at the end, and it made me hate those particular characters for about 5 minutes, but this book was just so beautiful. Bailey was a wonderful character who I just adored, along with Mason. I loved how the author described grief and longing, loneliness and love. I especially loved the ending when Bailey is finally coming to terms with things and she is able to move on a little. One of my favorite reads of this year.

"It's not the secrets that matter when people we love die, but the memories we keep in our heart." —Dante Medema, Message Not Found

Message Not Found by Dante Medema is hands down one of the top reads for 2022, and it is absolutely worthy of your time and attention.

Ok just listen. A YA book that openly confronts grief, friendship, the idea of betrayal, and AI? Just those aspects makes it a little wild, maybe slightly unhinged, but with some Dante Magic it all comes together to create a beautiful book.

Dante Medema brings Bailey to life in a way that I think truly cements how literature has changed for the better. While her prose is contemporary and fresh, it’s also full of beautiful phrases, descriptions, and emotions that even with all the technology references I can see how Message Not Found will be a timeless classic in its own right.

With just two books in her catalogue, Medema is one of those authors that knows who she is and understands exactly how to deliver the stories she wants to share with the world. That aspect in itself is magic—just like each of her books.

"Moments are like snowflakes; they look the same to everyone, but up close, they're different. And if you don't take the chance to look close when they fall, you miss them." —Dante Medema, Message Not Found

What would a senior in high school know and understand about grief? More than you think. Bailey’s journey is one that hits you in the feels but makes your heart soar too. Best Friends are like family. The friendship between girls run closer to a sisterhood more than anything and yet when one friend is tragically ripped away from this earth, picking up the pieces and living life is not without mess.

I adored how grief is addressed in Message Not Found. I’m well-versed in this particular emotion and while I was prepared to be wrecked emotionally by Bailey’s story. Instead, I felt more like a proud momma. Like I could have easily been Jes-Mom while watching Bailey navigate through her last semester as a senior in high school. Grief isn’t a main character here— it's just the catalyst for all of Bailey’s decisions, feelings, and actions that make this story so unique...because we all do crazy things in face of grief.

Even if you’re not a fan of YA, Message Not Found is truly a special book that deserves your time and attention. Friendship is transcendent of age and so is grief. This beautiful book speaks volumes on both topics. I definitely think Message Not Found is worth the read, and then pass it along to your all your friends. Message Not Found is a book that should be talked about. Go forth and talk about it, book friends!

Brava, Dante!

The night Vanessa left Bailey’s house will live forever in Bailey’s mind as a night of ellipses and regret. The two best friends shared everything with each other. Dreams for the best senior year ever, college, failures, successes, and certainty that Pop Rocks could pull anyone out of the doldrums. But after leaving Bailey’s house for a short drive to her own, Vanessa died in a fiery car crash—miles from home.

Bailey creates a chatbot using all their text messages and emails. In her grief, she hopes ‘chatting’ with V will help her deal with her best friend’s death. And find answers for why Vanessa died on a lonely mountain pass.

Despite her on-again-off-again boyfriend’s warning to just let it go, Bailey finds comfort in her obsessive search for answers. She never expects to unearth she and Vanessa shared far more than she ever imagined.

What I Liked About This Book

Told through a combination of texts, DMs, emails, and narrative, Medema creates a compelling picture of the modern teen’s life interrupted by grief. Bailey discovers grief becomes a companion in one’s life—it isn’t something one ‘gets through.’ Rather, it appears and disappears with varying degrees of intimacy as life goes on for the living.

I maintain authors can write and sell quality books for YA readers without resorting to gratuitous foul language. The author uses the f-word three times and friends call each other a**holes 15 times. Characters engage in pre-marital sex (with no mention of protection), and Bailey has two moms. The reader wonders how this came about (which draws attention from the story) because her birth mother fell in love with and married Bailey’s dad, who died unexpectedly before Bailey’s birth.

While I appreciate the author’s treatment of how one deal’s with grief and the tension of Bailey’s quest for the truth, I wish the author could have done so without the gratuitous swearing and sexual betrayal.

Message Not Found tells the story of Bailey, a teenager whose whole life shatters when her best friend is killed in a car crash while leaving her house one night. Devastated, Bailey decides to create an app that will allow her to talk to an AI version of "Vanessa" even after death. All the app needs is a bunch of data, and Bailey has that -emails and texts and messages the two sent each other for years. But it's not enough to reveal what happened the night Vanessa died. So Bailey decides to get more information, ultimately revealing a devastating secret.

The book's strengths are most found in the voices of its characters. The reveal was a little predictable, but given the age target may not be as predictable for the expected audience demographic. Still, the end wasn't as satisfying as I'd have liked. But the beginning was solid, and the use of technology felt contemporary. Easily matches a 13 Reasons Why tone, and will appeal to fans of that book.

Bailey and Vanessa are the best of friends. They've been together through thick and thin. But everything changes when Vanessa leaves Bailey's house one night to go home and never makes it there. Bailey is left to mourn the loss of her best friend and try to figure out what happened that night. Why was Vanessa going up the pass, not home like she said? To help Bailey process her grief, she creates a text bot loaded with Vanessa's old texts and emails. Talking to the bot helps Bailey deal with her pain and just might help her answer the question of what secret Vanessa was keeping from her. But is Bailey ready for the answer to that question?
This book will grip the reader from the start. The feelings of loss and hurt that Bailey experiences throughout the story will resonate with the readers. With themes of loss, friendship, love and identity all wrapped up with a mystery, the reader will be sucked in. The characters are all well-written and easy to like and connect with, even with their flaws. I enjoyed all of the beautifully written nuggets of wisdom the author sprinkled throughout Bailey's journey. I highly recommend this book.

I love this story! It has it all: conflicts, obstacles, an atmospheric setting, and characters the reader will sympathize with--even the supporting characters are strong. The writing style includes a variety of formats that will appeal to current YA readers.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

This book was not at all what I was expecting but it was also so much more.

The author has a good mix of prose and text message/email style which works out great because it keeps the pace of the story up and I flew through this one.

The themes of grief hit hard. This book does a good job of showing both the good and bad says of grief. The powerful message of how the people you think are perfect aren't really that. The version of a person you see isn't always the same version everyone else sees and I enjoyed how that was showcased through the help of an AI.

The author plays a lot on the topic of high school drama, while also adding real life issues and a touch of mystery.

If you're reading this, clear your evening. You won't want (or be able) to put it down. Told through a mix of text messages and prose, we follow Bailey as she processes the grief of her best friend's death by creating an AI version to chat with. The idea of talking to someone after their death is nothing new, but the machine learning twist on it makes it feel wholly unique and simultaneously realistic. And as Bailey looks into Vanessa's passing, the truth about her best friend comes out... for better or for worse. I think this book does an excellent job of depicting different methods of grief, and how it comes in shades. This book is absolutely devastating and should be read while wrapped in a cozy blanket. And while you're at it, grab some Pop Rocks. You'll need them.

*Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This was a really beautiful and engaging read that I think young people will truly enjoy. It tackles some tough topics in a way that feels approachable and relatable.

I absolutely love this book. The realistic way it portrays the grief of the main character is wonderful.

Such a heartbreaking story. Beautifully written and well paced. The sense of mystery doesn't take away from the message of the story. Definitely an emotional read.

When I read a YA book, I often think about it in terms of - would I have liked this book when I was younger? The answer to this book is a resounding yes. I would have lapped up all the pain and grief and heartache and feelings (oh my goodness, so many feelings!). The grownup me, however, read it from a slight distance and didn't love how neatly the ending tied everything together and explained everything. But you know what? When you're young, you need to feel like there are real answers to be found. And so, I get it. This book doesn't have to be for present-day me. It can be for people who are young in the present.

Message not found was heartbreaking in all the right ways. Bailey and Vanessa are best friends and share everything together until Vanessa is in a fatal accident on her way home from Bailey's house. Vanessa's car isn't found anywhere near her house which bothers Bailey and leads her to create a text based program that feels like the real Vanessa. This entire novel really deals with grief and the ones who are left to pick up the pieces. Bailey's grief, confusion, and near obsession with finding answers is so true to life. Dante Medema hit this one out of the park. Well done.

An engaging YA read about the complications of teenage friendship and romantic relationships. This novel is part mystery, part self-discovery, and part heartbreak.

The format of having texts included as part of the story will speak to teens.

Loved this book.

Bailey and Vanessa are best friends dreaming of life outside of Alaska, while enjoying their senior year until everything changes the night Vanessa dies in a car accident. Vanessa received a text message in the middle of the night and made an excuse to leave Bailey’s house, but instead of going straight home, she went the opposite direction and her car ended up over a cliff. Bailey is left devastated and she begins searching for answers. She agonizes over why Vanessa left the house that night and blames herself because they were texting. To help grieve her loss, Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails. She takes the programming from her mom who is a big time computer programer. The more she “feeds” the bot the more she feels connected to Vanessa. She begins to unravel the secrets that Vanessa was keeping while trying to keep her head above water. Bailey becomes obsessive with finding out the truth, but once she discovers Vanessa's deep dark secret will she ever be able to think of her friend the same again?

Whoa, this book was hard to put down. The characters were intriguing, but flawed and the story was fast-paced. I felt as a reader I could really feel the sadness, anger, and confusion of Bailey. She wanted answers and she sort of became obsessed with finding them. The introduction of the chat bot was a very interesting concept and the author showed how it could become very unhealthy to try to communicate with someone who is no longer there. I liked that Bailey had a strong support system who helped her during this tough time and that she was able to open herself up to new friendships even though she was hurting. I suspected that Vanessa had been lying the night she died and I felt very sad for both Bailey and Mason about Vanessa's betrayal. The story is broken into weeks which I felt helped to follow Bailey's grieving process. These were flawed characters, but the author shows how you don't need to harbor anger and resentment when you've been wronged. Forgiveness is key and I think stories about kindness are important to read. Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books, and Dante Medema for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in under 24 hours- I absolutely could not put it down!

Bailey and Vanessa are BFFs and one day Vanessa dies in a car wreck. The information from that day is not adding up, so Bailey “borrows” a coding app that her mom developed to try and piece together what really happened.

Dante Medema's books are an auto buy for me, especially after this heart wrenching story! Medema has a way of weaving words in a way that wraps your heart in ribbons, then squeezes it until you can't breathe. Even though this book isn't written in verse like her debut novel, it still reads with the same energy.

Thank you to the author for the ARC! (I'm part of her street team for this book so I was approved for the ARC through NetGalley)

Content warnings: death, graphic description of a burnt body (in a nightmare)

I started reading this book at an odd time, and it took me almost a month to finish, but I don't want that to influence my review. Normally this would take me less than a week to read, but I was in an odd head space and it took me a while to get into the story. The concept is really interesting: Bailey's best friend Vanessa dies in a car accident leaving Bailey's house late one night. Bailey, who is fairly adept at coding, modifies a program that one of her moms created to make a bot of Vanessa using their texting history because Vanessa left in a hurry and Bailey is sure Vanessa was keeping something from her. Bailey becomes obsessed with V, the version of Vanessa she has created, and in her grief does things that are extremely out of character, especially once she finds out that Vanessa may have been hiding something even bigger than Bailey expected.

I really love the format of this book. It's told through regular prose as well as text conversations between Bailey and her friends, including V, the version of Vanessa that lives only in Bailey's phone. The story unravels slowly at first with Bailey stuck for a long time in her grief at losing her best friend and using her conversations with V to soften the harsh reality of Vanessa's death.

The way grief is handled in this book is really interesting to me. The author did a really great job of showing how grief is not a linear thing. You don't follow a path of healing in a straight line. Bailey regularly regresses throughout the book: she gets back together with her ex-boyfriend, partially out of a need to feel something familiar and comfortable; she also will have moments where she feels like she's moving on from her best friend's death but will then feel like it hits her anew and it's like she's lost Vanessa all over again.

The author also, I think, did a really great job of showing how people's relationships can change after the death of someone they had in common. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think that was particularly well done.

As well as being an examination of grief, MESSAGE NOT FOUND is also a mystery. Bailey is determined to find out why Vanessa left her house in a rush that night and why she was on a road Bailey thought Vanessa had no business being on. The more Bailey finds out the more the mystery deepens, and I don't want to spoil anything, but at one point I actually threw my iPad down on my bed, flailed my arms in the air and screamed silently (to avoid scaring my roommate and the cat). I thought I knew where this mystery was going, but the rug was completely pulled out from under me!

I definitely recommend this book, and it's a bit of a wait until it comes out (March 29, 2022), but add it to your list! If you were a fan of Dante Medema's debut THE TRUTH PROJECT, I think you will like this one as well. It's a solid sophomore effort, and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!