Dante's voice is commanding and her new book gripped me from the very beginning. Reading through her best friend's death and how she dealt with it especially with such a high concept. Use of chatbot tech for her to deal with is brilliant.

I will recommend this book to everyone.

Bailey is a senior at Tundra Cove Highschool in Alaska. She recently broke up with her boyfriend and is looking forward to a night with her BFF Vanessa, munching Pop Rocks and watching Book Smart. It is a tense time for the girls, waiting to hear from colleges, trying to decide about their future. Vanessa brings over a few small bottles of champagne and the girls are settling in to ride out one of Alaska' typical snowstorms when Vanessa gets a text from her boyfriend Mason. He is at Vanessa's and needs her desperately. Bailey tries to get her to stay, but Vanessa rushes off. When Bailey's texts aren't returned she fears the worst then finds out it is so much more. Vanessa's car went off a frozen pass miles from her usual route home and she was killed instantly. Numb with grief, Bailey struggles to carry on without her friend. As she reviews social media and text messages something seems off. Bailey copies her famous mother's app to download texts, stories, any piece of Vanessa she can find, so the program can create a digital version of her friend. The more information she loads into the program, the more real the Vanessa-bot's responses become until Bailey learns that there was so much more to her friend than she knew, and maybe wishes she hadn't discovered. Message Not Received is a touching story about trying to carry on after the loss of a beloved friend. Dante Medema tells the story through text messages and emails as well as regular prose. The characters are very well developed. I liked the way that Bailey's two moms support her as do her other friends. The author deals with the grief and loss as well as teenaged behavior real and honestly. This is an excellent book for any young adult and offers many topic for discussion in the classroom, in book clubs even as a family. This is a book that will stick with you for a long time. I am grateful to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book was so sad but yet so beautiful.

I love how to book jumped into the action and it didn't take too long to explain things. It was to the point and quick. Message Not Found made me laugh, cry and fall in love all in one big swoop. I’ve never had a book hit me in ALL the feels the way the first chapter did. Getting to know Bailey through her messages with her best friend while experiencing her grief and the changing world around her left me in need a of a strong cup of coffee and a packet of Pop Rocks because Lord knows I stayed up all night to finish the book!

Message Not Found
by Dante Medema
Pub Date 29 Mar 2022
HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books
Children's Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA


I am reviewing a copy of Message Not Found through HarperCollins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books and Netgalley:




Bailey and Vanessa shared everything from laughter and secrets as well as packets of Pop Rocks when they were trying to ward off bad days. Sadly that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house.



Bailey thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone else in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.



In order to help with her brief Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails. The more data she uploads to the bot, the more age finds herself feeling as if she’s talking to her best friend. But when the bot starts dropping hints that there was more going on with Vanessa than Bailey realized—a secret so big, it may have contributed to Vanessa’s death.



Will Bailey be able to find out what really led to Vanessa’s death?





I give Message Not Found five out of five stars!




Happy Reading!

This book was so sad, yet so beautiful. I love how to book jumped into the action and it didn't take too long to explain things. It was to the point and quick.

I love reading books where there is mystery with loss. I think those books are always the books that I love the most. When the book is sad and sad, it's just too much. My heart is breaking and nothing in the book is making me happy to read it. In this book, you're sad, but you don't really know the character enough to like cry like some other books where you get attached.

Medema did a really good job at making us feel interested in the death even though we hardly know the character. There were many characters in the book, but towards the end those characters turn into the final 4-5 and you finish all of their stories.

I really enjoyed this book and I wish I could read more. I want to know everything.

xoxo,
Bea

Tw: car accident, drinking and driving, texting and driving, death, grief, cheating
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MESSAGE NOT FOUND follows Bailey after loosing her best friend Vanessa in a devastating accident. To cope with her grief, Bailey starts talking to a chat bot that she modified with data to fit Vanessa’s personality. As she talks to this bot “V,” Bailey starts to see inconsistencies within the night Vanessa died. Was Vanessa keeping secrets from her? Did those secrets lead to her death?
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I really appreciated Medema’s portrayal of grief— It’s messy, angry, hollow grief. This story had me by the throat from the very beginning; I genuinely didn’t want to put this book down at any point. It’s been awhile since I was completely hooked on a story like this. These characters felt true to their age, and they were well done. The writing was excellent and the big reveal had me *shattered.* Though devastating, it ends on a hopeful note. If you need a good cry, pick this book up!
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4.5/5 stars, MESSAGE NOT FOUND by Dante Medema is available March 29, 2022!
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Thank you to Dante, Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.

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 that 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.

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 want to start by saying this book was fine. But just fine. The plot centers on the main character named Bailey. She is trying to move on from the sudden death of her best friend in the world, but some of the circumstances leading up to her death aren't lining up. In an attempt to seek out answers, Bailey uses an artificial intelligence app, fueled by old texts and social media posts, to recreate her best friend and track down the truth.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I will be vague here. This novel had so much potential for me, but kind of let me down. I was invested in the mystery, but the reveal and answers were so...simple. And cliche. It was not particularly special, despite the AI program aspect. I find this feeling of disappointment happens to me a lot when I read realistic fiction, so if you are a lover of that genre, don't let me sway you. I'm just a SciFi/Mystery lover who wanted more from the AI part of this novel.

I loved the idea that a person could create an online version of a loved one who’s passed away, using their online presence. Not in real life., of course, but in a book. Science fiction like this is my favorite genre, and I enjoyed the murder mystery and plot twist as well. This book reminded me of You’ve Reached Sam. Loved them both.

I received an ARC for this book, and I would just like to say, wow! The writing made me miss a friend that I didn’t even have. A bit slow at the beginning and it took a while for things to start happening, but you get an insight into the friendship between Bailey and Vanessa.

This book does well with showing how people struggle with their grief after losing a loved one. It’s great to see all of the characters process each stage in their own way!

4.5/5 overall! Highly recommend.

Love, love, love MESSAGE NOT FOUND. The way Dante was able to construct this story of grief and healing was *chef’s kiss*. As Bailey went through the stages of grief, I went through them, too. What an incredibly heartbreaking book (read: there were LOTS of tears), but the peace it brought at the end was so freeing. I can’t wait to read it again.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was truly elated to find out I'd be getting to read Dante Medema's next novel, Message Not Found, before its release. Usually I have to prepare myself mentally and be in the right headspace before reading grief lit, but I decided to jump right into this book, and it was very rewarding. Simply put, I found this story to be absolutely beautiful.

As a computer science nerd with an interest in machine learning, I was fascinated by the premise of this novel, and I'm glad to report that this book is well-researched and the plot is delivered authentically. It's a simplified version of machine learning that Bailey uses, yes, but the core concepts are there, and I'm glad this didn't veer into some make-believe territory where the bot knew things that weren't fed to its model. The story is driven by Bailey's need to improve the model with more data from Vanessa's life — the things that Vanessa kept secret. That's what the bulk of this story is.

I picked up Medema's debut, The Truth Project, last year without realizing it was a novel in verse, and quickly fell in love with the way that she wrote the world. Her poetry in that book was exceedingly well done and it was one of the first books I used the Quotes feature on Goodreads for, because I wanted to save its every word. While this title is not written in verse, her writing translates well to prose. It keeps a poetic feel using perceptive metaphors (like the moment before a kiss being a starved orange flame) while also maintaining a lot of good inside jokes (like Pop Rocks as a cure-all) and crafting tension that keeps it engaging.

When I read books about grief I sometimes get bored. I don't think I was ever bored reading this. Bailey's journey through mourning Vanessa is a diverse range of emotions that she expresses in many different ways all at once. It shows that there are tons of ways to grieve.

The ending of this book is devastating in a wonderful way, almost bringing me to tears (if you know me, you know how rare this is), and that's what nudged this book up to five stars for me. I really appreciated every bit of this story, and it culminates wonderfully. I can't wait to see this book in print next year so I can hold it in my hands and give it a hug. This twisty, poetic, and ultimately hopeful novel is something I hope to see on everyone's shelves in the spring.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Giving a rating to this book is hard, I couldn't stop reading for the first 70% and then we reached the big reveal moment and I hated it so much it just ruined the book for me. Don't get me wrong, the writing was good and I loved seeing Bailey deal with her greif but that reveal just made everything fall apart. I know this book will be loved by many, I truly enjoyed the 70% of the book.

This book somehow was super fun to read while also being very devastating. I found myself never wanting to put it down while simultaneously afraid of what was going to happen next. There were some pretty crazy twists that I did not expect at all and I definitely don't cry very often at all when I'm reading but this book did make me cry. The way that the grief over a loved one's death was depicted was scarily relatable and I just felt so much for Bailey. I also really appreciated the simplicity of the story. After reading so many fantasies about teenagers saving the world, it was quite refreshing to read about events that really only happen in Bailey's small community and circle of friends.

There were a few typos I found in my copy but I'm not sure if that was just an error with my own digital copy. I'm rating this four stars– not necessarily because I found anything wrong with it. It just didn't blow me away or was on the same level of some of my other five star books.

Dante has done it again. Another breathtaking, nail-biting book filled with stunning prose, realistic characters, and plot twists galore. Just when you think you know something, she uproots it all and takes you in a new direction.

Achingly realistic and full of her trademark voice that screams YA, Dante has lived up to her debut. Something not many authors can achieve. She's become an instant-read for me and LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT MARCUS FOR A MINUTE. HE IS MY BEAN CHILD FOREVER AND EVER AND I LOVE HIM.

Okay, screaming done. But seriously, I stayed up till 2:30AM reading this beauty because I couldn't stop. AMAZING.

Rating 5

I loved this book. This book will take your emotions on a roller coaster and when it’s time to get off you will stay seated to go again. Bailey and Vanessa were friends since they were little and they shared absolutely everything with one another. They weren’t just friends, they were practically sisters. On a snowy night Vanessa leaves Bailey’s house for her own and on the way she ends up swerving her car over a cliff. However, Vanessa’s car isn’t found by her house but instead a pass that Vanessa would have no reason to be on. Bailey is now grieving the loss of her best friend while trying to understand where Vanessa was truly headed that night. Wanting answers Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa that incorporates all of their text messages, emails, and all of her social media posts/comments. It starts to feel like Bailey is actually talking to Vanessa again and she will stop at nothing to get her answers.
Watching Bailey go through everything she did was truly heartbreaking. I cannot imagine losing someone so close to you and never getting the closure/answers you wanted. Grief will make you do crazy things and I completely understand why Bailey did what she did. If I could have the opportunity to chat with a passed loved one then I would. Especially if that loved one was hiding secrets from me. Of course, the more she talks to V the harder it will be to let go but sadly, that is something one has to learn the hard way. I hope this book shows the importance of not drinking then driving and not texting and driving. While it’s unclear how Vanessa crashed her car I’m sure drinking champagne before and texting while driving in those wintery conditions didn’t help. The guilt Bailey felt for letting Vanessa leave when she knew the roads were bad and on top of that when she might have been tipsy was devastating. She was also texting Vanessa out of worry but still that could have caused Vanessa to look at her phone instead of the road. Bailey blamed herself for Vanessa’s death as anyone would in that situation and I think this made her want those answers even more. Luckily, Bailey had a great support system throughout this story. Both of Bailey’s moms were supportive and never once made Bailey feel like a monster. Instead they let her grieve her friend and did their best to help her move on. Mason, Vanessa’s boyfriend before she passed, became a great support system for Bailey. Together they were able to remember the good times and bad times. They both struggled with letting go and realizing maybe Vanessa wasn’t this great person like they thought she was. I’m so glad Bailey was able to open up and become friends with Esther because it showed her that she can eventually have a great best friend with someone else. That eventually no matter what her life has to move on but that doesn’t mean it can’t move on for the better. Their friendship seemed natural and effortless. I did enjoy Vanessa’s character and her bubbly personality. While she did do some questionable things (going to stay vague-no spoilers) it is important to remember she was a teenager and is only human. Overall, this story has an emotional storyline with real characters going through real life events. The incorporation of the AI was creative and having Bailey be a coder/into computers was nice to see.

Should you read “Message Not Found”?
Yes, but prepare the tissues because you might cry. While this book does have a slight mystery it mostly focuses on Bailey’s grief and what it means to lose that special person. The story was well written and will leave you filled with almost every emotion.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

This book is a beautiful story about friendship, coping after loss, and learning to move forward. Message Not Found is one of my favorite reads this year and I am incredibly happy to have had the chance to read the ARC.

After the loss of her friend Vanessa, the main character Bailey “borrows” the data of an AI created by her mom to continue to text her. Using it she discovers that Vanessa was not the perfect person she'd previously thought her to be.

Message Not Found is an incredible book. I read it in a matter of hours and cried multiple times. Bailey's grief felt so raw and the way she put Vanessa on a pedestal felt so realistic. All of the characters in this story felt well fleshed out and they all had depth to them. Even the background characters that you would think to be insignificant had more to them. They all had their own strengths and flaws, which isn't something I see often from characters outside of the protagonist.

The only thing that I didn't quite understand is how the AI software seemed to be so highly advanced for something that had supposedly been sitting around since Bailey was born. After the first initial awkward conversation between Bailey and the AI most of the responses felt very real and conversational, which isn't something you get from many modern AI without first training them to learn conversational habits. But perhaps I'm just nitpicking.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the finalized copy of this book. It beautifully written and a great reading experience. I would honestly recommend this book to everyone I know, and I believe that public and school libraries should all have a copy of it.

5 Stars

A beautiful novel about friendship, forgiveness, and grief.

After loving The Truth Project, I went into this book with high expectations. I was particularly interested in how her writing style would translate to prose. I’m happy to say I was not disappointed. Using another unique storytelling form—this time using messaging—Medema crafted another beautiful story with lyrical writing, compelling characters, and an atmospheric contemporary setting.

I particularly appreciated the nuanced exploration of grief, humanity, and memory.

This book gets inside your heart and twists it this way and that. It is such a beautiful testimony to friendship, love, loss, and hope. I loved the richness of all the characters and their emotional bonds toward it other. I think it is important to remember, above all, forgive yourself. Be true to who you are. That what I will carry away from this novel. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review. Also thanks to the author, who was sweet enough to share via Twitter, my first earthquake with me during my October 2020 Anchorage visit.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of MESSAGE NOT FOUND by Dante Medema in exchange for my honest review.***

When Bailey’s best friend Vanessa dies texting while driving drunk, Bailey creates an artificial intelligence app to continue to “talk” to her deceased BFF while struggling with grief.

MESSAGE NOT FOUND is a beautifully written book that I couldn’t put down and read in one sitting. Some of her phrases about life and death are so profound I had to highlight them, which I never do with ARCs. Medema has an excellent grasp on grief, how we sometimes place those we’ve lost on pedestals and what to do when they fall from grace. I enjoyed MESSAGE NOT FOUND more than Medema’s debut THE TRUTH PROJECT, because I believe prose is a better way to tell a complex story.

Bailey is a fully fleshed narrator, with strengths and weaknesses as did Vanessa. Her two moms also had distinct personalities and I never wondered which was which. Some of the other characters I had more difficulty understanding. I never understood Bailey’s attraction to Cade, other than his popularity and hockey skills, he never made sense to me.

If I was rating only on the reading experience, MESSAGE NOT FOUND would be 5 stars.

A few examples of why I dropped a star:

-Cade
-Texting and Drinking and driving is never really addressed, which could have been done without making it a Big Issue Book a missed opportunity
-Nearly 18 year old Bailey is okay with her moms tracking her phone and reading her texts. The moms should be letting go, especially since one was a therapist and Bailey should be pushing back

MESSAGE NOT FOUND is an excellent, modern book on grief and should be in every school library and on every therapist’s bibliotherapy list.