Mark Parsons, a debut author, immerses the reader in a beautiful trip through grief and moving forward. J, his sister Ollie, and his Dad are still processing the grief in their lives left by the death of J's mother of cancer. As a tribute to his mother, J begins a street photography campaign called the 9:09 Project; 9:09 because at the exact moment of his mother's death, he watched as life continued on down on the street below. As he makes his project public, he begins to see that his work can help move othes forwards and perhaps even help his own family. A stunningly beautiful picture of grief through the eyes of a teenage boy. Anyone who has lost someone will connect wiith Parson's words.

I liked Jamison and his family. I liked the progression of dealing with their guilt. I thought the story was kind of slow though. I could tell which characters J was going to have interaction with but I felt like it took a while to get through the story. I liked the photography and how that shaped him and helped him deal with his grief. I liked the family dynamics also. I really did like this book and it's look into grief and dealing with loss. I liked the friendships and the relationships also. I just felt like the whole book moved kind of slowly. This was one I would read sections of and come back to, it wasn't one to really read all in one sitting.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

Thank you, Delacorte Press, for allowing me to read The 9:09 Project early!

I requested this title only because of its premise, but I'm definitely happy I did request it. I really loved how the novel delves into grief and all its nuances, coping mechanisms, healing and the discovery of the self.