What an emotional, heartwarming story! I loved the connection between all of the characters. I felt like I was watching a movie while I listened to the audiobook.

Ethan Joella has done it again—<i>A Quiet Life</i> is an ode to the grief we carry through our lives. Joella’s writing reminds me, every time, of Fredrik Backman, with his characters who wriggle their way into your heart and claim a corner of it, permanently, for themselves, and the way he weaves empathy and compassion into every paragraph. This was an absolutely stunning story that I will never forget.

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A huge thank you to Ethan Joella, Scribner, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story quietly unfolds the tale of Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten, who are all experiencing grief. Joella captures the nuances of everyday grief so well that, as a reader, you feel like you're in the same room experiencing the pain alongside the characters. I love the way he weaves together their lives - six degrees of separation phenomenon. Ultimately, Joella's message is one of hope: it's okay to miss someone, the kindness of people provides the connections we crave, and endings can bring new beginnings. It's such a beautiful story!

Since this is an audiobook review, I want to mention that I devoured this one. @readerbythewarer always points out that a good audiobook will cause you to seek out household chores or errands in order to keep listening. Well, this audio deserves 🧽🧽🧽🧽🧽 - five sponges! Seriously, all three narrators did a fantastic job of conveying the raw emotions and heartfelt moments of the story, which ultimately leads to a peaceful and hopeful conclusion.

Reading Ethan Joella is the literary equivalent of drinking a cup of hot cocoa. His stories and characters are full of warmth and life. They are also best enjoyed around fall and winter. I read A LITTLE HOPE and loved it, so I had high hopes for A QUIET LIFE. They were met! It was just as moving and entertaining. I loved this character-driven, life-affirming story. Thank you to Scribner for my gifted copy!

I received an advanced copy of A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella from the publisher Scribner via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: This novels follows three people in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania who are dealing with different types of grief and trying to find their way forward. Chuck Ayers is mourning the loss of his wife who passed several months ago. He can’t let go of her belongings, he has regrets of how he handled fights with her, and he isn’t sure if he can go on their annual already booked trip to Hilton Head. Ella Burke is staying busy, working two jobs to stay busy as she anxiously waits for news of her missing daughter. Meanwhile Kirsten Bonato has put aside her ambitions for veterinary school in the face of the sudden death of her father.

What I Loved: I loved this so much, it was so special and touched my soul. This book is a beautiful grief exploration and shows how people deal with grief differently. All of these characters are super lovable and I truly cared for each of them. There were several times where I got quite emotional and teared up. This book highlights how community can save you and how grief can be a shared experience even if it feels isolating. This book made me think about how I live my life and my relationships with people who are in my life.

What I Didn’t Like: I’ve got nothing, I truly loved this book.

Who Should Read It: Everybody. People who like grief explorations.

Summary: Three people dealing with grief find themselves connected.

Ethan Joella is simply a master of the written word. He takes the very best of humanity and portrays it in his characters. A Quiet Life is a tale of friends and neighbors. It is winter in Pennsylvania and Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten are all dealing with their own nightmares. Chuck recently lost his wife and is simply lost without her. He is slugging through day-by-day and wondering what he is supposed to do without Cat. There are unfinished conversations and an upcoming trip he cannot decide whether to take or not. Ella is stuck in the worst time of her life. Her ex-husband took her young daughter months ago and has completely disappeared. Ella and the police have no idea where they have gone. Kirsten recently lost her father in a robbery shooting. She spends her days working at the dog shelter and feeling like she doesn't know what she wants. She feels bereft without him.

Joella really gets to the heart of people. He writes beautifully about the love they have for the people they have lost and the simple joys that they miss. While it sounds so sad (and is) there is still a heartwarming comfort to be found in friends and neighbors for each of these characters. Joella shows us how we connect as humans and that, even in pain, there are tiny moments of joy and sunlight that add up to a bigger meaning. I loved this book. The writing is fantastic and the stories all interconnect in the end in such a wonderful way. I loved the characters and their resiliency in some difficult times.

This is a book that will remind you of the good in life and in humanity. It is exactly what the world needs at a time like this. I highly recommend you read it and savor the pages as you do.

I enjoyed this authors book, A Little Hope, and enjoyed this one as well. I love the writing and the flow of the story; Joella is a writer I will return to again and again.

I could not keep up with the different characters or how they all connected and I wasn’t at all interested in keeping up.

Really enjoyed this book. It was very heartwarming. Looking forward to reading the other books by this author. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I ran into some personal issues and was unable to read the book or write a review....my apologies to the publisher.

A heartfelt story and great follow-up to his debut novel A Little Hope. This was an emotional and heart wrenching novel about grief, loss, community, and perseverance. I loved it.

This is the sophomore offering for this author and after I read his debut I had a good feeling that I would really like this one as well. Much like the first book, this was an absolute pleasure to read. This author has created such a beautiful, layered, intense, and complex tapestry regarding interconnected characters in a Pennsylvania town. This book is character driven and there are interactions between the characters that are breathtaking and so intense. Each of the characters is at a crossroads or has some sort of major change going on in their lives where they have to find a way to move forward. I love the empathy and the compassion demonstrated by these characters and the subtle attention to detail that this author provides in his writing. I need more from this author in the future. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley

A Quiet Life, by Ethan Joella ⁣
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I read A Quiet Life as part of the @MomAdvice Book Club March selection. As usual, Amy Allen Clark hit it right on the head! This sweet, gentle novel touched my heart in so many ways. ⁣
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Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten are all suffering from devastating loss. When their paths cross in unforeseen ways, they each begin a journey toward hope and light. Evocatively powerful and full of hope, A Quiet Life examines how grief shapes our actions and lives, and showcases the resiliency of the human spirit and the capacity for tender, loving kindness between even strangers. I adore books about found family and this hit all the right notes for me. This will not be my last @joellawriting novel. ⁣
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#aquietlife #ethanjoella #alittlehope #momadvice #momadvicebookclub ⁣
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#TBCreads #pathologicallyliterate ⁣
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#bookstagram #books #bookish #bookpics #booklist #booknerd #bookworm #booklover #librarylover #reading #weneeddiversebooks #alwaysreading #getlit #happyreading #readersofinstagram #wndb

NetGalley I have to thank you for the ARC to review. Three different stories that overlap so easily. It lets you know how small the world is, even when things go so fast. I like that the audiobook has multiple readers, it let me get more into the stories.

I did not end up reading this novel. The rating is not a reflection of the story itself, but rather an indication that other books/stories dominated my interest and reading time. Which I think is an important factor when selecting your next read.

Received as a free digital ARC from NetGalley.

I loved this book! Three people in a small Pennsylvania suffer devastation and work through their grief to come out the other side. The characters were well developed and I was invested in their stories. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but its very pretty and perfect for the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader's copy of this book.

This author is an auto-buy for me now. I just love this type of gentle literary fiction, where emotions run high and there's plenty of drama but the story goes down easy and doesn't stress me out with twists and turns. He's a very skilled writer.

i first read (and loved!) A LITTLE HOPE back in 2021 and it was a book that flew under the radar! i was really excited to read Ethan Joella’s second book, A QUIET LIFE.

this story may seem simple, but it’s anything but. it’s a story of three characters who have experienced loss and tragedy and have to find their way through grief in different ways. surprisingly, their stories intersect in really surprising ways and they have the chance to show kindness and help each other in really beautiful ways.

this book is heavily character driven which i tend to struggle with but i was so invested in all three characters and how they fought their way through their grief and trying to turn their sadness into something beautiful. it was an emotional
yet beautiful reminder that grief is an ongoing journey that looks completely different for each individual - and you never know how the impact of an act of kindness can completely change someone.

This is one of the best books I've read all year. I have recommended it countless times since finishing and will continue to do so. I haven't stopped thinking about it. A stunning and poignant picture of life, grief, and moving forward, there's something for everyone that will pick up this book.

I have another book by Joella on my bookshelf that's been sitting there for awhile and after reading this one, I was moved to push the other book to the top of my TBR simply because of how beautiful Joella's writing is. He eloquently puts words to the feelings that all humans experience: love, loss, grief, growth. Though I didn't personally identify with any of the narrators' stories, I did find myself empathizing with their feelings. The reader feels every emotion of the characters so deeply as they develop throughout the book.

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella somehow got lost in the myriad of books I have on my TBR.
As the title suggests, this is a quiet book about three distinctive characters. One a widow, one mourning a daughter gone missing and another that is lost due to her dad's sudden death. The writing is this book is tender and evocative. As you read, you'll be asking yourself when it happened - that moment that you were totally hooked.
Of course these characters intertwine and it makes for a successful story.
Formal review and links coming soon.