Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Quiet Life.

I've never read the author's books before but the premise was intriguing so I was pleased my request was approved.

This is about three very different people struggling with loss and grief in a small PA neighborhood; Chuck Ayers recently lost his wife to cancer; Kirsten is mourning her beloved dad, killed in a sudden act of violence, and Ella is hoping her young daughter is alive and well, missing after her ex-husband kidnapped her.

The writing is great, filled with warmth, heart, and emotion; the author describes the characters and their loved ones well, adding depth and insight as to what made each person special to the loved ones mourning them.

Nothing much happens; I mean, stuff happens, mostly at the end, but this is about how each person struggles with how to live after losing the one they love.

There are a lot of flashbacks, regrets recounted after the fact, and retelling of happy memories.

In a way, the narrative became repetitious; Chuck thinking constantly about whether he should return to the vacation home he and his wife visited every year; Kirsten's confused feelings about David and Grayson, and Ella wondering where her daughter, Riley, was and thinking about all the things they used to do together.

I liked Kirsten's storyline the least; her attachment to David screamed 'Daddy' issues and the tease of a love triangle between her, David and Grayson was too creepy for my taste.

What I did like the most was how the men were all good people (minus Ella's ex); Chuck, his buddy Sal, David and Grayson, Kirsten's dad. They were loving, respectful, kind and supportive.

I wouldn't mind a Grayson in my life.

A Quiet Life is about regular people struggling to survive, coping with loss and grief, and finally realizing that there's nothing wrong with accepting help from neighbors and friends.

We all need support and understanding, and sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places, and from people we don't even know.

I would like to thank Ethan Joella, Scribner Books, & NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This story was sad, and heartwarming. Captivating, and beautiful. A tale of loss, growth, and love.

The story starts with three individuals going through their own traumatic loses. Joella beautifully weaves their stories together, and allows you to find the beauty along the way.

"Be someone's cardinal."

Beautifully written examination of grief and healing. Ethan Joella's background as a professor is evident in making each and every character live. This kind of quiet, nonconfrontational novel was just perfect for these turbulent times, a story that lives up to its description and title and with a lovely cover that conveys its meaning in, yes, a quiet image.

This is a beautiful story of grief, friendship and healing. It is the story of 3 characters each dealing with a loss. Their lives become intertwined by a very small thread and the journey they take together is remarkable and so moving. I loved how the author can take the smallest details of life and make them so meaningful and powerful. To me when I think of this novel I will think of a striped yellow beach towel with tears in my eyes. Such a beautiful book. Well done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella. I might have missed this wonderful book without being granted an ARC. Instead I will be sharing it with friends and family. It is beautifully written with great care given to the characters and their feelings. I loved it.

I loved Joella's debut, and was nervous with how his sophomore would do, but I am so pleased! My only issue with A Little Hope was that there were so many characters that I had a hard time keeping people track and Joella has seemed to keep his same masterful storytelling with this story, but trim down the characters and allow the reader to really feel for them. I whizzed through this. I loved it.

Great character driven book. Enjoyed the storyline and the crisp writing style. Will recommend this author to family and friends.

This is my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more by them! This is such a uniquely written story that you will find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Highly recommend!!

A deep, poignant read told from multiple POVs of three people dealing with loss and grief and healing. This book will break your heart then piece it back together. Beautifully written and thought provoking.

Ethan Joella does it again !! Amazing stories of three lives that intersect in interesting ways !! Loved reading Chuck, Ella, and Kirstens lives and how they all connect. Their stories were real life issues and how they deal and overcome many obstacles and are all part of each others lives in ways they dont expect !! Highly recommend it !! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, so glad I got the opportunity to read his new book !!

Although well written, this book was just too full of crushing sadness for me to continue. Despite the very sad character circumstances, I stuck with the book through chapter eight before deciding that I couldn't bear any more seriously sad heartbreak (involving nearly all the characters). I know the story will have to lighten up eventually and I really wanted to find out how, but I cannot keep going with no hints at all.
Triggers: child abduction, spousal death, death of a parent by gunshot. Good luck on a successful book launch.

Charming and poignant. It's a short read, but there's a lot to unpack here about life and all its messy beauty and heartache!!

Oh, what a read--rich, gorgeously written, thoughtfully crafted to wriggle its way into your heart. In A QUIET LIFE, Ethan Joella spins a heartwarming tale of three people coping with loss and healing--Never heavy-handed, always sensitive and intimate, Joella displays a mastery of plot and characterization in a novel which will linger in the reader's mind. I'm not familiar with his earlier work...but I'm going to read his debut novel next. This writer is guaranteed to be a star.

My thanks to Scribner and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read.

Grief and loss are difficult to write a moving story about. This novel does just that. It never hits too hard - just enough.

Ethan Joella! What!? Yeah this guy is gonna blow up come fall. This book has everything. We follow three strangers who have recently experienced great loss. Kirsten’s force of a father has died, Ella’s daughter is missing and Chucks beloved wife has passed. Each is dealing with these realities in their own ways and Joella nails the feelings around loss. At times funny, at times heart wrenching, at times anxiety producing it was perfectly paced and beautifully written. If this book doesn’t blow up and steal everyone’s hearts in November I’ll eat my socks or whatever the expression is. A must read!!

"She brought all this texture into their lives, and he never needed to be creative or experiment with new personas. He was like an evergreen next to a tree that transformed itself brilliantly every season—he looked good because she was near him."

Ethan Joella is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The characters he creates are so layered and real and deeply human that it's not possible to not fall in love with them.

This is the story of three people: Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten, each of whom is struggling with a loss. One lost his wife, the other her father, and the third her daughter. They are all suffering and learning how to build their life forward within this grief. As their lives overlap and interweave in unexpected ways, they help rescue each other in ways that only strangers can.

This book is full of heart and it will stay with you long after you finish it. I cannot recommend it enough.

with gratitude to netgalley and Scribner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

A Quiet Life was a powerful read filled with emotion. I loved the people in the story and how their life stories were told. It was filled with hope and forgiveness. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants to read an emotionally powerful novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of A Quiet Life.

I really enjoyed Joella’s first novel, A Little Hope, and this one was even better. A Quiet Life follows Chuck, a recent widower, Ella, whose young daughter has been missing for months, and Kirsten, whose father was murdered in a gas station robbery.

This book feels like a warm, long embrace when you are sad, and that leaves you feeling better when you finally pull away. It’s a cup of tea on a stormy day. Despite the tragedy and heartache in this book, it somehow feels comforting following these characters and seeing how they impact each other’s lives and relate to one another in their pain.

This book had me in tears, which never happens. I didn’t want it to end but I was so completely satisfied with the ending.

This is a novel I would recommend to anyone, especially those who enjoy character driven stories with growth and heart.

I read Joella’s first book at the beginning of this year and it single handedly pulled me out of my reading slump. When I saw he was publishing a second, I needed to read it ASAP.

A Quiet Life centers on grief and loss and how even the smallest parts of someone’s community can help them move forward. Chuck lost his wife, Ella’s daughter is missing, and Kirsten lost her father. As their lives start to slowly wind together, they each start to heal from the pain they’d been carrying.

Joella once again weaves the stories of the three main characters (and a few side characters) together expertly. As the POV switches between chapters you find yourself invested in each character equally. A fabulous FABULOUS novel.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book. Set to publish November 29, 2022.

Do you believe in angels? A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella is one of those books that touches your heart and restores your faith in humanity. I loved this one!

This is a story about three people who come into each others lives at exactly the right time. Chuck is mourning the death of his wife. Ella is dealing with the disappearance of her daughter. And, Kirsten is processing and coming to terms with the murder of her father. The three of these people meet by chance encounters......but are they really chance encounters? By coming into one another's lives they all three discover that they need one another and that in helping each other they come just a little closer to helping themselves and healing.

This is the second book I've read by Ethan Joella and I think it's safe to say at this point that I'll read anything that he writes. I highly recommend this book.