So glad to have a 5 star read after a lot of 3 and 4 star reads! (This is probably my favorite book since October!) This story contains 3 stories, of neighbors in an apartment building, who are all dealing with loss and how they show compassion in each other’s lives.

Chuck Ayers is mourning the loss of his wife, Cat, and stuck in a life without her.

Kirsten Bonato is mourning the loss of her father, while trying to forge a life working at an animal shelter.

Ella Burke realized one day that her daughter wasn’t on her bus, and was checked out from school by her husband, unexpectedly, and cannot be found.

Sometimes I don’t love having a bunch of characters, but I really felt like I got to know each and was invested in each life. I loved the little kindnesses and generosity of spirit in these characters.

This is a sad novel with a glimpse of hope at the end. It's good, but I think you need to be ready for the deep sadness at the heart of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I enjoyed this book - so much so, that I can see myself reading it again. I felt invested in the characters - I was touched by their grief. This is one of those books that I "missed" when I wasn't reading it.

This book was very good. Well written and made me feel some pretty deep emotions. Letting go can be very hard. This story takes you there. It’s very good and to me seemed laid back. It kept me turning the pages. I’ve not read this author’s books before but will now.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a nice comfortable read. It didn't ask too much of me as a reader, it didn't make me anxious or obsessed. It was well written and it was relaxing. A good winter/cabin/fireplace with a blanket book something to take your time with and just be.

I loved this thoughtful, quiet book. Ethan Joella weaves and connects characters’ stories in a way that feels unique and hooks you in. I felt so empathetic and invested in these characters in their journeys with grief. This book manages to tackle heavy topics in a way that ultimately makes you feel hopeful. This is my second book I’ve read from him and have enjoyed them both. He will be an auto-read author for me. Thank you to Scribner and netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. 4.25 stars ⭐️

A Quiet Life was actually my last official book of 2022. I don't usually enjoy split stories but I really liked this one. All three main characters were processing their individual grief throughout the book. I do wish I got to know more about each character and get an in-depth look at their lives. However, this book just provides a small glimpse in to the character's lives. I really liked that all three characters interacted in the book and were brought together. It made the ending seem more full circle. All in all, even though this book centered around grief, it was a very heart-warming read. One that I am glad to have selected for my last book of the year.

I loved this book. I have loved both of Ethan Joella's books. He gives you ordinary, every day people to get to know and love. In this book, the three main characters are all grieving different losses. As the book progresses, their lives come together as sometimes happens, especially in a small town. The writing makes the reading easy and compelling but the writing is not simple at all. The book draws you in and keeps you there. Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher, Simon and Schuster.

Joelle does it again! This book is character driven, emotional, filled with back stories, and thoughtfully told. I can’t wait to read it again!

Ethan Joella continues to be one of my favorite authors. His writing style is unmatched.
This book had me in all my feels, and I loved every second of it!
I recently went through a loss and this book helped me to sort my feelings out as well!
5 stars, as expected!

A Quiet Life was highly recommended to me by a few people whose book recs I really trust so it went to the top of my TBR.

I ended up listening to the audio and it was a very short book to listen to. It gave me a lot of vibes from previous books I’ve loved like The Reading List and All the Lonely People.

While it didn’t end up being a favorite book for me, I enjoyed my time with these characters and liked how the author weaved them all together.

Also, the subject matter at times was tough, but I felt the author wrote them all with truth and care which eased my heart while reading it.

Ethan Joella's book is one I will cherish and highly recommend.

A Quiet Life tells the story of three people living in a small town in Pennsylvania. Chuck, a recent widower, Ella, a mother missing her daughter and Kirsten, mourning the loss of her father, are all suffering from their grief and loss.

Set in a cold January winter and told in three parallel stories, the author expertly weaves them together to intersect into a moving and poignant ending. A very emotional story that emphasizes the human connection between the characters and the kindness that can link a community. A novel about living with grief while pursuing your dreams. A Quiet Life is full of gorgeous prose and heartfelt moments. Definitely a tear jerker.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Ethan Joella has done it again. He has such a way of taking normal, ordinary people and making them extraordinary. The way he writes about grief, kindness, love and hope is simply beautiful. I loved the way he connected Chuck, Kirsten and Ella throughout this novel. Each is dealing with so much pain but each finds a way through by reaching out and helping others. One of my favorite books of the year.

What a beautiful novel of grief and finding a way through it. It moved slow the first third, but I'm glad ad I stuck with it. Each character's story ended in such a satisfying way and I love how they all intertwined. This wasn't an edge of your seat, can't put down novel. It was one to savor.

I read A LITTLE HOPE last year and liked it but didn’t think it was anything special so I was nervous to give A QUIET LIFE a try. I am happy to report that I really enjoyed A QUIET LIFE!!!

This book is straight up sad and emotional but I loved all the characters so much. I was rooting for them to turn their grief around and have a happy ending.

I definitely recommend this to anyone interested as long as you can handle a sad book! I ALMOST cried and that’s saying something

A perfect wintry read which takes place in Pennsylvania. This author creates dynamic individual paths that converge in a gorgeous prose. With so many fragile lives dealing with complicated struggles, sometimes we forget about the person living in despair. Showing so many heartfelt moments, this becomes an emotional character driven story. Three lives who have all experienced some type of loss open their hearts to new possibilities.

"..finding a tender wisdom in their grief..."
"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends." ~It's a Wonderful Life~

Chuck's wife, Catherine, has died and he doesn't know how he can fill her void. Every year they have reservations to spend the winter in Hilton Head, but he is debating whether he can make that trip without her. Not only has he lost her companionship, but he lives with regrets of words that can't be taken back, and moments he wished for that at the time he didn't choose...

Ella delivers the newspaper at early hours and works her day away in a bridal shop. Her void is her missing daughter and her husband let her for another woman. Unable to afford her home, she moves into a cramped apartment making it harder to get through it all.

Kristen has just lost her father and works at an animal shelter where sadness is all around her. She is unable to have a relationship for dealing with so much pain.

These lives are running parallel, but how the author pulls it together is a beautiful story of forgiveness, chasing dreams and moving in the best way you can. This is emotional, yet real life struggles that sometimes go unnoticed by others.
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for this Arc in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Chuck Ayers has lost his wonderful wife Cat to cancer. He is totally lost and has no direction. Then there is Ella she is heartbroken because her daughter has been kidnapped. And last we have Kirsten that is crushed because her father has been killed. The three individuals lives fade into each other.
It was good but depressing too.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to Scribner the publisher.

While this is not a holiday book, I really appreciated this book this holiday season. It's a book that offers a gentle reminder to show kindness to others as we don't know what struggles they may be facing in life. It's a book that offers hope and comfort and I think we can all agree that we need a little extra of that in the busy holiday months. So while there isn't talk of holiday magic, there's certainly something magical about hope and love.

Brief synopsis: This book follows three individuals each grieving a major loss in their life: a loss of a spouse, a missing child, and a loss of a father. Small acts of kindness shown to them and by them help to keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually bring them into each others' lives when they need it the most.

This was an emotional book for me but I'm also really emotional this month. So while this book was incredibly sad at times, it also brought a strange comfort to me and I'm really glad I read it.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

—Book Review—

Title: A Quiet Life
Author: Ethan Joella
Publisher: Scribner Books
@scribnerbooks
Genre: Fiction

A Quiet Life is the type of book that will nudge and remind you that you simply never know what someone else in your own community may be going through. Human connections are what life is all about. That kindness matters. That grief doesn’t have a time table and there is no right or wrong way to go about things.

@bookfriendsbookclub sat down with author @joellawriting last night and he described himself as an “eternal optimist”. Declaring he is the type of person who wants to believe in informercial products, “why wouldn’t they work!?” You can really see his lovely personality shine brightly in his characters. And, he wrote three very different characters, all dealing with change and grief, but at different stages of their lives.

First, you have Chuck, at seventy years old who lost his wife Cat in the past year. After a year of firsts, the time has come for their yearly trip to Hilton Head. Chuck wrestles with moving on and if he can go on this trip without Cat. How will he enjoy retirement without his wife? Next you have separated mom, Ella, who’s daughter has gone missing. Her life is a fog without her daughter and working two jobs to get by. Lastly, Kirstin is twenty years old and looking for her next sign in life. She hasn’t been able to move forward since losing her father. For now she works at an animal shelter. But does she want to go to vet school? Date? Visit her dad’s family in Italy?

You might see the words grief, widower, death, missing child and be concerned about the direction of this book. The author handles everything with care and grace. I promise when you get to the end of the book you will be left filled with hope.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ At just 300 pages you will fly through this book, but want to slow it down and savor because it’s just that good. When you aren’t reading it you will miss the characters. The timing of this book is perfect, I think. This is the season of giving and quiet reflection and this book with fill that for you. A must read!

"Be someone's cardinal"

Loved this authors first book and this was better in my opinion. I enjoyed the length and the story was still really well paced. Loss is a tough subject to tackle authentically abc it’s done well here!