Published by Scribner on November 29, 2022

Most of the events in A Quiet Life take place in Pennsylvania. Those events revolve around the intersecting lives of three characters, all of whom have experienced a recent loss. The intersection is likely meant to illustrate the universality of loss and the importance of connecting with others in times of personal tragedy.

Chuck Ayers’ wife died. He’s having difficulty disposing of her things. He can’t decide whether to embark on the annual vacation that they always took as a couple, a trip to Hilton Head for which he has already paid.

Kirsten Bonato has been numb since her father was murdered. She put her ambition to become a veterinarian on hold and took a job at a pet rescue. She has a thing for her boss David, but Grayson is “promising and new.” One suspects that Grayson will be in Kirsten’s past as soon as someone even newer comes along.

Riley’s father Kyle picked up Riley from school. He has a shared custody arrangement but it wasn’t his day to have Riley. Riley's mother, Ella Burke, is understandably upset but since Kyle has parental rights and probably isn’t a threat to Riley’s safety, the police don’t want to devote significant resources to what is more likely a custody dispute than a kidnapping. Later that night, Ella discovers that some of Riley’s clothes and toys are missing from her room, raising the fear that Riley’s disappearance is meant to be permanent. Kyle's eventual explanation of his motive didn't strike me as being particularly credible.

The three central characters indulge in internal monologues, although Kirsten’s tend to focus on whether shiny and new Grayson is a better deal than handsome David who makes her feel safe and squirmy inside. Chuck’s thoughts are less frivolous. He thinks about and talks to his dead wife but he's strangely obsessed with a young woman named Natasha who was once his wife’s project. He fears that he did not treat Natasha well. His wife’s desire to help Natasha triggered the most serious argument of their marriage. It is an argument he now regrets. He seems to think that making amends with Natasha will help him make amends with his wife.

Ella is hard on herself for going outside on the day of her daughter’s disappearance, as if staying home would have made a difference. Ella also spends time rehashing her failed relationship with Kyle in resentful detail, musings presumably designed to show the reader that she is unnecessarily hard on herself for being clueless about Kyle's character flaws when he accused her of being frigid and dull.

The lives intersect in ways that seem forced. Chuck meets Kirsten at the pet rescue when he contemplates adopting a pet to ease his loneliness. Kirsten turns out to be a former student of Chuck’s wife. Ella delivers newspapers when she’s not working in a bridal shop. Chuck meets Ella when she slips on the ice while delivering his newspaper. He gives her a pillow and a blanket because, if you’ve slipped on an icy sidewalk, you know you want nothing more than a pillow and a blanket while you lie on a sheet of ice. Ella meets Kirsten through David, who conveniently turns out to be Ella’s neighbor.

Chuck is the only character I cared about. His grief is profound. Ethan Joella portrays it in a way that makes pain palpable without reducing it to a cliché. Ella’s fear about her daughter’s safety is believable but carries less impact, although mothers might relate to a contrived “every parent’s worst nightmare” scenario more than I did. Kirsten’s loss is almost an aside to the story of her love triangle, a loss invented to wedge Kirsten into the story’s larger theme.

The power of kindness is a secondary theme. Chuck’s wife changed Natasha’s life by being kind. Chuck improves Ella’s life through improbable acts of kindness. Kirsten lifts Ella’s spirits, and then Chuck’s, by being a kind soul. Oddly, Ella thinks to herself that she misses kindness when everyone, including a cop who is helping her find Kyle, is kind to Ella.

And, of course, the story is about the importance of connecting with others. The execution of that theme is sometimes a bit schmaltzy, if only because its execution is far from subtle. As characters interact, they quickly dissect each other, instantly identifying the cause of their pain, perhaps saving them from years of therapy. Kirsten thinking that her dead father sent her to help Chuck cope with his sorrow is a bit much. Characters come to embrace their neediness as if neediness is a welcome revelation. A reader can almost hear Streisand singing “People Who Need People” in the background. Obvious sentences like “Chuck smiles at the scene and thinks how necessary love is” underscore the narrative’s lack of subtlety.

The predictably happy endings make the novel a bit too “feel good’ for my taste. The tidiness with which the stories wrap up is improbable. The novel also suffers from redundancy. For example, Chuck tells us repeatedly of his belief that he will find his dead wife, or himself, in Hilton Head. Ella reruns her happy memories of Riley, even though she’s only been gone a short time. Kirsten’s indecision about which man she wants to sleep with next is tedious.

There is an audience for books like A Quiet Life. Joella’s smooth prose and keen observation make for easy reading. Some of the story’s emotional moments seem genuine. A Quiet Life is not a book I disliked. It just isn’t a book that made me believe the story was real. I’m recommending it despite its faults because the parts that I liked, including Chuck’s story, I really liked.

RECOMMENDED

4.5 stars.

A Quiet Life is the perfect title for this quiet book about three characters dealing with grief and loss and the unlikely friendship they find with each other.

This book was reminiscent of Joella's first novel, A Little Hope, which I loved. Similarly to that book, the parallel stories focus on different characters, but the characters lives begin to intersect as the story continues. I loved seeing all the points of intersection in this story. As it progresses, you can see how these three separate people with separate lives slowly connect with each other and ultimately end up helping each other to find hope and healing. It's really a beautiful portrait of the human experience.

The pacing is slow in this novel, and I don't mean that in a negative way. The style is quiet and thoughtful and purposeful, and it reminds me of Fredrik Backman's writing. (I said the same thing about A Little Hope, and I love Backman, so this is a good thing). There may have been a few parts of the book where it struggled to hold my attention. But it was worth it by the end when I was able to see how the whole story came together and how these characters dealing with grief and loss were a little more hopeful by the end after finding connection with each other.

I would highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys well-written, character based stories filled with the realities of both grief and hope!

“Maybe loving someone so deeply means accepting the fact that they occupy a specific, clear place in you. You accept there will be hole if you lose them - the way a tree will leave a crater whether the roots and stump were.”

I’m going to be honest on the main reasons I wanted to pick up this book is the cover. It is simply stunning. (And now that I’ve read it the cardinal on the cover has me 🥹🥹) I’m so happy that I picked this one up.

This story is all about the power of human connection. It is poignant and beautiful and will make you smile and cry and just feel all of the feels. It tackles heavy subjects such as grief and loss with such insight. I absolutely loved all the characters and it felt so special to see their development.

I’m going to be honest: books like this can be hard for me to read. Reading about death of a family member and grief can be extremely raw and triggering for me after losing my mom at 21. I personally resonated with Chuck especially and his relationship with his children hit close to home. I found that although this book was hard to read at times it also made me feel less alone and reminded me of the power of opening up to others and allowing them to help you.

This story is an important reminder (especially going into the holiday season) that you never know what someone is going through and to always lead with compassion.

Read if you are fan of A MAN CALLED OVE and IONA IVERSON’S RULES FOR COMMUTING.

This novel alternates between three characters in the same town in Pennsylvania: Chuck, a man in his 70s grieving the loss of his wife; Kristin, a woman in her 20s, grieving the loss of her dad; and Ella, who is struggling to make ends meet and hasn’t seen her young daughter in several months, for reasons it takes a little while for the book to reveal. Each character is deeply sad, and also stuck in their lives. And as they connect with other people and as their paths intersect, they all slowly start to find a way forward - so it’s a sad book, but a hopeful one as well.

As in his debut novel A Little Hope, Ethan Joella is just a beautiful writer who masterfully brings his characters to life and makes you feel for them so deeply. If you forced me to choose between the two books, I’d say I slightly prefer A Little Hope - only because while it had more characters and therefore a little less of a straightforward narrative than this one, it made me sob my eyes out while this book only made me cry a little. However, both books were masterpieces of quiet literary fiction which definitively add Ethan Joella’s name to my list of favorite, must read authors.

4.5 stars

Absolutely adored! I read this after reading Joella’s debut A Little Hope and loved this one just as much. He has a gift of writing characters with such heart, empathy, and life. Highly recommend- it is beautiful, raw, and just lovely.

What an emotional, character-driven read! I was immediately drawn in by the three main characters and their heart wrenching stories as they bravely dealt with grief and loss. The characters were so relatable and the pacing was perfection; I could not put it down. By the end of the book, I was left feeling comforted and hopeful. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Quiet Life takes grief and trauma and shows the beauty in both. There is always hope and optimism even in the darkest days. Chuck, Kirsten, and Ella were all whole, well-rounded characters who were subtly intertwined and dealing with all of their own problems yet had to keep going. I really loved this book and all three stories within it.

Wow! This is an incredibly special book that I managed to pick up at the perfect time for me. This was my third Thanksgiving since losing my mom. Reading about these characters and how they are dealing with their own losses really touched my heart. It reminded me that despite feeling lonely, I am not alone. This book is about grief but also about the joys of getting to the other side and beginning to move on. What a gift to anyone that has been in love, to anyone that has suffered a loss, to anyone sitting in grief or anyone in one of life’s ruts. This book is about being ok where you are and not having any regrets about where you are. Such a beautiful story told with such grace and beauty.

This book is full of good friends, kind acts and good deeds in the midst of sorrow and grieving. This book will remind you that people are good. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ethan Joella is hands down my comfort author and I need him to put out a ton more books just so that I always have one waiting for me when I need it. His books make me sigh with happiness when I finish them. And though each of them has been short, he manages to convey so much within this short bit of space. I had an advanced copy of this but as soon as I got done reading it, I ordered a hard copy for my shelves from Joella's local bookstore so that I could also get it signed by him!

This sophomore novel felt similar to his debut, A Little Hope, in that it follows a handful of people from the same town who intersect in big and small ways. But this one is really about grief, in all its forms.

In A Quiet Life, we get to know three main characters, Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten. Chuck is a recent widow who is struggling to move forward after his wife's death. Ella is a mom whose ex-husband has taken their daughter and has left no trace behind. And Kirsten is dealing with the aftermath of her father's death and trying to find comfort in her daily routine at an animal shelter.

This is a quiet novel with a powerful story at its center. It's a book about grief and loss, yes. But it's also a book filled with hope, finding yourself, and allowing those around you to help you. The book moves back and forward between these characters lives and each time I finished a chapter I was sad to leave one character, but then happy to learn more about another one.

This book is reflective, sad, and also atmospheric. I felt like I could picture this town in Pennsylvania and I wish I knew each of these characters. It's a character driven novel which isn't something I normally like, but I can't help loving these. Joella is a master at crafting ordinary characters that you can't help but fall in love with. They aren't doing anything big throughout the stories, except living. And maybe that's what he's trying to show us - how big living can be, even when it's quiet.

This book will be featured on episode 67 of the Reading Through Life podcast.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it did not disappoint. I read and ADORED Ethan Joella's first book, A Little Hope back in March and feel similarly about this one.

The story follows three characters who are all dealing with a loss of some kind. These characters are all at a different stage of life which makes the book relatable to all ages. The author has expertly intertwined these character's stories so by the end they are a part of eachother's healing and lives which is so sweet. The beginning and middle of the book seem heavy at times as the charcaters haven't progressed very far on their healing journeys yet and are in the beginning stages of grief but by the end, I was left with a sense of hope and faith in the goodness of humanity.

This book is so cozy and comforting with sweet and loveable characters especially if you are remembering a loved one this holiday.

I found so many little quotable tidbits about love throughout but I loved the theme of "Be someone's cardinal." The thought behind this quote is that in winter all the birds leave, but the cardinals stay. And so in someone's difficult time, we can be the cardinal, the one who doesn't leave.

This book is a love letter to humanity and a beacon of hope to those struggling with loss and I cannot recommend it enough.

It's a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for me

Go ahead and consider me an Ethan Joella fan 👏🏼

This is his second book. I enjoyed his debut novel A Little Hope so much and this one is no different. He has a unique way of writing characters and the parts of life that we rarely talk about but nearly everyone can relate to.

In this story the lives of several characters merge slowly over time. I couldn’t put this book down, I wanted so badly to see how their lives mingled and how their decisions would determine the end.

This book releases today! 🎉

Thank you to @scribnerbooks and @netgalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 ⭐️ - I really liked it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘼 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚—𝙖 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙠—𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚-𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨.

Just like A Little Hope, this book was such a tear-jerker. Ethan Joella is such a talented author and knows exactly how to write realistic characters with which you really connect. In this one, we follow three different characters who are all connected in a Pennsylvania suburb. Grief is a major theme in Joella’s story and this one was super emotional.

Chuck Ayers - retired after working for a lifetime and raising two kids - always looks forward to his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat. Months after she passes away, Chuck still struggles with letting go of her things. He also finds it difficult to pack for a trip he would never imagine taking without her.

Ella Burke - morning newspaper deliverer & bridal shop worker - finds any sort of distraction as she waits for any sort of information about her missing daughter. Ella learns to adapt to life and moves into a new apartment. However, she still awaits and answers every call - hoping her daughter will reach out one day.

Kirsten Bonato - an animal shelter worker who recently set aside her veterinary school aspirations - has suddenly lost her father. She finds comfort in her job but struggles with dealing with the fact that her father is gone. As old dreams and new romantic interests show up, Kirsten begins to find new opportunities.

This book was so beautifully written and was such an emotional read. I felt so attached to each character and cared so much for them. Again, grief is super important in this book, and it's difficult reading about what these characters have to deal with and then adjusting to life. I loved each POV and was invested in each one.

A Quiet Life is just as emotional as Joella’s previous book. However, I would 100% recommend it if Grief is a theme you’re okay with reading about. I think all these characters and the small-town setting add so much to the emotional book.

❄️A Quiet Life❄️

A huge thank you to @joellawriting @scribnerbooks and @netgalley for this arc!

Ethan Joella is a master of slow, but beautiful stories that pull at your heartstrings! They remind you of the importance of human connection and that everyone is going through their own struggles. A little kindness can go a long way ❤️ It’s the perfect read to snuggle up with this winter and one where the characters will stick with you long after the last page.

A Quiet Life follows Chuck, Kirsten, and Ella through their own challenges and experiences with loss. Similar to A Little Hope (Joella’s first book), each chapter is a different characters perspective and they ultimately intertwine.

A Quiet Life is out tomorrow, November 29th, AND is a @bookofthemonth add on this month! (which I somehow missed 😢) I highly recommend A Quiet Life, so whether it’s BOTM or an independent bookstore, I hope you grab a copy! I will be grabbing a physical version soon to match my copy of A Little Hope on the shelf 🤗

I read a Little Hope last year and while I definitely enjoyed the book, I think this book was even better! I absolutely loved A Quiet Life. I really feel like I connected with the characters and I loved every bit of it. I especially loved reading about Chuck and his past wife Cat. I just wanted to give Chuck the world’s biggest hug. I loved how all the characters were connected and their stories came together in little ways. I am now a huge Ethan Joella fan and can’t wait to read more!

Ethan Joella's 𝗔 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 is a beautiful look at grief and loss that never manages to be depressing. Instead, it celebrates love and forgiveness and leaves the reader with hope. As the title implies, this is a quiet novel, but it packs an emotional punch with vividly drawn characters you won't soon forget. I dare you not to be touched by their stories.

4.5 stars

Thanks to Scribner for the copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley & Scribner for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was the first Ethan Joella book I've read and I couldn't wait to pick it up after seeing praise for A Little Hope. This was really a perfect read to get me in the mood for winter and all the Christmas vibes. I felt like he did such an amazing job of covering grief and what it takes for someone to heal. That we don't move on, but we move forward.

There are 3 main characters that start out all separate and eventually weave their way in and out of each other's lives. Joella masterfully told 3 different stories and I was never confused about who or what I was reading about. I truly felt for each and every character in this book. I enjoyed the scenic backdrop of a tiny town of Pennsylvania. I couldn't wait to cozy up with this book every night.

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you have ever lost someone you loved & had to figure out how to manager life after... this book will resonate with you. Joella writes about grief in a beautiful way that makes you feel fully for every single character in it. This book is a quick, gem of a read. I can't wait to get my hands on A Little Hope.

A Quiet Life, by Ethan Joella, is a beautiful novel set in a small town in Pennsylvania. There are three stories of grief that will intersect. Chuck has lost his wife and is debating whether to take his yearly trip to Hilton Head. Ella is delivering newspapers to keep her mind off her missing daughter. Kirsten has just lost her father. Chuck was my favorite character in this book. A Quiet Life made me laugh and it also made me cry. I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for gifting me a digital ARC of the sophomore book by Ethan Joella - 5 sparkling stars!

Three people struggling with loss in a small Pennsylvanian town in winter. Chuck's wife, Cat, died and he's filled with regret and sadness. Ella struggles to exist while awaiting news about her missing daughter. Kirsten's beloved dad was murdered and she can't move forward. These three lives intersect as each try to navigate their new lives.

I absolutely adored Joella's debut novel, A Little Hope, and this one is equally as wonderful. While each of these stories are sad, just like real life can be, you will be filled with hope and love as people come together to help each other. It's about navigating grief and making a new normal. It's also a reminder to live life as best we can so that we have as few regrets as possible and that we can, as Cat said, "Be someone's cardinal." Highly recommended!

If you enjoyed Joella’s first book, you’ll enjoy this one even more. It’s a beautiful portrayal of grief and healing. The three main characters are all dealing with their own type of loss and their lives eventually intersect to help each other heal and move on.

This one really makes you feel all the feelings and ends up being a quick read, as you just want to see what their “happy” ending is.

Thank you to netgalley and scrubber for the eARC!