It was a beautiful book. It has me crying because of the topic in this book is so real for a lot of people. I would highly recommend this book.

This is a hard one to review. On the one hand there are some things that I don’t like, but it might have been because I related to them too much.I haven’t decided which one that is yet. But overall, this was a hard book to get through, but it was also necessary.

The depression in this one was done so well. While I do not have depression, it had some of he same symptoms that my mom shows. And the way everyone around her was shown as well. It was so accurate to have a friend like reading books or doing things trying to figure out how to act around them. Even if it is the wrong thing, it’s what we thought of because nothing else was working. And the way she was pushing everyone away, was also accurate. It hurt to read, but it was so accurate. And I didn’t even lose a sibling.

The way she handled her grief tho just wasn’t healthy. And I know when you have depression that’s not something you think of, so I was glad that she finally talked with her therapist and got all those feelings out. Because that running out to where her brother had been and then going to meet someone who was deceiving her, was just a lot. She needed some real guidance. I was glad when she finally started giving her therapist some words and understanding.

The writing style of this was so good, but it was so heavy. And it seemed like it was trying to do some kind of like mystery where she was finding out why he did what he did, but I appreciated that there wasn’t really an answer. She got some answers to her questions, but nothing real. None of his own words, it was all just speculation. I was annoyed by that at first, but something the therapist said made so much sense, “sometimes we don’t always know.” Which is absolutely true. We might not ever find out the why these things happen, and when we do know, it doesn’t change anything. And it hurt to get her to realize that.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was more than I expected. Does that make sense? I thought it was going to show her trying to find out more info about her brother and showing what her mom and dad were going through, but what I got instead was her learning about herself, growing, and understanding and navigating her own grief. That’s not a small thing for anyone, let alone a teen. I was so proud of her by the time I finished this book!

Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for allowing me access to the book. This was a very heavy and emotional book and I enjoyed it everything about this book.

This book is raw and heavy and real! It deals with everyday grief after the passing of a close family member and absolutely does not shy away from this topic. There is a very sensitive topic addressed, so please check out the trigger warnings and read if/when you're in a space to handle said topic. I will say, that the writing style was a little choppy and took some getting used too. I appreciate that this syory was told from the teenage persective and that the author did not try to pretty up characters experiences. This book definitely put me in my feelings and is a reminder to cherish oir loved ones while treating them with grace and care. Your never know the internal battles a person confronts every day regardless ofbhow wonderful and in-tact life looks like from the outside. Thanks you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the eArc of this book.

Where Was Goodbye? follows Karmen after her older brother Julian commits suicide just 6 weeks before she begins her senior year. Her brother was a straight A student, funny, and a skateboarder. When Karmen discovers Julian was flunking out of school, she knows she has to start a journey to figure out what happened.

If you have recently had someone die by suicide in your life, I would maybe skip this one FOR NOW. I found this story to be something that fully captured my feelings as someone who had a loved one recently pass from suicide. It captures all of the feelings: the guilt, the shame, the pondering, and the confusion. Janice Lynn Mather depicts the many questions we all ask we would lose someone this way: is there something I could have done? Why didn't I see the signs?

This book truly does the difficult work of addressing the scariest parts of us.

TRIGGER WARNING: Before I get into the review suicide is talked about often in this book.TRIGGER WARNING DONE. This is the first book I have read BY Janice Lynn Mather and this has encouraged me to read more of her books. The writing is beautiful and there is such clear and raw emotion. We follow the main character Karmen who's brother has passed away by suicide. We get to watch how her and her parents are coping from this devastating tragedy. We are taken through the stages of grief and eventually brought to an end where not everything is resolved but they are taking the steps to get her. I believe this is an important story to tell because unfortunately this stuff does happen and we are not prepared for it. Comes out April 30th 2024

♡ eArc - eBook Review ♡
♤ Release April.30 ♤
3 🌟
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Tropes
•suicide
•grief
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I really wanted to enjoy | like this read, but unfortunately, I didn't. I just couldn't connect with the characters, and the storyline had a weird pace to it.
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The premise of the storyline was done extremely well. How the author took a very triggering topic and showed how Karmen and her family were truly affected by what her brother Julian's did.
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Karmen is about to start her last year of high school until 6 weeks before school started. Her brother Julian passed away from suicide. Now Karmen and her family are grieving the loss and trying to deal with the hurt.
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Simon and Schuster's Children Publishing for the eArc for my honest review.

I am still not over this book. It might be one of the best representations of Family grief due to suicide that I have read. Something I want to highlight is the tones of grief and counseling seen in each characters, puts in perspective how individual manage a lost on their own way, and how families have to thrive to get back to that state of "before" the lost.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Where Was Goodbye?" by Janice Lynn Mather takes you on a journey through grief, loss, and the search for understanding in the aftermath of tragedy. Set against the backdrop of The Bahamas, the book follows Karmen as she grapples with the devastating suicide of her older brother, Julian. Before reading this book, I highly recommend looking over content warnings as this book discusses some dark themes, such as depression.

Mather's storytelling navigates the complexities of grief, offering a raw and honest portrayal of Karmen's emotional turmoil; Karmen’s emotions felt raw and authentic throughout the entire book as well as how she was able to learn from this grief. From her mother's immobilizing sorrow to her father's attempts to maintain a sense of normalcy, each character's response to loss is a reminder of the individuality of grief. However, I will note that her parents’ actions and dialogue were a bit unrealistic as if they were caricatures of those who are grieving; their responses were just a bit too stereotypical, though this book is from Karmen’s POV and how she perceives their actions, so their depiction may be a bit unreliable.

Karmen's desperate quest for answers propels the story forward, leading her to delve into Julian's life in search of clues. As she unravels the mysteries surrounding her brother's death, Karmen confronts her own demons and struggles to find a way to move forward without him. The focus on Karmen’s grief and learning to move on was the strongest part of the book. The emotional depth just pulled me in and didn’t want to let me go. I especially liked the portrayal of grief's impact on relationships. Isaiah, a supporting character, was my favorite due to his sweetness and supportiveness.

Overall, "Where Was Goodbye?" offers a powerful exploration of grief and resilience, shedding light on the often-silenced experiences of those left behind by suicide. Mather's book serves as a reminder of the healing power of storytelling in the face of unimaginable loss.

Karmen is in HS when her brother takes his own life and she is left looking for answers.

At first I was upset by this book. I couldn't understand the parent's reactions and their view points BUT you need to take into consideration that this is Karmen's viewpoint! it's how she perceived the situation while in the mist of her own grief. this book also takes place in the caribbean where mental health and suicide are still taboo.

overall it was a good read that dealt with a difficult topic.

This was really well written and realistic tale about grief and losing a sibling, I really felt the character was well written. And I cared about what was happening to her in the story. It was a realistic take on what happened, and cycles through the stages in a realistic way. Janice Lynn Mather has a great writing style and makes characters that feel like real people. I'd love to read more from the author and glad I read this.

This book….Karmen was complicated young lady and I won’t lie I felt frustrated at times with her. I can never understand what it is like to lose a loved one to suicide. I was excited to read it because it dealt with suicide and the importance of therapy and grief (which is quite complicated itself). Plus it’s set in the Bahamas which was a plus in my eyes. Not bad. It was quick paced for sure. Oh the thing that annoyed me was the love interest. I didn’t really see the need for one to be honest. Other than that it was an okay book

This book was really good! I loved seeing the main character grow after her brother's death! I really liked seeing how her relationships with others evolved as well. It was interesting to see her different coping mechanisms, and the different coping mechanisms of her family.

This was quite a disappointing read. I wanted to enjoy this but I couldn't really connect with the characters. I think the writing played a big part of that. I know this isn't the final version of the novel but there was so many grammatical errors that kinda took me out from the story. The writing was too choppy which made many scenes in the novel feel either rushed or weirdly paced.

Suicide is a very triggering subject manner and I think for the most part the author did a great job in depicting the grief that Karmen and her family went through. There's a couple of moments where the book is a bit too sad too read because the grief is so strong. I just think besides that everything else was a bit weak. Prue's introduction to the story felt random and forced. The constant flashbacks that weren't really showing us anything new about Julian also got repetitive after a while. I think the flashbacks should've been told in it's own separate chapters.

I do think the ending was realistic and sad but I felt like the impact and emotions would've hit much stronger if the writing was stronger. My favorite character was Isaiah. He was really sweet. Overall, not as good as I hoped it would be.

Now THIS is what we need more of in this genre. I've read a lot of amazing YA books, ARCs and published, but not all of them write about such difficult topics with the grace and empathy that this does. "Where Was Goodbye" follows Karmen's struggles with grief, confusion, and regret after the suicide of her brother. As a middle school teacher, I know that some of these kids face tragedies that many of us are lucky enough to never experience, but reading stories like these helps provide the understanding and patience to guide them through it. While a heavy read, it's definitely an important one. I loved Mather's writing style and the way she showed Karmen's growth across the novel. This is my first read from Mather but certainly won't be my last - thank you for the ARC!

I work within a crisis program as a social worker. I say this simply to note that I have counseled those with suicidal ideation and the family members that struggle to understand. This book was poignant and approached a delicate subject with tact. The author does a great job navigating the feelings of loss and the questions that plague those left after a loved one dies by suicide. This is a heavy novel and one to be approached by the reader with care. That said, it is an important novel especially for the target audience of teens.

Oh dear. Who’s chopping onions here? But seriously this one is tragic and horrific and full of grief and.:: I felt so much for them all. Thanks for the arc

Janice Lynn Mather’s “Where Was Goodbye?” tackles such a delicate topic in such a beautiful manner. I had to take quite a few breaks from reading this novel, as it is quite heavier than the novels I typically go for. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading such a beautifully written novel.