I am not normally one for thrillers. I guess that's what this book is -- maybe a family drama with an element of mystery and secrets. This book was blurbed by a lot of authors i like, which prompted me to read it. It was pretty engrossing. IMPORTANT NOTE: The story starts and primarily focuses on the suicide of a high school girl and the impacts on her extended family. It's a tangled web of steps and exes, lots of people who have parts of the story that they don't tell others. It made me sad (of course), but also keep me interested in wanting to know more about if/how the characters would make their peace with the tragedy even these years later as they gather for a family wedding. Recommended.

It took me a while to get into this book. The characters were not likable at all, with the exception of Benji. The family was totally dysfunctional, especially Linnie and Nick. I did like the writing style and the way the story was laid out into parts between the past and the present.

The World After Alice is the story of the Weil family in the aftermath of the death of Alice. Linnie, her mother, is a former dancer who projects her failed career on Alice, who is a violinist. This causes trouble between them. Nick, the father, is having an affair with a young secretary who becomes his wife once his current marriage ends. Benji, the younger brother, is pretty much left adrift in the midst of all the turmoil.

The story centers on Benji, as an adult, marrying Alice’s friend, Morgan. The wedding celebration is filled with family drama on both sides until Benji sits everyone down and gives them an ultimatum-this weekend is about Morgan and me.

As I said, it took me a while to get into, but it was enjoyable. Sad, but enjoyable. I want to thank NetGalley and Viking for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Two families come together for a surprise wedding after an early tragedy effecting them all. A beautifully written story about love and lost.

The World After Alice is an exposition on family dynamics after Alice takes her own life as a teen. The book centers around a weekend in Maine where family and friends have gathered for the wedding of Benji, Alice’s brother, and Morgan, Alice’s best friend. The wedding is the first time the family will be together since Alice’s funeral. This is a very sad story that is very beautifully written.

Through love and loss, we see a family coming together in their grief for Alice and their love for the bride and groom. It’s an amazing debut novel and I’ll be watching for other books by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy.

The World After Alice intricately weaves a tapestry of familial strife and emotional turmoil against the backdrop of everyday life. The author skillfully crafts a narrative that delves deep into the complexities of family dynamics that accurately represents the human experience.

Not thrilled with this one. A well worn format - the wedding, attended by various clashing, connected parties, with much hinterland to cover. In this particular case, heavy flashback sections were also included. The overall effect was flat, repetitive, with the central tragedy and the shared guilt pulling down the mood even more. Pace seemed to be absent. A lot of circling and delving without
I was glad to finish it.

You have to accept this is straight up a sad story. My heart broke for the characters in different ways yet I found them so infuriating. I think Morgan and Benji were the only ones I genuinely liked at the end. The writing style was beautiful but sometimes thought unnecessary words or sentences could’ve been cut out. These were elaborate words that you wouldn’t use in daily conversation so it just didn’t feel necessary to implement in the story.

Twelve years after the death by suicide of sixteen year old Alice her best friend Morgan and her brother Benji shock their families by announcing their upcoming marriage. They’ve been dating for years and have kept a secret. The ceremony will be the first time the families have been together since Alice’s funeral.

There are Nick and Linnie, Benji’s parents, divorced after Alice’s death and Nick’s affair with Caro, his now-wife and their daughter, Avery. Linnie has brought a date, Ezra, who is not an unknown. Then there’s Nick’s mother, Judith and on Morgan’s side her father, Peter who is secretly in love with Linnie. And Matisse who can always be counted upon to break the vase or vomit on the carpet. It will be a complicated weekend.

This is the author’s debut novel and it is lovely, especially the characters of Nick and Linnie, the grieving parents and the real focus of the book. There is so much loss, loss of a child, loss of marriage, loss of youth, loss of an ideal. My one wish is that Morgan and Peter got as much attention as some of the other characters, but this is still an excellent book. Highly recommended.

This is beautifully written novel that threads the story of Alice as reflected by family members and friends. We long ago stopped really paying attention to those in our lives and the consequences of the devaluation of words and connection ripples thru everyday life. The ending was seamless and the chapters had a watching a play like feel. I like this almost
as well as Tom Lake best book of last year.

a beautiful novel about families learning to live again after unspeakable loss.

A wedding set in Maine brings two families back together years after the death of one of their children. What should be a happy occasion is marked by loss, grief, secrets and regret. Can they find their way to make this a joyous occasion?

Beautiful writing, realistic characters, perfect setting, this novel has it all.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice, a talented young violinist, leaves her family and friends behind. The novel delves into the stories of how her loved ones managed to go on with life without her.