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megzxo's review against another edition
5.0
This is definitely more of a 4.5 stars than a 5, but I really enjoyed it. It wasn't some over-the-top, elaborate, grandiose, unrealistic story. It was heartfelt, gut-wrenching, earth-shattering, and REAL. I related to and cried with Carver. I hate the idea that a character has to be "likable" for them to be a strong character. Isn't someone who isn't black/white so much more REAL? That's how I felt about Carver. The story was strong, and kept me hooked. Want to be punched in the feels? Read on.
jordanimals's review against another edition
One day, Carver sends a text message to his three best friends while waiting for them to pick him up from work: "Where are you guys? Text me back." As they are responding to the message, they are in a fatal car accident. This book is about Carver's relationships, his grief, his guilt, and his fear. He is blamed and even placed under investigation for accidental homicide. This book hits so many hard topics and I love the way it's written and navigates it. The author never tells you what to think but you are hurting for everyone the whole time. READ THIS BOOK AND CRY YOUR HEART OUT! In the best way
ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
5.0
Goodbye Days spent a lot of time on my tbr list before I finally picked it up. And I'm glad I did.
Goodbye Days was so beautiful I'm unable to phrase just how much I loved it. If I were Jesmyn, I'd describe this book as pinkish golden with dashes of midnight blue, but I'm not, and so I have to hunt for words to describe just how beautiful this book is.
The storyline itself it so amazing and thought-provoking. Being an avid social media user, I've never given much thought about texting someone. I mean, it's just texting right? But this book made me realize just how wrong I was. It made me realize just how many lives a single text message could ruin.
I laughed with Blade at all of the crazy things he'd done with his 'Sauce Crew' and I cried with him as he remembered his dead friends, and blamed himself for his death.
One of the things that makes this book so beautiful is how it makes you feel every emotion so completely. When it makes you laugh, you laugh so hard that your stomach starts cramping. And when it makes you sad, it does it so completely that you can't stop sobbing—and I did that at 12 AM, trying and failing to stay quiet as everyone slept. Thankfully, I live in a house full of deep sleepers.
Anyway, back to the book. I loved how all of the Goodbye Days affected Blade differently. How one made him admit what he felt about his friends' death, and another made him realize his own feelings and how another helped him finally put his demons to rest.
I loved Jesmyn's unique character and the important role she played in Blade's life, as his sole support and friend. I loved, how despite everything, they managed to help each other get through the tough times.
I loved Dr. Mendez for his skills, for the way he made Blade realize everything. I loved how, in the end, Blade's experience helped him too.
Goodbye Days was a book full of so many characters who each learnt something, developed some, grew some, because of one fateful day.
Goodbye Days was raw, honest and guileless. It was the story of a teenager, but not his alone.
This book was just—wow. I've written so much and I'm still nowhere close to explaining just how profoundly this book has affected me. This was supposed to be a fun read. A read to take a break from all the ARCs I'd been reading.
Instead, it turned into a midnight readathon, which ended with teary eyes, snotty nose and a huge jumble of emotions.
This review is way different from my usual 'style' and I suppose it is because unlike the others, this one comes straight from my heart.
Goodbye Days has definitely become a favourite, and as soon as I get my paperback copy, it'll be a prized possession, shelves between my favourites.
Goodbye Days was so beautiful I'm unable to phrase just how much I loved it. If I were Jesmyn, I'd describe this book as pinkish golden with dashes of midnight blue, but I'm not, and so I have to hunt for words to describe just how beautiful this book is.
The storyline itself it so amazing and thought-provoking. Being an avid social media user, I've never given much thought about texting someone. I mean, it's just texting right? But this book made me realize just how wrong I was. It made me realize just how many lives a single text message could ruin.
I laughed with Blade at all of the crazy things he'd done with his 'Sauce Crew' and I cried with him as he remembered his dead friends, and blamed himself for his death.
One of the things that makes this book so beautiful is how it makes you feel every emotion so completely. When it makes you laugh, you laugh so hard that your stomach starts cramping. And when it makes you sad, it does it so completely that you can't stop sobbing—and I did that at 12 AM, trying and failing to stay quiet as everyone slept. Thankfully, I live in a house full of deep sleepers.
Anyway, back to the book. I loved how all of the Goodbye Days affected Blade differently. How one made him admit what he felt about his friends' death, and another made him realize his own feelings and how another helped him finally put his demons to rest.
I loved Jesmyn's unique character and the important role she played in Blade's life, as his sole support and friend. I loved, how despite everything, they managed to help each other get through the tough times.
I loved Dr. Mendez for his skills, for the way he made Blade realize everything. I loved how, in the end, Blade's experience helped him too.
Goodbye Days was a book full of so many characters who each learnt something, developed some, grew some, because of one fateful day.
Goodbye Days was raw, honest and guileless. It was the story of a teenager, but not his alone.
This book was just—wow. I've written so much and I'm still nowhere close to explaining just how profoundly this book has affected me. This was supposed to be a fun read. A read to take a break from all the ARCs I'd been reading.
Instead, it turned into a midnight readathon, which ended with teary eyes, snotty nose and a huge jumble of emotions.
This review is way different from my usual 'style' and I suppose it is because unlike the others, this one comes straight from my heart.
Goodbye Days has definitely become a favourite, and as soon as I get my paperback copy, it'll be a prized possession, shelves between my favourites.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Well, now I know why everyone raves about Jeff Zentner. This book had a really modern, truthful feel to it and I think that Zentner captures teen boys in a completely realistic way, especially when it came to dialogue (as a mom, I sometimes raised my eyebrows at some of it, but I think that it all worked incredibly well). At the same time, Zentner’s writing is gorgeous—luckily his MC is a writer, so he could get away with waxing poetic sometimes—in direct contrast to the sort of goofy banter between the guys.
The story brought up some really fantastic moral questions as well. Should Carver have been held responsible for his friends’ deaths? (My thoughts on this include a slight spoiler, so I’m putting it under a spoiler tag) Is is fair to prosecute in a situation where no one truly knows beyond a shadow of a doubt what happened? And isn’t the guilt that Carver felt and the loss of his friends more than punishment enough?
The Narration: I listened to the audio of this one and loved it. Michael Crouch did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, especially Carver and his best friends.
This story ripped my heart to shreds and stomped on it, but it did so in all the best ways. I give it 4.5/5 Stars.
Well, now I know why everyone raves about Jeff Zentner. This book had a really modern, truthful feel to it and I think that Zentner captures teen boys in a completely realistic way, especially when it came to dialogue (as a mom, I sometimes raised my eyebrows at some of it, but I think that it all worked incredibly well). At the same time, Zentner’s writing is gorgeous—luckily his MC is a writer, so he could get away with waxing poetic sometimes—in direct contrast to the sort of goofy banter between the guys.
The story brought up some really fantastic moral questions as well. Should Carver have been held responsible for his friends’ deaths? (My thoughts on this include a slight spoiler, so I’m putting it under a spoiler tag)
Spoiler
My initial instinct was to say NO WAY, of course not, but when you learn a bit more and realize that Carver texted his friend, knowing he was driving and knowing his friend would answer… in that case, would he be any less at fault than the driver who answered the text? It suddenly seemed more complex, and I found I could sympathize a bit with the people who wanted to blame him—even if I didn’t agree with the way they treated him and I definitely didn’t want him to be prosecuted.The Narration: I listened to the audio of this one and loved it. Michael Crouch did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, especially Carver and his best friends.
This story ripped my heart to shreds and stomped on it, but it did so in all the best ways. I give it 4.5/5 Stars.
witnessingrace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
alliebowen's review against another edition
5.0
Jeff Zentner has done it again. He pulled at my heart in The Serpent King and he did it even more with Goodbye Days. Amazing read. He describes grief so well and you're bound to feel deeply throughout the entire read. I found myself in the pages over and over again. I just finished this book and I know I will think about it for a very long time. It makes me want my own goodbye day for those I've lost.
I recommend this book to people of all ages, not just young adults. I feel that anyone who has experienced grief (aka everyone) will soak this book up just as I did. It is definitely one of my favorites.
msyakirah's review against another edition
4.0
Not gonna lie this book took me a long time to get used to it. Plus, I read the translated version of it to Indonesian, and I definitely see some sentences that don't line up with each other. It is a struggle for me to read it on like the first 100 pages because, in my opinion, it bored me to death. There is no plot whatsoever, the character building is too slow, and overall not much happens. But when I got past that, I can feel that this is a heart-warming book. The character is okay, but the scenery, the plot, and everything really show how a teenager reacts to this kind of situation. It really pictures the real-life internalization of how a teenager's mind thinks, at least according to me. The book is good, but for me that postpones 2 months to read more from the first 100 pages, I don't know it is worth it or not. I'm sure although don't know it yet, there definitely is a better book that raises the same issue as this.
cass_cady's review against another edition
4.0
Zenter's novel about grief is honest and heartbreaking. He doesn't dumb down or shy away from the very real questions, emotions, and anxieties people feel when someone they love has died. Zentner's characters journey through the grief process in very realistic ways- shock, denial anger- but his exploration of guilt is unique in this novel in that his protagonist Carver struggles with the very real possibility that he might be found criminally culpable for causing the deaths of his friends. Carver's grief process is punctuated by flashbacks that serve to bring the "Sauce Crew" back to life for the reader and also enlighten the family members they left behind. I wasn't so sure about the titular premise of the story- it seems almost tortuous for the adults to Carver, a child (albeit a near-adult), to have a "goodbye day" in which Carver role plays his deceased friends in order to help them find closure, honor their memory, or process their feelings about Carver's guilt. It felt irresponsible to a certain degree to place that kind of pressure on Carver, and that was the only aspect to the plot that felt a little ridiculous. The way the characters spoke to one another, Carver's anxieties and panic attacks, his family's attempts to help him- all of this felt visceral, raw, and realistic.
Zentner's talent for description and imagery become Carver's writing talent and Zentner captures the language and mannerisms of teens on the precipice of becoming young adults- how do they reconcile wanting to be mature and in control with their childish tendencies? Carver's insecurities and difficulties with managing relationships is honest. Even as an adult I can relate to Carver. Zentner writes mental illness well- Carver's panic attacks are intense, and Zentner appears to be a proponent of a shameless and realistic approach of ways teens experiencing depression and anxiety can get help.
It's definitely not a book for all students. Those who've recently experienced tragedy either from losing a friend or loved one or have experienced a car accident may find this book too intense. The main characters are teenage boys who curse and joke around (references to sex, but no graphic sexual content), so younger middle schoolers are not the target audience. This books would be a great small ground novel for 8th grade or high school students.
Zentner's talent for description and imagery become Carver's writing talent and Zentner captures the language and mannerisms of teens on the precipice of becoming young adults- how do they reconcile wanting to be mature and in control with their childish tendencies? Carver's insecurities and difficulties with managing relationships is honest. Even as an adult I can relate to Carver. Zentner writes mental illness well- Carver's panic attacks are intense, and Zentner appears to be a proponent of a shameless and realistic approach of ways teens experiencing depression and anxiety can get help.
It's definitely not a book for all students. Those who've recently experienced tragedy either from losing a friend or loved one or have experienced a car accident may find this book too intense. The main characters are teenage boys who curse and joke around (references to sex, but no graphic sexual content), so younger middle schoolers are not the target audience. This books would be a great small ground novel for 8th grade or high school students.
potwato's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
syndi3's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oh man.. oh man.. oh man... another masterpiece from jeff. what a hearbreaking and uplifting story. about friendship, adulthood, responsibility and loss. a heart wrenching lost. i feel carver. his grief and his heartbreak.
wonderful wonderful book.
wonderful wonderful book.