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rachelbookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
A story of friendship, music, and grief, told from three perspectives from this who have lost loved ones in the same community, united by a love of music. It was a nice reflection of grief and growth through pain, and the bumpy healing process. I wasn’t blown away, but it was well-written. Just less plot than character focused and I got a little lost swapping between the 3 characters with the audiobook and am sure didn’t appreciate the different formats the book hosted due to that. The audiobook was well acted.
moeboutuncoated's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I would tell any therapist or a person looking to help someone through grief to give a copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Mental illness, and Suicide
djkirsikirs's review against another edition
3.0
It took a while for me to get into this book and begin to care about the characters because for the first half of the book they aren't really doing anything except being terribly depressed. I almost DNFed this book halfway through, but I'm glad I didn't because once the characters stopped sitting around and being sad and actually did things to help themselves it was an enjoyable book.
I think the big problem with the story is that it starts in the wrong place. For the first part of the book we're reading about characters that are deeply hurting but there's really no reason to care about them because we don't know them. I would have liked to have seen more flashbacks or exposition in the first few chapters so that I could understand who Bram, Tavi, and Sasha were and thus better felt the grief that Logan, Shay, Autumn, and their loved ones were going through.
Like I said before, once I actually got to know the narrators and they started to really acknowledge their grief and take charge of it the story really picked up and I felt more invested. By the end of the story I really related to all three of them and was rooting for them, I just wish I could have gotten there sooner. That being said, this is a very well written book and the way Ashley Woodfolk describes the process of going through grief and loss is well done.
I think the big problem with the story is that it starts in the wrong place. For the first part of the book we're reading about characters that are deeply hurting but there's really no reason to care about them because we don't know them. I would have liked to have seen more flashbacks or exposition in the first few chapters so that I could understand who Bram, Tavi, and Sasha were and thus better felt the grief that Logan, Shay, Autumn, and their loved ones were going through.
Like I said before, once I actually got to know the narrators and they started to really acknowledge their grief and take charge of it the story really picked up and I felt more invested. By the end of the story I really related to all three of them and was rooting for them, I just wish I could have gotten there sooner. That being said, this is a very well written book and the way Ashley Woodfolk describes the process of going through grief and loss is well done.
fangirl76's review against another edition
4.0
Grief is so very personal. Is it strange that the point that I most recognized was the fact that the mom had no identity for her loss? Even after so many years, loss is still shaping me. I think this book is very genuine in many ways. I see fragments of myself, my process, in its bits and pieces.
lia7ail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Terminal illness
melissasawatsky's review against another edition
5.0
“We’ve lost everything, and found ourselves.”
I read this @ashwrites #yafiction book
I read this @ashwrites #yafiction book
deermilk's review against another edition
4.5
Any book that makes me cry multiple times is going to be memorable for me.
Woodfolk excels at capturing tangles of feelings & thoughts. All three viewpoint characters are feeling complicated, messy, heartbreaking things, and there's a grace to how that's explored.
Mini-spoilers in this paragraph: This may be more an issue of marketing, but I went in with the understanding that the three POV characters are connected. As the first third or so of the book went on and it became apparent how they were tied to each other through Unraveling Lovely, I thought the book was ultimately going to be about the three of them connecting directly in response to their grief. This doesn't quite happen.
But aside from that unfulfilled expectation, I loved the honesty and open-hearted feel of this book. It's raw, tender, and welcoming in a way I find genuinely captivating. I look forward to reading more of Woodfolk's work!
Woodfolk excels at capturing tangles of feelings & thoughts. All three viewpoint characters are feeling complicated, messy, heartbreaking things, and there's a grace to how that's explored.
Mini-spoilers in this paragraph: This may be more an issue of marketing, but I went in with the understanding that the three POV characters are connected. As the first third or so of the book went on and it became apparent how they were tied to each other through Unraveling Lovely, I thought the book was ultimately going to be about the three of them connecting directly in response to their grief. This doesn't quite happen.
But aside from that unfulfilled expectation, I loved the honesty and open-hearted feel of this book. It's raw, tender, and welcoming in a way I find genuinely captivating. I look forward to reading more of Woodfolk's work!
mckinlay's review against another edition
4.0
this was a beautiful book about loss, grief, love, friendship, and healing. and it taught me that i can no longer read books about best friends dying.
diversity: 3 POVs, one black, one korean, one gay. Shay deals with panic attacks. Logan is dealing with alcoholism and sees a therapist.
diversity: 3 POVs, one black, one korean, one gay. Shay deals with panic attacks. Logan is dealing with alcoholism and sees a therapist.
0live_tr33's review against another edition
4.0
This book has left me screaming and broken. I don't know what to do with myself.
First of all, I need to stop searching for Unravelling Lovely and Undying Light on Spotify and come to terms with the fact they are fictional bands. The music culture in The Beauty That Remains is truly spectacular. It deeply explored the different ways in which people grieve from the three perspectives of Shay, Autumn and Logan. Each of these characters had a distinct voice and separate experiences linked by the music they had once been connected by.
First of all, I need to stop searching for Unravelling Lovely and Undying Light on Spotify and come to terms with the fact they are fictional bands. The music culture in The Beauty That Remains is truly spectacular. It deeply explored the different ways in which people grieve from the three perspectives of Shay, Autumn and Logan. Each of these characters had a distinct voice and separate experiences linked by the music they had once been connected by.