Scan barcode
andrewrmart's review against another edition
4.0
Update: A few days after recording the notes below, I’ve moved from 3 stars to 4.
I approached this cautiously (as I do with all YA lit that promises sadness) and wound up pleasantly surprised by teenage characters who definitely feel like real humans (rather than caricatures) and a tasteful exploration of grief from diverse perspectives. To that end, I am actually on the verge of 4 stars as I write this! I think this is a book that I could reasonably expect young adult students (particularly young women) to pick up on their own accord because it does a good job capturing both strong emotions/relationships in youth and strong feelings that those emotions/relationships are misunderstood by outsiders -- at one point early on, one of the narrators muses on the fact that proximity to a person is not equal to intimacy. Slowly but surely, the narrators discover all of the beauty that remains after the deaths of their loved ones, although of course they encounter troublesome roadblocks along the way. Below are some excerpted thoughts that I share with another Goodreads user:
It is hard to write a good book about grief. First, you must convince the reader of the importance of the relationship between the protagonist(s) and the deceased; make them care about a fictional dead person as much as the characters supposedly do. Then you must also, usually, create a compelling story arc out of this grief. What will happen next? Where do the characters go from here? What are we reading for? Books about grief risk becoming "concept books", in that the concept is "this character is sad" but a story doesn't grow out of it.
I think this second point is where the book struggled a little. The Beauty That Remains follows three diverse teenagers as they cope with their individual grief. Korean-American Autumn has lost her best friend, Tavia, in an accident. Black identical twins Shay and Sasha have been torn apart by the end to Sasha's long battle with leukemia. And white Logan develops a drinking problem when his ex-boyfriend and first love commits suicide.
All three narrators have individual struggles, but these start to come together and overlap as the story progresses. Each is linked, in some way, by music, and Logan's old band called Unraveling Lovely.
The author puts a lot of emotion into her characters, especially in the beginning when painting in their backstory and relationship to those who have died. Woodfolk explores what it means to lose a twin - that one person who is so closely tied to you and has been by your side all your life - and what it's like to feel like you could have prevented the death of an ex if only... if only.
It's a timely story, as each narrator uses digital technology in a different way to deal with their grief. Logan watches Bram's vlogs, Autumn sends online messages to Tavia, and Shay turns to blogging about music. About a third of the way in, however, I felt like their emotions, the "concept" of their grief had been explored exhaustively, and that the story grew a little tiresome and repetitive.
I approached this cautiously (as I do with all YA lit that promises sadness) and wound up pleasantly surprised by teenage characters who definitely feel like real humans (rather than caricatures) and a tasteful exploration of grief from diverse perspectives. To that end, I am actually on the verge of 4 stars as I write this! I think this is a book that I could reasonably expect young adult students (particularly young women) to pick up on their own accord because it does a good job capturing both strong emotions/relationships in youth and strong feelings that those emotions/relationships are misunderstood by outsiders -- at one point early on, one of the narrators muses on the fact that proximity to a person is not equal to intimacy. Slowly but surely, the narrators discover all of the beauty that remains after the deaths of their loved ones, although of course they encounter troublesome roadblocks along the way. Below are some excerpted thoughts that I share with another Goodreads user:
It is hard to write a good book about grief. First, you must convince the reader of the importance of the relationship between the protagonist(s) and the deceased; make them care about a fictional dead person as much as the characters supposedly do. Then you must also, usually, create a compelling story arc out of this grief. What will happen next? Where do the characters go from here? What are we reading for? Books about grief risk becoming "concept books", in that the concept is "this character is sad" but a story doesn't grow out of it.
I think this second point is where the book struggled a little. The Beauty That Remains follows three diverse teenagers as they cope with their individual grief. Korean-American Autumn has lost her best friend, Tavia, in an accident. Black identical twins Shay and Sasha have been torn apart by the end to Sasha's long battle with leukemia. And white Logan develops a drinking problem when his ex-boyfriend and first love commits suicide.
All three narrators have individual struggles, but these start to come together and overlap as the story progresses. Each is linked, in some way, by music, and Logan's old band called Unraveling Lovely.
The author puts a lot of emotion into her characters, especially in the beginning when painting in their backstory and relationship to those who have died. Woodfolk explores what it means to lose a twin - that one person who is so closely tied to you and has been by your side all your life - and what it's like to feel like you could have prevented the death of an ex if only... if only.
It's a timely story, as each narrator uses digital technology in a different way to deal with their grief. Logan watches Bram's vlogs, Autumn sends online messages to Tavia, and Shay turns to blogging about music. About a third of the way in, however, I felt like their emotions, the "concept" of their grief had been explored exhaustively, and that the story grew a little tiresome and repetitive.
ricci's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
readwithmeemz's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
I'm an Indigo Employee, and I received an advanced reading copy of this book, in exchange for my honest feedback.
Not the best book to read on your commute - unless you want to ugly cry in front of strangers. ‘The Beauty that Remains’ is a heartbreaking, beautiful, devastatingly well written book about love, and loss - grief and music. Tender, and often painful to read - I absolutely adored it! An incredible book, and an incredible debut. Absolutely can’t wait to read more from this author!
I'm an Indigo Employee, and I received an advanced reading copy of this book, in exchange for my honest feedback.
Not the best book to read on your commute - unless you want to ugly cry in front of strangers. ‘The Beauty that Remains’ is a heartbreaking, beautiful, devastatingly well written book about love, and loss - grief and music. Tender, and often painful to read - I absolutely adored it! An incredible book, and an incredible debut. Absolutely can’t wait to read more from this author!
steel_city_peach's review against another edition
4.0
Sad But Relatable
This book sparked so many emotions for me. On this day 26 years ago, I got a call telling me that my high school sweetheart had died. It was one day after his 18th birthday. With those emotions bubbling up inside of me, this book made me feel seen. I hope that any young person that has to say goodbye to a peer way too soon can find a book like this. Knowing you’re not grieving alone is a vital part of the healing process. Ashley Woodfolk did an amazing job addressing such a sensitive subject.
This book sparked so many emotions for me. On this day 26 years ago, I got a call telling me that my high school sweetheart had died. It was one day after his 18th birthday. With those emotions bubbling up inside of me, this book made me feel seen. I hope that any young person that has to say goodbye to a peer way too soon can find a book like this. Knowing you’re not grieving alone is a vital part of the healing process. Ashley Woodfolk did an amazing job addressing such a sensitive subject.
ashleysparkle's review against another edition
5.0
This book was great. The way the storylines all intertwine but from different perspectives. I love that everything evolves around music. As someone who needs music to survive, it really felt relatable. This book was raw, real, & perfectly portrayed the mixed up messiness of coping with grief.
aspring's review against another edition
i was going to try and finish this today but i am Bored. and feel entirely disconnected from all of the characters. AND i have so much else i’d rather be reading so dnf’ing for now <3
xintians's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was so good! I really liked how the author told the story in three different perspectives. If you like music, then you should definitely read this book. I also love the cover. It's so bright and colorful, and I think it has a nice contrast to the mood of most of the book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.
loulangy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
melindagallagher's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get into the book. The death of a sister, a best friend, and a boyfriend make for a tough start. The process of grief throughout is probably accurate. 2020 Sequoyah book.