What the community thinks
summary of 73 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
Graphic
Child death (4 reviewers), Death (4 reviewers), Grief (3 reviewers), Terminal illness (2 reviewers), Medical trauma (2 reviewers), and Medical content (1 reviewer)Moderate
Death (3 reviewers), Cancer (2 reviewers), Child death (2 reviewers), Mental illness (1 reviewer), Terminal illness (1 reviewer), Medical content (1 reviewer), and Grief (1 reviewer)Moods
reflective 89%
sad 84%
funny 63%
hopeful 52%
inspiring 42%
challenging 15%
adventurous 10%
dark 10%
lighthearted 5%
tense 5%
Pace
medium 26%
slow 15%
Strong character development?
Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 10%Loveable characters?
Yes: 94% | It's complicated: 5%Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 5% | No: 5%Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 100%Average rating
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Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know he’s about to die . . . again.
He also doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save his life, rescuing him from drowning only to watch Q die later in the hospital. Even more complicated, Jamal and Q haven’t been best friends in two years—not since Jamal’s parents died in a car accident, leaving him and his sister to carry on without them. Grief swallowed Jamal whole, and he blamed Q for causing the accident.
But what if Jamal could have a second chance? An impossible chance that would grant him the opportunity to say goodbye to his best friend? A new health-care technology allows Q to be reanimated—brought back to life like the old Q again. But there’s a catch: Q will only reanimate for a short time before he dies . . . forever.
Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but grief is hard to shake. And he can’t tell Q why he’s suddenly trying to be friends with him again. Because Q has no idea that he died, and Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin the miracle by telling him. How can Jamal fix his friendship with Q if he can’t tell him the truth?
Buy Early Departures
United States
Bookshop US
Other countries
Bookshop UK
Blackwell's
The StoryGraph is an affiliate of the featured links. We earn commission on any purchases made.
Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know he’s about to die . . . again.
He also doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save his life, rescuing him from drowning only to watch Q die later in the hospital. Even more complicated, Jamal and Q haven’t been best friends in two years—not since Jamal’s parents died in a car accident, leaving him and his sister to carry on without them. Grief swallowed Jamal whole, and he blamed Q for causing the accident.
But what if Jamal could have a second chance? An impossible chance that would grant him the opportunity to say goodbye to his best friend? A new health-care technology allows Q to be reanimated—brought back to life like the old Q again. But there’s a catch: Q will only reanimate for a short time before he dies . . . forever.
Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but grief is hard to shake. And he can’t tell Q why he’s suddenly trying to be friends with him again. Because Q has no idea that he died, and Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin the miracle by telling him. How can Jamal fix his friendship with Q if he can’t tell him the truth?
What the community thinks
summary of 73 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
Graphic
Child death (4 reviewers), Death (4 reviewers), Grief (3 reviewers), Terminal illness (2 reviewers), Medical trauma (2 reviewers), and Medical content (1 reviewer)Moderate
Death (3 reviewers), Cancer (2 reviewers), Child death (2 reviewers), Mental illness (1 reviewer), Terminal illness (1 reviewer), Medical content (1 reviewer), and Grief (1 reviewer)Moods
reflective 89%
sad 84%
funny 63%
hopeful 52%
inspiring 42%
challenging 15%
adventurous 10%
dark 10%
lighthearted 5%
tense 5%
Pace
medium 26%
slow 15%
Strong character development?
Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 10%Loveable characters?
Yes: 94% | It's complicated: 5%Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 5% | No: 5%Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 100%Average rating