Reviewed for Netgalley. Oh this struck a huge chord with me due to personal circumstances similar to the main character. Munro's 13 year old sister who had Down's Syndrome has suddenly died in front of him at school and 12 months later he is still grieving and in shock (Probably suffering from PTSD).
In Munroe's head is the voice of the Coyote - a typical manifestation of depression - Munro's own thoughts that tell him he is worthless and it is all his fault that she is dead.
The book sees him sign up for a student exchange program to Queensland to escape this troubles, but Munro is given social service placement at a housing community for the disabled and so must face his grief head on as the residents remind him of the sister he loved and lost. Well written with beautiful realistic depictions of the disabled adults that Munro must befriend (who actually look after him when they decide to take him on a tour of Brisbane's attractions). There are heart-breaking moments but also laugh out loud times too. Nevertheless, I bawled for 30 mins after I finished it; so accurate was Groth's depiction of adult disability and of grief. (I took half a star off because I thought he could have fleshed out the exchange family a little better...he touched on the Dad's problems but only briefly which I think could have been an opportunity for further explanation of how to overcome grief, trauma and depression.) ( )

I like the plot of this book- teen grieving over the recent death of his sister joins a student exchange program and travels to Australia in the hopes of leaving his guilt/grief behind. And there is a nice plot twist at the end. However- I had a problem keeping all the voices straight in the beginning when the MC was haunted by Coyote as well as speaking to his sister. I enjoyed the second half much better-when the Coyote's voice was silenced and Munro is working at Fair Go- the characters in this section were vibrant and the plot easier to follow. ( )

This is the second book in a month I've read about a Canadian teenager grieving the death of a younger sibling. It wasn't a conscious choice, but rather chance; I won both [b:Munro vs. the Coyote|34412161|Munro vs. the Coyote|Darren Groth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488267441s/34412161.jpg|54052411] and [b:Optimists Die First|30335388|Optimists Die First|Susin Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469405417s/30335388.jpg|50833530] from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

Munro Maddox has been struggling since the sudden death of his thirteen year old sister six months earlier. Munro hears a cruel, pessimistic voice in his head that he has named 'the Coyote' and, though it is never mentioned in the text, he also seems to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Munro's symptoms make it difficult for him to attend school, the place where his sister died, so he signs up for a school exchange program in Australia. In Australia he stays with a nice foster family that are more sympathetic to what he's going through than he expected and is assigned a volunteer position at a care community.

The community is set up like a village, for adults who have developmental or physical disabilities. One girl in particular reminds Munro of his dead sister, who also had Down's Syndrome. At first this triggers Munro's issues, before eventually alleviating them. Munro's interactions with the residents are sweet and you can see how it helps him.

The story is quick and readable, the language accessible and, in many ways, quite simple. Munro's a sympathetic character, his pain is palpable and relatable, his confusion understandable. However, the length of the book made the story feel very rushed, particularly towards the end. That was a big drawback for me as it made Munro's recovery feel far too fast. I would have liked the setback Munro has towards the end of the book to have been focused on more. It felt like it wrapped up too early.

Other than that, I really liked it. There's minor romance that's sweet and doesn't overpower the story as well. The school exchange to Australia was a particularly nice conception; the location served as a reminder that you cannot run away from grief, while at the same time recognizing that sometimes the only way to come to terms with trauma is to remove yourself from the emotional triggers. Plus the culture clash was cute and fun. ( )

Canadian teenager, Munro Maddox witnessed the death of his sister, and struggles throughout the book to overcome his sense of failure and culpability of her death. His sister, Evie, had down syndrome, and Munro lived as her big brother, best friend, and helper. And yet, he couldn't save her life.
A part of him becomes "The Coyote," talking in his head, causing physical outbursts, dark thoughts, and separation from many in his life. After loosing interest in school, Munro and his parents look at an exchange program to Australia as a way for Munro to restart his life.

I enjoyed the story, found the writing quite good, and I connected with many of the characters. There are a few good messages in the story, which Munro has to learn as part of his recovery, as well as topics around special needs children and adults. The only real fault I found with the plot was the ending, where Munro finds out he apparently suffers from a heart condition, which might explain his hallucinations and the coyote? I didn't quite understand what all was said there - everything from the point of Munro's collapse in the dark with Iggy to the end scene, for some reason didn't seem to fit. Otherwise, it's a great book. ( )

A somewhat flat, mostly boring story about a teen who joins a student exchange program in Australia to escape the pain caused by the death of his sister. Clearly, this doesn't work, and Munro is as haunted by the voice he calls "Coyote" in Brisbane as he was back in Canada. Along the way he learns to forge connections to new friends, new family, and the young people he helps out with at an assisted living center. The only times I enjoyed reading this book was when Munro was volunteering at the living center, and interacting with the residents there. The rest of this book was a waste of time. ( )