An emotional heartwarming read! Readers, get your tissues ready! This is a lovely story about overcoming grief and the stages of grief from three different perspectives. There is also a portion of the book that deals with racial prejudices in the 60's which is when I grew up and was very insightful. This was a wonderful surprise from a debut author and a great book for all ages. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If you are looking for a great book, one that will tug at your heartstrings then look no further. This is a story that could have been ripped right out of the headlines. It is told through three points of view. First we have Teddy, the son and survivor of a horrible accident. He is dealing with survivor’s guilt because he was at the wheel when a drunk driver hit them killing his father. Then we have his mother Mary who is trying to hold it all together for the sake of her three children, help her son “deal” with the accident while feeling she is being guided by her husband to make decisions that will affect them all. Finally there is Rosetta, the girlfriend from the past, a past that frowned on blacks and whites dating. All three of them deal with grief in their own way.
There are several things I found amusing. Whenever Teddy comes upon a situation he immediately sees a headline. His first friend is a girl he has to share a locker with. Mindy is very unusual. She had one best friend who moved away. She remembers the weirdest, random facts and they seem to pop out at the most inopportune times. But Mindy really was a character I loved.

The author did a great job of showing realistically how death can tear a family apart, while at the same time showing that it doesn’t mean we lose our memories of the one who died. She also showed the process that grief takes and how it is different for each person. The steps to getting back on their feet and learning to live life again was so realistic. I have only one warning for you. Do NOT go into this book without a box of tissues. This is a great way to start off my new year of reading. Definitely a book I will recommend to everyone. There are life lessons for all. It is such a clean read that I believe it is a book I will put on my shelves at school, because it seems every year I find one student who experiences a death in their family and maybe what they learn by reading Teddy’s side of the story will help them. ( )