This book was really beautifully written and it made me sad a lot of times. I think it did a good job talking about suicide and grief and it's an important read for everyone.

“Just a normal Tuesday” has been in my Kindle for some time now and I just couldn’t decide to start reading it. And then one day I said to myself that I need to read that book. It has been waiting for way too long! What I great decision that was!

Kai is a teenage girl that is very close to her older sister Jen. Jen is her idol, the person she turns to whenever she wants an advice, or to share happy moments and her thoughts, or even just to chat about anything! They are very close and Jen always looks after her little sister, no matter what. They know each other very well as they share all their little secrets, or at least that is the impression Kai has.

Until one day she returns home to find a letter from Jen waiting for her. An another for her mother. And another one for her father. This does not seem right so Kai opens Jen’s letter in the solitude of her own room. She believes it is very personal and she is right as the letter is a suicide not to Kai. This is more than a shock to the girl, but she finds the courage to run to Jen’s house, only to find out that she is too late. After that, her whole world crumbles. Her whole family is broken into pieces and Kai is walking to the edge of an emotional cliff until her parents decide to send her to a grief camp. There, among other kids her own age and with similar experiences, should should be able to morn and recover and come back to reality.

The whole story is very emotional, right there from the start. The relationship between the two sisters is becoming known to the reader through Kai’s memories and it becomes clear that they were very close, that Jen was like a second mother to Kai, given also their age difference. So it becomes pretty obvious, why Kai is so devastated. Not only she lost a sibling. She lost the person she confided to, the one she considered most valuable and precious of all, her alter ego. Therefore it was certain that it would have a great impact on Kai.

Kai loses herself when she loses her sister. She hits the ground just like someone else in her place would have. Grief is handled differently by each and everyone and this one takes it really ugly. It was not nice to see how Kai responded to grief. It became a bit surreal I think. However, since this is fiction, it does not feel odd.

However, what is so important in this book, is the light that comes after Kai decides to try and move forward. It promotes the idea that whenever you are in a dark place, all it takes to come back from there is to be open to the little slice of light that may come from a person you never expected to reach out for you. Either that person be someone else or yourself. Hope may come at any moment. If you lose someone, the world is not lost. You are not lost.

Heartrendingly Amazing…free copy
I have to be totally honest, I drug my feet in reading Just a Normal Tuesday after I previewed the description. I’m the type of person that invests their emotions into the stories I am reading. At the time I received this book I was dealing with some serious interpersonal issues of my own and just didn’t think I could handle a story about a teenage girl dealing with her sister’s suicide. I was wanting an author to help me escape from the realities in my life not remind me of them and make me feel worse. I could not have been more wrong about this book.

shattered heart In all seriousness, this story will tear your heart in two. Kim writes in such an honest and authentic way that you will be feeling the tide of emotions that Kai experiences; from the moment she firsts discovers her beloved older sister Jen has committed suicide thru the entire grief process, during which she spirals out of control. More than once I was amazed at how well Kim could intricately convey the inner workings of Kai’s thoughts, that is until I finished the book and read how Just a Normal Tuesday was the result of her being prompted to write from her own personal experience. Kim’s willingness to revisit her own despair has allowed her to produce a powerful work. Thru prose she articulates the struggles we all face when someone we love dearly dies.

five & half stars If Just a Normal Tuesday was no more than the well written, engaging story with authentic and fully dimensional characters that it is, it would still earn 5 stars from me. It is that and so much more!!! For the person struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts this captivating, fictional tale could be the one thing that reaches them and gives them a preview of the impact their actions would have on the ones they care about. There is no sugar coating the grief, anger, and guilt the death of a loved one has on those left behind. For the person traversing the stages of grief, it validates their turmoils and emotions. It reaffirms the fact that there is no right way to grieve, that each person will go through the process differently, and that the only thing that really matters is that you keep progressing through the stages.

stages of grief

But, the best part of Just a Normal Tuesday was that I was encouraged. I shared in Kai’s hope for happiness as she worked through her sorrow and connected with others at Grief Camp experiencing their own struggles with loss. By the end of the book I was able to cry tears of joy instead of the sad ones I shed at the beginning of the story. I can only imagine the positive impact and engaging discussion that could happen if Just a Normal Tuesday was required reading for all high school students.

Don’t miss out on this gem; read it and share it with others.

This book was a tough one to read because it was so emotional. The topic of suicide is somewhat difficult for me to grasp as I have only witnessed it play out in movies or through newspaper articles. However, instead of a factual and detached depiction of suicide we get an intimate and raw look at what it means for someone close to you to commit suicide.

The different ways Kai copes with and ultimately accepts her sister's suicide are truly human and realistic. At times it was hard to read and doubly hard to imagine. Nonetheless, I feel this book is beautiful and I definitely recommend it for anyone open to the idea of reading a character's desperate struggle to live with grief and loss.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review Just a Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi! Kai and her parents are consumed with grief over the suicide of her sister Jen. I like how the story covers their grief and how each of them handles everything differently from finding Jen, her letters to each family member, the funeral preparations, their relationships with others and work and school when they try to get back to "normal". All of this is covered in the first half of the book then Kai hits rock bottom and her friends and family don't know how to help her, so she's sent to a grief camp. This turns out to be the best possible choice. Small group discussions and activities help the teenagers learn how to move forward without forgetting the loved ones they have lost. Helping others seems to be the best way to overcome sadness because of thinking about someone else instead of just yourself heals broken hearts. I'm impressed with this book, the realistic feel of it, and I fell in love with the characters and wanted them to heal. The background of the story is interesting also and I appreciate the author being willing to share her personal experiences along with her pain. The resources included at the end will help many readers know where to find the help they need; 5 stars for a beautiful story of experiencing loss and the hope that brings light back into our lives.

As a psychologist and someone who has lost loved ones to suicide, I found this book spot-on.

A girl receives a suicide note from the older sister she adores and rushes to save her, only to realize it’s too late. As she fights to understand why her sister, a seemingly happy person, would take such drastic measures, she begins to follow a path of self-destruction and alarms her parents enough to send her to a grief camp. Author Kim Turrisi mines her own heartbreaking experience to bring to life the reality of a sibling committing suicide in the very real novel Just A Normal Tuesday.

Sixteen-year-old Kai Sheehan thinks it’s a regular Tuesday until she gets home from school and picks up the mail. In it she finds a letter addressed to her from her big sister, Jen. Curious, Kai opens the letter. Jen just had dinner with Kai and their parents a couple of days earlier. Why the need for the letter?

As Kai reads, she realizes Jen hasn’t just sent her a letter: it’s a final goodbye. Jen tells Kai to be strong, to go forward with all her plans for life. To wear anything but black at the funeral.

Despite her efforts to get to her sister’s apartment as fast as possible, Kai reaches there only to realize she’s late by two days. Jen had dinner with the family and then went home and made her choice. Something drove her to make an irrevocable decision that will change Kai’s life forever.

Kai and her parents spiral out from one another in their grief as they struggle to understand just why Jen would do this. Jen’s friends, too, have no answers. No one can remember Jen ever appearing overly sad or upset. From what anyone can gather, she didn’t undergo any traumatic life experiences. So what would make her just give up and kill herself?

For Kai the burden of her sister’s death becomes too much. She begins to find solace in stolen prescription drugs and alcohol. Her two best friends, TJ and Emily, cover for her for a while, but eventually they start worrying about Kai. Eventually the truth comes out, and Kai’s parents make a decision: they’re sending Kai to a special camp for grieving teens.

At first Kai resents her parents for shipping her off. What do they know about losing a sister? And do they actually think sending her away is going to fix anything?

As Kai gets to know the other campers, some older, some younger, she discovers grief wears many faces. Someone has lost a parent; someone has lost a grandparent. Others have lost siblings like her. The kids at camp may come from different backgrounds, but all of them know what it’s like for parts of their hearts to be missing. If she’s ever going to learn how to move forward after Jen’s death, Kai will need to stay open to love and whatever form it takes.

Author Kim Turrisi shares in a note that she wrote Just A Normal Tuesday from personal experience. When she was a teen, her sister committed suicide. That painful experience allows Turrisi to give the most authentic voice possible to Kai and her pain. Instead of dressing up Kai’s grief in poetic phrases, Turrisi lets Kai express herself in some of the plainest language possible.

“I dread the sound of the locking dead bolt on the front door as my father seals us all inside,” Kai says after Jen’s funeral. “The finality is undeniable. The population of our family is now officially three.”

Later, as Kai argues with her parents, she doesn’t shy away from trying to guilt them into letting her get her way. “It’s not my fault that Jen killed herself,” she says. “I shouldn’t have to pay the price.”

At times, too, Kai’s thoughts compress into single words that say everything.

“Mad. Sad. Resentful. All colliding.”

When she’s dealing with the fallout from Jen’s death, Kai’s time at the grief camp comes across as just as authentic. Some of her interactions with the other characters feel a little less so, but the flip-flopping Kai does between emotions can also be attributed to the face-slap reality that grief causes without a moment’s notice. Turrisi’s commitment to the story, in any case, never wavers and carries Kai to the end.

Anyone who has dealt with the suicide of someone close or who knows someone contemplating the act would be well advised to read this book. I recommend readers Bookmark Just A Normal Tuesday.

Having lost my son 3 yrs ago to suicide and the awful shock of finding him, I thought I could handle reading this heartbreaking book. Instead I found I could only read a few pages at a time. Despite the subject matter, it was very well written and one that i could certainly relate to. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers.

Reviews have been left on Amazon and Goodreads.

What begins as a normal Tuesday becomes a day that sixteen-year-old Kai will remember for the rest of her life. All it takes is a suicide note from her older sister, Jen. Through her pain, Kai searches for reasons why Jen would do this. Kai is heartbroken and furious, and soon she's in a vicious downward spiral.

Just a Normal Tuesday gave this reader a look at what the aftermath of suicide looks like for those left behind. While Turrisi has written an easy to read (not as far as the subject matter goes) book, there were times when I wanted more from the story. Then other times when I thought a part of the story had gone on long enough. This isn’t an easy subject matter to approach, but I think Turrisi did it well. While I never cried (very surprising) I could feel the hurt from those left behind.

I don’t know that I’ll ever understand suicide. It breaks my heart that suicide feels like the only way out. I don’t mean that in a judgmental way at all! I simply wish I could help those who have reached that low and take away their pain. As I read this book, the song “Why” by Rascal Flatts was playing in my mind. I’ll close this review with the lyrics of that song and encouragement to check out Just a Normal Tuesday.

You must have been in a
Place so dark
You couldn't feel the light
Reachin' for you through
That stormy cloud
Now here we are
Gathered in our little hometown
This can't be the way
You meant to draw a crowd

[Chorus]
Oh why, that's what I keep asking
Was there anything I could've
Said or done
Oh, I had no clue you were
Masking
A troubled soul, God only knows
What went wrong and why
You would leave the stage
In the middle of a song

Now in my mind I'll keep you frozen
As a seventeen-year-old
Rounding third to score the
Winning run
You always played with passion
No matter what the game
When you took the stage
You'd shine just like the sun

[Chorus]
Oh why, that's what I keep asking
Was there anything I could've
Said or done
Oh, I had no clue you were
Masking
A troubled soul, God only knows
What went wrong and why
You would leave the stage
In the middle of a song

Now the oak trees are swaying
In the early autumn breeze
A golden sun is shining on my face
Through tangled thoughts
I hear a mockingbird sing
This old world really ain't that
Bad of a place

Oh why, there's no comprehending
And who am I to try to
Judge or explain
Oh, but I do have one
Burning question
Who told you life wasn't
Worth the fight
They were wrong, they lied
Now you're gone and we cry
'Cause it's not like you to
Walk away
In the middle of a song

Your beautiful song
Your absolutely beautiful song

This story is very raw, and it's really about grieving. I guess a trigger warning is necessary. Even though the suicide isn't that much, it all felt more than real.

This is about Kai, who loses her sister and best friend, her soulmate, when she finds her dead body on what she was sure it would be a normal Tuesday. She doesn't take it well at all but tries to fake it so her family won't notice until it all crashes. As her parents notice they can't help her alone, she needs to go to a camp for those grieving and give it a last try.

I don't really like giving half the story of the book in the summary but this was a slow-paced story. I think it needed a lot more editing so the plot doesn't really take off when you're already at 50% in. And that's the book's biggest flaw. I didn't remember the summary anymore when I started, and as a result, I kept thinking "now the story begins" but it would never really. I would have made the camp appear much before and make the many good scenes we have before into flashbacks. I think that would be the easy way to fix it, especially since those scenes post suicide were mostly episodic, time-jumping every time and Kai does mention the period a lot during the camp. Of course, every author is free to choose a style but I'm not into slow beginnings.

On the other hand, when you exclude the lack of transitions between each phase in Kai's grief, this was a very well written first novel. You can feel each of the characters—as well as feel (a lot) for each of them—and it's just very sad.

Even before researching about this author I knew she was speaking from experience. I've only lost one close but not that close a person to suicide, so I couldn't be sure if that was really how one would feel. Still, it hurt inside me as if we could really read inside this existing person's mind. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to put it all so explicitly on paper. So don't expect this to be your usual YA book on suicide, it's the real thing.

Also, I didn't know grief camps existed. The author says she wished she had attended one when it happened to her, and I do see how nice they seem to be. I'm glad she presented this to us. I was particularly glad about Kai's reaction to the idea. She's not into it but she really makes the effort. I'm glad she wasn't portrayed as this uncooperative irrational teenager we usually see in similar stories.

In sum, this book needed a better structure, and the parts not about the suicide read a little superficial but it didn't diminish its value. This was a beautiful story about coping after someone so, so close decides to leave you.

Moving. Heartbreaking. Soulful. Emotional.

These four words don’t even begin to describe the journey you take with Kai in Just A Normal Tuesday.

If you are looking for something well written and deeply meaningful, give this book a chance.

Loved, loved, loved this book! There were so many emotions in this book and I could not put it down. A very honest and raw read. I received this book from netgalley in exchange on my honest opinion.

This was a very emotional read. I suggest going into this book with an open mind (and heart), and maybe, like, ten boxes of kleenexes. It also might be wise to read this book when you have no other responsibilities to worry about. Do not read this book before you go to work or school. Do not read it before bed (if you want to sleep without crying into your pillow). Okay? Okay, I think you get my point. The feels are strong in this one.

I was an emotional mess reading this book. It was really hard for me to get through as I recently lost a friend as well. Although it was under different circumstances, Just A Normal Tuesday is a book everyone should read.