This was a fairly good book. I read it while I was in the tub and I didn't want to put it down! Its fairly relatable which made it easier to read, the names of the characters are really cool too, slightly reminiscent of The Outsiders.

Kathleen Glasgow is such an amazing writer! She draws the reader into the story in such a way that you truly feel the characters pain. Tiger is such a complex character. You will feel her pain as she travels on this horrific journey of loss. Another amazing read! I suggest you not read this poignant story of loss and resilience when you are feeling down. It definitely could take you down the rabbit hole. If you are a fan of young adult writing and dark complex character then this book is definitely for you! Happy reading!

I don't think my emotions were ready for this book. I expected it to be sad going on considering I did read the synopsis, but man did it hit me hard. I thought the author's first book was good but this one showed a lot of growth in her writing, character development, and making her readers really connect to the story. I did get all of that in the first book as well but this was dialed up to 11.

Having read Glasgow’s heart-wrecking debut, Girl In Pieces, I had an inkling that perhaps her second novel would be another emotional rollercoaster. What I didn’t know is just how much of a wild, heart-breaking ride this would be. Last year, I finally got around to reading White Oleander (about a girl who goes into foster care once her mom is sent to prison for murder), so when Tiger’s mom dies, and she goes to foster care all I can think is, “OH NO BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN NOW!” Because some crazy shit went down in White Oleander that made me grateful that I never had to be a foster child, but at the same time made me feel extremely sorry for those poor kids who do end up becoming wardens of the state. And although I had only known Tiger for a couple of pages, I instantly liked her and was fearful of her future without her mother.

The prose in this book is amazingly STUNNING, even when events happen that leave you feeling like you’re repeatedly getting sucker punched with the most horrible reality. The author has a way of writing that makes grief and despair appear simultaneously poetic and yet very harsh. This book doesn’t lull you with a false sense of security, instead, it pulls the rug out from under your feet making you fall painfully hard. This book isn’t for those who are looking for a casual YA because other than the protagonist being a teen, a lot of the tough reality of life wasn’t glossed over nor sugar-coated. Glasgow wants you to see how difficult it can be to lose the only person you have in life, even if that reality makes you feel uncomfortable at times.

This book will make you feel in ways you didn’t think you were capable of feeling. It will also absolutely shatter your heart to pieces. Not to mention that ugly crying will be in your near future once you pick up this novel. You’ve been warned. But it’s well worth it.

Silent tears streamed down my face throughout much of this book. The realistic view of grief is the center crux. Tiger doesn't become a superhero. She doesn't overcome her mother's death like it's nothing. She doesn't become a sordid tale of the underbelly of the foster system. What she does is paint a portrait of grief that will have readers relating to her and feeling for her.
Reading this book left me feeling like I had been dragged through the desert. I was raw and emotional. I felt beat up. It's been awhile since I felt that from a book.
Ultimately, I recommend this for anyone who is open to accepting another person's trauma as their own, enjoys realistic fiction, and doesn't want something shiny and pretty.

How to Make Friends with the Dark is a book that will wring your heart out. It's always been Tiger and her mother. Even if she's a little overprotective and the struggle of her family and poverty, it's hers. Until the day her mother dies and Tiger's life is changed forever - throwing her into the foster care system until they can find a more permanent solution.

Above all what kept me reading How to Make Friends with the Dark is Tiger and her grief. At times I needed to step away from this book because of how emotional it was making me. We feel the depths of Tiger's grief, the way she feels separated from the world around her - a girl in a jar. And throughout the book, we witness Tiger processing the complicated relationship she had with her mother, their last fight, and how to move on without her.

This book was devastating. Kathleen Glasgow really took you inside Tiger’s head and made you feel all the pain and grief she was feeling. It was extremely well written and compelling. All the characters leapt off the pages.

Kathleen Glasgow is a genius. Once again she’s written a book that hits every emotion. It’s a roller coaster ride.

She writes grief like no other. And while I’m not someone who’s ever had to live in the system, I imagine this is exactly what it’s like.

And as Tiger deals with her depression, I couldn’t help but feel for her. And the moving. It’s rough, especially with an older child.

I loved that there was enough humorous moments that allowed me a laugh or two.

But mostly, I love her brutal honesty in dealing with mental health. A lot of authors skim details or the person is “fixed” through a relationship—or some other nonsense. Glasgow doesn’t shy away from the realities and doesn’t make excuses or apologies. She hits it head on. And for that, we should all be grateful.

I’m sure this will be a quiet favorite of mine for years to come.

This book was a LOT to take. It is exquisitely written, in my opinion, to give a small glimpse into the trials that are faced by youths who are placed in--and out--and in the foster system while also struggling to come to terms with whatever has caused them to be forfeited to the state in the first place. It is a heartbreaking world that so many of us know nothing about, and I hope this story gives those who are in this situation a sense of being seen and teaches the rest of us to extend empathy to those living in this nightmare.

An incredibly beautiful and heart-wrenching story about love and loss.
I'm not normally the type of person to read books I would deem "sad", I prefer more lighthearted reads, but this one gripped me from the very start and didn't let go.

Tiger is so excited that Kai asked her to go to the Memorial Days dance with him, their major crush on each other has gotten more intense as they became lab partners in biology. There’s just one problem: her overprotective mother, June, may not let her go. Tiger takes a stand for herself and adamantly insists she will be going, starting a fight she and her mom will never recover from. That afternoon, June dies suddenly of a brain aneurysm. BAM. Just like that, Tiger’s world is foggy and distorted, and all she is left with is a Grand Canyon sized empty hole in her chest. She has never known her father’s name, Child Protective Services will not let her stay with her best friend, Cake’s, family, and she can’t believe the last words she will ever say to her mother were as horrible as they were. Everyone deals with grief in their own way, and Tiger, who has never sipped alcohol, smoked marijuana, or even gone farther than kissing with a boy, is about to embark on the saddest year of her life, while her classmates are living the best years of theirs. Her normal has been stolen, snatched, and it’s never coming back. Glasgow’s second novel is a triumph; no doubt equal parts brilliant & beautiful writing, coupled with her own experiences of foster care and grief. A must read for YA lovers (anyone, actually), particularly those who loved Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park as much as I did. Have tissues-will cry. (The deep sobbing kind.)

Quotes I loved~

“It’s nice to lean back, and to breathe, and look up at the stars, which I feel like we always forget to do, you know?” ~Tiger

“Thanks for the tip, but I’m not really Thelma, or Louise. I’m kind of a dork, prone to elaborate fantasizing, and I don’t know the first thing about running away.” ~Tiger

“And sometimes the lights just go out. We don’t know why, because as much as we study and study and study, the universe is always smarter than we are. There will always be unknowable things and we have to make peace with that.” ~Dr. Matthews

“Mae-Lynn and I sit in the car, not saying anything, watching everyone else have the best years of their lives. Someday, when people ask us about high school, and dances, and kisses, and all that stuff, I know that what we’ll remember most of all is how normal was stolen from us.”

“…sometimes you have to open your heart to the miraculous.” ~Teddy

“I think about what those…guys said. You must go on. I can’t go on. You must go on. Because what other choice is there, really? You have to make friends with the dark.” ~Tiger

“How to Make Friends with the Dark is, above all, a book about grief. This is a book about learning how to go on, about finding your way in the dark.” ~Kathleen Glasgow

Glasgow weaves a story that is completely honest, heartbreaking, and yet surprisingly loving to its main character. It's impossible to not love Tiger and support her through her journey. However, the amount of punches eventually get a bit hard to take, so the book becomes an exercise in sympathy - and patience.

Amazing! Couldn't put it down! Be sure to add this book to your TBR list because it will create chills that you would not expect to have.

“How to Make Friends with the Dark” had me staying up later than I should’ve, heart aching for Tiger. The scope of her grief was palpable, and her relationships with those around her were heartbreakingly realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronical advance copy in exchange for my honest review

After reading Girl in Pieces, I fell in love with Kathleen Glasgow. After reading How to Make Friends with the Dark, I fell even harder. Glasglow is truly a gifted writer who is able to portray her emotions on to paper. The prose is everything in this book.
Although this is marketed as a YA (Tiger, the MC is only 16), there is nothing in here at all that follows the normal YA format. This is a raw harsh look into the world of a young girl who lost her mother and is still trying to find her voice.
Its a dark but somehow beautiful read. This is one of the reason that makes Glasglow one of my favorite authors because even though the subject of the book is dark, it is beautifully written in a way that tugs at your emotions.

Following the death of Tiger’s mom, June, How To Make Friends With The Dark explores the intricacies of teenage grief. We see glimpses of Tiger lashing out, her bad decision making, and sadly, struggles with the foster care system. Through the other kids in her GG (Grief Group) at school, we also get peeks into other types of loss and grief that these kids experience. The novel brings up a very fair point: a lot of the time, broken kids with broken hearts or broken homes go unnoticed until you yourself are also broken.

This read spoke to me on so many levels, but that is likely because I’ve gone through a bit of what Tiger had gone through as well (with the loss of my father at 14); I too have a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in my heart. A lot of her internal narrative about the loss, and her confusion surrounding the loss reminded me of how I’ve felt (and sometimes still feel almost 13 years later). I too also lashed out, and made a lot of bad decisions at that time (however, thankfully not *as bad* as Tiger’s).

I really enjoyed the writing style of this one. I highlighted a few passages to return to because they really spoke to me. Now I’d love to go back and read Kathleen Glasgow’s first novel, Girl in Pieces.

Trigger warnings for: child abuse, domestic violence and suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book. Look for it when it gets published April 9th, 2019!

SPOILER ALERT!!!! Some key plot points are discussed in this review.

I really enjoyed this book, although given the subject matter that feels a bit weird to write. This is a dark book about death, grief and what happens to kids who have no one who can look after them.

There were some YA tropes(dead parent, teen who said something horrible to said parent before they died) and while the dead parent was essential to the story, I really wished Tiger hadn’t said something so mean to her mom before her mom died. I would have liked to see how Tiger’s story would have played out without that trope.

I also felt that the pacing was a bit off and at times it almost felt like this was several books put together. I understand that the book takes place over the course of just two months, but I felt a lot was skimmed over. Of course, the reason for this could very well be because that’s how Tiger felt. Like everything was okay.

There was no romance/love angle and OMG how that made me happy.

Even though I had some issues with this book, I will still recommend it.

This was one of the saddest books I’ve ever read, but it was beautiful at the same time. I cried through this whole book at what Tiger went through and what everyone in this book went through. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose someone so close to you and it was hard to read about. But I know so many people are grieving and I feel like this book gave me a new perspective on what those people are going through. I think this book was very well written. Obviously, I can't say how accurate it is as I've never lost someone so close to me, but I imagine it's very accurate of how I would feel if my mom suddenly died. I really enjoyed Tiger and her new sister's relationship and how it grows through the book. The thing I found to be a little unbelievable was the first ever phone call she had with her father. I mean, it's not impossible that's how it would've played out, it just seemed throughout the whole book everything played out realistically and then she called her dad and he was all on board with having a new daughter. I mean, after everything she went through I am glad that this was an easy conversation, but it felt too easy and thrown in at the end. I mean, other than that, this book was beautiful and one I'm sure many people will love this year.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC of this title in exchange for a review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read which explores themes of friendship, grief, and change. Interestingly enough, the beginning of the book didn’t capture my attention and there was a point I wasn’t sure if I’d continue reading. The inciting incident really amped up the autbor’s writing and suddenly I was transported to the scenes with Tiger, seeing her experiences through her eyes and feeling the jumbled up and confused emotions of grief alongside her.

If you enjoy teen realistic fiction with relatable characters and experiences, I would definitely recommend. There are some typical YA topics in this book, so this title would be best for high schoolers.

I really loved Girl In Pieces and had high expectations for How to Make Friends in the Dark. I was not disappointed! A heart wrenching, whirl of emotions story of loss and grieving. How to Make Friends in the Dark is heavy just like Girl in Pieces however it is an honest depiction of the emotions one goes through when grieving the loss of a loved one.

It is just Tiger and her mom. They have their typical mom and daughter disagreements. But one day after a horrible fight with each other, Tiger's mom unexpectedly passes away. Without any family, Tiger is placed into the foster system. As she tries to deal with the pain of losing her mother and well as never really fitting in with teens her age, she comes across her once unknown family history. She has a dad and a half sister. Experiencing the horrible, dark emotions that come with grief, Tiger tries to gain closure and begin life again. While a fantastic book, I had to put it down a few times (even though I wanted to just keep on reading because it was so good!) just because of how dark the emotions were that Tiger experienced and the sadness that children that she came across in the foster system experienced. That is a testament to the power of Kathleen Glasgow's writing. I will be reading this again!