REVIEW #SixGoodbyesWeNeverSaid by Candace Ganger is about 17 year old Naima, who is struggling to navigate life after her father’s death while also dealing with her complex OCD and GAD. Dew is also trying to deal with a number of social anxieties in the wake of his parents’ deaths, and could really use a friend while figuring it all out. Then he meets Naima and everything changes – but not in the way that either of them expects – as the two of them try to find their way back to being okay(ish). This is no love story – if you ask Naima, it’s not even a “like” story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye.

There were a lot of things to love about this book. The characters felt really vivid to me, and I loved that they were so richly drawn and flawed. The writing is engaging, well-paced and full of emotion. Their pain broke my heart several times throughout the book. I particularly felt for Dew – his optimism in the face of an awful tragedy was so heartbreaking. I just wanted to hug him and tell him that it was all going to be ok. Naima was prickly but ultimately I did feel for her and I was invested in knowing that these two were on the path to healing by the end.

I did struggle a little to relate to the characters, purely because I’ve never experienced anything like the events in this book myself. The book deals with a lot of heavy topics, like death, suicide, grief, depression, anxiety and mental illness. Even though I don’t feel qualified to comment on those topics, I do think the author handled them with sensitivity and care. The author’s note explains that Ganger herself suffers from a number of similar conditions, and the story really does have that personal feel to it, and I loved the #ownvoices representation.

This one is emotional, touching, honest, raw and heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful. I enjoyed it but I do think it would be tough to read if you have experienced anything similar to the events in the book.

Is this one on your list? It’s out on 24 September!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy and for having me on this tour!

Six Goodbyes We Never Said is an own-voices mental health story, following Naima & Drew, both having lost their parents and meeting… getting some help to say goodbye.

I thought this sounded like a very interesting and emotional read, sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found the writing and the delivering of the story confusing and detaching. The book had its moments, and the characters I liked, but how it was executed and told did not work for me at all. I think the book can be important and good for some, but it was not a book for me. I wanted to like it, but the story that was told was not a match with me. 2/5 stars.

Note: All commentary on this book has been compared to what is in the finished copy.

I have so many mixed feelings about Six Goodbyes We Never Said. While I enjoyed reading this novel, it was hard to read at the same time for several reasons - and not even because of the subject matter.

First, for the things I liked about Six Goodbyes: This is an #OwnVoices novel, depicting a teenage girl with OCD and anxiety. I can't say anything about whether the portrayal of these was good or not, but the story was enjoyable because of the character's inner struggles with their mental illnesses - struggles that most often leaked into the outside world, affecting the main characters' family members.

I loved that family was a major aspect of this book. Seeing how Naima dealt (or didn't deal) with her father's death was interesting; though maybe more interesting was when we got Dew's point of view, where we read about his foster family and sister, and how Dew's foster mom helped him when Dew had panic attacks. Dew's sister was the best character in the novel, I thought - she was comic relief without being just funny and had her own problems in life that got solved in their own way.

Now for what I really didn't like about Six Goodbyes: My main concern, and why I gave this book three stars, was because Naima was extremely annoying. She doesn't get better throughout the story, either. The book's blurb implies that Naima doesn't like Dew at all throughout the entire story - I won't say what happens at the end, but just know that there's really no chemistry between these two. Nope, not even in a friend way. Why make two characters the protagonists if there's nothing to like about them interacting with each other? Naima is also obsessed with the number six. So of course, everything has to be in sixes. Everything. It almost was as annoying as Naima herself.

Another peeve of mine about this book was that it had so many "audio clip" -looking parts and lines with odd breaks in them - it didn't help the book at all, and it just made the pages look messy. And there's no chapter breaks, either! Just headings that say "Naima" and "Dew."

Now I'm kind of thinking that I want to give Six Goodbyes We Never Said two stars, but I'll keep it at three for its strong topic choice but poor execution.

Ever since I can remember, I've been a worrier. From worrying about what others thought about me, to stressing about doing well in school and even about how my immediate family was doing, my mind was always thinking and dwelling on "what ifs," even as a little girl.

As I grew older, I continued to be plagued by worries, but it wasn't until I was in the throes of (what I would later learn was ) post-partum anxiety after my first baby that I visited a therapist and learned that what I was going through was not just unique to me, that I wasn't a terrible mother, and that my mental health was just as important to maintain and take care of as my body. I learned that mental illness is not something to shy away or be ashamed of, and it was with this awareness and understanding that I dove into this poignant and heartbreakingly real story.

And I believe that is why I came to appreciate and love this novel so much.

From Ganger's author's note in the beginning of this book to the sensitive, detailed portrayal of Naima and Dew as they struggle to navigate heartbreaking loss, anxiety and grief, this book hit me right in the heart because it is so real. While my own anxiety is not nearly as severe as Naima's or Dew's, and I haven't suffered from OCD or PTSD, my heart began pounding a little faster any time either one of them was having an anxiety attack or experiencing the gravity of post-traumatic stress because I could fully imagine what it must feel like simply from Ganger's incredible writing. Showing readers what it feels like to suffer from mental illness is definitely one of Ganger's gifts, and although it was painful and difficult for me to read it at times, it made the book that much more powerful because I felt like I was actually experiencing it with both main characters.

This was a powerful, heartfelt young adult book, and I'm so glad I read it. Hope you enjoy it too! Thank you to author Candace Ganger and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review!

started reading this book before anything happened with my dad. He's been battling cancer for maybe 7 years but recently the last few weeks we've been in and out of the hospital and now we are looking at a timeline. Ever changing but possibly soon. So this book changed for me and the way I connect with these characters changed.

Naima and Dew are both finding ways to grieve after the loss of parents as well as dealing with their own mental illnesses. I thought the book was really good in the way that it is leading you through the characters lives after this loss. As far as plot goes, it's finding a way to live with the tragedy that happened to them and find their own happiness somehow.

As much as I struggled to connect with Naima. I hated the way she treats people but grief comes in all forms so I tried to understand that.

It's hard not to love Dew because he has such a big heart. I hate he has struggle with his social anxiety but he works so hard at getting it under control. You want him to find a place of balance.

I really liked Six Goodbyes We Never Said. It's well written and touching. A book you can feel the heart and soul in.

“𝓛𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓲𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝔂, 𝓓𝓮𝔀, 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓳𝓸𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷. 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓙𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂”

TL;DR:
What happens: Naima is dealing with both the loss of her father and her OCD and GAD. She is spending the summer with her grandparents and meets Dew, who also recently lost both of his parents and was adopted. He is dealing with his own anxiety and uses a voice recorder to help him process. The two meet and their friendship grows as they both help each other work through grief.
Plot: Not much happens, but it doesn't have to
Writing: A little convoluted and complex, but overall elegant
Characters: Not my favorite; slightly immature

Pros:
-mental health/anxiety representation
-great slow-build friendship, not something you see often!
-beautiful sections of writing and interesting mixed media format

Cons:
-characters seem a bit more immature than their actual age- understood that some PTSD, grief, anxiety, etc plays into this but at least part seems to come from the writing/characterization
-somewhat unlikeable characters, most especially Hiccup the dog!! Dew is mostly chill but has a weird obsession with Naima at the beginning
-weird skips/characters only mentioned, but never seen on screen (Christian?)
-far longer/drawn out than it needed to be

I received an advance readers copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I made it a quarter through Six Goodbyes We Never Said before I decided it's not capturing my attention enough to continue. The topic was interesting to me, as someone who struggles with anxiety, and someone with military connections, but ultimately the pacing felt dense and wasn't holding my interest. I appreciate the opportunity to review this book.

This is a book about grief. And a magic pixie dream boy. I found Dew to be so annoying and I didn’t enjoy his story as much as Naima’s.

One of a few books that doesn't treat disability and grief like stepping stones to other, less interesting topics. It's not a perfectly neat book, and that's what I liked most about it; the characters aren't always easy to like and they make realistic mistakes. At the same time, it's not a parade of tragedy either. A good contemporary read.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book for my review.

DNFed at 8%, which I’m pretty sure I’ve never done before.

I went into this book excited to read it, the cover is gorgeous and I loved that it had to do with mental illnesses. But holy moly y’all, I’m so lost. The writing is so hard to read that I’m finding myself reading as slow as a sloth and I’m still not getting it. There’s characters being thrown out that I have no idea who they are because they haven’t been introduced but I’m thinking I missed something so I go back to look for them, and they’re not there. The representation of mental illnesses bugged me, the character’s therapists bugged me, literally everything I’ve read so far is bugging me.

With their being two main characters in this book that are both told in first person you would think there would be a distinct way the author would let you know who’s talking, nope. I’m reading along about a girl talking about her periods then all of a sudden it says “spoiled boy”. That threw me for a huge loop until I realized it was now being told from the other main character, without really letting you know.

I honestly really wanted to like this book but it’s giving me a headache trying to read the writing and keep track of what character is currently talking.

This book was about love, loss and friendship. We meet two teens, Naima Rodriguez and Andrew "Dew" Brickman. They both suffered unbelievable tragedies most adults couldn't handle.

I understand that Naima had a rough life and as a result, there were emotional struggles that caused severe depression and a host of other issues. I wanted to like her but I could not stand her. She was rude, self absorbed and selfish. Again others will probably disagree with me because she was the way she was because of her tragic life. Towards the end of the book she had a transformation that I credit to do.

I got the impression that Naima was the central character but I liked everyone else in the book BUT her. Dew had my heart immediately. He spoke so eloquently for a teenage boy and was wise beyond his years. Dew's little sister, Faith was obsessed with Ric Flair. The author had me at Ric Flair!!!
Dew was extremely patient with Naima and she definitely didn't deserve the time and effort he put into foraging a friendship with her. Dew always saw the good in everyone and in most situations.
Overall, it's a good book but dragged on a little too long. I like a good gut wrenching story as much as anyone but it seriously could have ended 50 pages sooner than it did.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I really enjoy reading books with characters that have mental illnesses and being in their head. When I saw this book and read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it. I made the mistake of reading some other reviews on Goodreads though. Some didn’t like one of the MC’s, others didn’t like either one of the MC’s, and a few others were intent that the girl MC was bi. Anyways, I was nervous going in because of the reviews. But I feel like they all got it wrong. I liked both MC’s and the storyline, and think this is a good book on mental illness.

We follow 2 MC’s, Naima and Dew. Both deal with a lot of different mental illnesses and both are not your normal teen. They also both come from very sad backgrounds. Naima is a super fierce girl who not only lost her father while he was serving in the Marines, but she is also dealing with a complex OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and GAD, generalized anxiety disorder. She doesn’t really like anyone, dislikes her stop mom a lot, and is grieving her father like crazy. What makes things worse is that she was mad at him, before he died, for always taking another tour instead of being home with her. She feels better being with her grandmother and grandfather, but she still wants nothing to do with anyone.

Dew is just a super sweet and caring boy. He lost his parents when he was a little younger and was thrown in foster care. At the moment he is with a family that is loving and treats him very well. He even sees traces of his parents in them. Dew deals with a lot of anxiety, especially since he lost both his parents suddenly. He really wants a friend, and when he meets Naima he thinks he found one.

Although Naima wants nothing to do with Dew, he finds ways to break her barriers and become his friend. He is a little strange in his ways of doing it, and she in return is horrible to him, but it’s so understandable since they are both dealing with such loss and mental stuff. I loved that the author note before the beginning of the book talks about how she too deals with the same kind of illnesses that Naimi and Dew deal with. Because of that, I think she has a pretty good grasp on the topic and how to execute it well.

I know this book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you are interested in different mental illnesses and love reading books with characters that have them, you may very well enjoy this book! Read it and come back and let’s chat!!

I DNFd this book at about 25%. I just couldn't read any more of the story. I felt like our female main character- I can't remember her first name- was so self absorbed and couldn't get passed her grief and anger. She didn't even want to try. The male main character was more relateble for me. He has anxiety and panic attacks. Our female main character was just angry towards everyone and it wasn't fair. I just couldn't keep reading. And I don't know any about the author, but I didn't get the vibe that she experienced this. Again, I don't know anything about her and didn't read her bio to know if that is the case, but I just felt that the 25% I read I didn't feel like she experienced a military grief.

Over two months ago I finished reading this novel and I still think about how little I liked Naima, one of the main characters.
Before I proceed with this review, let me just say that that cover is on point. Kuddos & well done, person responsible!
I wanted to read this book because the premise was that it dealt with mental illness and I wanted to read more about that. It made me feel uncomfortable at times, but books should make you feel & see things outside your reading zone.
What made the novel scattered at times is that we find important information about Naima so far apart that it kept reconstructing the character for me. That's usually fun, but this time it was confusing.
The characters' relationship felt unnatural. I am talking about Naima's family. Through throwbacks we learn about her father and mother, but the present day family of JJ, Kam, and Nell is not something to be desired. Naima is cruel to Nell, despite having been raised by her for years! I understand that Naima is keeping her at a distance, but that mean attitude and that tone were not necessary. I understand this does happen in real life, but it was uncomfortable and unpleasant to read about it. Also, Nell as a step mom was made to seem frail and an extra, as if always OK to overlook. For all she's done for Naima, that's unfair.
Dew is a darling and so are the Brickmans. I rooted for Dew and Faith, and especially for Stella and Thomas in their openness to help the two kids grow roots and feel safe.
Overall the story was just OK for me. I liked it as I was reading it, but still have that feeling of not liking Naima, though. At times it was confusing to understand where the time line was and to piece the story parts together, but it's doable. Maybe it'd work better if read on paperback, not on Kindle as I did.
I am sure this would appeal more to younger readers, someone who could relate more to the confusing feelings Naima and Dew have.

This book is going to be great for some people but it just isn’t for me. I suffered a recent loss and the anxiety in this book made my anxiety horrible it wasn’t for me at this time but something I could possibly come back to in the future!

This was such a good book, and a much needed one for the YA Community! Was so grateful to read this and be a part of tbr Blog Tour.

I received SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID as part of a blog tour that took place last month. I missed the tour, obviously as I'm just now sharing my thoughts. It took me longer to read than I anticipated. I've been considering what I wanted to share about it here. It's one of those books that I'm afraid that it won't come across just how much I loved it and why I think others should read it. This is me giving it a shot.

I loved the humor in the dialogue and the interactions of the characters. Naima and Dew with both a delight to read about. I especially enjoyed Dew and his adoptive family and his relationship with his sister, Faith. There is a lot of open communication and attempts at understanding one another and validating feelings. And then there is Faith and her Nature Boy Rick Flair "woo-ing" - that had me in stitches.

I appreciate this story for its sensitivity with characters who have experienced great losses and the recognition that everyone grieves in their on time, in their own way. The death of their parents isn't something you can get over. Instead, it becomes a part of them and shapes how they experience the rest of the world.

Memorable Quote:

"If we acknowledge our right to feel like hell, for as long as we need to, maybe others will give us a little more breathing room, you know?" - said to Naima by her grandma JJ.

This book really touched my heart. Like another book I read earlier this summer - THE OTHER SIDE by Kim Holden, it really spoke to the idea that we need to take care with other people's feelings.

It is my hope that readers find compassion for these characters, as well as for the people in their own lives who are going through some tough times and experiences. And please, please take the time to read the Author's Note at the beginning of the book. As it sometimes happens, the note becomes a favorite part of the book just as it did with this one. In case it needs to be said (or written), I loved THE SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID and I am so glad that I read it!

A fantastic story that explores mental illness in young adults. Dew is one of my favourite characters as he keeps the book lighthearted with his wit and views of the world. A great read with an important message.

This book was interesting to read, but some of it had just a bit too much going on. I guess that is a common occurrence in many YA books. I'm glad I read it as it was full of emotion and made you think.

SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID by Candace Ganger deals with grief and the ability of the two main characters to cope with the loss of parents. Naima Rodriguez's father has been killed while deployed overseas and she is spending the summer in Indiana with grandparents. Her neighbor, Dew Brickman lives with an adoptive family after losing his own. Both teens (ages 17 and 15) have mental health issues (OCD, depression, anxiety, PTSD) as described by the author. It was wise and brave of Candace Ganger to tackle these topics and she says, "may SIX GOODBYES serve as permission to speak your truths – the good and the painful." However, the book is extremely hard to follow – Naima and Dew both narrate, but there only the briefest indication when a voice changes; plus, voicemails or emails (both sent and unsent) from those alive and dead are interspersed. Perhaps that is meant to add to the feeling of unreality which these suffering teens must surely be feeling? Unfortunately, it means confusion and frustration for the reader, too. Again, there is wisdom here; "Smiling tricks the mind and body into thinking you aren't in pain," but there is also plenty of anger and stubbornness. Naima is not a character who elicits empathy. Despite the sincere motivation of the author and the quality of the descriptive passages, SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID is an emotional read and I question sadly whether it will have truly wide appeal. I would encourage interested teachers and students to start instead by looking at Life Inside My Mind or (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, two anthologies which feature short reflections from numerous authors, including Candace Ganger, on personal struggles and mental health.