This book has all the feels. It deals with a very dramatic premise, which of course causes a lot of grief. The author deals with the subject matter so well. My hear broke for so many of the characters, but I ended up very hopeful at the end. I loved the community that was created in the story.

Could not get into this one. I’m quickly realizing I may not be this type of fiction reader. This book was a little too sad/emotional for me to stomach

This book was so emotional, it took me several times to get started and read through. Still, would definitely recommend.

There's a reason this book was such a smash, and it's Napolitano's tender writing, exquisite characters, and her ability to find hope among grief. Gosh, i loved this one.

This was hard to read for me due to the nature of the book's subject (mass casualty event). The dual timeline hurt this story, since knowing the fate of the people on the plane made it difficult to care about their individual stories. Maybe a linear timeline structure would have been better.

This is such a moving and beautiful novel. I thought it would be too sad but it had such magnetism and positive outlook. I really would recommend this book but not if you have a flight coming up.

I'll be living through this one for a while, I think. Looking forward to watching the series now and comparing the two experiences.

There is no one “right” way to grieve. Having experienced many losses in my lifetime this book really resonated with me. It shows the many faces of grief. The character development is so beautiful and well done. I could not have loved it more.

This is an absolutely beautiful coming of age novel. Centering around Edward, who is the only survivor of a plane crash that killed his parents and brother. The story shifts back and forth from how Edward's life goes on and the hours leading up to the crash. I love how the story includes a few other passengers on the plane. The author fleshed out these characters and you get a back story on all of them. I like how you care about not just Edward and his family, but these other passengers as well. I also loved seeing how Edward grows and his relationships with Shay, Besa, and his Aunt Lacey and Uncle John. Each of these people help him to start putting the pieces of his life back together. Absolutely a five star book and one that won't be forgotten.

This book literally broke me, so I kind of love hate it. But still would recommend, it’s such a powerful story I can’t get over it.

I did like the flashbacks and background for other people, rather than having the crash done in the first chapters. The details about what caused the crash were interesting to me.
But I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable. I didn't feel invested in learning more than I did.

This was a most fantastic read! I highly enjoyed the story and it was so emotional yet unputdownable! I recommended this book to alot of friends because it is on of my most favorite reads!! I cannot wait to read Ms. Napolitano's next book!!!

A heart wrenching story about loss, grief and most importantly, life. You need to get your tissues ready for this one,

I listened to Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano on audio CD. It was read by Cassandra Campbell. I have listened to several CD's read by Cassandra Campbell and enjoyed her voice and storytelling once again. The premise for Ann Napolitano's book, Dear Edward, was one that could be everyone's worst nightmare about flying. I know that when I have flown over the years, I desperately held onto the seat in front of me for dear life on take-off and landing and counted my lucky stars when I was safely on the ground at my destination. The thought of being the sole survivor of a plane crash was a thought far from my imagination or scope. I do believe that things happen for a reason and if something is meant to be it will happen. Twelve year old Eddie, as he was known before the flight, was meant to survive and come to be known as Edward.

Edward Adler had grown up in New York City with his mom, dad and older brother. He was home schooled by his dad and was a gifted and talented pianist and very advance in mathematics. Eddie's mom had been offered a new position in Los Angeles, California. The whole family packed up their entire lives into many brown boxes and sent those boxes across the country to their new destination. Eddie and his brother were not at all excited about the prospect of moving to a new home. New York was familiar and safe. Los Angeles was the unknown. Despite the boys' protests, one summer day the Adler family and 183 other passengers boarded a plane in Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California. Eddie's fifteen year old brother, Jordan, being at that defiant age, would not go quietly onto the plane. He protested about going through the body scanner and made the security officers search him physically instead. Once the Adler family finally boarded the plane, mom found her seat in first class, while dad, Bruce, Eddie and Jordan found their seats in the back of the plane. Like it or not they were on their way to California.

It was hard not to get to know some of the other passengers on their long flight to Los Angeles. There was a successful Wall Street self-made man, a young and newly pregnant woman on her way to hopefully accept a marriage proposal and tell the man she loved he was about to become a father, an injured veteran returning from a tour in Afghanistan haunted by his ordeal, a business tycoon who was very full of himself and had a romantic eye on one of the stewardesses and a hippie-type woman who wore a skirt that jingled with bells that was running away from her controlling husband. A diverse group of people, traveling to the same destination, unaware that a horrific catastrophe was about to happen. As a storm materialized, the pilot of the plane entrusted his co-pilot to guide the plane through it. Unfortunately for the passengers of this flight some of the decisions the co-pilot made were not the best ones for the safety of the aircraft. Somewhere over Colorado the plane with all its passengers plunged through the air and crashed. Eddie was the sole survivor.

Eddie now became Edward. He found himself in a hospital in Colorado with several injuries but alive. His mother's sister and husband have come to take him home with them. They were to be his family now since his whole family had died in the crash. With help from Shay, the girl next door, Edward learned how to live again and find meaning in his life. It was a long, uphill battle but with the help of those around him he learned to put one foot in front of the other and day by day became an even stronger and more meaningful person. Edward found strength through others and found a purpose in his life. It was far from easy or quick but over time Edward learned to live and love again.

Dear Edward brought to mind that everyone should be thankful for what they have and cherish the important people in their life every day and any way they can. You never know what tomorrow could bring. I cried and smiled and felt Edward's frustrations and pain. Dear Edward was draped with love, kindness, tenderness, hope, and grief. This was a wonderful book that touched all my emotions. I highly recommend it.

There are some books that just so perfectly capture the human experience, and "Dear Edward" is one of them. What someone goes through after a traumatic event is often hard to explain, but Napolitano is able to describe what it's like in heartbreakingly authentic detail. The way she illustrates what grief feels like is so accurate and so painfully beautiful.

I went into the book knowing nothing about the plot (which I think added to my appreciation of the work), but if you're interested in what it's about, here you go: Edward is the lone survivor of a plane crash that kills 191 other people (including his dear brother and parents). He must live with the survivor's guilt, as well as the grief of moving forward after this horrific trauma. Edward is such a dear character - I was rooting for him with all my heart. I read some reviews that criticized Napolitano's choice to go back and forth between Edward's life after the plane crash and different POVs from people who were on the plane. But I thought this just made the story even more impactful. Anyone's life being cut short is tragic, but getting background on various characters before their deaths made their fates all the more crushing.

This is a book that I'm going to hold in my heart for a long time.

I am not a person who loves flying so it was difficult for me to approach this title. It is the story of Edward who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. His parents and older brother are gone in an instant, leaving twelve year old Edward in a heartbreaking situation.

How Edward manages his survival and figures out how to live is the theme of this story. It will both make you cry and root for this (extra)ordinary young man.

Note: Readers get to know some of the passengers on the flight. It can make for hard reading knowing their fate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Looking through the choices on my Kindle, I realized that I had read 30% of this book and quit. I don't even remember reading it, so I must have not been too engaged to have given it up at that point. I can't write an insightful review, but I can say that I rarely give up on a book that captivated me.

I just finished Looking for Alaska a day before starting this one and read:

“Since death is certain, but the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?” - Pena Chodron

It was such a weird connection between the two books - the same main thought about the importance of continuing life after a tragic death.

This was a beautiful book that seems to get everything right - from the gorgeous cover depicting the birds that end up making the airplane memorial - the the tender relationship between Edward and Shay - that saves both of their lives.

I wasn’t a fan of having to continually relive the airplane moments, but reading the authors note in the B&N version, it makes sense that storyline has equal weight to Edwards life after the crash.

I kept waiting for the letters and for the story to not be so heavy. It was later than I expected in the book 2/3 the way through - definitely gave me hope.

“What happened is baked into your bones, Edward. It lives under your skin. It’s not going away. It’s part of you and will be part of you every moment until you die. What you’ve been working on, since the first time I met you, is learning to live with that.” P317

Dear Edward is an emotionally depressing and uplifting story of twelve-year-old Edward a lone survivor of a plane crash that took his entire family. Yet he endures and lives to enable others to survive life's trials and tragedies as well. It is beautifully written in alternating chapters of before and after and an inspiration for the reader.

A beautiful yet sad coming-of-age novel. It will move you and inspire you to cherish each day and the ones you love. I highly recommend.

"So much could be solved, she thinks, if we simply held hands with each other more often."

Thank you, Random House and NetGalley, for a digital ARC!

I'm currently clearing out all of the books that were published in 2019-20 from my title feedback view!