This has been my first experience with Ann Napolitano and I am positive it will not be my last. The description for Dear Edward just touched something in me and I knew I wanted to read it, but the experience was so much better than I expected. Edward was such a beautiful, touching, heart-wrenching, tragic character and Shay was a formidable powerhouse. I simultaneously wanted to know how everything was going to be resolved and also to wrap Eddie up before anything bad happened to him. Grief and trauma of this magnitude is never beautiful, but Napolitano was able to talk about it is such a touching way that it felt like an exploration of agony rather than a sideshow display. I feel that this is one of those beautiful, mesmerizing books that I will be unable to put into words how much it affected me until I read it one or two more times. I truly believe this is going to be one of the best books of 2020. A masterpiece.

You have probably seen this book everywhere this week! It is a January selection for Book of the Month and for Read with Jenna. Many of us are skeptical about books which generate a lot of buzz, but this is one you will want to be sure to pick up!

Dear Edward is the tale of 12 year old Edward, the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash. After losing his parents and brother in this accident, the story follows Edward as he attempts to, at first, simply live. As time passes he moves from focusing on taking his next breath or forcing himself to eat to trying to make sense of what happened and why he, of all people, was the one who survived this crash.

Creating a surprisingly easy read, considering the weight of the subject matter, Napolitano alternates between the present and the day of the crash, keeping the reader furiously turning pages. In doing so, she simultaneously creates a picture of the events leading up to the event while exploring human resilience and rebuilding in the face of even the most traumatic events.

My sincere thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for gifting me the advance copy of this book, which is available now!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano follows Edward Adler, the sole survivor of an airplane crash. In dual timelines, we read Edward processing his grief from losing his parents and his brother and then read about all the other people on the plane during the doomed flight to LA.

I liked this book quite a lot. While I appreciated the look at the other passengers on the plane and their final moments, this book really shines in the later timeline with Edward after the crash. Napolitano's writing vividly depicts Edward's grief, his inability to process what happened for a good while, and how he felt about the families of the victims interacting with him.

Thank you to the Dial Press and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautifully written book about Edward, a 12 year old boy who is the lone survivor of a plane crash that killed his parents and brother along with 183 other passengers. He gets adopted by his aunt and uncle and finds an anchor in the form of his neighbor's daughter. With the help of Shay and the letters from the other victims' families, he begins find his sense of self and purpose for living.

This one has been floating around bookstagram and it's been selected as a BOTM pick. I thought it was really well written and was hooked from the beginning. Told in alternating timelines between the present and the day of the crash, we get to read the events leading up to the crash as well as the stories behind some of the other passengers. It's a sad book but it's also a really great coming-of-age story for Edward and Shay. I was hesitant to pick it up because I knew it would be a heavy read but I'm glad I read it and definitely recommend it!

The book jacket synopsis gives us a wonderful look into this book. When a young boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills 180+ people including the rest of his family, it is understandable that he feels lost and alone. The story builds a picture of the people on the plane then shows the after effects to an uncanny degree. The challenges facing this young man are too numerous to list but he finds a way to move forward after his first life ends with the crash. Sniffles and cheers for Ann Napolitano's story of a young life changing direction in the blink of an eye. This book could easily be a movie of the week.

A plane crashes and only a 12-year-old boy survives. I read this one in August and I can’t stop thinking about it. Dear Edward is beautiful and haunting and deserving of the award for Most Memorable Story of the Year. Read this when you are in the mood for a disaster book with quiet empathy, a graceful portrait of unimaginable grief with incredible psychological insight. It has the plane crash premise and flashback-infused storytelling of the television drama Lost with the “young love complicated by grief” theme of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Best paired with alcohol fumes, a Twix bar and pretzels.

I chose to read Dear Edward because it had an interesting premise. An airplane carrying 191 people crashes in Colorado, and one 12-year-old boy survives. The story goes back and forth in time and between narrators. Alternating chapters focus on the hours and minutes leading up to the crash (moving in and out of the thoughts and actions of multiple characters on the plane), and then to the years following the crash, all from the perspective of the survivor (Edward).

Edward's character was well crafted; the depth of his grief and his struggle to live anything close to a normal life after the crash seemed very realistic. Some aspects of the chapters on the plane before the crash seemed unnecessary, and I was sometimes confused by the shifts between characters. Since I was reading an ARC using an app I haven't used before, it's possible that the print version of the book will have some paragraph spacing or formatting that makes it clearer when the POV is shifting.

For me, this was a solid 3-star book, and I think some of my reading friends might enjoy it.

Note: I read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book through NetGalley.

I was provided an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Taking place in two story lines, Dear Edward is the type of book that sticks with you like a personal life experience. It is told in two plot lines: the day of the plane crash told in time stamped chapters, and after the crash told in calendar date chronology. Written this way, the author allows the reader to experience the tension and suspense of the crash before and after, and lets the reader meet the people that the main character will grieve, even those he has yet to know existed.

I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!

This is such an engaging, heartwarming story. Twelve-year-old Edward is the sole survivor of a major plane crash. His entire family -- his mom, dad and older brother -- die in the crash. This story is about what happens during the six-hour flight and what happens to Edward in the years that follow. I love how the novel alternates from Edward's present and then back to the flight. There is so much to think about as you meet other passengers on the plane and learn their backstories, knowing how the flight will end, and I think this would make an excellent book club or buddy read.

This is a powerful and moving story of a young man, Eddie Adler, who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. Chapters alternate between telling the stories of various passengers, including Eddie’s family, and Eddie’s battle to move on with his life with the guilt and the feeling of responsibility of 191 lives lost. The character development as well as the writing excelled. I cannot say enough about this book, it is a must read for sure.

What I liked about this book:

This was a heartwarming story that brought tears to my eyes at times. Yes, it was about a horrible plane crash, but it was also about a beautiful friendship between two people. It was about finding purpose after tragedy and coming to terms with yourself in a different way.

The author shares snippets of a few of the passenger’s lives that brought a realness to the whole unreal scenario. The reader is entrusted with parts of a person that the families of these people were not. I felt a sadness for the loss of the other passengers’ lives and of the stories that crashed along with them.

Edward, the lone survivor is sent to live with his aunt and uncle. The couple who had been wanting a child for a long time have mixed emotions about this new arrangement. The tension between the two of them and how they operate in their new parental roles is an interesting plot line.

What I would have liked to see more of:

My only hesitation with this book is that there was an absence of how the crash affected Edward’s aunt whose sister died in the plane crash. The focus is on how to best help Edward which I understand but I felt like the aunt’s suffering could have been addressed a bit more. We are privy to distress in her life in relation to a miscarriage more than for this current event. The author chose to use an omniscient perspective and we delve into the lives of some of the passengers moreso than how the aunt takes care of herself in order to care for another.

Overall:
I am giving this book 3.5-4 stars. Although it started off a bit slowly in the beginning (much like a plane ride would) it kept me invested to the end. I would recommend this book to others but maybe not for a plane ride.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse / @thedialpress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes January 6, 2020 unless you were a BOTM member and got it early.

I’m not quite sure I can accurately convey how I feel about this absolutely stunning novel! It was heartbreaking and beautiful and I couldn’t put it down. My heart broke for Edward, and everything that he went through. By the end I felt almost proud of his growth. I honestly don’t remember the last time I felt this connected to the characters and captivated by a story. I 100% recommend!

I LOVED this story! Twelve-year-old Edward is the only survivor of a commercial plane crash that killed 183 passengers including his mother, father, and brother. The narration alternates between Edward’s life after the crash, as he attempts to reckon with this immense trauma and loss, and the hours on the plane leading up to the crash from the point of view of various passengers. Told in a literary yet accessible voice that is both gentle and wise, this story captivated and moved me. I loved Edward, his aunt and uncle who take him in, and his dear friend Shay. While it did take a few chapters to adjust to the narration style, I soon found myself unable to put it down. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, this book put me through all the emotions and while it is a “heavy” read at times, it ultimately left me feeling hopeful and uplifted. I’m so grateful I had a chance to read it. Definitely recommended!


Thank you Netgalley and The Dial Press for a digital and physical ARC to review!

Ann Napolitano’s new novel asks the question, “how do we live with grief” Edward Adler is the only survivor of a plane crash that kills his mother, father, and beloved brother. Left without immediate family, he is taken in by his aunt and uncle. A caring circle of friends and community members, a therapist, a neighbor, and the high school principal help Edward begin to make sense of what has happened.

Edward’s loss is immeasurable, but Napolitano writes a beautiful book that guides Edward (and the reader) along a believable path to life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I put this off for a bit, as I liked the premise, but I wasn't sure about the "coming of age," portion. My fears were unfounded. This book is about Edward (previously Eddie) a 12-year-old who is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 191 passengers, including his entire immediate family. As he tries to heal, mentally and physically, adjust to his new world, in addition to trying just to adjust to life as a teen would, we grow to admire and root for him. Every single character was so well done, and I loved the way the narrative went to different times and events, such as filling the readers in on the hours before the crash, the other passengers and best yet, the passengers family and friends who reach out to Edward. I often say I don't have a favorite book (except To Kill a Mockingbird). This book might have just changed my opinion. This book was as brilliant as the cover.; truly beautiful. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for this title in exchange for my honest review.

After a devastating plane crash, Edward, the 12 year old sole survivor, must learn to live again after losing his family. How do you learn to live again when you’ve lost everything, including yourself? Living with his Aunt and Uncle and with the help of his neighbor, Shay, he very slowly starts to put the pieces of his new life together. Told in alternating chapters of the flight and Edward’s life after the crash, this book was beautifully written as we got to know those on the flight and Edward’s life after as the Miracle Boy. It takes much love and pushing from Shay and the letters of others, who lost loved ones on the flight, to finally help Edward find purpose in his own life. An emotion filled story that you won’t soon forget...my only suggestion is that you not read it right before flying!

Many readers know the pain of grief, and of loss, myself included. Loved ones leave us sometimes sooner than we are ready for them to go. Yet, what anguish would you feel if everyone you loved was taken away in an instant, and you had to live with the guilt of being the only survivor of that terrible tragedy? Edward, a young boy of barely twelve years old, loses his family in a horrifying plane crash, and his pain is raw and real. I knew that within minutes of starting to read Dear Edward that I would love it, but that it would also exact a price of many tears as Edward comes to terms with his loss, his pain, and how he feels so alone. Whenever Edward remembers his brother Jordan I wept openly for him, at having such a big piece torn from his soul.

Dear Edward rips out your heart, and then slowly breathes life back into it. Little by little Edward begins to come to terms with his grief, even though his life will never be the same. This is a story of people, of grief, of anguish, of hope, of new beginnings, and of love. The reason why this book will burst your heart at the seams is because it forces you to imagine all the beautiful pieces of life you keep in your heart being torn to shreds all at once, and it makes your empathy for Edward all the stronger. Bring your tissues, hug your loved ones tight, and go read this one today.

Wow. This book made me FEEL. I was surprised at the power of this book to evoke such feelings. It was a beautiful way to show the devastation of grief. Beautiful and memorable. I will recommend to everyone.

I cried multiple times but maybe that's my fault for reading this across multiple days in multiple different locations. Thankfully, I finished it on the bus to the airport, so I did NOT read it on a plane, for which I am very thankful.
Honestly, this could have just been a book about a six hour plane ride and it would have been interesting. Napolitano crafted the characters on the plane with the perfect amount of interest and variety to make me invested in each one and their story. Simultaneously, Eddie's grieving and growth was fabulous, and I was quite invested in him seeing the relationship between his aunt and uncle evolve. The principal might have been my favourite character, and I admired how even Eddie's gym teacher was well crafted. And the letters! Once we got to the letters, it was amazing the amount of emotion conveyed in each. My heart broke 191 times, and again for each of the family members and relatives and people like Mahira who to the outside world had no claim. Yes, I think I really loved this book

Wow! I cried through most of this book, but am also SO GLAD I read it. It is a total gut punch. Eddie, the sole survivor of a plane crash will be a character you remember long after this book is done. However, and possibly more importantly, there are so many more minor characters from the crash that will also stick with you.