A wonderfully written heart hitting novel that will have you feeling all the feels from beginning to end.

This was pretty slow for me. The story was heart wrenching and moving. This reminds me of Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud with the child's point of view. It makes you stop and think- what if this happened to your family. The writing was beautiful as well. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC.

I just finished this book and my husband wants to know why tears are flowing down my cheeks. I am an avid reader and this novel so moved me,. The author had such a way of holding you onto the story that I couldn’t stop reading . Edward will be a character that will stay with me for a long long time

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills his parents and older brother as well as 180+ passengers and crew. The first half of the book flips back and forth between before the crash and immediately after the crash. You learn about Edward's family and the backstories of a few other passengers(not entirely necessary in my opinion). But it's the second half of the book that really got me. Edward struggles to adjust to his new life - without his family (he especially misses his brother), living with his aunt and uncle and dealing with all the medical and psychological effects of the crash. On top of that, people want access to him because he survived and they pour all their hope and expectations on him via letters.

This is a book about relationships and it's a coming of age story with heart and feeling. Definitely recommend.

This book was so hard to get into. I had high hopes because I thought it was similar to the shows Lost and Manifest but it's nothing like I thought it would be.

It's about Edward who is the only survivor out of 191 passengers on a flight from NY to LA. The book tosses between the past, which is the day of the flight, and the now, which is how Edward is coping and moving on. However, the one thing that drove me nuts was that during the day of the flight, Napolitano tells the view point of 8 different people. But it's not broken up and labeled who's talking. All the viewpoints are within the chapters, so you could be hearing about the dad's POV but then the next paragraph is about the pilot. It is so hard to follow and very messy. I also felt like it had no relevance to the story as Edward only briefly touches about those particular people later.

The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because when I finally got to the part about how the plane went down, I cried. It was heartbreaking.

Oh my heart. Let me say that again, Oh my heart. It broke reading this.

This was a tough read in some parts. Edward is a 12 year old boy who boards a plane with his family to begin a new life on the other side of the country. But a horrific accident ends life as Edward knows it. He is the sole survior of a plane crash that has killed all 200 people on board including his entire family.

Thus begins a story of of Edward...although its not just his story. The book begins with stories of the passengers. I enjoyed this and learning about them because it connected you to them and made the impact of the accident that much more heartbreaking. Its after the crash, that the book focuses on Edward and his way to healing.
As sad as it is, it is also a book about healing and will leave you filled with hope.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc. #netgalley

This type of book, where there are two timelines interleaving (one forward, one backward) from a tragedy, is hard to execute. I felt compelled to keep reading and finished it in just a few days. I appreciate the effort that went into crafting such a chain of events. However, I felt that the abnormality and magnitude of Edward's tragedy were what propelled the book forward, not character development or plot. It is because of this lack of subtlety that I give it 3.5 stars.

The victims of the plane crash come from all walks of life and backgrounds, of course. It felt somewhat heavy-handed to hear about all of the remarkable tragedies that they carried around. There was a Wall-Street type, a woman who claimed to have been reincarnated many times, a closeted gay soldier, a former businessman dying of cancer. It seemed like these passengers were almost too "colorful", and I had a hard time believing that people could connect on such a deep level on a flight.

Edward was also not satisfying to read, character-wise. I had a hard time understanding his motivations and why there was so little said about his repressed trauma. Certainly he experienced flashes of grief and depression, but I wish I could understand how he recovered from it in more detail. I was not invested in him since his character and speech fell flat.

This Book will keep you thoroughly engaged from cover to cover. You will find yourself feeling completely broken for Edward and amazed at his resilience and survival. Edwards ability to finally come to grips with being the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash and finding a way to honor those who did not is amazingly cathartic. There were times, I thought throughout the read that he would not make it to the end. His relationship with Shay at first seems stilted and convoluted but in the end, seemed to be a perfectly natural ending to their beginning. His relationship with his Aunt and Uncle finds healing and I truly believe he came full circle. Dealing with all the letters, requests (mostly crazy) and money nearly became his undoing but in the end, he showed his maturity and strength of character. The intermittent jump to the characters on the plane nearly threw me, but in the end gave me a window into those souls lost and a basic understanding of what Edward was trying to see from afar. I think the writer proved to be an amazing and magnificent story teller. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who chooses to read it.

Dear Me! What was I thinking when I decided to read a book about a young boy who was the sole survivor on a plane crash? It’s not a pleasant topic, or a subject that I ordinarily read… but something just drew me to it. Whatever it was, I am very glad I read the book Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. It’s good to be pushed outside one’s comfort zone every now and then.

Eddie is a 12 year old boy who boards a flight from Newark to Los Angeles with his mother, father, and 15 year old brother, Jordan. They are moving to LA where he mother has a new writing job. Eddie and Jordan have always been very close, and their math genius father has home schooled them. After the plane crashes, Eddie is the sole survivor, and the other 191 people aboard have died. He goes to live with his mother’s sister, Lacey, and her husband John. They tell the press and medical staff to call him Edward instead of Eddie.

The book treats Edward’s depression, confusion, and often fugue state of mind with compassion and reality. John and Lacey were already having marital difficulties due to infertility when Edward arrives at their home. They are totally ill-equipped to deal with their own lives, let alone him. But they try and try to love him and protect him from the media circus that surrounds him, as well as all the other strangers who feel they have the right to tell him how to live.

Throughout the story, Edward experiences considerable mournfulness over the loss of his brother. Edward is often reminded that he is “special” for having survived. However, he often lacks the social skills to deal with all the situations he faces. Edward befriends the next door neighbor, Shay, and she helps him deal with issues of school and grief. Their bond is very endearing.

The book divides into chapters dealing with Edward and his recovery, and other chapters regarding the flight before it crashes. The flight chapters spend a little too much time on back stories other several other people on the plane. There was a lot of story line about the first class flight attendant, but I don’t remember there being any meaningful post crash connection between any of her family members and Edward.

Towards the end of the book, we learn of letters that were written to “Dear Edward” after the crash. While sometimes disturbing, these letters help Edward in unexpected ways. Slowly he is able to learn to live with the memories of his past and possibilities of his future. Along the way he supported by his aunt and uncle, Shay and her mom, his therapist, a fantastic school principal, and a PE Coach.

I enjoyed this character driven book much more than I expected. It will be published on January 14, 2020. 4.5 stars. Be sure to put it on your To Read List.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Random House – The Dial Press for my advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Napolitano's exploration of grief and trauma are fascinating, and I really enjoyed the ways she handled Edward's journey. The story flips back and forth between the pre- and post-accident timelines, and although it took me a while to get into both storylines, I think it works really well in this book. I appreciated Napolitano's insight into Edward's inner thoughts and feelings, which felt realistic to me. Overall, I feel like this book explored these topics in interesting ways that I haven't seen done before, which I can always appreciate.

Napolitano is a masterful storyteller and weaves a tapestry from the threads of her plot. The characters are well developed and realistic. Edward has a lot to overcome but many people are helping him in his journey after the plane crash. This was a very heavy and emotional read for me but enjoyable.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Having just finished Dear Edward, I'm feeling a range of emotions - happiness, heartbreak, longing and love.

This book caught my attention from the very beginning and I enjoyed the pace. This is a very character driven story and I loved learning about Edward and the supporting cast throughout. While I agree with other reviewers that the latter portion moved quickly, I appreciated the ending.

Wonderful novel. Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC. # dearedward #netgalley

✨Review✨
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“What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?”
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Ann Napolitano’s Dear Edward follows the teenage life of Edward Adler after being the sole survivor of a plane crash in which 191 others lost their lives. Will Edward find his place in the world, or will he spend the rest of his days convinced he should have died too?
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Mark your calendars for January 14, 2020, y’all, because you will want to get a copy of Dear Edward the moment it hits the shelves. It is such a beautiful story that kept me gripped from page to page, chapter to chapter. I love that Napolitano focuses every other chapter on the passengers and the final hours before the plane crashed.
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Dear Edward had me laughing, crying, and at moments, deeply contemplative. It is a unique coming-of-age story that I feel people of all ages could enjoy and appreciate.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you so much to Netgalley for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano to be published 1/14/20!

Great book, wonderfully written.
Quick read.

Dear Edward centers around the sole survivor of a plane crash.
It is heart wrenching and beautiful.


Thank you NetGalley!

I was unexpectedly drawn into this novel's "sole survivor of a plane crash" plot line, and my experience as a flight attendant piqued my curiosity. Edward navigates his life after the devastating event with the help of those around him, who are managing their own survival and existence in various ways. Pain vs love in their most extreme physical and mental forms sets a tone from start to finish. Edward views himself as a counterweight to 191 lost souls and as he heals and matures, he discovers his new, impactful place among mere mortals. Ms. Napolitano hits realistic notes with her airplane scenes, accelerating the suspense as past and present converge in an artful way. The brotherly bond cleverly touched upon throughout the pages, and underscored in the final chapter, had this reader weeping. If you have a soft spot for young Theo Decker in Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch", be sure to add this novel to your TBR list!

Thank you Dial Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Surprising insight into loss and a pre-teen, with lots of character study of a doomed group of people.
Wrapped a little too tightly in the end, but I enjoyed the doomed ride.

Well, this was one of those books that I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I don’t usually read fiction that centers around tragedy such as this, but I’m very glad I read this book. The novel centers around Edward who is the sole survivor of a horrible plane crash. The book alternates from what happened while he was on the plane to what is currently happening in Edward’s life and how he is coping with the aftermath of the crash.

Edward loses his brother, father, and mother in the crash, which is a horribly tragic event. He must go live with his aunt and uncle, whom he is not close to. Once he gets there he is entirely uncomfortable, which makes sense given the circumstances, so he focuses his attention on something else- the girl next door, Shay. The two of them spend most of their time together, and Edward even sleeps in her room until he is a teenager.

I’m giving this book four stars because it captured my attention, but at the same time I felt as though there was something missing. The author tried really hard to get the reader to understand his pain, but I just didn’t feel it. While I was reading the chapters of what happened on the plane, they seemed to me to be rushed and the crash ended abruptly. There was so much build to the event, and it fell short in the description.

Also, the book is called “Dear Edward” and I didn’t think it focused around the letters much at all, and I don’t feel like enough was resolved when it came to Edwards decision about the content of the letters.

All in all, I did enjoy reading this book. It was a page turner and I was eager to know what was going to happen next.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

I will be posting this on my blog at www.augiesbookshelf.com

This novel dealing with grief and survivor issues after a plane crash handles the subject beautifully and shows a character who is out of his depth in grief, lack of understanding, survivor's guilt and learning to make a life when your previous life has been upended. The story is ultimately a very uplifting and hopeful one.

In a word: un-put-down-able. This book had me from the first chapter and I was holding on for dear life -- just like the passengers on flight 2977 when their plane fell from the sky.

Edward is the miraculous sole survivor who loses everything: his home, his family, his direction in life. This is the story not of how he survived the crash, but how he survived the aftermath.

From his well-meaning, but ill-equipped aunt and uncle who take Edward in to the prickly neighbor girl, who begins as an unexpected source of comfort and ends up as his best friend and confidant, the supporting characters in this book had just enough depth to support the storyline without being distracting. And the main character -- Edward (or Eddie as he's known before the crash) -- is so lovable and broken and flailing that you just want to wrap him in your arms and tell him it's okay.

But as the book makes clear: it's not okay. In fact, it's a very sad story, and the characters face tough decisions. They don't always make the right ones, but they're human. And that's what makes you care about them, no matter how flawed they may be.

The chapters alternate between the day of the crash and Edward's life afterward, which is perhaps what keeps the book moving at a breakneck pace. As you see Edward start to heal and discover his purpose and direction, it's nearly impossible to want to stop reading.

If I have one criticism, it's a small one. I'd like to have learned the backstories of some of the other supporting characters. While some had almost entire chapters devoted to their backstory, they were not the most interesting or multi-dimensional. Others, like Besa and Principal Arundhi, get little more than a paragraph or two. I could've done with less of the crash details and a little more on these people that played a key role in Edward's healing.

Overall, an excellent read. I expect to see it pop up on a lot of reading lists come January!

Dear Edward is such a heartfelt story. His character goes through many transformations during the book that spans 6 years. You can't help but want to cheer on his survival from a plane crash where no one else survived. You cried for him and cheered him on as he became stronger, both physically and emotionally. I loved how this author set up the book between Edward's story and the people on the plane. You really got to know them all through their own eyes, their fellow passengers and Edward's eyes. His relationship with this neighbor and best friend Shay as well as his aunt and uncle helped Edward become the person he became at the end of the book. I highly recommend reading this book.