Going back and forth between the family getting on the plane and Edward’s life after the plane crash kept me turning the page. Eddie survived the plane crash but Edward walked through an unfulfilling life once he started over. I could physically feel Edwards pain and confusion.

I’ve recommended this book to many friends because it is so different and so heartfelt.

Great coming of age novel about a boy who never feels comfortable about who he is or where he really belongs. Its a story about family, friendship, love and identity. Sad and uplifting at the same time. Good read!!

Beautifully written, A poignant story of grief and hope. Not only the story of how Edward deals with his grief, but those of his remaining family and or family members who died in the crash. Very insightful

Contemporary Fiction | Adult

Dear Edward: A Novel, by Ann Napolitano (2020)
This was, not surprisingly, a very difficult read, though it is absolutely a beautiful and tender story of heartbreak, hope, loss, and love. The titular Edward is 12 years old when he boards a plane with his mum, dad, and older brother Jordan. They are moving from New York to Los Angeles, where his mother is taking a job as a screenwriter. They aren’t sure if it will be permanent or not. Also on board are 188 others – five crew, and the usual assortment of travellers – among them a troubled veteran, a woman in love with a pregnancy test kit in her purse, a driven and coke-addicted Wall Street wizard, a man in a wheelchair filled with regrets, a woman who has lived many lives. The plane crashes, and Edward is the only survivor. Even writing those words takes my breath away. However did Napolitano find a way to write a whole book?
Taken in by his aunt and her husband, he befriends a neighbour when he knocks on their door and asks if he can sleep there instead. Sharing the home with his mother’s sister is just too painful. Edward’s very, <i>very<i> slow recovery forms the bulk of the story which spans about six years, with regular flashbacks to the flight as it progresses west, giving each character a voice and a story, fleshed out by family members’ letters to Edward (hence the title). In a sense, as I read this book during the Covid-19 pandemic that grips our planet, I thought of the many lives that have been lost to this virus, and I wished I knew all their stories. Though perhaps not – my heart could barely take this one. This is, as I said, a difficult and painful read. Napolitano does an amazing job of showing us Edward’s unimaginable grief, and it weighs heavy on the reader. Not for everyone, but for those who take it on, it’s a powerful story. I am glad I read it. My thanks to Random House/Dial Press for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45837015

Although the premise was enticing, the actual story was not as interesting as I had hoped. I found the flashbacks between past and present annoying, and I kept on waiting for something significant to happen. Overall I just found the text not very stimulating. I also couldn’t decide who the author intended as the audience since some of the passages and the free use of profanity would indicate a more mature audience (definitely not young teen) than I initially thought. This is the story of multiple people who were on a plane, but ultimately the story of Edward who is the sole survivor.

I was really nervous about reading “ Dear Edward”. I am known for crying and becoming way too attached/ involved. Let me start off by saying that I loved how the story alternated between before the crash and after the crash. The characters could have been a bit more developed overall. The writing was beautiful. The story, heartbreaking. It will definitely stick with me for a while.

*I received an advanced digital copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This story about a lone survivor of a plane crash was amazing. I loved this book. The writing was beautiful. The story was heartbreaking. I've recommended it to many friends. My mom read it and loved it also.

Imagine being the sole survivor of a plane crash as a 12 year old---this is the tragedy thrust upon Edward who must learn to cope with the loss if his family and everything he knew. Ann Napolitano weaves such a unique story, shifting between the plane ride before the crash and Edward's life post crash, and along the way she delves into unique relationships and relatable characters.
Overall, this book was hard to put down despite the seemingly bleak topic. It was, for sure, a book that will stay with me for a long time.

This book follows the teenage life of Eddie, now Edward, after a plane crash kills his parents, older brother, other passengers, and crew of a commercial airplane, leaving him as the sole survivor. In the present tense story, Edward is now living with his aunt and uncle, and has befriended the girl next door; he is trying to navigate his new life in school, a new town, and without much direction as he deals with being the lone survivor of this crash. Another part of the story is told in past tense with insight to other passengers' lives on the plane; we get backstories and learn a little about what their flight was like before it crashed. These two stories work well together as we sympathize and empathize with Edward and root for him to find what he is looking for in life.

I was a little nervous for this one since I have a fear of flying and this begins with a plane crash, but thankfully it was only a minor part of this story and I was able to move on. Character-driven novels can be some of my favorite, and I loved watching Edward grow up and grapple with his past (fair warning to those of you who need lots of plot). The exploration of things like grief, family, and survival really struck me and I found myself tearing up quite a bit. If the tragic premise scares you off, please give it a try. The payoff is worth it.

this book really surprised me in the best of ways. the characters were rich, and the plot device of switching from the plane to the post-crash setting was great. definitely not for people who are at all scared of plane crashes.

We are discussing this book for my book club later this week and I think it will lend itself to a good discussion. Having recently been widowed, the book made me think about what those of us who have lost someone close owe, or don't owe, to them as we continue our lives. I don't often like books that jump back and forth in time but in this case I think it worked very well -- we follow the doomed flight and meet several of those onboard as we also learn about what happens to Edward, the sole survivor of the crash. While I liked the book, I wouldn't rate it 5* but I also do think it is a story that will stay with me for a while.

If you need a good cry, this one will get the job done.

Edward is the 12-year-old sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 191 people, including his parents and brother. In dueling timelines, we follow Edward as he recovers from the worst and tries to join the world again in a new way. He carries the weight of the others who did not survive, and only his friend, Shay, next door can give him a drop of comfort. In the other timeline, we are following several different people on the flight in the hours leading up to the crash. It is a beautifully written, character-driven, book that will be in my mind for a long time.

Don't read this if you don't have tissues or don't feel like having your heart ripped out and then stitched back up in your chest again.

In Dear Edward, we follow the story of how Edward was the lone survivor of a plane crash that took 191 people including his parents, and brother. The story flips between after the accident, and the before all the way up until the time of the crash. Along the way, we learn about the other passengers on the flight - I would have liked this as a prequel because it was saddening learning about all these characters (some of them I loved) but knowing at any moment they would be taken away from us.

After the accident, Edward is taken in by his aunt and uncle who are willing to do anything to protect him from the public. People have set up social media pages about him, and claim that he was given the gift of life. Edward has a really hard time grieving with all of this, considering he wishes his brother had survived instead of him. I really wanted to just grab Edward and hug him - tell him that none of this was his fault. I will admit that this book had a very dark overtone, and I wasn't sure how the outcome would turn out. I was very glad that nearing the end, we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, he did not do this alone.

Edward had an amazing support system in place helping him, my favorite is his neighbor Shay who provides unconditional love and support to him. I would even go as far as to say that she is his rock during these hard times. It was really nice watching the two of them interact over the years, even if their relationship fizzled in/out a few times.

In Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Eddie is twelve-years-old; he has an older brother he idolizes and parents that are pretty okay, too. The four of them are moving from New York to California, but mid-way through the transcontinental flight, the worst happens. The plane goes down in Colorado leaving Eddie as the only survivor. Taken in by his aunt and uncle, Eddie returns to the east coast and chooses to leave behind the nickname used by his family. Now Edward, he must find a way to recover physically and emotionally. What he doesn't know is what he means to the rest of the world. Strangers latch on to his story of survival looking for hope or meaning or whatever it is they need. Edward does his best to ignore the stares in public or the sensation he has become on the internet, but when he discovers the letters that have been written to him something changes.

The chapters alternate between Edward's present and an almost play by play of the events on the plane. In one moment we watch as Edward navigates middle and high school in a new place and as the new person he has somehow become. In the next we are back on the plane, watching the last hours of 191 people tick by without them even knowing. We get to know some of the other passengers: an injured soldier returning home to heal, a large bohemian woman who claims to remember her past lives, a wealthy old man looking back at his life, a wealthy young man determined to take every opportunity he can grab, and a glamorous flight attendant who catches everyone's attention. We also meet Shay, the girl who lives next door to Edward's aunt and uncle who becomes exactly the friend he needs.

This book was beautifully written. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Losing everything the way Edward does is more than I can imagine, but Napolitano handles it with gentleness and truth. She doesn't shy away from the physical and emotional trauma. We watch as Edward grows through the years and gradually finds a way to live again, helped along by his aunt and uncle, his new friend, and his own determination. I really liked this book and I think you will, too.

Ann Napolitano's Dear Edward is a book that causes readers to grapple with the question of how to go on after loss. Twelve-year-old Edward Adler boards a plane with his family and 183 other souls heading to Los Angeles. His world falls apart when the plane crashes, and he is the soul survivor.

We all grapple with what we would do if we lost a loved one, and this book puts that fear on vivid display. It's a gripping, challenging, and ultimately illuminating coming-of-age story that readers will think about long after the last page.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this book so much! The characters were so deep and it really took us to the place of experiencing exactly what it would be like to be a lone survivor of something so terrible. The way the story follows Edward as he gets back into "normal" life and continues to navigate through life was interesting to read. I loved his character. The plot thickens and takes some twists and turns as Edward learns more info about the flight and crash. One of my fave books so far of 2020!

My thoughts:
- I am a little scared of flying so I went into this a little nervous. I’m happy to say it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. It’s so well written that it didn’t give me anxiety or made me more scared to fly.

- The story is told in alternating timelines. It goes back and forth between the day of the crash and the aftermath. While at first I was apprehensive of it (I just wanted to get the plane crash over with) I think it was a great way to tell the story.

- There’s so many amazing characters in this story. I really enjoyed the character development and the role each played in the story. At first it was hard to keep up with each of them but in the end I loved them all!

- The premise of the story is very sad but I found myself smiling at the end and it just left me feeling hopeful. I cried at the beginning but I was expecting to cry more. This is not just a sad story!

- While this is a story of tragedy and grief, more than anything it is a story of the many ways a broken heart can learn to love again.

I definitely recommend this book!

This book is touching, heartfelt, and so sad. I love the way Edward progressed through this novel, from all he went through, being the sole survivor of a plane crash and losing his entire immediate family. It surely gave me concern with flying. I enjoyed getting to see Edward’s journey through his friendship with Shay, his aunt and uncle as well as numerous letters. Surely a must read.

Not exactly the best read for right now as it didn't really lower my anxiety level but it did manage to take my mind off the news for a few days. I became completely absorbed by Edward's story. I especially enjoyed the references to General Hospital. I did feel, however, that the backstories of the other people on the flight could have been developed more. I never ended up caring about them as much as I cared about Edward.