Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is an insightful novel that will leave you thinking about your life in so many ways. What would you do if you were the only one to survive a crash? How would you react if you lost your entire family ? Are you living your life to the fullest.? What would you do if you inherited a large sum of money? The main character, Edward, must confront all of these questions in this unique novel. I know that I will remember this novel for a very long time. If literature has the capacity to change one’ s perspectives then this novel achieved this and so much more. I am confident that readers will enjoy this novel. I have been given this novel by the publisher and net galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Such a thoughtful book on the survivor of a plane crash, 12 year old Edward Adler. The topic is very intense and the author does an amazing job of just flushing out what living means to someone who has gone though such a public and incredible accident. I found it to be incredibly realistic and believable story which I think is difficult to accomplish. It definitely made me think more about life, priorities and resilience.

Just magnificent. Dear Edward is heartbreaking and achingly beautiful at the same time. As someone who hates to fly, this didn't make me feel better, but following Edward's story was truly a wonder. This book will stick with me for a long time.

Heartbreaking and beautiful. I loved the format of this book in how it jumped between the two timelines. The relationships between Edward and Shay and then Edward and his aunt and uncle were so beautiful to watch.

Dear Edward, I believe, will be one of the biggest books of 2020. What a great book to start the year with! Told from the perspective of a child, who is the sole survivor of a plane crash, it is not in the least a childish book. Dear Edward made me cry; Dear Edward made me smile; Dear Edward made me laugh; Dear Edward gave me hope for humanity. It is one of those stories that will stay with me a long time. I wanted to reach into the pages, grab hold of Edward and give him hugs and promises; Napolitano's masterfully written prose made him vividly real to me. A tremendous, tremendous read! I will be recommending this to everyone, including strangers!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Edward is the coming of age story of Edward, the sole survivor of a plane crash which took the lives of his parents, his brother and all the other passengers and crew on the plane. The family members of the passengers all want Edward to fulfill the life dreams of those lost; a lot for a 12-year old boy to fulfill.

While I enjoyed Edward's story and the friendship between him and Shay, who played a huge role in his recovery, I did not connect so much with the alternating chapters about the time on the plane. Overall, I enjoyed the story which is unlike anything I've read previously.

I received an advanced copy, also this was my December 2019 Book of the Month selection; all opinions are my own.

Just a lovely, lovely book — even better than I expected from the description. I was drawn to this book because I was flying into Detroit in 1987, when a plane crashed near DTW, leaving one little girl (Cecilia Cichan, now Crocker) as the sole survivor of the crash, losing her parents and brother.

Even though this book was about a depressing subject, it was transcendent. Even knowing what was going to happen with the crash, you got to bond with the characters on the plane. The way the story unfolded, with the alternating timelines, is one that I usually find confusing or gimmicky, but it worked very well for this particular story. I bonded with Edward so much that I would love a sequel, to know how things turned out in his adult life. (Although I think this particular story ended in exactly the right place.)

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchanged for an honest unbiased review.

Book Review { Thank you for my gifted copy

Book: Dear Edward
Pub Date: 1/6/20
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: If you're looking for a book full of immense heartbreak, but even more resilience and strength, Dear Edward is the book for you. While this sounds utterly and completely sad, the ending is heartwarming and will leave you smiling through your tears.

What I loved about this book:

1. I really enjoyed the alternating time lines between time on the plane and the aftermath. I'm a huge fan of alternating timelines and this is probably one of my favorites.

2. I loved the characters and the real relationships portrayed in this story. This book was composed of perfectly imperfect characters that were likable and relatable, my favorite being Shay. I think we could all benefit from having someone like her in our lives.

3. If you've read my reviews before, you know I love a good epilogue. I firmly believe every story should have a well written epilogue and with that being said, Dear Edward's epilogue was absolutely perfect. I would not change a single thing about it.

Honestly I would like to go into more detail about this magnificent book, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Do yourself a huge favor and pick up an copy or reserve one at your local library. If you're worried about the hype surrounding this one, worry no more because it is well deserved. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

I had high hopes for this book but I ended up DNF'ing it at about 35% and then later went back and skimmed the rest. While the story itself is heartbreaking and harrowing, I just didn't enjoy the author's style of writing and had a really hard time connecting with any of the characters. I found it confusing and hard to keep their stories straight. While I understand the hype behind this book and why there are lots of people really digging it, it just wasn't for me.

Sobbed my way through this beautiful book. Page turner but in a lovely, haunting, lyrical way. The writing was superb. The story was heart wrenching. One of those books I wish I could read for the first time again and again.

This book caught my attention from the beginning. It was a little drawn out but overall a good book.

4⭐️ read. Yes, it’s about a plane crash but more than that, it’s about the sole survivor 12 yr old Edward and learning how to live on. The plane crash part is not graphic at all and very minimal. This book teaches us how one little boy comes to terms with losing his family, moving to another state to live with aunt and uncle, transitioning from home school to public school, being a topic of news stories and how to make a new life for himself while never forgetting where he has been. @annnapolitano wrote an incredibly thoughtful and emotional story of resilience and perseverance that you must read. Many thanks to @Netgalley for the advance copy of this book #goodreads #dearedward #bookstagram #netgalley

This book is heartwrenching and so good! I was hooked from the start and truly loved Dear Edward. I understand all of the hype and definitely was not disappointed. I love how well the author lets you understand each and every character.

Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 191 other passengers including his entire family. The crash makes him famous. The whole country knows his name. With the help of his Aunt and Uncle Edward begins to recover from unimaginable grief, come to terms with his sole survival, and rediscover where he fits in in the world around him.

This was such a good book. Although the overall idea is sad, the story is very uplifting. I loved the alternating chapters between the time during the flight and Edward’s present. I enjoyed learning about some of the passengers on the flight and getting to hear their innermost thoughts.
I loved Edward’s journey to heal and begin to live again. You can literally feel his pain and devastation through the pages, but also see when the switch flips and he starts to move on.
Shay was my absolute favorite character of the whole book. Her acceptance of Edward: the good, the bad, the pain he feels, is so inspiring. I love how she makes him brave by comparing him to Harry Potter. I also love their ending.

Thank you so much to Dial Press and Netgalley for my copy and the opportunity to offer an honest review.

In reading this novel, the tragic ending is first and then the rest of the book is spend swapping back and forth between the before and after. The daily flight of the airline and passengers should be pretty typical (and the author’s explanation of flying is spot on), but this one runs into trouble, leaving only one, to deal with the aftermath. Eddie, a twelve year old boy, who’s life has now changed forever. And as much as his Uncle tried to shield him, from the press and families of those lost in the crash, he eventually runs across letters written to him by them. It is through these letters the healing for all begins.
I attained an ebook advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, but my reviewing of this book is all on my own.

DEAR EDWARD is easily one of my best reads of 2020!

The story was centered around Edward “Eddie” Adler who was the only survivor of a plane crash where 191 lives were killed. In alternating chapters, the time prior to the crash and Eddie’s present life as he is living his life as the sole survivor. The story is very realistic and takes into consideration the people affected, survivors and those left behind.

The story had amazing characters that were featured during the flight from Newark to Los Angeles. You cannot help but wonder how people would lead their lives and decisions made knowing when their last moments of their lives would be. The story was realistic and believable, and well researched as well.

As much as the premise of the story is quite difficult and sad, I was smiling when I finished this book. The story filled me with emotions and was left with a great sense of satisfaction on how love, understanding and resilience overcome adversities and difficulties. It was a powerful and emotional read that was also positive and hopeful.

I highly recommend this book for its amazing storytelling and should not be missed. It is a reading experience that is profound – broke my heart but Napolitano found a way to stich it back up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Dial Press for a story that I loved. There's a bit of everything in this book, and each page had me holding onto every word. One of my favorites.

first time reading this author's work and was floored, such a good book going back and forth between the timeline when the plane went down and through Edward's life picking up the pieces of being the lone survivor. will read more of Napolitano's work soon! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this great book!

This book got a little slow in the middle but I enjoyed the ending. I would have preferred to focus more on Edward and his story rather then so much detail about the back story of the other characters. Found the premise of the book fascinating.

This book was so well done! The way it went back and forth between two different times in the story was so well done. Often I do not like stories like that but it was wonderfully done!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the book. All opinions in this review are my own.