While I know it took me several years to pick this one up, I am glad I finally did. This is a deeply emotional YA book that covers a variety of difficult topics, like grief, suicide, loss of a parent, addition, etc. It is set in a summer camp for those dealing with grief - so all these teens navigating tragedy and emotion and thrust in a "mandatory fun" situation, with a touch of therapy.

I really enjoyed our main character's story - from anger and devastating grief, to realizing that life can and will go on, and that the fear of pain isn't worth not living.

This book did have some goofy characters and moments - so it is not completely emotional and does allow for some space away from the difficult topics.

The synopsis promises this will be as good as a John Green book....and it is. This young girl loses herself in grief and decides the only way to protect herself is to not care about anything or anyone. But fate and her mother know better than to let her stay hidden from her emotions. A great story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The writing is great but this is a book that I have to be in a certain mood to read, and I just can't get into it right now.

Deeply emotional YA contemporary that discusses grief, guilt, and loss with an edge of humor to lighten it up. Add in a camp setting and friendship, and you've got a incredibly well written story that covers some heavy topics. . You should definitely be in the mood for this book as it is quite heavy.

This was a wonderful book about grief. I was lucky enough to read it at a time when I needed a story just like this. Though our situations are a bit different, it definitely helped me to feel not so alone.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, it’s not one that I was able to finish. I couldn’t get into it at all. There are so many YA books that I think speak to all ages and I’m sure there is something in this that might - after all, grief doesn’t discriminate - but based on the feel of the writing, I do think it’s better suited for its target audience. Admittedly, my expectations played a part, as I expected something profoundly beautiful and deeply emotional. This story isn’t making me feel anything, at least not anything I would want to feel while reading a book. I am sorry. I was clearly not the right reader for this one.

I didnt enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. I felt there could have been more as well as some parts felt a bit dragged at times.

I wish I could say how much I loved the characters in this book. I fell in love with all of them. Lila and Sammy and their friends are all beautifully written and devastatingly real. I wanted to hug them all and tell them everything would be okay.

Lila's father has died, leaving her and her brother Sammy half-orphans. He died by suicide, and Lila just can't wrap her mind around that. To deal with this unbearable and understandable grief, Lila's mother sends her and Sammy to a summer camp for kids who have all lost someone close to them. Lila is extremely reluctant at first, but as she comes to get to know her fellow campers, she begins to open up about her grief and to heal, though she realizes it will be a long road. This book is for anybody who has ever lost somebody, or would be a great read-together for parents/educators and teens who may need to talk through any of these issues together.

Like I mentioned above, I thought all of the characters and the situations at camp felt very realistic and relatable, even though I have not experienced that kind of grief and I've never been to camp. These kids all had something to teach. My heart broke for all of them, and I wept and cheered alongside them as they broke down and tried to stand back up. It's an excellent book for teens who like realistic fiction, like John Green, but is also a great book for a teen who may need to work through any difficult heartbreaking situations.

Content: There are a few instances of underage drinking and mild language. There is death discussed, as it is central to the plot of the book. There is also sex once, but the act itself is not described as much as the feelings around the experience are described. Recommended for high school students.

<b><u>IMPRESSIONS</u></b>

<strong>Grief was explored in many different ways.</strong> Of course, Lila's own experience - which is drawn from the author's own background - is front and center. She deals with the <strong>mix of emotions after losing her dad to suicide and feeling like her life is falling apart around her</strong>. There is some stigma, anger and hurt involved for her, as Lila has problems comprehending how she didn't see this coming and why her dad would leave her behind. She's on a desperate search for answers in order to be able to move on with her life even a bit, as now it seems impossible. That makes The Half-Orphan's Handbook such a <strong>raw and emotional book as you experience all these intense emotions alongside Lila</strong>. Through the grief camp we get to see other experiences as well though!

<strong>The idea of the Grief Camp was great.</strong> It's a 8 week long camp for any kids who have lost someone in their immediate family, and initially Lila has no intention of going. She doesn't get the point of it or trying out therapy. However, she cannot help but slowly see the merits of being around people who understand her. There is <strong>group therapy and many typical summer activities like kayaking, making S'mores or art offered for the campers</strong> in order to help them deal with their loss. I really like the setting of the camp, as it has some summer vibes but also emotional moments, as the children are still grieving, though they are also having fun moments. I like how mental health was explored in this setting!

<strong>There were so many fantastic Friendships! ❤</strong> Lila has trouble connecting with her friends at home, as they don't know how to deal with her loss. However, at the grief camp, she meets many people like her, who know exactly what it feels like to lose someone. That <strong>opens up a whole world of understanding for her and allows Lila to finally feel like someone gets her</strong>. Though she initially tries to not get attached to anyone - fearing she will lose them - she cannot help but find friends. I really liked the cast of secondary characters and their experience with grief. <strong>Winnie was probably my favorite</strong>, as she's super friendly, open and easy-going, immediately trying to put Lila at ease and include her at camp. She's also her bunkmate, alongside with Madison, who is a bit more distant. At first it seems like she's your typical Mean Girl, but it turns out that<strong> Madison</strong> has been through a lot and misplaced a lot of anger on Lila. Later, she opens up as well and the three of them have such a great connection! I also liked <strong>Deese</strong>, one of the boys at camp who develops such a wonderful friendship with Lila and helps her pick up sports again, which she kind of quit after losing her father. I also have the mention<strong> Jeff, the organizer of the grief camp</strong>, as he tried his best to help the kids confront their own feelings and enable them to move on. He's knows what grief is like and his dedication to camp was beautiful to see!

<strong>I wish I had been able to connect a bit more to the story though.</strong> I liked Lila, but I didn't 100% connect to her emotionally. She was <strong>often hard on the people around her</strong>, even though many of them had gone through a similar experience and held them to such high standards. That got me frustrated at times, as her mistakes were often easily forgiven while Lila wasn't as forgiving herself. I also felt like the<strong> romance developed way too quickly</strong> and didn't give me much time to root for Lila and Noah. We barely got to know him before they suddenly liked each other. I was missing the chemistry and emotional connection between them as their attraction felt rushed and not as fleshed out, as it could have been.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION.</strong> ➽ <em>The Half-Orphan's Handbook </em>is <strong>a heartfelt book exploring the grief of losing a parent to suicide</strong> and the question of how to move on with life with such a gaping hole in your heart. I <strong>liked the idea of a grief summer camp</strong>, as it brought the main character in contact with other kids that had gone through a similar experience and forged many strong friendships. If you like emotional, but hopeful books, this is perfect for you!

Pros
Serious Shenanigans: In this book, Joan F. Smith blends all of the fun of summer camp stories with a more serious undertone--here, the underlying grief of all the campers. Lila leaves home, finds new friends, breaks rules, plays pranks, and crafts on the lake shore. But she also attends group therapy, has heartfelt discussions, and starts down a long path towards healing. This book is full of tropey-in-a-good-way camp shenanigans, and it also has the feel of another YA staple: the trip of self-discovery. This book isn't afraid of the hard topics, but it also isn't afraid to mix some lighthearted fun into the plot as well--a great balance.

Pure Honesty: One (unfortunately common) YA trope that I hate is drama-by-omission. That is, most of the dramatic tension of a book is the result of someone keeping a (usually benign) secret. Just being honest--or even just slightly more honest--would have alleviated all of the troubles to begin with. I hate this way YA authors create tension, and I was so relieved to pick up a contemporary YA book that didn't hinge on this drama-by-omission. In fact, in this book, the characters are refreshingly honest with themselves and with each other, and not just in their therapy sessions. They have enough to deal with already without any artificial tension. I wish more YA books would do away with drama-inducing omissions. Honesty is healthy and important. We need more of it in fiction and in reality.

Surprising Humor: It might be strange to imagine in a book centered around very personal and very raw grief, but surprising (in a good way) humor is sprinkled throughout these pages as well. Puns, jokes, and friendly ribbing all make the page--humor that doesn't usually play a role in grief-centered narratives but is here quite important to the healing of the characters--as well as the reading experience of the readers. A beautiful silver lining runs through this book which gives it a different feel than more YA. This humor is distinctive and uplifting in a book all about reaching for normal after tragedy.

Cons
Mature Baby Brother: Usually, I find that the main character's first-person narration sounds too mature for the middling teenager they're meant to be. Here, however, my critique is not with Lila's voice but with Sammy's character. Baby Sammy is meant to be twelve years old, and yet he speaks like a much older character. His dialogue is complete with several cringey, supposed-to-sound-like-a-twelve-year-old "ladies' man" lines for good measure. The execution here was off-putting.

Typical Voice: Though Lila sounded neither too old nor too young as a narrator, her voice isn't particularly unique. She sounds like most other contemporary YA narrators, unfortunately. Nothing about her voice stands out--though her story itself does. She is decently written. Her voice is decently constructed. It is just not memorable in and of itself.

Too Camp-Driven: I know it's a summer camp story. I know that, but honestly, this book purports to be so much more. There is more to it, after all--there is a scattering of group therapy sessions, grief counseling, et cetera. However, a lot of those healing-focused additions get drowned out by the camp tropes. This book is absolutely dominated by sneaking out, underaged drinking, make-out sessions, archery, swimming, sailing, field trips, pranks... You name it. The camp shenanigans take over much of the plot. There's even some girl-drama thrown into the mix. There's camp fun, and then there's plot-dominating camp fun. In a book where the grief-aspect should have been just as key, it was sad to see that narrative made somewhat secondary.

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Anyone looking for another summer camp story after Emma Lord's You Have a Match should check out this new camp-with-a-higher-purpose. Those who enjoyed the journey to healing and self-love in Ashley Schumacher's Amelia Unabridged will enjoy this summer of grief and resilience.

The Half-Orphan's Handbook is a deeply emotional YA contemporary that discusses grief, guilt, and loss with an edge of humor to lighten it up. Add in a camp setting and friendship, and you've got a incredibly well written story that covers some heavy topics. That said, you definitely need to be in the mood to read about those heavier topics, and honestly be prepared to cry a bit. Lila's journey through her grief is a great story. Have your tissues ready, but don't fret you will smile as well.

CW: grief, death of a parent, references to suicide, underage drinking

I always love a good contemporary novel and The Half=Orphan's Handbook did not disappoint. There are some trigger warnings I would include about the book especially if a reader doesn't like reading about suicide, but it's not graphic at all. It's mostly talked about in passing since it is a big part of the book. This is a story line I feel like needs to be talked about more. You don't see too many books of the perspective of kids who lost their parent that way.
I fully recommend this book if you like contemporary YA and shows a big growth of the characters!

TW: suicide mention, suicide, death, addiction

Thoughts and Themes: I knew this book would be heavy as I went into reading it just because of the subject matter that it tackles. Its hard for me to talk about this book without revealing too much personal information but this book hit close to home for a lot of reasons.

I liked how the book went through a lot of the feelings that come along with grief and how it explores guilt along with loss. I thought that this book really showed how guilt factors into grief quite well and did it in a way that was still sensitive to the manner.

This book felt healing for me and made me feel a lot less alone than I have felt in a while. I liked how the story points out that healing isn’t linear and how much work goes into it. I liked that we got to see each person deal with grief differently, and all ages deal with grief as well. I liked that we even have adults in this book that are dealing with grief and it is all different forms of grief.

I cried for a good while after reading this book and the author’s note, I also messaged the author to say thanks for this book which is something I never do because I’m too scared to do that. There are books that I relate to, books that make me feel seen, books that help me heal from things, but rarely does a book do all of those things. This book felt like it was sent to me to say “hey I got you” much like Lila gets these people at camp to make her feel that way.

Characters: Through this story we are introduced to multiple characters as they interact with our main character, Lila. We meet Lila’s brother, Sammy, Madison, Winnie, Noah, Deese and Jeff. I really liked all of the characters that we get to meet and loved all the relationships that are shown throughout this book.

While we do get a romance between Lila and Noah, I thought that was a side of the book and not the main portion of it. I liked how their romance developed and the emotions that LIla has to face to allow someone to be with her. I thought it was good to see her grapple with those feelings and struggle to let herself have feelings for someone. I think this really showed how much she was holding onto the past and not letting herself move forward with her life since her dad wasn’t there anymore.

I like how we get to see each character’s backstory and the reason for the way that they act towards others. I thought it was good to finally get Madison’s feelings out and the truth about Noah out as well. I liked how this was handled and how Lila is forced to see that she isn’t the only one dealing with a loss. There were times where Lila was annoying because of her attitude and the way she treated others but there was an understanding that each of them had their reasons.

Writing Style: This story is told in first person point of view through Lila’s perspective. I really enjoyed having the story be told by Lila as a narrator because you find things out just as she does. I thought it was great to be there with her as we find out details about her father and then find out things about Noah. I think that made the story a lot more impactful because you for a minute are Lila.

This is a book about grief and finding a way to heal and move on after a tragic loss of a loved one.

Lila didn’t want to go to Camp Bonaventure (Dead Parent Camp to Lila) in Maine. It’s a grief camp you send kids to bond with others who have lost loved ones. At her mother’s insistence, it’s just one more thing out of Lila’s control. Well, at least she’s not going alone. Her precocious twelve-year-old brother Sammy is going with her.

Lila’s loss of her father is a journey filled with doubts, guilt, loneliness, anger, understanding, and most importantly friendship. I love the strong friendships in this book which I see as lifelong. Who better to understand you, than these kids who are going through the same thing? Lila, Madison, and Winnie come from different backgrounds but can talk openly about their feelings which sometimes cannot be done with others you’ve known all of your life. I must say I love Sammy and I wish I had a thoughtful and cool little brother like him. As for Noah, Lila’s love interest, his tragic reason for being at the camp is difficult and would be very hard to live with. I understand Lila being angry at first about him not telling her and I’m glad she forgave him.

Ms. Smith presents the stages of grief and the stigma of death with a fine balance of young adult humor and revelry and the heartbreaking reality of guilt and loss. Listening to each of the characters' tragic and real stories is painful as they battle with the question of why it happened and how they deal with it. The activities such as the art show and the Three-Legged Ditch-It Dodgeball game at the camp are clever and well thought out for the campers' mental well-being, and Jeff, the camp director, is an important character in the story who has a tragic background himself.

I recommend this beautifully written debut novel to people of all ages who have suffered a loss.

Thank you to Ms. Smith for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was stunning, beautifully written, and hooks you from the start. The author was able to tackle some really difficult subjects in a graceful way and this book gives you all the feelings. What a lovely story and characters.

It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules:

1. The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one.
2. Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst.

But when Lila’s mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, it’s suddenly harder for Lila to follow these rules. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad’s death.

The Half-Orphan's Handbook is a sweet coming-of-age story as well as an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief. This book has a big heart. It’s perfect for fans of John Green and other YA tear-jerkers. Lila is a likeable character and you can’t help but root for her and all the other kids at camp.

One small quibble: the running scenario was not very believable. I don’t care how young you are – no one can go from barely being able to run a 10-min mile to running a 7-mile road race with a sub 7-min mile pace after training for four weeks in the August heat. Sorry! :)

See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars

The Half-Orphan's Handbook is a heavy-hitting novel about grief and love.

The Half-Orphan's Handbook is both heavy and lighthearted at the same time. Joan F. Smith mixes humor and hard topics with ease to make for an entertaining read. But for some reason, this book and I just didn't connect. I'll come back to this later but, although it was well done, things just weren't working out. It was me, not you!

In The Half-Orphan's Handbook we follow Lila, a sixteen-year-old girl who recently lost her father to suicide. As you can guess, she's not taking it very well. To try and help, her mother decides to send her to an eight-week-long grief camp and won't take no for an answer. There a reluctant Lila makes friends, a more-than-friend, and lets the pieces of her heart come back together.

Let me just say it now. Someone needs to read this book and that someone is not me. This is such a powerful book and I know that it's exactly what some people need in their lives. If you're going through anything like what Lila did, please give this book a try. But part of why I think I didn't like it as much was that I don't require it in my life right now. I am blessed with a happy and whole family and it just didn't resonate in the way that it would for its target audience.

While I liked the aspects of grief and healing from it, I could have done without the romance. I know that it helps make the book a little more lighthearted, but it just felt like an extra element. YA contemporary? Romance required!

What I did like in the way of relationships were the numerous friendships. It's not something you see in YA nearly enough. There was even *gasp* a platonic relationship with a guy and a girl? Inconceivable!

All in all, this was a beautiful book and one that I think could resound with many people. I hope those readers find this book and it helps them get through a rough part in their lives.

Poor Lila is lost after her father inexplicably commits suicide and a summer camp for kids who've experienced loss is the last place she wants to be. But what she soon learns is that, even after loss, life goes on.
Smith filed this story with great characters that not only help Lila on her path to acceptance, they also show that everyone grieves differently. They each have their story to tell and that informs the way that Lila starts opening up to the world. The romance she finds with fellow camper Noah is the cherry on top to sweetness (and the requisite melodrama) to the story.
This book deals with the very difficult subject of loss very empathically. It also includes different ways of grieving and acceptance, so I love Smith for showing younger readers that there is no 'right' way to deal with loss.
Overall, an emotional and well-written story about loss and how moving forward may feel impossible, but it can happen with love, friendship, and acceptance.


Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Imprint for the early read.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!! A coming of age story about a teenager dealing with grief after her father commits suicide.

At the request of her mother, Lila attends a grief camp for the summer. She starts the summer abiding by a set of handbook rules she has written to help her survive. The story follows Lila’s emotional journey and how she (and her handbook rules) evolve and grow.

The friends she meets along the way on her journey are a great cast of supporting characters and I gobbled this up in one day.

I had tears in my eyes when I finished this one and I dare you to read it and not have the same thing happen.