A bus full of strangers is going to San Francisco to literally drive off into the sunset. Off a cliff. For various reasons, they have decided they want to commit suicide. What could be a dark and depressing story about people wanting to die actually has moments of hope and humor. The characters are multidimensional, and although they start as strangers, develop strong bonds. Their trip is not without pitfalls and surprises. This is a book that will stay with you well beyond the final page, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This is a book that I would happily re-read, because the story and characters are so rich that I have no doubt I missed things on my first read through. The story seems like it would be depressing--and it is at times heart-rendingly poignant. And yes, parts did make me cry. But it’s also hysterically funny, and oftentimes thrilling. All of the characters are beautifully drawn, and each speaks with their own clear voice in their journal entries. Because of the subject matter, I would definitely be mindful about who I recommended this book to--I absolutely would not recommend it to anyone younger than college aged--but it's a great read for anyone looking for a story that explores the myriad of reasons why people contemplate suicide, and the intense thoughts and emotions that accompany doing so.

Absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh, brought tears to my eyes, and shook my soul. What more could you want? A lot of people would be bothered by reading about suicide, so this isn't for everyone. This writer will go far.

A character-driven book that sinks the characters bore deep into your heart. I laughed and cried with this The book is about suicide which is not an easy topic.
Straczynski does not disappoint.

I wish to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Publishers and Gallery Books/Scott Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness having finished this book so quickly is the mark of its being a heck of a story and one that is brilliantly written. This could have been a very depressing story but it hooks you early in the book and you are compelled to keep reading to find out what is going to happen. There are waves of emotion including humor and sensitivity. This is the ultimate road trip. A group of 12 strangers agree to take a bus trip across the country to San Francisco with the goal of suicide with friends. Each person is unique and the reader learns their story through a series of emails, texts, reflection and dialogue. The stories are deep, sad and totally understandable. Your heart breaks for each one of them. You do form favorites. There are a lot of twists and turns. Some members of the group change their minds, some are asked to leave and some fall in love. The group bonds and they learn to work as a unit to get to their destination. I never would have thought that such a sad topic could be presented in such a way that I loved the book. I sincerely hope a lot of people read this one and learn about suicide, the decisions people make and the results. Considering the current suicide rate this book gives the reader a better understanding of the thought processes and the difficulties with which some people struggle.

I highly recommend this book.

A book about 12 people -all strangers-who sign on for a cross country bus trip to commit suicide, documenting diaries about the trip. Summed up that way, most, including me, are immediately turned off. BUT-in addition to a serious discussion of suicide and why people reach such a state of hopelessness, it is at times funny, tear provoking ,moving, keenly insightful into our society (health care, student debt, mental illness, the illogic of some laws that govern us, etc etc).
There will be a favorite character -or characters -for every reader-mine bring Vaughn, Karen, and Dylan-and UNEXPECTEDLY-the book ends both tragically and on several hopeful notes-not an easy thing for an author to pull off successfully.
I read several sections several times-for me that makes it a book with keen insights for all.

2 stars. What a disappointment! The premise is so unique, I thought, ‘This has to be great!’

The story is about a group of strangers who answer an ad to take a road trip in a bus with likeminded strangers, who’ve all decided (for various reasons) to collectively end their lives. Each character has their own reason for wanting to end their life, and they document their stories onto a shared server, like one big stream of consciousness, ongoing suicide note.

Some of the “entries” are tedious and seem like one huge, whining complaint. Others are kind of touching and the only redeeming part of this book.

At one point, the book takes a turn into some Bruce Willis/Action Movie territory and completely leaves the reader on the side of the road with all logic and reasoning. I appreciate how the author provides resolution, but the story became so far fetched, it was really hard to swallow.

Other than bringing awareness to the motivations of those seeking suicide, I would not recommend this book.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3852688289

This is a novel about people who want to commit suicide. Some have chronic or fatal illnesses, some are depressed. You would think a novel about a group of people who cross the country on a tour bus to commit suicide would be depressing, but there is humor. The main narrator, Mark, is a failed novelist with tons of student debt and a degree in writing that doesn’t enable him to get a job that pays a living wage. While he has a lot of grim things to say about student loans and the impossibility of many people to pay rent on a decent place, let alone ever own their own home, he's also funny. As they cross the country, some of the humor comes from mocking places—the comedy comes from geography. For example, merely coming from New Jersey is enough of a reason to off yourself.

The god-awful state of our healthcare system is also a sad part of the story. Though this novel deals with tough topics, the writing is beautiful and the author managed to make me like the different characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JULY 6, 2021.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pub. Date: July 6, 2021

While reading the book I was not aware that J. Micahel Straczynski, is a co-creator of many TV shows including “Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.” Even without this knowledge, I could tell that he is a talented and funny writer. “Together We Will Go” is a tragic-comedy. I say this because the novel explores the reasons people commit suicide yet, the author will make you laugh. He manages to do this without taking away from the seriousness of the subject matter. For example, the main narrator is a failed novelist with tons of student debt and a degree in writing that pretty much is useless for paying the bills. He thinks, merely coming from New Jersey is reason enough to off yourself. How do you not laugh and that?

The premise of the story is plain old weird. A group of strangers come together, through the classifieds, for a bus trip where the destination is death. They intend to go somewhere pretty and then drive the bus over a cliff. The road trip idea is about not dying alone and they are all lonely. Straczynski gets the reader not to concentrate on how unbelievable the plotline is by making his characters relatable, human. You can probably find a little bit of yourself in each of them. The only condition to join the death bus is that each rider must journal his/her reasons for wanting to die. Each journal reads like a case study on the character. Some journals are so thought provoking they could have been a novel by themselves.
Among others the reader will meet, a person living in chronic pain who just can’t take it anymore, a party-loving bipolar woman who cannot be stabilized with medication, a terminally ill man with a hole in his heart that turns his skin blue, and a gentle soul who is mentally ill who wants to die with his dying cat. They are all hoping that their next life, which is something different for each of them, will be a better one.
The novel is narrated in a gutsy way that forces the reader to pay attention. Think “A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Besides the first-person narrative, the story is told through journals, texts, emails, voicemails, and audio recordings. (Egan even used a PowerPoint presentation). As expected, all characters become endearing to the reader. Nevertheless, don’t expect a Hollywood ending. This is an intelligent, bizarre, and sad story that will make you think that the characters are your friends. You may even go back and reread some of the journals. Sometimes, the tale is a bit too much for my taste. Such as, they break into a mall, cause why not. They are going to die anyway. While inside they do whatever they want. All hell breaks loose. Even though this is hard to buy (like where are the police), I did chuckle when an obese girl whacks a mannequin with a bat telling her that she needs to eat a ham sandwich.

“Together We Will Go” is not making light of such a serious subject. What the author does do is nail our intense emotions that can become deadly. He just does this in a Monty Python kind of way. He uses humor to show us what it looks like to be depressed, or have suicidal ideation, and how anyone can be vulnerable to suicide. The book closes with The National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

This is an epistolary novel of sorts - but rather than letters, we read emails, text messages, and audio recordings from a cast of characters that have agreed to a group suicide. We get to know and understand the myriad of reasons why each feel suicidal, and we get to learn a bit about their humanity along the way. The writing is fast-paced, often sarcastic, frequently profanity-laced, and very youthful. I sometimes found myself getting offended by the "only milennials have had such difficult lives" tone, until I reminded myself that is the view and voice of the protagonists, not necessarily a critique from the author. I can easily imagine this as a screenplay, and I would be captivated by this story as a movie. There were a few instances in which the writing of the female characters rang false, but overall, once I adapted to the frenetic pace and the constantly shifting narrators, I found myself enjoying getting to know these very different humans and watching their unusual friendships develop over a common commitment to death. Never maudlin or sensationalistic, it is a good study of life and dying and all the pains and pleasures of being human. I received an advance reader's copy for free, and this opinion is my own.

I loved this book! It was such a unique concept and such a hot-button issue. I was shocked at the twist and was honestly moved to laughter and tears in the course of reading this. I’m a tough nut to crack on the emotional aspect, so it shows how wonderfully that this was written! I will definitely be rereading this several times in the future. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion! This was a wonderful book and I loved the characters!

I received a copy of this ARC from Netgalley.com in return for an honest review. First, thank you to NetGalley. I requested the book after reading “The Breakfast Club meets Silver Linings Playbook” in the review. I knew I would be reading about difficult life decisions and mental health issues, but the opening caused me to gasp. Did I really want to read this during a Pandemic? I continued and found the story to be thoroughly absorbing. The book could be triggering. It is about suicide and people who have made the decision to carry through with it.

Mark receives yet another rejection from a publisher and decides that his life goal is unachievable and he doesn’t want to continue on this or any path. He buys a bus, puts an ad in a paper that is creatively written (for an unsuccessful writer) seeking like minded people from across the country. Some of these people make it onto the bus, others change their minds and never get on the bus.

This character driven book explores why the decision was made and the relationships formed among them while on their journey. Each person is asked to verbally journal these reflections. The journal is maintained in the cloud and only the author has access to his/her journal. This is no ordinary bus ride across the country.

I wanted to reach out to each character. They weren’t all likable, but they all touched me. If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255.

Absolutely fascinating premise, told in a totally unique way that kept me reading. Honestly, I couldn’t stop. Not recommended for anyone in depression, though. There were a few too many characters to keep track of , though. Could’ve gone deeper with a few less but I loved how different each character was, and how well the author portrayed each one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really engaging book about a group traveling together to commit suicide. Characters were really well done and very easy to relate to. Format was unique.

Wow. I'm still not sure how to phrase things, but let me just say that these characters grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. The one heard from the least (Zeke) made me cry the most. Everything in this book sounded so real it made it hard to believe it is a fiction novel. Beautifully written, gut-punching fiction. Highly recommended, but trigger warning: suicide is the premise of the entire book.

CW: suicidal ideation, suicide, rape, mental illness

This book...It was definitely hard to read at times, but honestly, the author wrote in such a calming, light way, it sometimes shocked me how nonchalant I felt about what was happening (which I definitely think was intentional). I also really enjoyed the format (people writing journal entries and creating voice memos in "real time"), as we could see inside many characters' thinking, but also know what was happening as time went on. While there were many characters in this book, I did like that there was a decent amount of coming-and-going, as it made the book feel more realistic, especially when it comes to something as sensitive as suicide and the idea that you can change your mind. Normally, I'm not a fan when a book has many characters and we don't get to know them all in detail, but in this case (especially because of the format), I was okay with it. It was definitely heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and though the sex scene definitely felt like it was written by a man, the relationships and bonds created on the trip felt real and understandable. I'm very excited for people to read this book and think about the complexities of life, instead of writing off people who commit suicide as "crazy."
I do want to note--one thing I didn't love was the big "twist," as it felt like it was supposed to be big and important. However, it really just felt like the character was being weak and exploiting people, but not in a way that impacted the reader that much, as it was kind of easy to guess how the other characters would respond. I don't think it was a really necessary plot point, but it felt like an easy way to "get rid" of a character.
All in all, I found this book to be enjoyable and one that compelled me to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/ScoutPress for the eARC.

4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars

I’ve been on a bit of a kick these days choosing books with a psychological theme, so no surprise that this title grabbed me when I saw it on Net Galley. Good pick!
I raced through it in 4 days, which is fast for me.

Wow. I have to say this is the most unique book I have read in quite a while. If I can find something that ticks the three requisite boxes, then I’ve succeeded in selecting a good one. First, all the feels. Check! Second, I learn something. Oh yes—check! Third, a character driven story with someone to pull for. For sure—check! And dare I ask for uniqueness and find it, then I have chosen exceedingly well. And that’s what we have here.

Together We Will Go is about 12 people who are done on this earth and wish to experience a week or two on a bus with other like-minded people with the goals of having a lot of fun before ultimately driving over a cliff together off the coast of California. The “price” of the trip is that each rider must journal his/her reasons for wanting to die and his/her thoughts and feelings as the trip progresses. The novel is told via various media as a way of journaling the event. We have good old fashioned first-person narrative with the various passengers taking turns at that. There are also texts, e-mails, phone calls/voicemail, and audio recordings.

This book isn’t for everyone. There is a LOT of talk of suicide. I was fascinated by this. The reasons people came to this point were numerous and diverse and for the most part very well thought out. These folks were not doing this on a whim.
My only criticism is that there were so many characters, there was not the opportunity to dig as deep as I would have liked into the mindset of each and every one of them. On the other hand, I really liked the diversity of how they all came to the same conclusion that they would be better off dead. I learned a lot from these characters’ stories. Looking at the big picture this little bit of criticism is so minor that I am cutting my rating by only 0.5 point.

It took a chapter or two to become engrossed, but engrossed I remained. The book is heart-wrenching, touching, joyful, suspenseful, dark, beautiful, and humorous. Laugh-out-loud humorous in a weird sort of way. Beware—there is language here as well; I will admit however that said language was used in ways that were pretty darned funny.

I had my own ideas as to where this one was going, but I was so wrong. In no way could I have predicted how this journey would play out. Kudos to Mr. Strcynzski for that.

I will miss these characters, especially Vaughn, Karen, Tyler, Zeke and Soldier.

I hope this book will get more readers. It is very well done, easy to read, and overall just outstanding.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Gallery/Scout Press, and J. Michael Straczynski for an ARC. Opinions stated are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Straczinski brings to life 12 individuals on a road trip together, each suffering in a unique way and planning to drive off a cliff together at the end of the journey. The instigating character Mark is an unsuccessful writer who has decided to recruit suicidal folks to join a bus trip across the United States with the purpose of ending their lives at the Pacific Coast. As each person joins the group, we learn the reasons for their decision to commit suicide, primarily through their online journaling, emails, and texts. The result is a poignant story of various degrees of heartache and suffering, combined with some heartwarming connections and good humor. The format makes the narrative move along quickly, especially since readers will be eager to find out how it ends, and the conclusion includes some surprises along with a mostly satisfying resolution.

Don't judge a book by its boring cover (and possibly even the first chapter). I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed Together We Will Go. Author J. Michael Straczynski does a brilliant job weaving together the stories of vastly different individuals, who all share the same wish: to die, on their own terms and spectacularly. The multi-media approach, combining voice-to-text memos, e-mails, text messages, etc., made for a compelling story that allows us access into the deepest reaches of each character's mind, without being too confusing or "meta". It is the first story I've read in quite a while that felt wholly original and unexpected, which is rare given the amount I read. While I didn't love all of the characters, and particularly found some of the later add on's to be unnecessary (mind you, there wind up being twelve passengers), that's sort of the point; you don't have to love every little bit, you just have to love enough to keep going.
For a book about suicide, Together We Will Go does a beautiful job treading the line between being edgy and realistic, and being pessimistic or overly morose. Straczynski's writing feels painfully real, and at several points, I felt that as someone who has struggled with depression, the author must know all the intricacies of the depths surrounding suicidal thoughts. But then, when considering the variety of reasons the characters have for wanting to die, it starts to seem like perhaps the author is just great at putting himself into the shoes of others. I don't know, and it's not really relevant. The point is, this book feels wholly accurate. I also really enjoyed the philosophical approach Peter took towards death. So many of his passages are quotable, but one that stuck with me, and is perhaps why this book could appeal so widely:
"The suicidal impulse is always there. It's like when your car pulls to the left, and you have to keep both hands on the wheel to keep going straight because if you take your hands off, the car veers into oncoming traffic. Same with suicide. The pull is always there, but because we have things to do, because we have reasons not to kill ourselves, we keep both hands on the wheel. So it's not so much that people decide to kill themselves, it's that one day they run out of reasons not to kill themselves. They take their hands off the wheel, surrender to the pull of the suicidal impulse, and the next thing you know, bam."

Good, right?
I would warn that, while this book doesn't glorify suicide or dying, it would not be ideal for anyone experiencing severe depression. I think at other times in my life, I could've found this very triggering, and I do think that because the author has proven to be so talented at getting into his characters, there are many rationalizations for suicide within the text.

Can't wait to see what Straczynski comes up with next!

Book Review for Together We Will Go by J. Michael Straczynski
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