When I requested this book through Netgalley on a whim, I had no clue that I actually needed to read it. I definitely did.

In The Tragedy of Dane Riley, Kat Spears details the life of a high school senior who’s processing the recent death of his father. While Dane grieves, the world keeps spinning around him. His mother moves on far more quickly than Dane finds reasonable, to his dad’s former work partner, nonetheless. To make matters worse, his mom’s new boyfriend comes with an “evil” son, set on making Dane’s life hell. Dane is in love with the girl next door, but can’t quite figure out what to do about it. He can’t decide what’s worth doing, if he wants to put in the effort to graduate, or if life is really worth living at all.

The way Kat Spears characterizes Dane and the way he processes pain and the big questions of “Why?” and “What if?” are painfully relatable and, at times, wise beyond his years. I went into this book expecting another mostly light-hearted teen novel, and was pleasantly surprised by the depth and weight of the story.

I’m at that weird stage in my early-mid 20’s where I’m finding myself noticeably disconnected from teenagers for the first time. I’m not up to date on music or trends, I don’t have Tik Tok, and I get caught up in thinking that my problems as an adult are so much bigger than the problems the teenagers that work for me have to deal with. This book reminded me of what it felt like to be where they’re at just a few short years ago. To be at the end of everything you’ve always known and to have no clue what life will look like in 6 months. To be faced with the “Why?” and “What if?” and have no clue where to look for the answers. This book made me feel like I can connect with them again, and it’ll be on my mind later today when I’m frustrated with them for wanting to sit around instead of work. You never know what the people around you are going through, and it is never safe to assume that a person’s age is any indicator of their struggles. Be kind. Hug the young people in your life. Tell them it’s okay to be scared, and anxious, and not have any idea what they’re doing. Reassure them. Validate their feelings and try to help them process those feelings. Maybe just sit and listen. They need someone to just listen.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with this ARC through Netgalley.

I picked this book up because NetGalley made it a ‘read now’ title at the perfect time. I was just about to finish the book I was reading and didn’t know what to read next and The Tragedy of Dane Riley just fell in my lap. I’m so glad it did.

Dane Riley’s father died some months ago, I think about six months, though there’s no firm timeline given. It was a long illness, cancer, which Dane only found out about when he got back from boarding school prior to summer. His father died only two months later and Dane still feels absolutely blindsided. By that, and by the fact that his mother almost immediately hooked up with his dad’s best friend and business partner, Chuck. This book is a rollercoaster ride of Dane grieving, coming to terms with his mother’s relationship, struggling through his senior year of high school, and just generally trying to find something in life worth living for.

The way Spears deals with grief is so on point. It’s perfect and conversational and just so heart wrenching sometimes. Dane just doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings, like so many of us. There’s a lot going on and his mom doesn’t support him at all, pretty much treating him like his feelings are invalid or otherwise wrong. I mean, she fully supports his therapist prescribing him with antidepressants and anxiety medications because she thinks his feelings are wrong, that he shouldn’t be grieving for his father as hard as he is. And she gets mad at him for being upset. The intrusive thoughts are also very accurate, jarring and unexpected.

There’s a lot of stress and anxiety, particularly about Dane’s mental state. He’s not in the best frame of mind, yet he continues to insist that he’s fine. And then he does something completely off the wall and I’m like, oh no; he’s definitely not okay. The slow progress to recovery is not linear in the least and doesn’t always make sense. It’s not some formula where you suffer from a trauma, talk about the trauma, time passes, you see a therapist, and suddenly, you’re better. Grief rises and falls for no apparent reason. Sometimes a place or memory triggers you into it, and sometimes it comes out of nowhere. His emotions are raw and so authentic it hurts.

Dane comes out with some wonderful gems of advice. He’s a romantic, and a deep thinker. He’s fairly lonely, despite having some friends that he’s known for most of his life. The writing is so easy, so matter of fact. Though this book dealt with such deep topics, the writing flowed so well and I read it quickly, so absorbed into Dane’s inner thoughts and grief. I wish the ending had been more, but I think it was supposed to be that way. It makes me want more, yet I also know the story was brought to a really wonderful conclusion. Hopeful, but not too much. The world isn’t fixed and it’s not perfection, but it’s an improvement and Dane has the resources to continue to improve.

The world is such an overwhelming place and finding our purpose in this world is so hard. This book is something I will highly recommend to anyone who needs a little more hope. Realistic hope, not some magical cure for all ills. High school students, in particular, should find comfort in this book. It’s super relatable and authentic. Highly recommend!

This book is a really good character study of grief, coping, growing up, acceptance, first love, and everything else a struggling teenager goes through. I think it handles a lot of heavy topics realistically, with some good humour and writing thrown in there.

And I know I would have enjoyed this more if I had been in the mood for such a book. I was wanting something more plot based, so a story that focuses only on character growth wasn't quite hitting the spot for me. Not at all an issue of the book, but just a personal preference at the time.

However, I have no doubt that many readers will be able to connect with the story of Dane Riley.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

Not really the book for me, I didn’t realise that it dealt with themes of death, will not be finishing as it is not to my personal taste, however someone who reads YA and can resonate with these feelings will find this book the right book for them as they will resonate with his story

Dane is having difficulty coping with the death of his dad. His mom has moved on, and Dane feels betrayed by this. He’s angry and depressed and has tried committing suicide and failed. He feels invisible and hopeless. His mom has him start therapy and slowly the therapist gets Dane to open up, to realize he needs goals to feel important and to not give up on joy. His sadness is crippling him and as he begins to spend time with Ophelia, the girl next door, he realizes that he might have a reason to get out of bed. As time passes, Dane begins to forgive his mom. and realizes he needs to work on relationships. He sees life is not just a beginning and an ending. He needs to look at what’s in between those beginnings and endings. Profound read.

This book has really stuck with me. I find myself thinking about the characters all the time and I can't wait to read more by this author!!!

Advanced copy provided by Net Galley

I absolutely loved this book and I wish that there was more of it or a sequel to read.

The book is told from the perspective of Dane Riley, who, while a bit of an unreliable narrator, is likeable from the first page. It follows him as he struggles with depression and grief that is overwhelming him after the loss of his father. Spears manages to find the perfect balance between internal reflection (read existential crises) and external dialogue. This book had the potential to either rush through Dane's process of healing or drag on but it does neither and it represents mental health in a realistic way. The complexity of the supporting characters help this book shine because they bring Dane's situation to life and they show that everyone handles their circumstances in different ways.

Thank you to Kat Spears for writing this beautiful book. I will forever be wondering if Ophelia really is that amazing or if her amazingness is reserved for Dane only.

Additional reader warning: this book is based heavily on Dane's thoughts surrounding depression and suicide is mentioned a few times so if this may be triggering for you then I would not recommend reading.

What can I say about this novel? Firstly, the cover alone pulls you right into Dane's grasp. He'll hold onto you, and he won't let you go. Secondly, the characterizations in this novel are just amazing. You have Dane, his mom, his mom's boyfriend, and the boyfriend's son. I would also add Dane's dad because the dad would still be a reason as to why Dane is struggling. Dane's dad was the reason why Dane is who he is. These influences have a structural and cultural effect on Dane, pushing him on his journey to becoming who he is. Thirdly, the plot was very well written. There were stakes, tension, ups and downs. The story tackles very heavy topics, i.e. mental health, which everyone needs to pay attention to. I really enjoyed all of it. I would highly recommend this YA novel to readers who love YA and stories about mental health.

Dane Riley's struggling. He's struggling with the fact that his died has died of cancer. He's struggling with his complicated feelings for the beautiful girl who lives next door. He's struggling with his mom's new, all-too-soon relationship with his dad's former law partner. He's struggling to find a meaning to life.

Dane's mom takes him to see a therapist in the hopes of helping Dane talk through all that's going on in his head, but talking about things only brings more to the surface. He's normal for feeling so much, isn't he? Or does he feel so much that he just might not be able to handle it?

This is a story that every high schooler should read. Heck, this is a story that anyone who has ever felt like the world was too much, or too little, should read. Dane experience loss, love, pain, healing, and a whole lot of unknowns in this poignant book. The title, The Tragedy of Dane Riley, begs the questions: Is Dane Riley's life a tragedy? and also how can it be seen as anything but? I think your answers will surprise you.

I absolutely loved The Tragedy of Dane Riley by Kat Spears. I was so impressed by the writing of Kat Spears that I went out and located and bought a copy of all her previous YA books. As I read some of the reviews for her previous books, one word kept coming up again and again. It is a word that I felt while reading The Tragedy of Dane Riley. Authentic. The voices of her characters are so authentic. That is what sets this book apart from most YA writing. None of the characters here were completely good or completely bad. They were all "real" in that they were treated with the compassion of being allowed to be human. There were no gimmicks in this book. No wise cracking teenage heroes or heroines dominated the stage with their super wisdom of life. This was a sense of real people with real frailties and real struggles. And that was what I liked so much about this book. As a high school teacher, I have known a lot of teens over the years. It was refreshing to read about these young people who are so believable. Thanks, Kat. Keep writing!

"The Tragedy of Dane Riley" is a beautiful and poignant story about coming of age while dealing with loss and mental health.

17 year old Dane Riley's life has been far from easy over the last year as he struggles to come to terms with the death of his father, his mother moving on, his own mental health, and, of course, a love interest.

Even though the budding romance exists, it takes a back seat to Dane working through many issues that face teenagers today - family problems, feelings of inadequacy, etc. Dane's emotions are raw and relatable, and there were many times throughout the book I just wanted to give the kid a hug. I love that Spears chose to make her protagonist a male and spotlight that boys and men have emotions and depth. It is exciting for a book like this to exist in the world that other young male readers will be able to identify with.

"The Tragedy of Dane Riley" is a story that will stick with me for a long, long time. I can't wait to purchase a copy to put in my high school classroom!

CW: death of a parent, suicidal thoughts, drug use

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely heartbreaking. I cried most of the book and at points it was tough to read because of how real the words felt. The character is more than just words on a page. The author did a fantastic job of making you feel for him and just how tough his life is.
Trigger warning: death, suicide attempt, depression

I loved Kat Spears other book, Breakaway, so I was so excited to read this! It broke my heart over and over again and I was in tears more than once. I had high expectations since I loved Breakaway so much (I've read it like three times!) and I was not disappointed by The Tragedy of Dane Riley. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down.

The Tragedy of Dane Riley follow seventeen year old Dane Riley, who's just about to graduate high school and is dealing with the death of his father, his mother's new boyfriend and a previous suicide attempt. He's not exactly the most popular guy at school, though he does have a solid group of friends and has been getting closer to Ophelia, the girl next door. He's sad and angry and hopeless and medication and previous therapist haven't been much help. He's not looking forward to seeing his newest therapist, Dr. Lineberger, who he thinks will be the same as all the therapist before.

Overall, I absolutely loved The Tragedy of Dane Riley. My heart broke and grew with Dane as I watched him progress through out the novel. This has locked Kat Speaks as one of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to read whatever she comes out with next!

***Full review to be posted on Goodreads and blog one month before publication date, unless otherwise requested. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.