Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I did put it on my Christmas lists, so hopefully I can get a physical copy to read! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it, and we have to leave a star rating.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a story about grief and survivors guilt that bludgeons you in the head with the painful struggles of living after losing a loved one, and trying to survive and thrive in the world without them. Kara delivers a deep, painful story of Gage and his struggle with his mental health and trying to survive, and though at points i struggled through the pace of the story, the story is still impactful with its story and message.

Gage has been struggling for the past year since his best friend, Hunter, dies in a car accident. When he gets the opportunity to take his dream job, he views it as a chance to prove to everybody that he really is okay. However, grief is not so easily overcome or ignored and Gage finds himself continuing to struggle over the loss of his friend.

I’m always a huge advocate for young adult books that address mental health and I feel that this one fits a niche that is often overlooked. It’s difficult to find YA books with male main characters that address grief or even mental health in general. This book is told in a first-person perspective, which I think effectively allows the reader to understand Gage’s feelings, both in regard to his grief and in allowing others to see that grief.

This is a book that I plan on acquiring for my high school library and recommending to my students.

I'll be honest, I just couldn't get into this one. Normally a slow-burn book doesn't bother me, but this one just didn't work out for me the way I'd hoped.

I think a lot of the problem for me was Gage - he just wasn't likeable. I couldn't root for him to overcome his fears, grief, etc., because I found I just didn't like him that much. I also didn't really care much for the other characters.

The writing was OK, not great, but OK. I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone unless I know they like really slow-burn books.

Having just finished a book that completely drained and frustrated me, I was very hesitant to pick up a novel that I knew was going to be centered around grief and loss. Fortunately for me, Jessica Kara handled these heavy topics with such care and grace that I couldn’t help but feel blown away by the time I finished it.

The story follows a teenage boy named Gage who is still reeling from the death of his best friend/cousin (Hunter). Even though the accident that killed Hunter occurred a year ago, Gage find himself experiencing anger flares and panic attacks on a near-daily basis. Struggling with feeling like he needs to pretend to be okay around his family and friends, Gage has resorted to hiding his grief and refusing any type of outside help, until it’s too late to stop himself from lashing out.

Throughout the novel, readers watch Gage fall apart over and over again without any hope for how he could possibly navigate his way out of his trauma. He has an amazing support system set up around him, consisting of family and friends who deeply care about him. The problem is, he has trouble understanding that it’s okay to ask for help.

To me, this is a story that is deeply profound and powerful and does an excellent job at teaching readers to accept that being vulnerable is a part of healing. There are a lot of important lessons weaved into this narrative, and the ending brought all of it together in a way that was both emotional and incredibly satisfying.

This book never got going for me. The writing was too slow and I ended up not caring about the story at all.

I am very picky about the books I read. I need them to go at a quick pace and don't care much for a ton of details and this book just bogged down.

I do appreciate how hard it is to write,

*Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing, Page Street Kids and TBRBeyondTours for providing me this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

This book was so good. It had a lot of unresolved PTSD. I loved Gage's story so much. It was really a heavy book that took me by surprise. Kara did a fantastic job of writing PTSD and grief and I believe that it's a good representation of it.

At some points I expected more explanations, but other than that it portrayed all of the 5 stages of mourning.

I highly recommend you to read it.

It usually takes me at least three chapters to get into a story. However, with this book, I was captivated from the very first chapter, and that's when I knew this book would hold a special place in my heart.

Gage lost his cousin/brother/best friend, Hunter, in a car accident. It's been a year, and Gage was still trying to move on. I felt connected to him in many situations. The pain of losing his best friend was all over the pages, and I teared up every time he remembered Hunter. It felt so real. The author's exceptional writing made me genuinely feel sorry for Gabe.

I love how Gabe took care of Justine, Hunter's 10-year-old sister. He became the brother of Justine and the son of Hunter's mom. The bond between him and Justine was so heartwarming. I am so in love with the author's writing. Justine is definitely my favourite character in the book.

Gage's friends were an extensive support system for him. His struggle with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) was expressed so well. I loved how gradually the healing process was described. It doesn't feel forced or unreal.

This book is a beautiful and touching story that explores the experience of grief in a heartfelt manner.

The themes of this book are family, friends, and healing. And in Gage’s life, there’s a lot of the first two. He spends his time working and spending his time with his family. His mother and aunt live next door to each other, which is the ultimate dream for those with a very close family. You get to grow up with your cousins, who are your best friends, and it hurts so very much when you lose them.

While I appreciate Kara taking on such a heavy subject, I spent much of the book angry at those in Gage’s life. While it isn’t said, it is clear Gage has PTSD. And rather than confront him, and force him to get help, Gage’s family and friends tiptoe around him. They enabled him, and it was so utterly rage inducing. I just wanted to smack everyone in his life and force them to do better.

Fun fact, if you get treatment ASAP after a traumatizing event, there’s a really good chance that it doesn’t turn into PTSD. There’s a good chance that you don’t have to spend a year of your life in absolute misery, where rage, loss, nightmares, fear, anxiety, and more consume every thought and action. He has no coping skills other than putting snow on the back of his neck, which is not good enough. As a PTSD sufferer, it made me really sad.

On the other side of the coin, Gage’s family and friends are supportive in other ways. They are a close-knit group that rallies around each other. I admired Gage’s passion for cooking, that his creations were creative, and I spent a good deal of the book hungry. I liked Olivia and the possibilities for her and Gage. Though I firmly believe that “relationships work best when you do what is best for you first.” Gage needs to get healthy before dating, taking on a job, and moving away from his support system. But I’d like to think there could be an exception and that there is more for Gage on the other end of this.

DON’T ASK IF I’M OKAY really hit on a lot of my favorite bookish elements: community, family, friends, mental health, and supporting those we love. I loved Gage’s friend group and especially the way they functioned as a support group/community to help one another through dark times. My favorite scene was after they’ve finished watching part of a movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and they need to go do something. One friend turns to Gage and says, “You have my sword.” Another tells Gage he has his bow. A third says, “And my Suburu.” Which straight up made me laugh out loud. So great.

I also cried through some of the scenes in which he’s caught in this spiral of grief. He’s listening to some bad advice about what grief looks like and how he should feel instead of healthy counsel, and I could just feel how much it was hurting him to believe that toxic stuff.

Which made his journey from that moment so much more powerful and meaningful.

The only thing that I’d say caught me off guard with this book is that for some reason I thought the story was going to be about him getting a new cooking job and starting that job and how that helps him. Pretty much the whole story takes place in his hometown. I loved his small Idaho town, though, so that was great. For some reason I was expecting something else from the book, but I’m not unhappy with the story I read.

On the whole, I think this is a great celebration of the importance of a support network and of emotional vulnerability. I loved it and I would definitely read more by Jessica Klara.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

This book is powerful in its message about grief. It definitely shows the struggles and emotions one can go through while dealing with the grief.

Gage is not only dealing with the grief of losing his best friend but also the grief of being the one to survive. And now the guilt of being able to go on and reach for his dreams when his friend will never get the chance? It’s tough! Emotionally and physically.

This is a hard subject to write but the author has done is beautifully and honestly.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Don't Ask If I'm Okay is a perfect read for May, being that it is mental health awareness month. It's been a year since Gage's cousin and best friend lost his life in a car accident and Gage lives with that memory on the daily. Burying his feelings and the panic attacks that bubble up, he tries to power through each day being strong for those around him. The descriptions of the panic attacks and the thoughts Gage has while going through them are so real. His strength and ultimately his vulnerability after snapping is something many who struggle will resonate with.

I love how accurate and personal the descriptions in this book are, from the emotions to the settings, to depth in each character's personality and what they bring to the story. The interactions Gage has with each character is unique and conveyed so well, from the care he has for his little cousin who has lost her big brother, to being a leader in his support group, to being a kind soul to a teenager in the diner who is struggling, and finally trying to be the son he feels his mother and step father expect him to be. I was truly hooked from page one and couldn't put this book down.

To all those who suffer in silence and strength, you are not alone. I hope you feel love from the people closest to you, to open up about your struggles and find peace. You deserve happiness. You deserve safety.

Gage is privately struggling.

Almost a year ago he and his cousin, Hunter, were in a car wreck that only he walked away from. Now he’s trying to push down his grief and panic at being in a car because he thinks he needs to be strong for his family and friends.

However all this denying of feelings is causing it to show up in other unhealthy ways.

Thankfully Gage has THE best support system that are truly a safe place for him to fall apart.

This was a great look at the way society often expects men and boys to deal with their feelings (that aren’t anger) and the impact of those expectations.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Don’t Ask if I’m Okay.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
👨‍🍳 love to cook
🧝🏻‍♀️ are obsessed with LotR
🥔 live in Idaho
☕️ need coffee to survive

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

It’s been nearly a year since Gage lost his cousin Hunter in a car accident and Gage is still struggling to come to terms with it.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Without the person who always brought out the best in him, Gage doesn’t know who he is. He likes working as a fry cook and loves his small-town friends and family, but they weren’t in the wreck and he can’t tell them how much he’s still
hurting. He just wants to forget all his pain and move on.

So when his stepdad shows him a dream job opening in one of his idol’s restaurants, Gage knows this is his chance to convince everyone and himself that he’s fine. To try to push past his grief once and for all, Gage applies for the job, asks out a crush, and volunteers to host a memorial for Hunter.

But the more Gage tries to ignore his grief, the more volatile it becomes.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a very heavy book, especially since I also lost my brother in a car accident back in late 2015. I love how real this story was though. I felt deeply for Gage’s character, his rage, his pain. While I don’t have panic attacks from it (because I wasn’t in the car) I still feel that deep sense of loss. I’m glad that he had a great support system and a way to channel his emotions through his amazing cooking. I highly recommend this read!

I'm honestly amazed by how hard this one hit me. But it was just so powerful in its simplicity. The depiction of Gage's grief was heartbreaking. The friend group he had was even more so. They were so loyal and caring, it hurt me to read. I loved everything about them. The found family was impeccable. This one was heartbreakingly beautiful, and even though I likely won't reread it, I know it will be lingering in my mind for quite some time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for for sharing an digital ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Don't ask if I'm okay revolves around Gage, who survived a terrible car crash where his best friend and cousin Hunter died. Now he has to live through his life with the heavy load of grief, shame and anger.

Books about serious topics like grief, death and so on are quite hard to write, because people live through grief differently. Yet this book nailed it perfectly. Gage as a character is literally how I would experience grief over the death of a loved one. It's relatable. I could identify myself with Gage and bonded with him very quickly. It's a very good description about losing and asking for help. I shared a tear here and there, because for me it's literally perfection.
All of the characters are amazing and have so much depth. Of course, the story itself can't deliver action like a murder mystery yet I kept reading because I really wanted to see that Gage gets help. At the same time the book represents how people deal differently with grief and if something works for one person it doesn't mean it works for someone else.
Maybe this book hits so close, because I just wrote my bachelor thesis itself about the process of grief, but I think how it's described in this book shows many aspects how grief a person in particular but also the family/friend system this person lives in.
It's not an easy book to be honest. It's messy, raw and beautiful.

Thank you, Pagestreet, for allowing me to read Don't Ask If I'm Okay early.

The beginning of the story was really powerful and my eyes were immediately glued to the pages. In the middle my attention started to wane a little but luckily soon I got invested in the story again. A beautiful story about grief.

I’ll be doing a more thorough review closer to release date but I really loved this book. I really connected with the main character (likely due to my own experience with PTSD & Anxiety, along with losses) and it actually moved me to tears. I’m an avid reader and actually crying while reading is very rare for me. I will definitely be recommending this one.

First off, I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. Thank you to. #NetGalley and the author and publisher. This was a short story that I read in about two hours. I enjoyed the book it was not what I was expecting. However, it kept my interest and I will be looking forward to reading others by Jessica Kara.