"The Minus-One Club" by Kekla Magoon is a poignant and heartfelt exploration of grief, healing, and the power of connection. Fifteen-year-old Kermit Sanders is drowning in sorrow after the tragic death of his older sister, and nothing seems to pierce the veil of his loss. That is, until he discovers a mysterious invitation in his locker, leading him to the Minus-One Club—a group of students united by their shared experience of losing someone they loved.

Inside the club, the usual high school divisions fade away, and Kermit finds solace and support among his peers. Among them is Matt, the school's only out gay student, whose positive attitude and resilience begin to lift Kermit out of his despair. As Kermit grows closer to Matt, he starts to see light in his life again, but he also uncovers the hidden struggles that Matt faces.

Magoon masterfully portrays the complexities of grief and the healing journey, showing how support and understanding from others can make a world of difference. Kermit's relationship with Matt adds an extra layer of depth, highlighting themes of love, acceptance, and the importance of being true to oneself.

The audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham, enhances the emotional depth of the story. Graham is an excellent audio reader who brings the characters to life, although some moments felt slightly over-dramatized. Despite this, his narration effectively captures the raw emotions and nuanced performances needed for such a powerful story.

"The Minus-One Club" is a powerful and emotional read that will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss. It's a story about finding strength in vulnerability, the bonds that can form in the most unexpected places, and the courage it takes to help others even when you're struggling yourself. This book is a must-read for teens looking for a story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful.

The story is very gripping, and the concept is fascinating. Grief is something that everyone will experience in life and sometimes it will happen sooner in life for some rather than others and we need to get better at helping young people through these difficult times. Love the performance and greatly enjoyed the story.

This book centered on grief and loss, and relationships. I really liked this book. The themes around grief and loss, and how we overcome it are so important, especially at that age. I really enjoyed the relationship building and showing different ways we overcome grief.

"Minus One Club" by Kekla Magoon presents a thought-provoking exploration of loss and resilience. The narrative tackles poignant themes with sensitivity, and the characters are well-drawn, fostering a connection with readers. However, the pacing may feel uneven at times, impacting the overall flow. Despite this, Magoon's storytelling prowess shines through, making "Minus One Club" a meaningful read deserving of three and a half stars.

This one deals with very tough topics.—death, sexual preference, and suicide. I wish the ending was a tad better but in real life we are not guaranteed a happy ending.
I wish more LGBTQ teens were accepted by their parents. Shout out to all the parents doing their very best to create safe and welcoming spaces for their teens.

I really enjoyed this book. It showed the intimacy that people have when losing loved ones and the bond that is created between them. Teens are one of the hardest groups of individuals to learn how to identify and place their grief. To hear each story and the impact that it had on them and have it develop a kind of kinship where they support each other is extraordinary. This is definitely a book that can help teens understand grief and how to be more inviting and welcoming to help and friendship when going through grief.

This book is heartbreaking, with love and loss along the plot. It's about people coming together after life changing events.

The Minus-One Club is a sad, sometimes funny, ultimately bittersweet coming-of-age exploring grief, love, identity, as well as depression, addiction, and faith. The short chapters, some not even a page long, the simple yet punchy prose, and the focus on mental health, make The Minus-One Club the kind of read that is hound to appeal to fans of Benjamin Alire Sáenz and K. Ancrum. The Minus-One Club is the kind of ya book that I would have absolutely loved 10 years ago, but now, I can only ‘just’ like. There were these moments of tenderness that did get to me, and I found the author’s portrayal of grief, acceptance, and sexuality to be realistic, so much so that readers looking for books where everything works out, in the end, should approach The Minus-One Club this with caution.

“It didn’t feel like anything to me,” he says. “I don’t feel anything anymore.”


Our narrator, 15-year-old Kermit Sanders, is bereft. His older sister, died in a car accident, and Kermit’s life will never be the same. His very religious parents seek solace in God and in their local church, but Kermit doesn’t know what to believe anymore. When he returns to school he feels at remove from everything, miles away from the ‘petty’ concerns of other high school students. His best friend, alongside most of the school, doesn’t know how to deal with Kermit’s loss, so they either proffer unwanted platitudes or avoid him altogether. Kermit can’t stop thinking or dreaming of his sister, often hearing her voice in his head. And then he finds in his locker a mysterious invitation that leads him to the “Minus-One Club”. The club is made up of five other students, all of whom have ‘lost’ someone. They meet up after school, to play cards together or other games. They offer a weird type of moral support as they are never to discuss their losses. The club is in fact a place where they want to be free of other people’s sorrys, or have to talk about their feelings. Here they can just be. Despite belonging to different ‘social’ groups, and not being able to talk about ‘stuff’, their bond is an unspoken one.

Kermit finds himself growing particularly close to one club member, Matt, a seemingly happy-go-lucky guy who happens to be their school’s only ‘out’ gay student. The more time they spend together, the stronger Kermit’s feelings for Matt become so that soon enough his crush develops into something harder to ignore. But spending time with Matt and the club sees Kermit drift away from his parents. Not only do they impose stultifying rules on Kermit but they expect, demand even, that he continue to attend church and take part in church-related activities. As Kermit realizes that Matt may feel the same as he does for him, he struggles to reconcile his sexuality with his faith. Not only is his church particularly homophobic but his parents are too. As Kermit tries to unlearn those beliefs that have made him view his desires and himself as sinful, and wrong, he is forced to decide whether he can continue ‘pretending’ to be someone that he is not.

Kermit and Matt’s relationship however is further jeopardized by Matt’s own troubles. Despite his carefree attitude, Matt is not doing well at all, and as his drinking worsens it falls Kermit, and all of the club really, have to confront the dangers of keeping silent about their grief and their pain.
In addition to exploring the realities of grief and depression, Kekla Magoon touches on peer pressure, both when it comes to drinking and having sex, and bullying. Some of the characters act in ways that are, to put it mildly, problematic, but rather than condemning them, we are made to understand what and how they may have come to behave in such a way. I appreciated the empathy Magoon shows her characters and the sensitivity she demonstrates in treating such complex issues. My heart went out to Kermit, Matt (flawed as he is), and the rest of the club. I liked that the ending is hopeful yet realistic, in that some things remain (for the time) unresolved. I also appreciated that the story not only shows how grief expresses itself differently in different people (some like matt develop a self-destructive streak, others find thesmelves questioning theri faith, some cry, others don't, etc.) but the repercussions of having emotionally abusive and/or neglectful parents. Kermit's parents fail or refuse to, recognise his grief as 'genuine' (because he hasn't cried), or allow him to be himself. They even try to stop him from spending time with Matt, even when that's what makes him happy and pressure him to go to church even when he expresses the desire not to. Superficially Matt's father may seem great, given that doesn't care whether Matt goes to parties or who he brings back home with him. But, after certain events later in the story, Kermit comes to realize just how hurtful it can be to know that your parent doesn't really think of you. Another strength of The Minus-One Club was that Magoon doesn't gloss over Kermit's internalised homophobia nor is his faith depicted simplistically as Magoon takes time to explore the whys & hows of his fraught relationship to his religion and his parents.
While I could have done without the 3-page farting/dream sequence (maybe that’s just me) I did find those sillier moments between Kermit and Matt or between Kermit and his sister, to add much-needed levity to the story. The chapter titles also provided a source of humor.

Anyway, if you are looking for a ya read that will pull at your heartstrings, look no further. I know I said earlier on that I didn't love this, I just liked it, but now that I have thought back to it, I can honestly say that I am fond of this book. Kermit, Matt, and the rest of the club got to me. They have these very wholesome moments that felt so very precious. Also, I think this book delivers several important lessons in a way that felt authentic and poignant (as opposed to contrived and 'preachy').
And while not everything is resolved by the end, those final pages were rewarding and full of heart. Ultimately, the book shows the importance of being honest, about your feelings, ugly or sad as they may be, of being there for your friends, even when they try to tell you nothing is the matter and everything is a-okay, and that sometimes, you can't just 'get on with things' or push through it, and you have to allow yourself time, to feel, and maybe even, one day, heal.
21 likes

Kermit's sister dies and he receives an unexpected invitation to join a club with other teens who have lost someone close to them. There he gets to know Matt, his long term crush and they begin to form a close relationship. Magoon is masterful in this novel - developing believable teenagers from diverse perspectives, reflecting the realities of grief in all its forms, exploring sexual identity with all its confusion and realities, and not shying away from discussing mental health. My initial interest in this book stemmed from the fact that it centered a boy experiencing the loss of his sister as my brother passed away. It met my expectations there - providing me with a mirror of grief and all its complexities - but shocked me by providing so much more.

This was a solid book that discussed grief and the different ways of dealing with it in a very unique way. I really enjoyed the characters and felt that the story was true to life. There is a lot to offer here in a very approachable manner. Well done!

The narration was not impeding on the novel and therefore became unremarkable.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator's voice was pleasant to listen to and the story was very captivating. Kermit (not the from) is struggling to cope with the death of his sister and the ultimate realization that he is gay. His family is very religious and, while his sister knew about him being gay, he isn't sure how to tell his parents without her help.

There are a lot of tough topics in this book but Magoon handles them really well. Among them are how the loss of a family member changes the entire family dynamic, how it can be hard to reconcile queer identities with morals you grew up with, and alcohol abuse. The whole book isn't sad though, Kermit finds strength after the loss of his sister in a new group of friends who have all experienced similar losses. The one rule of the Minus-One Club is that they don't talk about the deaths but they're there for each other regardless. It's also through this club that he gets to know the boy he's had a crush on for years.

Overall this was a very captivating and insightful novel which I enjoyed listening to.

The Minus One Club (-1) has left an invitation in Kermit Sanders’s locker. Kermit has recently lost his sister and is navigating grief all while also keeping a secret that his sister knew about.
The group is made up of Sanders’s classmates who too have experienced loss. As he shows up to these meetings, Kermit makes a connection with one of its members, his secret crush Matt. The time passes and Matt and Kermit are hanging out more often outside of the Minus One Club. Kermit is able to talk about his sister and the moments they shared.

With time Kermit realizes that Matt is hiding behind alcohol, which puts a strain on their relationship. It all comes tumbling out when Matt puts himself in danger and Kermit is the only person that can help save him.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book narrated by Dion Graham. The Minus One Club touches on many lessons. Though the genre is Teens/YA, I would recommend this book to parents as well. The conflict of a person’s religious belief when they are in the LGBTQIAP+ community is hard and can lead to a lot of suffering and confusion. The loss of a sibling and the trauma that changes family dynamics is also a topic touched upon. People always say, “Check on your silly friends” or “Check on your strong friends” and here comes The Minus One Club to instill that lesson within us.

This book will have you experiencing a rollercoaster of feelings. You do not need to have experienced loss to show empathy for the shared experiences of these two characters. The author, Kekla Magoon does provide resources in the book and at the end of the audiobook. Resources that will help you or someone you know.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. For me, the beginning was a little slow, and if I had not been listening to the audiobook, I might not have finished it. But it definitely picked up, and the narration was quite enjoyable. Overall, I would read something else by this author.

I'm going to be honest, I didn't get along with the way the narrator read this book. I also found the super short chapters felt really weird in the audio format. I might try again with a physical copy at some point but for now I cannot recommend the audiobook.

I really enjoyed listening to this book, and the narrator made it even more enjoyable. The minus one club reminded me of the midnight club series on Netflix - they all had a secret club where they all connected because they were dying. Minus one club - but they’ve lost a close family member or friend. It was a heart wrenching, slightly triggering but it wasn’t heavy where I wanted to stop listening.
From the audiobook, I can tell there were short chapters and also it reminded me of books I’ve read by Elizabeth Acevedo - not written in verse but the story telling was somehow slightly poetic, prose probably. I look forward to reading more from this author.
There’s themes of grief, suicide, substance abuse, LGBTQ+, mental health struggles

I think this book has a lot of strengths but it was slow and I do not think I would have finished it so quickly if I was reading a physical copy instead of the audiobook. Kermit (and the rest of the club) dealing with grief is something that you do not see explored super often in YA and that makes this a really valuable book for teens. His crisis with sorting through his sexuality and spirituality is also important. However, I just felt it was slower paced and could have been shorter while still hitting those impactful topics (and potentially hitting them harder because of it). The narrator of the audiobook was great but the voice is much deeper than what I would expect for Kermit so I had to work that through in my head when imagining the character as well (which is definitely a personal thing for me!). Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

An intense read. Teen boy struggles with the loss of his sister and is helped by a group of fellow students struggling with grief. He develops a relationship with another boy in the group who he has liked for a long time. There are some pretty hot and heavy romance moments that made it a little awkward for me (a person who prefers little touch feely moments). When his new love interest shows signs of alcohol abuse and things escalate discussion must happen and intervention come up for mental health issues. A solid read with lots of emotional impact, wish there was a little less of the hot and heavy moments...

Format: Audiobook courtesy of NetGalley but views are my own.

Plot:

Teenage Kermit Sanders is in the midst of grief after losing someone close to him. When a group of his schoolmates seek him out, offering him comfort and support, Kermit learns that grief can be shared, and the burden lessened by comradery. But closeness can have a way of driving people apart, and the foundation of this tender group has cracks.


Pros:

The book leaps into the story, there is very little meandering before connections start being made. If you struggle to get into books, I think you would find this more successful.

I love books about grief (morbid I realise) but I find them very compelling to read. I think the core of this story is very tender, in that shared misery. It is interesting seeing how Kermit’s grief manifests with his family versus his friends. And I think the grief is multi-layered, it isn't just about losing a family member, but the grief of feeling like you are losing yourself, or risking losing those around you.


Not-so-pros:

I think the story lacks a bit of focus. The tone of it is a bit inconsistent so you feel you are reading multiple different types of story. I admit that often this does happen with stories about teenagers, with the frantic nature they hold, but it distracted me from the story.



Final:

Perfectly fine, could be stronger but I think a lot of younger readers will appreciate the humour and relate to a number of the characters.

Do be aware that the book goes into quite a lot of discussion about being gay, peer pressure, mental health, suicide, alcohol abuse and being part of the Church, so if that is triggering for you, perhaps best to avoid.

The sibling banter was hilarious. I liked that Kermit was questioning his faith through his experience with grief, and I liked that the club changed their rules to allow for talking about their trauma when they need it, but I didn’t like that Kermit never talked to his parents about his sexuality. It felt unfinished. The narrator did a great job.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a deep read that touches on a lot of sensitive topics and handles them well and realistically. It was a little hard to follow at times in the audio but still good and kept me interested. The narrator was good.