This is a very important read for young people, and it explores an issue from a perspective that is not very common. Grief is a difficult subject, but it is a part of life, and it is key for young readers to be able to relate to what they experience through the books they consume.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book is about a 14 year old boy whose sister is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. We follow him as he comes to terms with his sisters illness and what death means, wondering if there is something beyond. I really enjoyed the fact that we also Alex's life as a typical teenager including balancing school, relationships & bullies with the diagnosis of his beloved sister. This is not an easy story to read but I am really glad that I have experienced it.

This book was really really good and it makes me cry a lot, it make me think about the feeling of the family of a sick person, it make me think that its not just hard for the person who is sick, it most be more hard and scary for the family and friends, and the feeling of jenna not being there with them anymore, it was so bad and i understand how unfair it was.
I really like this book and im happy i choose to read it, it was very easy to read as well, bc im not really good at eng but i understand it very well, and i kinda felt like i lived in every pages, every words...
It was very very good.

3.5/5
Heartfelt and emotional, Beyond captures 14 year old Alex as he comes to terms with his older sister’s terminal cancer diagnosis. His disturbing nightmares of Jenna’s looking death, he embarks in a mission to find out what happens when—-after—-people die. He also is dealing with a school bully, developing feelings for one of his friends, and feeling left out of his family.

As a matter of personal experience/preference, it just wasn’t a book that “sparked” for me. However, I’m not a teen anymore, and I’ve been drifting some from YA. I appreciate Springate’s talent and insight for so vividly and sensitively capturing the many different and confusing emotions associated with loss.


CW: cancer, death of a family member, mentions of suicide

Alex Duncan is just your average teenager concerned about his friends, getting bullied, and whether or not the girl he likes feels the same way. Then his older sister, Jenna, finds out that she has ovarian cancer. When she’s informed that it’s terminal, everyone starts cracking, and Alex begins having terrible nightmares about her death. Alex realizes these dreams may be trying to tell him something. He needs to know where Jenna will go when she passes away because it’ll make them both feel less scared about the future. It’s the least he can do for his sister even if his nightmares stick around. The only problem? No one seems to know the answer, but Alex and his friends are determined to find out where we all go when we die.

I’m not sure what possessed me to pick up this book when I’m very sensitive to stories where there’s a character dying from cancer. However, I’m glad I did because it’s an incredible book that’s well written and captures how difficult it is when a loved one is dying from cancer. We follow Alex, a 14-year-old who has been struggling ever since his sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It only gets worse when it turns out it’s terminal, and he doesn’t really know what to do with himself. Alex feels out of place everywhere. At school, he’s a moving target in the eyes of the school bully, but he’s also dealing with the whispers about him being the kid with the dying sister. At home, his parents are struggling and trying not to let Jenna know that they are having a very difficult time coming to terms with the fact that the cancer is there to stay. The only person who is bothering to check in on Alex is Jenna, and she’s the one person he doesn’t want to bother with his feelings.

Like I said, this is very well written. We see how much every person involved is affected, and that the truth is that there’s no right or wrong way to deal with things. Everyone is dealing with Jenna’s impending death differently, and sometimes people clash because they feel like no one is checking in on them or that the way they’re handling things is bad. We see Alex clashing with his mom and making up later, Alex and Jenna getting closer than ever, and this family being torn apart and coming back together over and over again.

Almost all of the characters are wonderful. I say almost all of them because there are some nasty folks. For example, there’s the school bullies, Bruce and his friends. While we never get to know Bruce, we do get a small glimpse at his own home life, and it’s clear that the author put a lot of work into planning the characters and how their lives intertwine with each other even if they only play a small part in the story. Otherwise, the majority of the characters are absolutely wonderful and many of them are very well developed.

It’s a truly incredible book that I think is very important because I think the target audience needs books like this. When a loved one is dying, it’s one of the most depressing and upsetting periods of your life. I know this from experience, and I can tell you that if you’ve experienced this yourself, you’re going to be crying from the opening chapter all the way to the final page. However, it’s important for books like this to be around, especially for young readers who will identify with Alex down to not always being told everything because of his age.

I have been finding difficult to cry whenever im sad.
This book helped me with that. It was beautiful.

So this cover was so interesting enough and so I decided to give it a try. Characters were well though out and the relationships were unique. Very rasy read and the story just flowed. Could not put down. The main character was one of my favorites and I am happy to say I will be re reading in the near future! Hopefully before the year is out!!!