As someone who struggles with grief, this was a story that came with a good cry. We learn through these characters that our lives affect people we don't even realize are in our circle. The emotions brought out in this book are great.

Grief in the Fourth Dimension starts off as an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of grief and the afterlife, with a fun magic, mysterious room that hooked me right from the beginning. Watching the recently deceased Caroline and Kenny try to communicate with their loved ones on Earth was fascinating. The pacing slowed down as the story progressed, especially towards the end. The characters did a lot of repetitive arguing and screaming at each other, which got old, quick. I didn't feel like all the screaming (from main characters and side characters) was needed, even if people fight like that in real life because it just slowed things down a lot. The book is beautifully contemplative and handles grief by letting us watch how the side characters experienced it. There's not a main character to root for, you're mostly just watching everyone experience the pain of life and loss. I guess the magic room could be considered the most interesting character in this book. I would absolutely want to watch this story as a movie, and it was written beautifully enough to keep you engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC! The premise — two tangentially connected teenagers experiencing the afterlife together following their untimely deaths — almost turned me off, but I’m so glad I gave this book a chance because ultimately I LOVED it. A lighter companion to The Lovely Bones, Yu’s imaginative world building was intriguing from the start. What does the afterlife look like? A tv monitor in an otherwise empty room, at least temporarily. But then the room evolves as the story evolves, complete with fun visual diagrams, and the reveals start happening (some of which I guessed and some I didn’t) and I was hooked. What on the surface seemed like a story heavy on premise (it is) ended up being incredibly deep and thought-provoking in a way that I’ve rarely experienced reading YA. Faith, family, and free will are just some of the heavy topics Yu balances in her portrayal of Kenny and Caroline’s new normal. This one will make people think as well as feel.

GRIEF IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION by Jennifer Yu introduces readers to two recently deceased teens, Kenny Chou and Caroline Davison, and their time in the afterlife where they can watch (and influence) events on Earth. It's a heavy topic with commentary on suicide, death, mental health, and the grieving process in general. It was all a bit much for me due to recent personal circumstances so I am scoring a neutral 3 stars. The publisher's description of this young adult book, about life after death, made me think of Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere, a long time personal favorite. I hope to return to GRIEF IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION in the future and am curious to learn more about how Yu explores the intersection of privilege and tragedy. GRIEF IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION received a starred review from Publishers Weekly ("blending humor and pathos with fantastical worldbuilding").

A moving and contemplative story about grief, justice, and faith, Grief in the Fourth Dimension follows two recently deceased teens, Caroline and Kenny, as they find themselves in a strange and lonely version of the afterlife where they can watch - literally on a tv screen - the lives their loved ones lead after they have died. Switching between the two families’ perspectives, the teens discover they can reach across dimensions to impact what’s happening on the other side, communicating cryptically through music, pop up computer messages, and phone calls. As they try to provide some comfort to each other during their shared tragedies, secrets are soon revealed that leave the teens struggling to comprehend how to move forward.

While the comparisons to The Good Place are valid in terms of the premise and setting, it’s the plot revelations throughout the second half of the story that make the comparison even more fitting, with many twists that take the themes of grief to a whole new level. And while Yu doesn’t provide all the answers to the many questions the book offers - about the afterlife, justice, and forgiveness - the book leaves readers with a great sense of peace once the final page is turned. With such raw emotions on display, it’s not perfect, but it works to illustrate the complicated tensions that arise from wanting to do the right thing in times of tragedy while looking out for the ones you love.

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for this ARC.

GRIEF IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION is an imaginative look at what happens after death and how different people handle grief.

I was so interested in this concept going in, and I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing how their lives connected and influenced the others. I love interwoven stories and this book definitely delivered, it had me gasping at multiple plot twists. The ending was slightly open-ended but it felt right to leave it that way. There are some heavy topics in here but they were handled very well and definitely left room for the reader to come to their own opinions as well.

I'm rating this 3.5 stars because there were many times where the writing felt very slow, never boring but just a drag to get through - especially the beginning.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Amulet Books in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very sensitive book around the challenging topics of grief and mortality from a young person's perspective. Kenny and Caroline have unfortunately died while still in their high school years and are coming to terms with it while living in what seems to be a sentient room which responds to (most) of their demands for answers and furniture. I particularly liked the scene with the medium as I thought was was an interesting interpretation of that situation from both sides of the veil...
I felt that the ending was a little unsatisfactory, both in terms of tying up loose ends and in terms of the moral resolution, but I wonder if this was deliberate since there's never a neat ending in real life!

This was such a charming and heartwrenching story! As you can tell by the title, this book does include a lot of talk of grief and death and such. But it does so in a really unintimidating way, which, as someone with a lot of death anxiety, I appreciated. We meet Caroline and Kenny as they first encounter each other "on the other side", which is to say, in a bizarre, blank white room with a screen that shows them snippets of things happening with their family and friends back on Earth. Or the Realm of the Living, or whatever.

Luckily, they manage to zhuzh up the room, and begin to tune in to their families whenever the magic TV lets them. They are able to see the aftermaths of their deaths, even though they happened months apart (time works differently in The White Room, okay?), and they even find that maybe they can have some effect on the choices their loved ones make. They also have to face their own thoughts on how things ended. Caroline is angry that a car accident robbed her of her life, which is certainly understandable, but will retribution really help her or her family grieve? Kenny, for his part, is worried about his immigrant parents, and dealing with financial problems, as well as the loss of their only son.

There is a lot more happening here, including a lot of complex relationships among the characters. Even from The White Room, the characters have to work through their relationships with those left behind, as well as each other. Caroline and Kenny came from very different worlds, and as such, have quite different perspectives. But in order to really help their loved ones, they may need to understand and empathize with one another.

I did have one minor qualm, and that is that I do wish that the mental health piece had been explored a bit more. I understand, in a sense, why it wasn't, but I had hoped it would have been a bit more fleshed out. What was discussed was handled well though!

Bottom Line: This was a very sweet, sometimes sad, and ultimately hopeful story about love overcoming time and space, essentially.

I thought the premise was very interesting, but this unfortunately didn't work for me. The story lines surrounding drunk driving were extremely frustrating to read and I found myself not caring much about the characters.

In this fast paced YA sci-fi where two characters are stuck in what seems to be the afterlife, we follow what they left behind. It deals with grief and mental health in a beautiful but heart wrenching manner.

This has taken me almost a month to write a review for, not that this book was bad.. it was just mediocre. Considering that, I don’t have much to say. Mental health representation within all forms of media, mainly depression, is something that I always love to see when it’s done well. This was handled well in my opinion. We had a character doubting what the other was going through, and throughout the book we see their perspective change and grow.

The room that they were residing in has it’s own type of personality, and how this room was described was really engrossing, and probably the most interesting part of the story. (but i’m a fantasy girlie so take this how you wish)

I do think this could’ve been cut down a bit, there were whole paragraphs describing one feeling or one piece of furniture that I felt was not needed. I know some people enjoy that type of writing, and sometimes I do as well but it just didn’t fit right with this book.

To sum it up, this was a very fast paced read with a small emotional bunch to it.

It took me a few chapters to get into this but then I was hooked. I loved how the characters who had died could sometimes see, and try to communicate with their living family members in order to help them heal. There were unexpected connections and surprises I did not see coming. "Grief in the Fourth Dimension" has its painful moments but is also imaginative and insightful. Highly recommended for YA and adult readers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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Read like an old school classic YA that's actually written for fourteen year olds and not adults. Well done.

Two teens from the same school who died in separate incidents and within a few months of each other find themselves in a room where they can see and influence their loved ones as they grieve. I was intrigued by the description and was happy to get a copy to review. It was a fast read and I was interested in how it all turned out, and also in how the afterlife was structured. At the beginning the teens aren't friends, but bond during their time together. As they are coming to terms with their deaths, they are watching, mostly helplessly, as their families navigate their own grief. The author did a good job of presenting the complicated grieving process as it is different in different people. The characters are interesting and we get to explore their feelings right along with them. I particularly liked the set up of them being in a room that they could interact with that helped guide the whole process and controlled what the teens could see and do. An interesting read with an interesting premise. Content warning for suicide and death.

I am unwell. This book had me bawling my eyes out. The way that the author describes grief is so accurate, that I had to stop reading several times because it evoked such strong emotions about my own personal life. This story is such a beautiful way of looking at death and life.

We start with Kenny, who has recently died and finds himself in a room worth a screen where he can watch his parents on Earth. Then, Caroline appears in the room and they must come to terms with their own deaths. Both Kenny and Caroline are able to watch their friends and families who are trying to grapple with their own grief.

Kenny, the son of immigrant parents and considered outcast at his school, learns about how his life did have purpose and learns to grieve everything lost.

Caroline, the popular sunshine girl that came from a happy wealthy family, must come to terms with her sudden death and learning to find peace with what could have been.

This book was one of those ones where I started reading and time just flew by. It’s such an accurate portrayal of grief for both the people that are incredibly close to the person who died and those that are on the periphery. I would be delighted to read more of this author’s work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this copy for review. All opinions are my own.

The uniqueness of this plot made me want to pick this one up instantly. There are a lot of heavy themes within this one- content warnings for discussions of death and suicide. Yu does a nice job of making the topics of death and grief and their impact very accessible. If it weren’t for the depth of the topics, I would almost say this reads a little younger. The characters are interesting and I liked the connections that were made both in and out of the white room. The depictions of Kenny’s family restaurant were my favorite scenes. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that I’m not entirely on board with how things wrapped up for this one. I get where the author was coming from in how she had some characters react to certain situations, but I’m not sure if I totally agreed with some of it morally. That though is definitely something that could be subjective, based on the opinions of the reader. I was also able to figure out one of the bigger twists early on (which was a good one but I wish I hadn’t seen it coming) and another which I had not and was interestingly revealed. If you’re into speculative fiction and want an introspective look into grief, give this one a try.

An incredibly fun and powerful work by one of my favorite writers. More people should be reading Jennifer Yu! I love how this is out-there and weird, but also grounded in very useful themes like family and friendship. Love the integration of electromagnetic interference. I am absolutely pre-ordering and teaching this in my YA course at Northeastern University. Highly recommend.

This book deals with death, grief and the impact these can have on others - directly and indirectly - and it deals with these SO WELL. It’s such an emotional read, it can be heartwarming one minute and then heartbreaking the next. The dynamics of the characters and the character progression was *chefs kiss*

The writing is so beautiful it had me staring off into space at times, I read this book in 24 hours as I just couldn’t put it down. I’d recommend this wholeheartedly but do check your trigger warnings beforehand especially if things like death do affect you

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Yu's "Grief in the Fourth Dimension" offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on young adult speculative fiction, weaving a poignant narrative about the afterlife, grief, and the enduring connections that transcend life and death. The novel's unique premise sets the stage for an exploration of loss and healing through the intertwined stories of Caroline Davison and Kenny Zhou, two high school classmates who, in life, were worlds apart but in death, find themselves sharing a surreal, timeless space.

Yu's portrayal of the afterlife is imaginative and emotionally resonant. The mysterious white room, which allows Caroline and Kenny to view their loved ones’ lives and influence events on Earth, serves as a powerful metaphor for the lingering presence of those we've lost. The novel brilliantly captures the complexity of grief and the process of coming to terms with one’s own death. It's rare to find a YA novel that handles such weighty themes with such grace and sensitivity.

The characters of Caroline and Kenny are richly developed, each bringing their unique backgrounds and struggles to the story. Caroline, with her passion for softball and a life marked by family dinners, contrasts sharply with Kenny, whose world was filled with NASA photo books and late-night shifts at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. Their evolving relationship in the afterlife, marked by mutual understanding and support, adds depth to the narrative.

However, the novel's speculative elements, while innovative, may not appeal to all readers. The concept of influencing the living world from the afterlife, through radio signals and psychic mediums, requires a suspension of disbelief that might not resonate with those looking for more grounded storytelling. Additionally, the pace of the novel is reflective and introspective, focusing more on character development and emotional journeys than on fast-paced plot twists.

Content warnings for themes of death and grief are appropriate, and the book will appeal most to readers who enjoy speculative fiction with a strong emotional core.

In conclusion, "Grief in the Fourth Dimension" by Jennifer Yu is a moving and beautifully crafted novel that offers a unique perspective on life, death, and the indelible impact we leave on those we love. It's a significant contribution to YA literature, particularly for those seeking a deep, reflective reading experience that explores the complexities of grief and healing.

I was just wondering where all the sci-fi YA was - and this book appeared on my radar!

It’s quirky and humorous, but also brutal and honest. The characters have dynamic and realistic personalities, and the writing is fantastic. This YA book deals with intense themes in an appropriate and approachable way, something that not all authors are able to do.

I loved the twists in the story, and they ALL took me by surprise and kept me on my toes!

Jennifer Yu wrote a fantastic story about the power of forgiveness and kindness in the face of incredible grief. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Net Galley and Abrams Books for the ARC!