This was heartbreaking to read. Told in the voice of multiple narrators, the story leads up to the disappearance and presumed death of Alice, a teenager who has a brother, Benji, who loves her, and a best friend, Morgan, who thinks she understands her but, as we're made aware during the telling, how much does she really know her friend?

We hear the perspectives of Alice's mother Linnie, who's divorced from Nick, her father. This family drama has Benji and Morgan surprising their families with the news that they have fallen in love and are getting married. The entanglements of the adults, their failings, some more serious and consequential than others, are well depicted. Green is a talented author, drawing us into the story of Linnie and Nick's marriage, Nick and his new wife's marriage, Peter, Morgan's father, and his part in the story and his longtime feelings for Linnie. Among the adult characters we see partnerships and parenting good and bad. And of course we hear from Alice herself, who is the link between all of the characters. Her life as a New York teenager is as complicated as you'd expect.

I didn't want the story to end and highly recommend reading this book.

Morgan and Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation to Maine. But leading up to that joyous event, there’s a lot of tension between parents and a lot of looking back on the event that changed everyone’s lives: 12 years ago, Alice -- Benji’s sister and Morgan’s best friend – died.

Linnie, Benji’s mom, brings along her new boyfriend, who unnerves Morgan and brings back memories. Nick, Benji’s dad, has some secrets of his own – secrets he’s keeping from his wife, Caro (formerly his mistress), and young daughter. And Morgan’s dad is hoping a reunion with Linnie will bring about romantic feelings.

And as they’re all thinking about the wedding, none can forget Alice’s funeral.

I really liked the complexity of the characters and their emotions. I felt for Benji and Morgan, who are starting their lives together with a lot of trauma hanging over their heads. I felt for Linnie, who still holds out a sliver of hope that Alice is still alive but wasn’t necessarily a perfect mother. I was fascinated by Nick, who was charming but weak.

However, the story never really came together for me. It seemed to be building up to something bigger that never materialized. For that reason, I felt let down.

I think if readers are really looking for a character study, this book might interest them.

This is a delicate subject matter - the loss of a child. Told through many viewpoints - her mother Linnie, her father Nick, Nick's new wife Caro, her best friend Morgan, her brother Benji, and her teacher Ezra - this is a sad story of how each copes with the loss of Alice, a troubled teen who jumps off the bridge to her death. Coming together for what should be a happy occasion, the wedding of Benji & Morgan, each one of them has kept secrets from the others in their attempt to heal. Unfortunately, we will never know the true reason for Alice's death, only the tears and devastation she left behind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC of The World After Alice. This was an intriguing novel with some unexpected twists. The death of Alice at the age of 16 has left lingering feelings of grief 12 years later at the marriage of Alice's brother, Benji, to Alice's best friend, Morgan. The story left me sad; sad that Alice took her life at 16, sad that Benji and Morgan had to hide their relationship from their families, and sad that their marriage was beginning with so much drama and angst. Definitely not a beach read. The author did an excellent job of tackling a difficult subject and pulling the reader into the minds of all those left behind in Alice's life. The story goes back and forth in time between when Alice was still alive and after her death, which at times did not flow as smoothly as I would have liked. All in all, a good debut novel.

What a beautiful story about the messiness of human existence and all it's flaws. The World After Alice alternates between present day of Benji and Morgan's wedding weekend and periods of the past with Alice. Each flashback tells us a little more of everyone's connection to Alice. Looking forward to reading more from this debut author.

Haunting…

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Morgan and Benji surprise everyone with a secret engagement-wait-nope-a-wedding set at an idyllic cottage on the East coast. 12 years ago, Benji’s sister died. She was friends with Morgan. Alice seems to be on everyone’s minds… and in their memories. Morgan’s dad seems to not want the marriage while Benji’s trying to survive with his mom&new boyfriend along side his dad and mistress/wife/secretary. Phew this is a pile of fascinating you just stepped into…

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: This is one of those books that doesn’t fit a category, that makes its own way. It’s a hybrid contemporary literature-psychological-mystery? Whatever you want to put on the label, I’m buying it. It’s riveting, yet I felt relaxed reading it. It’s full of twists, but also full of questions.

I would say if you’re looking for something different and intriguing, give this a whirl. Vocabulary is solidly upped (contemporary fiction-ish) but not unattainable hey-I-went-to-Harvard vocab. Enjoyable slower pace with enough interest to keep those pages turning.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction meets kinda-psychological meets a mystery

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Those ready for new and different!

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: those looking for quick paced. This is character driven.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Penguin/Viking Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for giving me something NEW which as an English teacher, I humbly appreciate.

Through all the talk and reviews of this book, I had high expectations. I think that going into it, I was prepared for a somewhat depressing premise as there are themes of suicide and loss. I was engrossed at the beginning with the introduction of new characters and such a complex dynamic between Morgan and Benji’s families. Although this novel was definitely mentally provoking and contains important subject matter of loss and grief (which everyone experiences at some point in their life), I began to feel disconnected with the book. I began to become bored with the somewhat predictable storyline and found it difficult to get through the author’s style of writing. Is this the worst book? No, not at all! But I think it’s not necessarily my cup of tea.

3.5 stars that I'm rounding down instead of up because of the writing style. The story itself was well done. But hear me out on this...I read for enjoyment, to forget, to get lost in another's world. I couldn't do that here simply because of this author likes to use lots of words and the bigger the word with the more syllables, the better. I was never able to forget I was reading when I'd have to constantly look up words in the dictionary feature just to make sure I understood what that word really means or it's one I've simply never come across. I like to think I'm relatively smart with a decent grasp of vocabulary. I am, however, very aware that I don't know ALL the words so it's going to happen from time to time. But take this sentence. "She was so close, he could smell the hairspray ballasting her coiffure, yet her eyes were faraway - turbid pools on whose surface reflections of the wedding scene floated. Umm dude, can't you just say you were close enough to smell her hairspray and her eyes were distant and cloudy? I just don't want to have to work hard to get through the pages and have it pointed out that I'm not as smart as I think I am!!

Now on to the characters...not a single one of them was very likeable save for Grandma and little Avery because they get a pass just for being old and senile or young and still learning . The rest of them were all self-serving while not being self-aware, if that makes sense. Perhaps that's the point of the whole story. Two families, touched by grief, muddling through life from their own perspectives, coming together and let the chips fall where they may. This is definitely a character driven storyline and while I enjoyed the destination, I can't say I loved the journey getting there as much.

The premise of The World After Alice was promising and the characters had potential; unfortunately, in my view, it did not deliver. The pace was extraordinarily slow and the choice of words were out of step with the narrative. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be something more. I appreciate the opportunity from Netgalley and Viking to read the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC of The World After Alice in exchange for an honest review. I first saw this book and read the description, I knew it would be a book I would enjoy but I never imagined how much it made me feel and how sad it could be. That's not a bad thing. I was very interested in the family story and at the same time dreaded some of the inevitable interactions and events. Alice was a teenaged girl when she jumps to her death from a local bridge. Her father, Nick, her Mother, Linnie, her brother Benji and a teacher she wanted to be involved with all feel as if they played a big part in her suicide. Benji prepares to marry Morgan, Alice's best friend - a shock to the whole family, since they had kept their relationship a secret. The book reaches into the depths of knowing or not knowing a person and at first seems it ends at the wedding, with plenty of conflict. But there is an epilogue that absolutely crushed me as a reader and that doesn't happen often. Don't jump into the book if you're seeking a frolicking romp of a rom-com with a wedding, divorced parents, secret relationships because it might be painful in the end to find out the underlying devastating truth.

Sixteen-year-old Alice commits suicide, and this is the story of how everyone in her life is affected. Ten years after the incident, her brother and her best friend are getting married, and through flashbacks we find out what has happened in everyone's lives. At the beginning of the book, where most characters were being introduced, I should have taken notes because I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was and how they were related. The story moved very slowly, and there were times I skimmed passages just to find out what happened. Many thanks for NetGalley, Viking, and Ms. Green for the ARC of this title.

Alice, a young talented violinist, is dead. She jumped into a river, and her body was never recovered. Despite her absence from her family's lives, Alice retains a prominent presence. That's not always good.

In "The World After Alice," Lauren Aliza Green skips back and forth through time -- from the period just before the teen disappears into the river to the wedding reception of her younger brother and her former best friend.

Expect chaos.

Her death affects her parents, her brother, her best friend, the best friend's father, Alice's father's new wife and her mother's new boyfriend, who also just happens to be Alice's former teacher, with whom she had a questionable relationship.

The novel's topic is similar to Anna Quindlen's "After Annie," a story about how a woman's death affected her husband, children and best friend. But while "After Annie" was beautifully written and brought me to tears, "The World After Alice" is more chaotic and unsettling, perhaps due to her death by suicide rather than from an unexpected and sudden health issue.

Both books are worth the read.

I could not put this book down, I kept wondering how each character was connected to Alice and when some of the missing pieces would come to light. Especially Alice's relationship with Ezra and what had been on the footage/what really happened to Alice.

To loose a child to suicide is unimaginable. Alice was a teen when she unexpectedly ended her life. This is a story of how this tragedy affected her parents, her brother any many others who knew her. All these people’s lives were dramatically changed forever. Grief, guilt and memories remained strong many years after Alice’s death.
This story was moving and rather sad. As a reader I came away with a new perspective on grief and a better understanding of the long lasting effects suicide can bring to those left behind.

The World After Alice by Lauren Aliza Green is an amazing debut novel that explores the effects of suicide on the remaining family and friends. Alice was a talented and bright teenager who committed suicide. Twelve years after this event, family and friends came together in Maine to celebrate the wedding of her younger brother Benji Weil to her former best friend Morgan Helmsley. It was the first time they had gathered together since Alice’s funeral and it created a lot of tension. Benji’s parents were now divorced and had their own secrets. Morgan and her father each had secrets of their own. Both the continued grief and secrets only amplified the tension surrounding this wedding. Lauren Aliza Green managed to develop her characters realistically as they navigated a life without Alice. At times the author’s prose stunned me with its beauty and I stopped to re-read a section. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy realistic character development as each character navigated their life after a tragedy. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I loved the premise of this book. The story was well done and the characters relatable. This was a Greta family saga/ drama. Highly recommend

One of the best books I’ve read this year. Great characters,the story line as easy to follow. A multi leveled family saga. It was believable, sad, yet heartwarming.

Thank you NetGalley and Viking! I think I found my new favorite author Lauren Green, you will always be an autobuy for me. As someone who has been loss and a relate heavy for our FMC—it’s what kept me drawn and captivated.

I was riveted during the first few chapters and very curious as to how the story would develop - would Benji and Morgan end up getting married or would all of the various secrets among their families dismantle their relationship?

While the writing was lovely, I felt like the story lost steam as there didn't seem to be any tension. We don't really get insight into Benji's and Morgan's relationship or why they fell in love. Much of the plot centers on Benji's parents and their respective partners.

Still, I would recommend this to anyone in the mood for a quiet family drama with a wedding serving as a catalyst for some truth-telling and heartbreak.

Thank you to Penguin Viking and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler ahead:
I could only give this a rounded number of stars of Goodreads, but in reality, it was a 3.5 for me.
I was eager to finish it so that was a plus. The end felt a little too wispy and dreamlike and implied to me. It bothered me that we never truly found out what happened to Alice…since they didn’t find a body and all.
Anyway, the use of big words was a bit much. She really could've put down the thesaurus.
I did feel like Alice was incredibly selfish and idealistic. Like she wanted to live in a world that didn't exist. It made me really sad but also really annoyed with her at the same time. If she had a true mental health diagnosis, we never learned of it. It seemed like she was annoyed at her parents and that was the climax of her existence. I wish there had been more to the story with the teacher because that would've given her a reason to dislike her life but she seemed really privileged and spoiled. This honestly felt like it was springboarded out of The Catcher and the Rye a little bit.
While I kept reading the book, I don't know that any character was likable. The stepmom was just Marisa Tomei in my mind and I thought it was weird that Morgan was with Alice's little brother. Seemed a little too Gossip Girl=ish to be real life.
Anyway, I'd recommend it for the overall plot.