I had a difficult time choosing a genre for this book. The different stories of different time periods and characters were often confusing. Was this realistic fiction? Intrigue? Mystery? Love and romance? I settled on family fiction because although the characters were intriguing, I did not think they were truly realistic. Morgan and Benji...their story is unique...This is a difficult story to read and comprehend. That made it all the more intriguing. Thanks Netgalley

This book started out with planning to go to a wedding, so I expected a joyous read. Alas, this book was dark and somber, focusing on a family after their child, ALICE, had died by suicide. The reader joins the family at the Maine wedding site, but spends pages analyzing the death of Alice, her funeral service and ultimately, the death of the family.

I really didn’t like the characters. I was uncomfortable with each of them. The only characters that were likable were the bridal couple and the aged grandmother, on the cusp of total dementia. Least likable was a non-family member, Ezra who turns up as the escort of Alice’s mother. He is a manipulative villain in a nest of deceit and cruelty.

I rarely comment on writing style, but I found myself befuddled by the author’s continued use of words that diminished rather than enhanced her writing. In a random few pages she used proprioception, contravention, annihilative… I think her use of Uber-vocabulary was simply overkill and actually detracted from the smooth readability of the novel.

All this being said, there is much that is positive about the novel, but I found too much stereotyping and I really disliked the epilogue and its positive view of the afterlife of a suicide. I would hope that families in trouble would try to work with their teenager’s emotional issues rather than think after the swath of destruction that she’s in a better place.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this emotionally charged novel.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. There are an alarming number of unlikeable characters in this story. Morgan and Benji were the only ones I actually liked at the end. The writing style for me was a little unsettling. There were so many unfamiliar words that seemed to be interjected that didn’t seem part of normal everyday intelligent conversation.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book but initially had some trouble getting into the myriad of characters who are all assembled at Morgan and Benji's wedding. The opening scene had me hooked as it has an unnamed girl with a violin case jumping off a bridge...but then we're at the wedding and get into the "backstory" of the couple, their parents, and oh so much drama as they all have secrets and relationships that we need to be aware of before they tie the knot! The devil is in the details of course and once I'd grasped the root of it, I liked unraveling the story as we know families have theatrics that not all are aware of and often come out when they gather!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I was excited for a chance to read “The World After Alice,” Laura Aliza Green’s first novel. My family has been affected by suicide so the novel’s topic tugged on a few heart strings for me. Warning: this may not be an easy read for some individuals but it is a well done one.

When Benji lost his sister, Alice, Morgan lost her best friend. Twelve years later, Benji and Morgan announce their engaged to their two astonished families. The two families will be together for the first time since Alice’s funeral. The novel brings us to the weekend of the wedding but also focuses on Alice’s death and its aftermath.

“The World After Alice” is both poignant and heart-breaking. Parts of it are also very painful because of the topic, which the author handles expertly as she does describing the dysfunctional dynamics of Alice’s family.

Four and a half stars.

I want to thank the publisher, NetGalley and Viking for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I am not normally one for thrillers. I guess that's what this book is -- maybe a family drama with an element of mystery and secrets. This book was blurbed by a lot of authors i like, which prompted me to read it. It was pretty engrossing. IMPORTANT NOTE: The story starts and primarily focuses on the suicide of a high school girl and the impacts on her extended family. It's a tangled web of steps and exes, lots of people who have parts of the story that they don't tell others. It made me sad (of course), but also keep me interested in wanting to know more about if/how the characters would make their peace with the tragedy even these years later as they gather for a family wedding. Recommended.

It took me a while to get into this book. The characters were not likable at all, with the exception of Benji. The family was totally dysfunctional, especially Linnie and Nick. I did like the writing style and the way the story was laid out into parts between the past and the present.

The World After Alice is the story of the Weil family in the aftermath of the death of Alice. Linnie, her mother, is a former dancer who projects her failed career on Alice, who is a violinist. This causes trouble between them. Nick, the father, is having an affair with a young secretary who becomes his wife once his current marriage ends. Benji, the younger brother, is pretty much left adrift in the midst of all the turmoil.

The story centers on Benji, as an adult, marrying Alice’s friend, Morgan. The wedding celebration is filled with family drama on both sides until Benji sits everyone down and gives them an ultimatum-this weekend is about Morgan and me.

As I said, it took me a while to get into, but it was enjoyable. Sad, but enjoyable. I want to thank NetGalley and Viking for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Two families come together for a surprise wedding after an early tragedy effecting them all. A beautifully written story about love and lost.

The World After Alice is an exposition on family dynamics after Alice takes her own life as a teen. The book centers around a weekend in Maine where family and friends have gathered for the wedding of Benji, Alice’s brother, and Morgan, Alice’s best friend. The wedding is the first time the family will be together since Alice’s funeral. This is a very sad story that is very beautifully written.

Through love and loss, we see a family coming together in their grief for Alice and their love for the bride and groom. It’s an amazing debut novel and I’ll be watching for other books by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy.

The World After Alice intricately weaves a tapestry of familial strife and emotional turmoil against the backdrop of everyday life. The author skillfully crafts a narrative that delves deep into the complexities of family dynamics that accurately represents the human experience.

Not thrilled with this one. A well worn format - the wedding, attended by various clashing, connected parties, with much hinterland to cover. In this particular case, heavy flashback sections were also included. The overall effect was flat, repetitive, with the central tragedy and the shared guilt pulling down the mood even more. Pace seemed to be absent. A lot of circling and delving without
I was glad to finish it.

You have to accept this is straight up a sad story. My heart broke for the characters in different ways yet I found them so infuriating. I think Morgan and Benji were the only ones I genuinely liked at the end. The writing style was beautiful but sometimes thought unnecessary words or sentences could’ve been cut out. These were elaborate words that you wouldn’t use in daily conversation so it just didn’t feel necessary to implement in the story.

Twelve years after the death by suicide of sixteen year old Alice her best friend Morgan and her brother Benji shock their families by announcing their upcoming marriage. They’ve been dating for years and have kept a secret. The ceremony will be the first time the families have been together since Alice’s funeral.

There are Nick and Linnie, Benji’s parents, divorced after Alice’s death and Nick’s affair with Caro, his now-wife and their daughter, Avery. Linnie has brought a date, Ezra, who is not an unknown. Then there’s Nick’s mother, Judith and on Morgan’s side her father, Peter who is secretly in love with Linnie. And Matisse who can always be counted upon to break the vase or vomit on the carpet. It will be a complicated weekend.

This is the author’s debut novel and it is lovely, especially the characters of Nick and Linnie, the grieving parents and the real focus of the book. There is so much loss, loss of a child, loss of marriage, loss of youth, loss of an ideal. My one wish is that Morgan and Peter got as much attention as some of the other characters, but this is still an excellent book. Highly recommended.

This is beautifully written novel that threads the story of Alice as reflected by family members and friends. We long ago stopped really paying attention to those in our lives and the consequences of the devaluation of words and connection ripples thru everyday life. The ending was seamless and the chapters had a watching a play like feel. I like this almost
as well as Tom Lake best book of last year.

a beautiful novel about families learning to live again after unspeakable loss.

A wedding set in Maine brings two families back together years after the death of one of their children. What should be a happy occasion is marked by loss, grief, secrets and regret. Can they find their way to make this a joyous occasion?

Beautiful writing, realistic characters, perfect setting, this novel has it all.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice, a talented young violinist, leaves her family and friends behind. The novel delves into the stories of how her loved ones managed to go on with life without her.