There are moments in our lives that dive deep and create a landmark. . .the befores and afters of that moment, that event. Before that first time, and after; before siracha and after; before your first gig and after; before that dance, that car, that win, that crash, that acceptance, that job. . .but its the comings and goings that hit the hardest. In a busy tribe, all the olders, the elders, the youngers, the cousins, aunts, the friends-so-tight-they're-family, those gatekeeping professionals-who-know-all-the-family-secrets-dirt-and-sorrows. . .with all those movers and shakers there are many opportunities for a loss. A loss that can FREEZE every.one in a moment. In a year. In a day. In an hour. Amber encases it for easy revisiting all the rest of your whole, long, life.

Lauren Aliza Green has captured that in this book. It is a tangle of families at cross-purposes, and people exercising their rights to a fully engaged life, and through that cross over each other, and back again. I had to review and reread more than a few times. ?!she said what? Wait! What did I miss? Backtracking happened. But as it unfolded I carried with me my landmark moments, comparing and recognizing the same in these characters. Feeling the familiarity of those moments and how they either totally paralyze OR they fill the affected parties with an adrenaline that removes all common sense and creates desperate environments that can burn it all down, or finally wave flags and sound out the alarms that clear and present dangers need immediate addressing. . .

Concerned that it was never going to end. . .I was dismayed when it did; yet the author gave relief of a sort that has me still thinking about Alice. About all the Alices out there, about my Alices, not yet at their landmarks and for whom I could (and should if they'll have it) provide a better space in which to process this old life of ours. . .

As is noted in the book and is so very, very true: Mozart said: The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between. Amen to that.

Looking forward to the next work by Lauren Aliza Green.

*A sincere thank you to Lauren Aliza Green, Penguin Group Viking, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

When someone commits suicide, the impact on family, friends, and others who knew the victim is enormous and frankly never-ending.

The World After Alice begins with the suicide of 16-year-0ld Alice and seesaws back and forth between the past and the present with the wedding of Alice's younger brother Benji to Morgan, Alice's high-school best friend. It's here in the present that we learn more vividly of how Alice's suicide affects not only Alice's family, but Morgan's as well. Along with both families, there is also Ezra, one of Alice's high school teachers who had a complicated relationship with the late teen.

While the premise of this book is interesting, I found the writing ponderous at times, and the author's frequent use of several obscure and pretentious words took away from the story. For me, all of the characters were unlikeable, which makes it harder to engage with the story. While this was not the easiest book for me to get through, I did find the author's ending to be insightful and thought provoking.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for providing an electronic advanced reader's copy of #TheWorldAfterAlice.

Morgan & Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation in Maine. They know it will be a shock because nothing is the same after Benji's sister and Morgan's best friend went missing. Sixteen years later, they decide to throw caution to the wind and get married. As everyone arrives, the secrets and agendas of the guests start to throw everything up in the air. Will everyone survive the wedding and the weekend?

I was really interested in the concept of Lauren Aliza Green's book "The World After Alice." Who doesn’t love a story about long-buried secrets surfacing at a dramatic family wedding? The setup, with Morgan and Benji’s surprise nuptials bringing their fractured families together, had a lot of potential. However, despite the intriguing plot, I found myself struggling to stay connected with the story. There were moments when my interest was piqued, but then I’d get distracted and lose track of what was happening.

I think this book might resonate more with other readers, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you enjoy family dramas with complex character dynamics. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Lauren Aliza Green has in store—her writing has a lot of promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Viking for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. This book, while well-written, is very sad. It deals with suicide and the aftermath on how this can affect a family. It was very slow, and just unable to pull me in.

Thank you to Net Galley and Viking for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is a story of grief and how it affects all those in the family. Benji and Morgan decide to get married. It's been 12 years since Alice, Benji's 16 year old sister and Morgan's best friend died unexpectedly. The wedding is the first time that all their family members have been together since the loss. Benji's parents are divorced. Nick, Benji's father, has lost his job and it desperately trying to find a new one before his wife Caro, formerly his mistress finds out. Linnie, Benji's mom, brings a new boyfriend who has a secret past related to one of the kids. And Peter, Morgan's father, seems to be trying to dissuade Morgan to marry Benji. There are so many things all of them have kept under the surface, especially the grief and hurt from Alice's death and this wedding will test all of them to realize how little they know about each other. The premise sounded like it would be interesting but the story didn't quite click with me. The writing was good but something was missing. 3.5 stars.

While well written, this book was a bit dry for me. Twelve years ago, Morgan’s best friend and Benjie’s sister, Alice, committed suicide. The two are now getting married. Their parents had no idea they were even dating, causing some family drama. Told in present day and in flashbacks, this story centers on the affects Alice’s death had on those around her. A character driven tale that unfortunately never quite grabbed me, but a good debut overall. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

"The World After Alice" by Lauren Aliza Green, was a good book, sad, exploring the aftermath and the many ways of derailments following a suicide. Great characters, and well depicted tangles, heartbreak, and guilt. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

What an amazing story. After Alice kills herself, her family and friends unravel. The book explores all of their flaws and in their grief, their struggle to understand why Alice did it. The story also unwinds around bad decisions made by everyone, up to Alice’s death and after. Throughout, the characters reveal the clues they saw in Alice along the way, but felt too guilty to share. The book takes you through the characters’ emotional roller coasters and makes you feel how real they are. The author’s skill of drawing you in is like no other. This is a must read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Review not posted online as it is below 3 stars.

I'm not sure why I requested this book, but likely it was because of the review by Napolitano. That said, i don't love her writing either, so this was probably a miss for me that I should have predicted and not requested.

I found the introduction strong, and the writing good, but the pacing glacial. I have a friend who is much more patient with this style and I think she would love it. I however found it too sad and just didn't want to pick it up, so much so that it was a dnf.

I appreciate the opportunity.

I did not know what to expect from this book except that it had made it on a lot of the lists of new books to read this summer. After reading it, I am not quite sure why it received such buzz because it was a really tough slough for me to get through. First off, there were too many characters and relationships to keep track of without a list to help refresh your memory. The split timeline between the past and present was hard to follow, and it would have only simply needed a heading at the beginning of each chapter to indicate which it was to help the reader understand what time it was talking about. Lastly, it is really about one weekend in the present, but it is so long and drawn out without a real timeline or sense of which day it was in the wedding course of events.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The beautiful cover of THE WORLD AFTER ALICE by Lauren Aliza Green grabbed my attention immediately, and after quickly skimming the description, I just knew that I had to read it. This blurb right here sold me:

“…𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.”

You all know how much I love reading family dramas, so when an author gives me TWO families to read about, my day is officially made! Two family dramas for the price of one!? Yes, please! Oh, and this novel does NOT skimp on the drama. It’s a juicy one. And kind of gritty too! It’s full of infidelity, betrayal, guilt, lies, and secrets galore! There’s SO many great surprises and plot twists along the way that had me raising my eyebrows and whispering, “Ooooh!”

The writing is very beautiful, thoughtful, and delicate. Green expertly meshes a tragic event with a joyous one, and gives the reader a “fly on the wall” perspective on the lives of these two families. I’m really looking forward to reading more from the author.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Family drama and dynamics
- Literary fiction
- Alternating timelines
- Multiple perspectives
- Mystery and intrigue
- Coastal town setting
- Attending weddings
- Complex and layered characters
- Reflections on loss and grief
- Teenage behavior and antics
- Themes of motherhood and marriage

If you enjoy family stories like THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD or LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, then I think this one will be a hit for you too.

4/5 stars for THE WORLD AFTER ALICE! It’s out now!

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author, and the publisher.

This book is twisted and I don't mean in a weird or scary way. It's definitely not a mystery. It's a family book.

What a wedding weekend this will be in Maine. It seems that the many characters were all connected (whether family or friends and otherwise) to Alice who's died at age 16 by committing suicide who was best friends with Morgan who is marrying Benji. Benji's father Nick is remarried to Caro (his former secretary and mistress) and Linnie (Peter's ex-wife), and is dating a Professor when she decided to take a college course and met him there who has links to Alice too but Linnie doesn't know this (so far in the beginning of the book). Peter is Morgan's father. His wife was Sequoia and I think he's divorced too and yes, he has a connection with Linnie too. This is getting complicated and we're not even at the wedding yet. Sounds like it's going to be an interesting weekend.

Alternate chapters are before and after Alice's death (of course like a lot of books). Most of the time I don't mind alternate chapters between time but for some reason this book I'm getting annoyed because Linnie is getting on my nerves because it's mainly her in these chapters with Alice's death being centered on. I really wanted to get back to the present with the wedding. When it was at the rehearsal dinner/wedding, it was still about Nick and Linnie and Alice.

Not sure if I liked any of the characters in this book to be honest except maybe for Morgan and Benji.

The epilogue was sort of a ghost story.

As an afterthought, I have a lot of ebooks I could have read besides this one and ones that I probably would have enjoyed more, but on a whim, I downloaded this the same day I started it. Not sure why but here I am reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher, Penguin Group Viking for a digital ARC copy of this novel. When reading the synopsis, I took away more understanding than I did from the entire book. It seems that this style of writing is popular. I have read several books in the last few years such as this where it is a struggle to get a grasp of the storyline and there isn't much or depth to the characters and it falls flat. Throughout the book, I never really learned who Alice was or of the relationship she had with those around her. Much of the story, I found myself feeling lost as to what was going on. My apologies, I really wanted to like this and it seemed that the plot initially had so much to offer.

DNF @15%
.
I think I just lost interest in this book. I really didn't care about the characters or what was happening.

I kept wanting this book to build somewhere and I don't feel like it ever really got there for me. But maybe that was the point? Maybe the point was about the pointlessness feeling of grief and how you can get lost in it? I don't know...The writing was good but overall it just wasn't what I was looking for.

I look forward to recommending this title to readers who love to get caught up in a big family saga with multi generations, romance, and lots of secrets. Morgan and Benji announce their engagement at the beginning of the book, which brings up a lot of emotion, as Alice, Benji's sister and Morgan's best friend, died years ago at the age of sixteen. From there, it's a matter of unpeeling the layers of complicated grief and other emotions in both families.

Synopsis:
Twelve years ago, Alice tragically ended her own life. Now, her best friend and brother are preparing to marry in secret, having hidden their relationship and engagement from their unsuspecting parents until the last moment. The narrative unfolds over a weekend, interspersed with poignant flashbacks to the time "before," leading up to Alice's heartbreaking decision.

This poignant tale delves deep into the profound impact of Alice's death on her inner circle, resonating with lingering secrets and unresolved grudges born from past wounds. Each character wrestles with pain, loss, grief, and guilt, these emotions almost taking on a life of their own. Amidst their struggles, they strive to move beyond these feelings and embrace the forthcoming celebration. It's a remarkable debut, capturing the essence of compelling family drama!

Overall, this turned out to be a decent book. The author seems to use vocabulary that is intended to show off a bit and would turn away some readers by being unnecessarily pretentious. Some of the characters are also somewhat whiny at times, which can be off-putting. I'm not sure I'll recommend the book to others, but it's not bad -- it's just not a storyline or characters I'm comfortable promoting.