This was a very emotional memoir. To not only lose your sister but her whole family including an infant and a baby not even born yet is unimaginable. Very tragic. I'm not sure I would have the courage, after thirty years, to learn about her sister's life and subsequent death. Very brave of Ona. I was very engrossed in the book. I would highly recommend the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Apprentice House Press for this advanced ready copy.

This was such a touching memoir! It was a beautiful tribute to s sister who was lost far too soon, who had endured such a life of hardship, to find happiness and then to be cut short. Basically a love letter from a younger sister to her older dister. It was beautiful!

This memoir is a tale of sisters, survival, and secrets. It is raw and honest and at times tough to read, but the story is so beautifully told that in the end all the emotions were worth it.

The writing is griping from the start and you'll question at times if you are reading nonfiction, and when the reality comes crashing in that this story is real, your heart will break into a million pieces.

Everywhere I Look by Ona Gritz is deeply emotional. The writing style is unique. It’s like a letter addressed to her sister, which adds a personal touch. However, the narrative can be difficult to follow at times due to its non-linear structure, which isn't my usual preference.

I expected more focus on the murder with a true crime angle, but the book centers more on the author's grief and her bond with her sister. While it wasn't exactly what I anticipated, it still provides a moving exploration of loss and love

Everywhere I Look by Ona Gritz is a heartbreaking and powerful story, not so much about a murder or loss but about love and what families keep hidden from each other. As someone who has been a problem child this book was a reckoning for me and the amount of empathy Ona has for her sister as she learns the truth is overwhelming and beautiful.

The family dynamic is uncommon and full of new revelations but the human aspect rings so true and for a multi-sibling household I think there are definitely people who can see themselves in either role. A beautiful memorial to a woman who was taken too soon and loved too late.

Very sad memoir but, I do like how Ona Gritz writes it to her sister. May Angie, Ray-Ray, & Ray rest in peace and Ona find solace in knowing ALL families have their dysfunctional ways.

Everywhere I Look is simultaneously a memoir, a true crime story, and the mystery of one family.

I loved the emphasis on the bond of sisters in this book. There was a lot to unpack here as Angie’s story is a sordid and complicated one that took decades for Ona, her beloved sister, to uncover. Towards the end I did find myself skim reading portions that seemed a bit repetitive but overall this was a solid story.

Thank you to Apprentice House Press, Netgalley, and the author for the #gifted copy.

Everywhere I Look is divided into several essays, each focusing on different aspects of Gritz’s life. She navigates her experiences with cerebral palsy, providing an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs she faces. Gritz also delves into her roles as a mother and partner, exploring the complexities and joys of these relationships. Throughout the book, themes of resilience, acceptance, and self-discovery are prevalent, as Gritz contemplates her identity and place in the world.
This book is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the beauty of finding one’s place in the world, making it a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and a deeper understanding of life’s complexities.

Challenging read without many glimmers of hope. Important and moving story but not an easy read or easy to get through because of the topic.

I really enjoyed this book. I am not usually a fan of memoirs, but for some reason, I felt drawn to this one and I am glad I did.

The style in which this book was written is in my favorite ways. This book started with the last few days of the MC sister's life and then went back in time so that we could get to know her sister, and so that the MC could also unfold what happened within her sister's life. It almost feels like the author is talking directly to the MC sister.

This is a story that you will for sure need tissues for. It's not only about the tragedy that happened to the MC's sister, but also about the feelings of guilt and responsibility of the MC.

Thank you for allowing me to read this amazing book in exchange for my honest review.

TITLE: Everywhere I Look: A Memoir
AUTHOR: Ona Gritz
GENRE: True Crime; Nonfiction; Memoir

This memoir by Ona Gritz was written about the death of her sister, Angie, Angie’s husband/partner, their baby son Ray-Ray, and their unborn baby. Mrs. Gritz grew with cerebral palsy that caused her to have a limp and her sister, Angie, who was older than her, was always encouraging her and giving her love except when she was gone from her. And that was often. Gritz couldn’t understand why she just would pick up and leave. Never telling her really that she was going. It made Ona so lonely, but she learned to get used to it thinking that all families were like this. After they got older, Gritz, a sophomore in college, and Angie, out on her own with a partner/husband, a baby son, and one on the way. Ona had come to visit her sister and her sister’s family and she enjoyed her time with them, but didn’t really understand why some couple was there, but didn’t ask questions. Then after the visit they find out that Angie and her family were missing and no one seemed to know what happened. What happened was so bizarre and heartbreakingly tragic and this is the subject of the memoir. Her sister’s death, her family life when she was home, secrets that were kept inside the family that Ona never knew anything about. Very interesting but tragic story of true crime. Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers, and author for the opportunity to read and review #EverywhereILook with my honest thoughts and opinions.

This book is a heartfelt tribute to a beloved sister lost too soon. Ona, the youngest and favored child, contrasts with Angie, known for her strong will and recklessness. Angie feels overshadowed by what she perceives as her mother's preference for Ona, believing she's not the "real" sister.

The emotional depth of the book resonates deeply. It unravels Angie's life story intertwined with Ona's profound feelings of guilt and duty towards her sister. Ona questions the imperfections in her love for Angie, yet her devotion was instinctive, sincere, and invaluable.

Beyond its poignant portrayal of sisterly love, the book delves into family history. Ona embarks on a journey of familial discovery, uncovering truths that reshape her childhood memories.

When Ona was 18, her sister Angie was murdered. Angie’s husband Ray, toddler Ray Ray, and unborn baby were also killed.

Unable to make sense of her sadness, grief, and guilt, Ona buried her feelings for years until she was finally able to confront not only the murders, but the truth of their tumultuous childhood.

***

Ona’s memoir, written as a letter to her older sister Angie, is a glimpse into their relationship and Ona’s relationship with herself.

Close but estranged, jealous but protective—their family dynamic was a study in contradictions.

Ona doesn’t flinch away from her mistakes and failings; she examines the “why” behind her behavior. She extends the same thoughtfulness to her family. There are no clear-cut villains here. There’s just generational pain and people repeating the patterns of their past. It’s sad but honest.

I loved the honesty of this book. Ona brings Angie to life, while always careful to remember that she only knew one piece of her sister. This is Ona’s story, but Angie is the main character in her life.

Thanks to @netgalley and @apprenticehousepress for the eARC.

Check out this book if you like thoughtful, heartbreaking examinations of what it really means to be family.

This book was really good. I loved how the author started with her sister's last days and then took us back in time and helped us get to know her sister as she herself unfolded her sister's life for herself. It felt like I was a fly on a wall getting to experience it along with the author. She has a wonderful style that I really enjoyed and brought me into their lives on a deeper level. I would read more by this author.

A beautiful love letter to a lost sister. Ona, the youngest child, the favored one. Angie, Andra, the strong-willed one, the reckless one, "feels mother loves 'real' sister, not her."

Everything about this book gets me right in the feels. It's an emotional unraveling of not just Angie's life story, but Ona's feelings of guilt and responsibility to her sister. She calls her love for her flawed, when in reality she showed her love for her sister at every opportunity without effort or thought. It was pure, automatic, and precious.

And if you're not interested in a beautiful story of sisterly love, consider the family lore. We are taken on a journey as Ona does some familial investigating after realizing that her childhood wasn't quite as she recalled.

I don’t normally gravitate towards memoirs, but something about Everywhere I Look by Ona Gritz captivated me. I was mesmerized by the first page. This story of the complexities of family, of love, of belonging, of identity, of truth versus fiction, and of loss was achingly familiar. While tragedy hugged the pages of this novel, there was a message of, “if you’ve ever experienced this or something similar, you’re not alone.” Most importantly, this novel gave a voice and life to Ona’s older sister. I smiled, laughed, and shed many tears while reading Everywhere I Look. The prose was fantastic, the message was unforgettable, and you will not regret reading this novel.

What a harrowing and heartbreaking read.

It’s hard to imagine the last moments of Angie, Ray and baby RayRay’s life. And the fact that poor Ona had to and still is living through the knowledge of what happened.

Thank you Ona for sharing your story. I hope it somehow eases the pain and guilt you have felt.

This book has a unique and interesting writing style in that the author is speaking directly to her dead sister, narrating her ( the author’s ) own experience of their parents, and the author’s journey to discover what happened to her sister. Her sister was chastised, abused and neglected by her parents… the same parents who coddled and dearly loved and protected the author.
There are dark overtones in the choices these parents made as to which of their biological children they wanted to raise, as though that’s a choice parents make… ?
The writing style is at times a love letter to her dead ( murdered ) sister, other times it’s a narration of the author’s life journey but always written as though the author is speaking directly to her sister.
At times I thought the writing style was unique and clever. Other times I found it uncomfortably voyeuristic requiring me to go along on this journey of voyeurism I wasn’t sure I wanted to participate in.
I commend the author on her clever writing style - one I had not experienced in my extensive reading, but I am glad to have finished the book and can now get back to more traditional writing styles.

I can totally relate to the author. Losing a loved one is the hardest thing to go through. Thank you Ona for taking us on your journey. To seek clarity and justice for your sister.

Everywhere I Look – Ona Gritz – 2024 –
“A secretive family is, by nature and necessity, an isolated one.” - Ona Gritz –
In this loving memorial tribute to Ona Gritz late sister Andra/Angie Boggs (1956-82), who’s senseless murder motivated her to seek knowledge, truth, and understanding of their troubled family dynamic and the connections that bind: not just in life, but also in the tragedy of death, and in the encompassing smoldering grief that remains. Years after her sister died, the death of both parents, and loss of her half-brother, Steve, a request for Andra’s public records opened her private and quiet investigation.

Although Ona adored her older sister, she realized from an early age that she was the favored daughter, the good, smart, obedient one. “I hope they don’t turn you against me-” her sister had said to Ona: their indifferent parents had already labeled Andra a seriously troubled “runaway” and surrendered her to the state foster care system. Why was this? Eventually Ona would complete her college education and earn an MFA in library science at NYU. Ona accessed the vast index of public records in multiple states and was able to study, explore, talk to estranged relatives, public officials, friends, associates, and trace her hidden family history of cover-ups, misunderstandings, secrets, lies, and the terrible crime that destroyed part of her family.

In 1982, Ona and her father flew to San Francisco to visit Andra, her husband Ray, and 1-year-old grandson/nephew Ray-Ray. Ona would later remember snuggling little Ray-Rays sweet, fine, baby soft blonde hair and pushing him in his stroller. At the time, their father simply seemed relieved that Andra (somehow) lived in an apartment that got her off the streets, and started a family. Little did they know, that after they left-- they would never see Andra or little Ray-Ray again.

The small apartment at 753 Webster would become a horrific crime scene, and ghoulish historical event that was followed by true crime enthusiasts decades later. Curiously, all the information about the murder of the Boggs family was provided by Andra’s mother-in-law. Andra’s own family (including Ona) did not attend the only funeral service in California. In years after the fact, lost in the depth and intensity of her grief, Ona began seeking answers, understanding, and her quest to remember, record, and memorialize a sister she could never forget. - In loving memory: Raymond Boggs Jr. (1949-82) U.S. Army Vietnam – Angie (1956-82) – Raymond M. III (1981-82) – Baby Unborn (1981-82) – *With thanks to Apprentice House Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.