I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
The synopsis was a little misleading and I think I would have been more inclined to pick this book up sooner had it been a little more accurate. It was a quick read and one that I immediately got engrossed in. I really liked the bits of flashbacks to the night of the accident that killed Parker Ashbury and what followed. I think that the main character, Lea, was such an honest written character in her insecurities, flaws, and motives. All the Harting characters were wonderful additions to the story. I liked that Lea's injuries sustained from the accident were always in the forefront because they are a part of her, not some nonexistent part that no one should see or hear about. Also....KODA. I'm a sucker for a dog in a story :)

This book is an emotional rollercoaster, heartbreaking. The characters are beautifully written

Lea is messed up both physically and mentally from the car accident that killed a boy. Having lied on the stand to protect her mother from going to jail, she's torn up. Her family has been ripped apart by all the lies, and her sister is in a coma. She doesn't know what else to do aside from get help from Seth Ashbury, the brother of the boy her mother killed. So she starts at the privat school, where seth goes.

But how can Seth not recognize Lea from court? Seth Ashbury is blind.

I loved seeing Lea fall in love with Seth, even when she was fighting against it. She knew what she was doing was wrong, and she constantly struggled with the right thing to do. I felt so bad for both Seth and Lea, they are both struggling with a broken heart and it was hard to see Lea make some of the decisions she did. She was on her breaking point the whole book through.

I really loved the book, It was heartbreaking, and the ending was just perfect.

Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

This was my first book written by Olivia Rivers. It was well written and very emotional. I enjoyed most of the story and characters (loved Seth and Brie) but the last 25% is probably went it went downhill for me. Maybe it's because I am an adult and I understood what Lea's dad had to deal with and I agreed with his decision. Lea on the other hand was a kid throwing a tantrum if she didn't get her way. The ending was unrealistic and the epilogue could have been better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Olivia Rivers for an arc of 'This is What Goodbye Looks Like' in exchange for an honest review.

I was first introduced to Olivia Rivers when I received an ecopy of her book, In the Hope of Memories, via NetGalley. Rivers' phenomenal writing and story telling, as well as the refreshingly original plot of the book, had me quickly looking for more of her works to read. After reading the blurb of This is What Goodbye Look Like, I knew I had to read it and I was not disappointed!

17-year old Lea Holder's life has been shattered into pieces after being in a car accident, which not only left her with severe injuries, but also left her younger sister, Camille, in a coma on life support, and took the life of 21-year old college student Parker Ashbury. Even worse, it was Lea's mother who caused the accident by drinking and driving. As the only witness able to testify in the trial of her mother, Lea is racked with guilt as she is faced with either telling the court the truth of her mom's drinking problem, or going along with what her attorney father has told her to say: Parker Ashbury caused the fatal crash that took his life. In the end, Lea decides to protect her mother, and her family, and lies about who really caused the accident.

After the trial, Lea watches her family slowly fall apart. She refuses to speak to her mom. Her parents refuse to let her sit by her sister's bedside all day. Her older brother Jeremy also refuses to speak to his mom, and after a falling out with their father, decides to move from San Diego and start a new life for himself in Denver. On top of her family drama, Lea is overwhelmed with guilt from lying to the court and Parker's family.

Looking for a way to heal her family, Lea decides to attend a prestigious boarding school, Harting, in the middle of nowhere Vermont. However, it's not the picturesque scenery and architecture of the school that has drawn Lea to Harting; it's the fact that Seth Ashbury, the younger brother of Parker Ashbury, attends the school. After watching the Ashbury's during her mother's trial, Lea is convinced that if there is anyone who can help her figure out how to heal her family it is Seth. The problem lies with getting close enough to Seth that he opens up to her, while also making sure he never finds out who she really is.

Seth is determined to finish his late brother's photography thesis in order to complete Parker's photography degree. Introduced to Lea by his friends, Seth finds himself drawn to Lea and enlists her help in completing Parker's thesis. As the two become closer, Seth opens up to Lea about his family, and she soon realizes that what appeared as this tight knit family during the trial, is actually a family that is falling apart just like her own. As Seth and Lea open up to each other more, feelings soon develop. Feelings that Lea knows she needs to fight, but ultimately gives in to. As their relationship grows, Lea is faced with the realization that telling Seth who she really is, is going to be a lot harder than she anticipated because now her heart is also at stake.

Rivers once again blew me away with her writing. Her gift for storytelling, compelling characters and story lines, and her descriptive writing style is truly amazing for such a young writer. When reading this book, it is so easy to picture the scenes in your head, giving life to the story. The emotions of the characters are described so accurately, you can feel what the characters must be feeling. The entire time I was reading the book, I felt like I was watching a movie play out in my head. It takes a truly talented writer to accomplish such a feat.

The characters in this book are fantastic. Not only the main characters of Seth and Lea, but the secondary characters, especially Brie and Lea's father, are truly outstanding. Each character's personality and feelings are depicted so well that you feel as if you know the characters personally.

The reason this book was only a four star read for me and not a five star read, was solely based on some events in the story line that I personally found hard to believe. This fact didn't make me like the book any less and while I love happy endings, I can't help but feel that by not taking a more realistic approach to a certain part of the story, Rivers missed out on really hitting a home run. At the same time however, I can see how the way Rivers chooses to end the story inspires hope, which is a great meaning for a book.

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it. It truly shows that what you may view as perfect, can be anything but. Sometimes we see what others want us to see and it's up to us to really take a look and to see the true story.

I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.