The Year After You

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with and arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book!
When I started this book I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did but I couldn’t put it down until I finished it.
This book took me on an emotional roller coaster and I spent a majority of the book with tears streaming down my face.
Cara is such an amazing and complex character. I just wanted to hug her so badly. Her emotional journey was turbulent and amazing.
She was engaging and I felt every emotion she was feeling as if it was my own.
I adored Ren and thought she was such an amazing friend to cara when she was at her lowest.
Hector was probably my favourite character because I connected most with his story.
I love how this wasn’t an insta love story but one that slowly grew into something amazing, genuine and beautiful.
Overall I have to say this book is now one of my favourite books ever. I connected with it in a way I haven’t connected with a book in a long time.
I felt everything while reading this book and it was defiantly worth the ride on the emotional rollercoaster!
If this book is any indication Nina is going to be one of my all time favourite authors.
5 stars isn’t enough for how good this was.

That was an emotional journey if I ever saw one.
I definitely tend to stop myself from reading books like this, but when I actually finish reading them, it’s like I’ve been given this gigantic reward.
My favourite books of all time have been things like ‘Neverland’ by Margot McGovern, ‘The Sister Pact’ by Stacie Ramey and ‘Love Letters to the Dead’ by Ava Dellaira, all of which follow in the same vein as this book.
I think there’s something so beautiful and haunting about this book. The atmosphere is so encompassing, like a shroud of energy - not the bad kind though - that leaves you in a trance-like state.
I love, love, LOVE all of the main characters in this story. In fact I could go so far as to say I loved all of the characters because they were so developed as people and not just as props to make the protagonist look good. It had those important messages about friends, family, support systems and mental health. It was just a lot of really good things and it hit the right points for me over and over again.
‘The Year After You’ is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time. Would definitely recommend picking this up!

Really good book! There was not all that much happening at the start and I felt it was a bit slow to get into, but past the first bit I really enjoyed it!

The story focuses on Cara and her life as she attempts to face up to the aftermath of a life changing event. I really loved the setting for this book and felt that the author gave enough detail to allow me to clearly imagine the school without it feeling like the flow of the story was interrupted. I also loved that the characters weren’t perfect people who always made the right choice and acted in the best way possible. The characters felt real and relatable. At times I was on their side, exasperated with them, down right annoyed and heartbroken. An engaging and enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this book.

*4.25 Stars*

Cara has lived something traumatic and her mother decides to send her to a boarding school in Switzerland so that she can process and heal. But Cara has a lot of trouble connecting considering how guarded she is. And who could blame her? But Hector and Ren insert themselves into her life and Cara can't help but feel things and it's not without its challenges.

I'm a sucker for boarding school stories and this was no exception. I loved the mountains setting and I could picture the snow and even feel the cold. The characters were all layered and all around interesting. I felt for Cara a lot and I really liked Ren and Hector. Cara's pain was very relatable and touching, it even moved me to tears. I really liked how everything was balanced and how the interactions between the characters were told, especially the flashbacks. I do love an unreliable narrator.
I did see most of the big twists coming though and I couldn't understand why everyone was so angry at the end, and it made me mad on her behalf. I also wasn't all that swept up by the romance. But all in all, this was simply a great story about friendship and grief.

This is a wonderful, soul-searching, but sad story of hope and grief and it is one of the best books that I have read in a while.

It is set in Hope Hall, a Swiss boarding school located in the Alps. For me, one of the things that Nina de Pass did very cleverly was using the setting to maximum effect in THE YEAR AFTER YOU. Since my childhood, I have loved boarding school settings, as everything is so much more intense when in close proximity, such as romantic liaisons and relationships which tend to run at a different rate.

The main protagonist in this novel is Cara, who I found to be exceptionally frustrating at times, though this did not spoil the story for me in any way. From an honesty point of view, she was pretty unreliable as a narrator, however, I had a great deal of empathy for her because of what happened to her best friend Georgina. I loved that Nina de Pass developed Cara’s character so well.

I really liked all of the characters in THE YEAR AFTER YOU because they were so well formed as people with their own parts to play and were not just added after-thoughts to make the protagonist look better. For me, the story-telling also held some poignant messages about support mechanisms of friends and family and mental health issues.

I think that THE YEAR AFTER YOU is a book that I will remember. I would certainly recommend reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Black & White Publishing and Nina de Pass for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.

I loved this a lot. This book deals with topics like mental ilness and guilt (PTSS). The author did a great job of writing the characters, they are very believable. The setting is a boarding school so that's always interesting. I love how you kept learning more about the main character's problems and why she isn't perfect. But she too deserves forgiveness!

So, great book for young adults or just adults. Possible trigger warnings: guilt, homophobia, suicide, mental ilness.

In this book we meet Cara a 17 year old girl who lost her best friend in an accident. She is sent to a boarding school called Hope in Switzerland by her mother to make a fresh start. At Hope Cara meets new people but because of her trauma she has trouble letting them into her life.
This book deals with grief, guilt, friendship and family. I loved the way the friendships were build and how Cara developed herself after her trauma. I loved how Hector and Cara developed their romance and how Cara was able to cut through Hectors thick wall of emotions.
The book was nicely written and I hope to her more from Nina de Pass in the future.

"This time round, despite what will inevitably come after, I will be honest. It's the only hope I have." - Nina De Pass, The Year After You

I requested this book from Net Galley to review, it was one of my very first advance reader copies, the cover art alone peaked my interest. Then I read the synopsis and thought it would be a interesting and easy read.

Before I begin, I'd just like to say that this review contains thoughts and opinions that may spoil the plot. There are topics covered in this story that may be triggering to you such as: PTSD, grief, suicide and survivors guilt.

As a preface to the main story, the main character Cara survives a horrific car accident on New Years Eve, but her best friend Georgina does not.
The story begins nine months after the accident, Cara is struggling, she is consumed by guilt and grief. Her mum has sent her to a Swiss boarding school in the hopes that it will be a fresh start.

For my full review see: https://readbyamity.wordpress.com/2019/02/21/review-the-year-after-you/

This book ticked all of my boxes, easy to read, had me laughing, crying, internally screaming at, and empathising with the characters. It explored some difficult topics, and showcased beautifully how hard it is to be forced to endure the cruel things the world can dish out to you. I found the writing well developed, and it exceeded my expectations.

For these reasons, I rated this book a solid and well deserved 5 out of 5 stars. Would most definitely recommend.

A compelling boarding school YA novel all about overcoming trauma and the saving grace of true friendship – a perfect book to snuggle up with on a snowy winter's night.

Nina de Pass's debut YA novel is a fab read - I devoured it over a couple of days, racing to discover more about the secretive characters and their dark pasts, and to find out if, and how, they find redemption.

Cara, the main character, is sent to boarding school in Switzerland as a last resort to overcome the trauma of a car accident in which her best friend died. But there's more to the story than that, and if Cara is to start over, she must keep the truth from those who would befriend her. Yet at the same time, can she really forge new, lasting friendships if she doesn't come clean about her past?

For anyone that has ever felt lonely and struggled to face their demons, Cara's story will feel familiar and cathartic. If the prose is sometimes a little heavy on the foreshadowing, it's hardly a deterrent to read the book as the characters are each unique and complex, and the strength of their relationships will draw you deeper into the story and its glittering, magical setting in the snowy Swiss Alps. Keep a tissue nearby - it's a sometimes emotional ride!

This YA novel takes place in a Swiss boarding school in the mountains of the Alps. The setting is wonderful and made me want to travel to a place like that immediately. The Year After You is narrated by Cara, our main protagonist, and we follow her journey during the year after a terrible car accident in which her best friend died. Cara survives the accident but not without scars and finds herself struggling with depression. In hopes of helping her daughter find peace and offering her a clean slate, Cara’s mom sends her to Hope Hall, a boarding school in Switzerland where Cara finds herself experiencing new emotions and her boundaries are pushed.

Possible trigger warnings: guilt, homophobia, mental illness, suicide.

The characters in this book have a very real feel to them, they make it easy to feel compassionate for them or to understand their struggles. Because Cara is so secretive, this book will definitely keep you guessing and even might confuse you since Cara isn’t the most reliable narrator.
My only problem with this is that it quickly became very predictable. The story is quite slow paced and for me it started becoming too predictable for my liking, especially because there are a few parts in the book where nothing seems to happen at all.
In the end, I think the author did an outstanding job in portraying these characters struggles and emotions in a beautiful and meaningful way. A very sweet story on how family and friends can be the very best support organism there is and play a vital part in our everyday life.

Thank you Black and White Publishing for providing me a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book. This glorious, gorgeous book. It broke my heart and lifted my soul and I really don't think I can put in to words how much I loved it.

I think I'll start with the setting. I am a sucker for boarding school settings, the way that everything is so much more intense in close quarters, how relationships run at a different pace, the family-like quality of the people around you even (especially) if you don't like them or like them more than you think you should. And The Year After You absolutely excelled at manipulating the setting into emphasising the story. All at once the place is remote and lonely, crowded and loud, passions were heightened and everything held a new level of drama.

Hope Hall is like a motley collection of broken people finding themselves and learning to love themselves.

I really enjoyed reading this book and sharing Cara’s headspace.
The writing style was easy to follow and I found myself becoming emersed in the plot.
Grief is never an easy emotion and I expect it is even harder to write about, it affects people in different ways and they all have ways and means of coming to terms with it and accepting it.
This is what I liked about this book.
It was real, there was no quick and easy fix for any of the problems presented. It took time. It took a lot of self exploration and steps forward and backwards and even at the end it wasn’t neatly tied up.
There was the beginning of closure, sure but I didn’t feel disappointed with the ending, like it had been tied up neatly in a bow or something.
So yes I am really happy that I got to read such a well written and thought provoking book.

Despite this book being set within grief of teenagers it was a really uplifting read. Focussing on both grieving the loss of of loved ones and the loss of potential futures the characters were well developed and believable as teenagers who had seen too much loss in their young lives. Yes there were typical teenage concerns, however that is what made it realistic,

Can we all take a moment to highlight how beautiful this cover is? Along with the personal title, Nina de Pass definitely leaves you wondering...

I really liked the writing, especially the descriptive language—at times I thought I was in Switzerland lost in another dimension of Harry Potter (school, uniform, facilities, etc.) because it was easy to visualize. The building of suspense was used well in a way where I didn’t say ‘ugh get on with it!’ as i sometimes do. Everything just flowed naturally at a good pace, I was instead left with ‘okay, now what? What’s more to come’ and what came, left me, jaw dropped. When that progression ended, it became a bit draggy where it’s like a chase situation—the only thing that turned me off about the plot but other than that I enjoyed it.

The characters were unique. At first, I wasn’t sure on Hector because I already knew his purpose. When he was introduced, it’s like a sign above his head that explained his aim. I liked him throughout the novel, but when he ignored Cara, and they were both confused, I was annoyed. It’s like that space between them were filter chapters. However, it was a way in which Cara grew closer to Ren and Fred. I thought Fred was irrelevant, maybe just to even out the two girls, two boys?

Onto the main character, she was different from other grieving main characters which I admire. It wasn’t all just drab and mourning. It made me feel what she felt. Or perhaps, all the emotions someone might feel when going through grief. At times she was irrational where I even picked up what was happening or what other characters thought that she couldn’t get. Cara was too self-absorbed at times, some times even too hard on herself. Though, it’s what made her character so raw and intriguing.

Grief was the central theme shown, and I like how de Pass viewed it from Cara’s perspective and someone else. It showed that everyone has their own way of grieving. It gave Cara reassurance that she wasn’t alone. Many people have lost at least someone, so it didn’t seem new that Cara was the only one in the book.

Thoroughly, I enjoyed this book and the different setting. It definitely made me curious about boarding schools as I always loved to read and watch them. The originality of these characters really stood out, not just on their appearances (even though they all wear the same uniform lol!) but mentally and what they are thinking, going through, etc. I’m happy to rate this beautiful book four out of five stars!