I received this Audiobook from publisher, Finished Copy from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk Published by Random House Children's Books on March 6, 2018
Pages: 336
Source: Audiobook from publisher, Finished Copy from Publisher
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Told from three diverse points of view, this story of life and love after loss is one Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, calls a "stunning, heart-wrenching look at grief that will stay with you long after you put it down."
We've lost everything...and found ourselves.
Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death might pull them apart.
Autumn always knew exactly who she was: a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan has always turned to writing love songs when his real love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan is a guy who can't stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger who's struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.
"Woodfolk's debut cuts deeply and then wipes your tears away. Wrenching, heartfelt, and vividly human." --Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"Haunting, heart-wrenching, and powerful...a tearjerker must-read for teens!" --Dhonielle Clayton, author of the Belles series and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things series
"This books hurts so good. With three distinct narrators and lyrical prose, Ashley Woodfolk stakes her claim as a fresh new voice to follow in the world of young adult literature."--Julie Murphy, author of Ramona Blue and Dumplin'
My Thoughts:
What a gorgeous story. I mean, it will totally break your heart. But in a really beautiful way, so you almost don’t mind.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of books with multiple narrators. I was so invested in each of the teens telling their stories in this one. Shay, Autumn, and, Logan have each lost someone they cared deeply about. Their worlds have been rocked. Grief is such a personal thing and they’re each dealing with it (or not) in different ways. My heart went out to each one of them and I just wanted to help them find their way!
I loved the way Woodfolk wove the three characters’ stories together. The reader discovers the connections between them as the story progresses. So you’re getting to know each character and their life, as well as how they’re all connected. It was really, really beautiful.
The exploration of grief and how we deal with it was so strong in this book. People grieve differently. And the same person can have a different grieving process for different losses. I think this is really good for teens to see. I’m so glad books like this exist.
And of course there’s the music aspect. Music is a huge part of Shay, Autumn, and, Logan’s lives in different ways. I loved seeing how it helped them and brought them together.
The Beauty That Remains is a stellar debut. A heartfelt contemporary that you won’t soon forget.
Audiobook Notes: Gorgeous. Loved that there were different narrators for each of the three main characters. The beginning of the chapters for each narrator has a slightly different format and they did a good job adapting that to audio. Check out a sample here.
Kristin @ Flickering Lights
I’ve never heard of this book before, but I can’t wait to add it to my TBR. Great review! 🙂