The Flanagan clan (all 26 of them) are gripped in the throes of grief and don't know how to move forward. Each mourns Patrick's death in their own way but in isolation, not as a family and it is tearing them apart.

"Sorry For Your Loss" is raw and heartbreaking, and by the end, I was sobbing. I adored Pup, the narrator of this novel and the young of eight. Being the baby of the immediate family he is often ignored and from the first page, I loved him. His voice was real! Gangly, struggling at school but full of untapped potential, Pup wants to bring his broken family back together but is unsure how. My heart bled for him.

I also loved the whole Flanagan family who come together for Sunday dinner EVERY week! They are loud, interfering and messy, and very authentic. I felt their pain and ached for them all, especially Luke who bore an awful secret. The only two characters I disliked were Izzy, Pup's unrequited love interest, and her boyfriend, Brody.

Full of emotion and heart-warming moments, "Sorry For Your Loss" is a poignant, beautifully written novel dealing with loss, guilt, unconditional love and finding your place. A wonderful read! ( )

Extremely satisfying. Given the themes, this was funnier than I expected. ( )

As much as I liked the writing, I had a hard time finding the direction of the story, or the point. It was as if the story had an identity crisis. I enjoyed the characters, but some parts were unnecessarily over dramatic and the main character remained out of focus. The end (if you can call it that) was anticlimactic. More of a 2.5 stars, I'm rounding up to 3. ( )

Recommended by Liza H