CW: Suicide ( )

This year has been a lot. It is only fitting that I close out this year having read a truly good book. I am very glad I picked up this book based on its glorius updated cover and summary. I have never bought a book from the dollar tree before, but now I will make it a habit to. It is affordable and there are truly some gems in there. No, insult to Ashley but as for someone who loves books more than anything I would have not found her masterpiece otherwise. I want to thank her for creating something special that I connected to more than she could ever know.

***SPOILERS***
I truly enjoy books and films that have several stories in one that intertwine. Hence, my love of shows like "Modern love" and"Black mirror". I would say I have always found death fascinating. Its a time for me to celebrate the people who have passed. I have yet to lose anyone close to me. I have watched many people experience the pain and its like second hand emotions but unlike them I go on mostly unaffected. I loved all the characters from the good to the bad. Autumn is a lot like me. Wanting to stay home and read. Her losing Tavia was a major shift that changed her and others world. I do love how her and Dante decided to still be together. With a change life this it can be a lot to deal with. I am glad she figured out she still had her own identity as an art and music lover. Her connection with her sister and the struggles of her complicated feelings so well written and expressed. Shay a twin of sasha. Jerome and Ro and the friends of all the characters. Cancer though just as sad and difficult as a car accident or suicide just takes a while. Watching someone you love get sicker is one of the most painful things to do. Panic attacks and music such an important part of her story. With the track and field and music managements its such a beautiful blend of interests that are keeping the characters grounded and reminding them they too are alive. I was happy to see how they finally got Unraveling Lovely back together because they all suffered loss. Logan burdened by words said in anger. Finding peace thanks to his parents getting him help. A mirror was placed in his face to truly get his shit together. If this ever becomes a film or limited series I need the music. I need it to be so good. I imagine Logans voice like JT or Sam Smith.

Why books like this matter:
Most of the characters in this book are people of color, queer, and relatable. I cannot tell you how many books in my 21 years are not all those three things and more. It uses social media without referencing brands that is very easy to imagine because each main character uses different ones. I love the fact there are black twins who created an organization for other black and POC music lovers who run track, have panic attacks, depression, parents who are trying with what they have. A korean adoptee and how her first ever friend made her feel accepted. A hispanic/Latinx family. Exploring grief across the spectrum. Delving into how relationships can get messy and complicated.

Overall, this book is well written. As a debut it just makes me hungry to read more of her work. I love to read books that make me visualize it fully and fall into the story. I am Autumn, Shay, and Luke and I hope to be loved by someone like Dante, Jerome, and Bram. Well done Ashley. ( )

teen realistic fiction w/LGBT interest (dealing with grief x3 - a teen mourns the loss of her best friend, another his ex-boyfriend, another her twin sister).
This was ok, but kind of a downer, at least at first--instead of having to set the story with one sad teenager, you have to wallow through the sad stories of three sad teenagers. I got to page 38 before stopping--I think it was about to get better/more interesting, but didn't really feel like continuing. ( )

literary merit: good
characterization: good (not all the characters are particularly likeable, but they're all believable. For sure.)
recommended audience: teens

Several main characters (if juggling multiple storylines is a problem for you, steer clear) all connected to a now defunct band. What do all of them have in common: death of someone important in their lives: a twin sister, an ex, a best friend. What will bring them back together in the end? Music. Classic teen problem novel with all the angst and feels. ( )

“We all nod. We get it. There’s no way to measure grief.”

I honestly don’t know what to say besides I ADORED this book. My heart broke in every imaginable way and was healed watching these characters on their journey. I felt their every pain, I laughed with them in their joy, and I was a crying mess multiple times. The Beauty That Remains is a stunning debut about grief, healing, and the things that bring us all together.

Things I Liked
EVERYTHING! (I’m not lying I loved everything about this book)

This book is so emotionally resonant. I felt everything along with the characters. I wasn’t a passive reader, this book demands you engage and invest yourself. Their pain is visceral and I felt it. (and I cried many times).

I loved the all characters we get. I feel like we really get to know each character individual and see how they handle grief differently, with each one having lost someone recently. Autumn recently lost her best friend, Tavia, and feels so empty and unsure - especially with the growing feelings developing between her and Tavia’s brother Dante. Logan is trying to rebuild after his ex-boyfriend died by suicide, and now he must deal with not only his grief, but also his guilt for how their breakup went down. Shay lost her twin sister to leukemia and is trying to convince everyone, including herself, that she’s fine. The characters are all going through so much and are dealing with it in different ways, learning as they go and making mistakes and trying to be okay. I connected with Autumn’s story immediately, and really became as invested in the others around the 40% mark.

All the side characters were great too - they felt like their own people, who’s lives intersected with the 3 main character, but had their own lives and were dealing with their own grief. They were their own people, and we got to know them as their own people. I appreciated it.

I really liked the mixed media elements woven through the story. We see texts, emails, blog posts and it really helped to establish both the characters who have passed, and their relationship with the characters who were still in the story.

And I appreciate the incredible diversity that each character brings to the story. Autumn, and her sister Willow, are Korean Americans and adopted. Dante is Latino. Logan is gay. Shay is black. I loved seeing so much diversity in the story!

Things I Didn’t Like
There wasn’t really anything I didn’t like. I thought the connection through Logan’s former band, Unraveling Lovely, was the weakest part - but I appreciated the serendipitous nature of it. I would have prefered to establish some of the history earlier, because we really don’t get all the pieces that connect these characters until around the halfway mark.

I just loved this book with my whole being. It was so amazing and made me an emotional wreck. I am confident in saying that this book will be one of my favorites of the year. The Beauty That Remains is a stunning debut about grief and healing that captures you from the very first page.

I received a copy of the book from Delacorte Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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