Goodbye Days

When I first received Goodbye Days, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. But, after reading the first line, "Depending on who - sorry whom - you ask, I may have killed my three best friends" I was intrigued and drawn into the story.

The storyline is very timely and explores many modern day themes, including texting and driving, bullying, anxiety and depression. It explores many human emotions such as love, friendship, grief, loss, guilt and fear. The characters are authentic, believable and likeable. The dialogue is natural and realistic. I loved the descriptive sentences such that I had a true vision of events.

It made me think about how people grieve differently and how they cope with significant loss and tragedy. The idea of holding a show more "Goodbye Day" for a loved one is very thoughtful and helpful It was interesting how everyone approached these days in a different manner. I was inspired with how the main character, Carver, moved through the various emotions and learned so much about himself and others.

This would be a great book for discussion, in a class room, as it has a really good message and lots of things to learn from.

I highly recommend Goodbye Days! show less

The book opens with one of the best lines I've ever read:

"Depending on who--sorry, whom--you ask, I may have killed my three best friends."

Immediately, we know that as readers, Carver is going to be interesting. We learn that Carver's best friends, Mars, Eli and Blake, died in a car crash because Mars was texting Carver back. What follows is Carver's journey through grief, anxiety and depression as he attempts to come to terms with what happened to his friend group. To add insult to injury, Carver is being investigated to see if he can be charged criminally for the deaths of his friends.

I think the topic of this book, and the subject matter dealt with as a result, is timely. Texting today seems like a basic part of life, and many show more people's first instincts in a variety of situations is to grab their phone. What is lacking in the everyday experience, is the real life consequences that result from not being aware whilst using said technology. Whether you're crossing the street, and are not aware of your surroundings because you are on your phone, or you're operating a vehicle and texting (WHICH IS ILLEGAL), you are putting both yourself and the lives of others at risk. Goodbye Days applies a consequence to these actions, both on Carter and on his friend who decided to text him back while driving. Carter, had to learn the hard way what happens when you're impatient and expect the instant gratification that comes with an immediate response; and Mars lost his life, along with the lives of two of his friends because he couldn't wait to pull over to read and answer Carter's text.

The only people who seem to be on his side are Blake's Grandma Betsy, Eli's girlfriend Jessmyn, and his family. Grandma Betsy asks for Carver to spend a 'Goodbye Day' with her, a day to say goodbye to Blake by doing the things they loved together. This is where I started getting very emotional. Up until this point in the book, I had been able to handle everything that was thrown at me. However, when Carver and Grandma Betsy started "bad fishing", I was a goner. After this point, I was only able to tackle a few pages a day because I'd be crying.

It got me thinking about what Goodbye Days would look like for me, and who I wish I could have had one for. My grandparents who have passed on, kids who passed away when I was growing up, my friend who died in the car wreck... I think that's why this book is so emotionally poignant and timely. You don't know when your last day with someone will be, so what would you do if you had the opportunity to live a last day out with them. The emotional maturity it would take to even act as a surrogate for a loved one is astounding.

I'm very impressed with how Jeff Zentner wrote Carter's panic attacks. As someone who has had several myself, his depictions were so vivid, I felt as though I was experiencing them myself. I also love that he used Carter's relationship with his therapist, Dr. Mendez, to help the readers cope as well. This book was so heavy, and hard to read, that Dr. Mendez felt like my therapist too. I was dealing with Carver's loss as if it were my own, and I needed his voice to break up the narrative that was weighing on me so heavily.

I would 100% recommend this book to absolutely everybody. It will be hard to read, and downright painful in some spots. However, I believe that the circumstances are important, the subject matter is important; and the way that Jeff Zentner writes about grief and the variety of impact that it has on people, is important and will help start a conversation that needs to be had. show less

Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for a free copy of Goodbye Days!

Well, shit, does Jeff Zentner ever know how to make me cry in public. This is the story of Carver, a teenager who's three best friends died in a car accident when the driver responded to a text that Carver sent. There's something about the depiction of grief in this book that sort of... snuck up on me. One minute I was fine, the next minute I was blubbering because Carver said their names out loud.

Apart from the fact that I DEFINITELY should have had some tissues handy, here are some observation about the book in no particular order:

1. I initially found the concept of the book to be frustrating. How could a kid be held responsible for a car accident when he wasn't show more even present -- he just texted the driver? Surely it's on the driver to not look at his phone behind the wheel. Turns out I needn't have worried because that's addressed in the novel.

2. This is possibly the most powerful book about distracted driving I've ever read. Through the various family members and friends, Goodbye Days explores all of the ways that people fall apart and things change after a traumatic event. With a variety of depictions of grief -- and possibly the best-written panic attack I've seen in fiction to date -- to say that this book is powerful is a bit of an understatement.

3. I'm a bit of a crabby old person, so I didn't enjoy the flashbacks to their days as friends as much. They're very well done, and I would have been all over them as a teenager, but apparently, I've become, I don't know, jaded.

4. Christianity is something that's working into the lives of a lot of the characters, and discussions of God and religion come up throughout. And that stuck out to me because I don't see that too much in fiction. It seems like either a book is explicitly Christian fiction, religion is portrayed as something negative that a character is escaping from, or there's no religion mentioned whatsoever. I very rarely see books that portray religion as simply a part of a person's life. I'm not religious myself, but I appreciate this depiction.

So, I cried a lot, the writing is beautiful, and I would definitely recommend this for fans of John Green et al. What a gorgeous, heartbreaking book. show less

This book was so emotionally draining and stunningly real. It's heavy and tough but there are still moments of laughter - it's not all sad, but it definitely makes your heart ache. Carver Briggs texted his three best friends right before they hit a car, killing all three of them. So the narrative isn't just about resolving grief; it's about resolving guilt and finding a better place when your whole world has shattered.

And it's good. Carver's very realistic in being a teenage boy going through such a tough time. He can be an asshole, he ruminates on the death of his friend and gets panic attacks, but he also makes dirty jokes and crushes on girls. He's not regulated to moping for the entire book. His voice stood out; sarcastic but show more genuinely beautiful.

I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Carver's friends. With those and the surviving family members, I felt like we got to know his friends too. Georgia was a highlight; she's supportive of her brother and teases him and comforts him and it's so nice to read about a sibling relationship like that.

The portrayal of how different families deal with grief and their beliefs on death was really interesting to see as well - as well as ideas on destiny and the "Butterfly Effect" theory. I think that it's a big part of how families cope with grief. It was also nice to see a positive portrayal of therapy and how Dr. Mendez really helped Carver and not, you know, Falling In True Love or whatever.

This was definitely an incredible book. It's really fucking sad and will tear your heart out but will leave you feeling calm at the end. show less

Carver Briggs's three best friends - Mars, Eli, and Blake - died in a car accident. An accident he feels responsible for. He wasn't in the car, but he was the one who texted the driver asking for an ETA. And the driver was in the middle of replying when they slammed into a semi and died instantly. And Carver isn't the only person who blames him for what happened. Eli's sister is determine to freeze him out. And Mars's father is looking into having him charged for negligent homicide. At least Blake's grandmother doesn't blame him. Instead, she wants to have a goodbye day with him. One last day when the two of them do all the things she wishes she could have done with Blake one more time. It's a healing day that helps both of them gain show more closure over Blake's death. Eventually, Eli and Mars's families ask for goodbye days as well. But it's uncertain whether these goodbye days can go nearly as well as Blake's had given certain family members' animosity towards him.

This was a heart-wrenching look at the grief, guilt, and anxiety that comes after losing loved ones unexpectedly. Carver's interactions with his best friends' families truly had me tearing up more than once as he confronted everything he would miss about them, and all the things their loved ones never knew. His anxiety attacks felt so real and immediate. His discussions with his therapist cut deeply into the heart of his issues and left me feeling how raw Carver's emotions were. Even the pseudo-romance with Eli's girlfriend felt authentic in all it's complicated, messy, and guilt-ridden glory. This wasn't an easy book to get through by any means. There was too much unvarnished emotion going on. But it was supremely satisfying to see Carver get to a healthier place in his grief, to see him work through everything he was feeling after losing his friends. If you're in a place to deal a lot of angst, this is highly recommended. show less

Goodbye Days spent a lot of time on my tbr list before I finally picked it up. And I'm glad I did.


Goodbye Days was so beautiful I'm unable to phrase just how much I loved it. If I were Jesmyn, I'd describe this book as pinkish golden with dashes of midnight blue, but I'm not, and so I have to hunt for words to describe just how beautiful this book is.


The storyline itself it so amazing and thought-provoking. Being an avid social media user, I've never given much thought about texting someone. I mean, it's just texting right? But this book made me realize just how wrong I was. It made me realize just how many lives a single text message could ruin.


I laughed with Blade at all of the crazy things he'd done with his 'Sauce Crew' and I show more cried with him as he remembered his dead friends, and blamed himself for his death.


One of the things that makes this book so beautiful is how it makes you feel every emotion so completely. When it makes you laugh, you laugh so hard that your stomach starts cramping. And when it makes you sad, it does it so completely that you can't stop sobbing—and I did that at 12 AM, trying and failing to stay quiet as everyone slept. Thankfully, I live in a house full of deep sleepers.


Anyway, back to the book. I loved how all of the Goodbye Days affected Blade differently. How one made him admit what he felt about his friends' death, and another made him realize his own feelings and how another helped him finally put his demons to rest.


I loved Jesmyn's unique character and the important role she played in Blade's life, as his sole support and friend. I loved, how despite everything, they managed to help each other get through the tough times.


I loved Dr. Mendez for his skills, for the way he made Blade realize everything. I loved how, in the end, Blade's experience helped him too.


Goodbye Days was a book full of so many characters who each learnt something, developed some, grew some, because of one fateful day.


Goodbye Days was raw, honest and guileless. It was the story of a teenager, but not his alone.


This book was just—wow. I've written so much and I'm still nowhere close to explaining just how profoundly this book has affected me. This was supposed to be a fun read. A read to take a break from all the ARCs I'd been reading.


Instead, it turned into a midnight readathon, which ended with teary eyes, snotty nose and a huge jumble of emotions.


This review is way different from my usual 'style' and I suppose it is because unlike the others, this one comes straight from my heart.


Goodbye Days has definitely become a favourite, and as soon as I get my paperback copy, it'll be a prized possession, shelves between my favourites. show less

Zentner understands survivor's guilt at the deepest level. This is a story about the tragic deaths of three teenagers and the impact it has on the fourth friend and their families. Carver Briggs feels responsible for the death of his three best friends. He distracted the driver, Eli, with a text. Eli then crashed the vehicle and killed all the occupants. Each family responds differently to the deaths of their children and to Carver's involvement.

But the story is really about Carver dealing with grief, death, fear and loneliness. Zentner describes a panic attack so vividly that you may catch yourself tensing in response. The only person who Carver can socialize with his the bereaved girlfriend of Eli, the driver. This raises complicated show more issues and feelings.

Blake's grandmother, Betsy, asks Carver to spend the day reliving her special moments with her grandson, whom she has raised since four years of age. Carver, who is barely coping has mixed feelings about this event but agrees for the sake of the grandmother. This opens up a whole new can of worms with the other parents of the deceased teenagers.

The author stops the book from becoming a dirge by interspersing chapters of Carver's silly, happy memories with his friends. But, the author also adds to the tension by raising the possibility that Carver will be sent to jail for his part in the deaths.

Zentner tells a story with great sensitivity and insight. The emotional depth portrayed by the protagonist and the other characters is realistic, insightful, and unforgettable. No matter whether you believe Carver contributed to the deaths or not, you will root for this young man in hopes that he can put his life back together. You will quickly become invested in the story and find yourself curling up in a corner and refusing to move until you are finished.
I won this book on a librarything giveaway. show less