the while I read this, I kept wondering, "What is wrong with me I pick up this book and, within pages, I'm crying, no sobbing, again, " Loving Jo Knowles since my first NCTE Convention three years ago in Philly when I serendipitiously seated myself at her table for the Middle Level Mosaic, I knew I had to read her latest book, See You at Harry's.
From Jumping Off Swings to Pearl, Knowles always takes her readers down a path that they don't see coming, After finishing the last page of See You at Harry's tonight, I glanced through other GoodReads reviews, Turns out I wasn't alone,
If you head down Knowles' path with Fern, you will join the rest of the early readers of this soontobereleased gem which will having you laughing, crying, and cheering for Fern and her endearingly broken, but average, yet notsoaverage family.
if you want to go through a rollercoaster of emotions, . . then this book is for you,
focused on a family of six, this book will show you the power of family love, how one person can truly make the world of difference in your life, and how important it is to tell the people you love that you love them.
i cried about a dozen times throughout this book because of everything that happens and the transparent emotions you feel and see through each character as they navigate the pitfalls and mountains that life throws at them.
man oh man, i wanted to just reach my hands through the pages of this book and give forehead kisses and bear hugs to each character, youll fall in love with fern amp sara amp holden amp ran amp especially charlie, oh my sweet charlie boy, you are the definition of love, you will forever be in my heart,
last ill say about this book have tissues ready at the waiting ,: As this is a Mayrelease we will have more to say about SEE YOU AT HARRY'S as it's release date draws near.
For those of you who have loved Jo Knowles's past titles, just know this, . . she keeps getting better and better, Jo Knowles is the kind of young adult author that you want good things to happen for, . . you know There is a real gift in "Harry's" and in May, readers will get to open it for themselves, This one of the early "can't miss" books for, So many people told me to read this book, but I was worried that it would make me sad, It did. I cried buckets. Jo Knowles writes the most honest families, Heartbreaking and beautiful. So sad and wonderful. Let me start by saying that yes, this is a great book, But, on a personal level this was probably the hardest book I've ever had to force myself through, On the surface it looks like a fun, lighthearted family drama that will wrap itself around coming to grips with the "outing" of one of the family'skids, Oh, how I was so wrong, In reality the book is about one family's journey through coping with tragedy and unimaginable grief,
The incredible difficulty for me is my own reality of losing both my brother and one of my son's both in shockingly tragic manners, I cried for Fern. I cried for the mom, I relived every memory and painful emotion I've spent so much time healing from, However, I wish I had been able to describe my grief in the exact way Jo Knowles was able to in the prose of this book, Sibling grief is such an usual thing that is hard for others to understand and relate to, Survivors guilt, sibling rivalry, parental resentment, Yes, this. Is. Hard. I think I'll have to stop here,
Definitely worth reading with lots of tissues! ed at:
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Author interview:
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I have read a couple of books recently that were really hard to review Wonder, The Fault in our Stars, The One and Only Ivan because they are books that reach into your heart and settle there.
It is hard to write a review of a book that becomes so personal, See you at Harry's is one of those books, As I sit here trying to write a review, I don't know how to put all of my feelings into words, I keep on trying to write more, but the words just don't sound right, . .
Summary: As Fern enters middle school, everyone in her family is dealing with their own problems, Her father is worried about the business, her mother only pays attention Fern's baby brother Charlie, her sister Sara is miserable working at the family diner while all of her friends have gone off to college, and her brother Holden, who she is normally close to, is dealing with his sexual identity.
In the middle of all of this, Fern feels ignored well except by Charlie who is always following her around and annoying her, The only person keeping Fern sane is her levelheaded and optimistic best friend Ran, He almost makes her believe that everything will be okay, But then everything changes and even Ran cannot believe that all will be well,
What I Think: This book is brilliant, Jo Knowles has taken a story that seems like a coming of age story and made it about not only her, but her family and so much more, Now, I don't want to say too much as the devastation in the book was not what I expected and I want to allow you to feel the same shock as I did.
What I thought this book was going to be about ended up being a subtext to what the family must really wade through,
I read this book in one sitting and the emotions I felt through this book were such a roller coaster ride, I cried for about/of the book, I laughed often and was so very proud by the end, My heart was exhausted by the time I finished,
I love this book very much, I will give you three reasons,Very rarely like onlyother times has a book made me laugh out loud and cry within pages of each other,Fern is a young girl that is so relatable and likeable that you can't help loving her and her voice,This book is beautifully written and will stay with you for a long time,
Snatch of Text:
"When we finished sniffling, my mom adjusted herself in the bed so she could look at me, 'Fern,' she said softly, 'Do you know why I named you Fern'
I nodded looking at the drawing of the girl on the cover of the book,
'Why' she asked.
'Because Fern is one of your favorite characters'
'And why is that'
I shrugged,
'Because Fern cares,' she said, 'From the moment you were born, I could tell you had a special soul, I knew you'd be a good friend, A hero. '
I looked at my chest and tried to feel my soul buried in there, deep in my heart,
'It's true,' my mom said, 'Not everyone would share a sandwich with Random Smith, '
I smiled, feeling my soul stir a little, " p.
"Holden is always running off in a huff, and I am always the one searching for him and bringing him home, Holden's named after the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, I wasn't supposed to read it until I'm older, but I snuck my mom's paperback copy out of her room last year, The pages were all soft from her reading it so many times, The book is about this boy who's depressed because he things everyone he knows is a phony, so he runs away, I understand why my mom liked the book and all, but I personally think is was a big mistake to name your kid after a boy who tries to kill himself, even if he is thoughtful and brilliant.
My favorite parts in the book are when the main characters talks about his little sister, Phoebe, Sometimes I think I'm a little like Phoebe to our Holden, Because in the book she's the one he goes back for, And that's sort of like me, Only I have to go looking for him first, " p.A heartwrenching story of family love and healing, filled with beautiful language, vivid and loveable characters, and precious moments of uplifting humor, I admit that this book had me sobbing the real deal and I usually hate books that make me cry, but this was such a moving and ultimately uplifting book that it made all the tears each and every one worth it.
Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal,
Twelveyearold Fern feels invisible, It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom when shes not meditating helps Dad run the family restaurant Sarah is taking a gap year after high school and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesnt know hes gay, even as he fends off bullies at school.
Then theres Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyones world, Hes devoted to Fern, but hes annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention, If it wasnt for Ran, Ferns calm and positive best friend, thered be nowhere to turn, Rans mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be, And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe its true, But then tragedy strikes and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart, All will not be well, Or at least all will never be the same, Last night my husband had to confiscate our Kindle from me because I was crying uncontrollably, so wrecked by what had just happened in the book I was reading that I could barely even breathe, I was crying so hard.
This morning, though, I took the Kindle back, I started reading again, and ten minutes later, I was crying again, But I didn't stop reading until the end of the book, because I couldn't,
The book was Jo Knowles's See You at Harry's I got an eARC through Netgalley, and honestly, if anyone had warned me ahead of time what was going to happen in the book, I would never have picked it up, because I would have known I couldn't deal with it emotionally.
But I'm glad that no one warned me, because it was worth it,
See You at Harry's is an MG book narrated byyearold Fern, She's part of a big, loving but conflicted family that all chips in like it or not to run their family restaurant, "Harry's", Fern's parents love her but don't always notice her, distracted by the neverending work of the restaurant, by their concerns over her two older siblings, and by heryearold brother Charlie, who's always getting in Fern's way.
Fern has a best friend, Ran, who's suddenly disconcertingly hot, and she has a muchloved older brother who's dealing with bullying at school,
Every single character feels utterly real as I read, I was there, I was a part of that family, I was absolutely in Fern's head and feeling her emotions, her frustrations and her fears and hopes.
The family dynamics are all so true, the aggravations and frustrations and joys of normal life in a big, busy family,
And then something terrible and unexpected happens, and the whole family has to reshape itself to deal with it,
I can't remember the last time I cried this much and this hard over a book, . . but I couldn't put it down at least not voluntarily, either, I had to know what would happen to Fern and her family, I cared SO MUCH about all of them, And I'm glad I kept reading, The end is just exactly right,
This is a really, really beautiful and emotionally compelling book, But do keep a box of tissues nearby if you start reading it especially if you are a parent, As Rebecca Stead said,"Heartbreaking, soul staining, and allaround beautiful, " This book is definitely beautiful, and I have never called a book beautiful before, The way Jo Knowles writes is incredible, A few of the chapters were in such focus and detail, I couldn't help but smile at the writing, But This book was also heartbreaking, I cried, kept crying, and couldn't stop crying, When Fern didn't cry, I couldn't cry, She was breaking down inside and so was I, Then, Sarah kind of forced her to cry, let her just pour it all out, That is when I cried too, The moments when Fern would listen and listen to the answering machine, the trip to the beach, the moments of the entire family breaking apart, these were the worst, I really could not stop crying, But even though this book was heartbreaking, I loved it with all my heart, Their hearts were broken, but the pieces were put back together with little Charlie's love, See you at Harry's was absolutely soulstaining, I will remember the lessons learned and Fern's story forever, I learned so much about living in this book, Take nothing for grated and always remember everything happens for a reason, This is definitely one of my absolute favorite books! I hope that you love it just as much as I do, and remember that there IS a happy ending for the entire family!
Lastly.
. .
See you at Hawee's!
and this is not a lie like Fern once thought If you are a parent of small children, do not read this book.
I love Jo Knowles, I think she's a brilliant writer, and whenever she comes out with a new book, I don't even bother to check what it's aboutit's an instant Must Read for me.
That was the case with this book, too, I was so excited for a new Jo Knowles book, I dove in, and got immersed in her pitchperfect characters and middle grade voice, There were all these lovely bits and elements, and I was looking forward to seeing where it was going,
And then the unthinkable happened,
I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet, but this book takes my absolute worst nightmare as a parent, and examines it, dissects it, explores it, pokes all the corners so I couldn't get away from it.
I tried to keep reading, because I wanted to see how everything would work out, but it was hard to read because I kept sobbing, I couldn't even talk about it without crying, I don't think I'll be able to finish this book,
If you do not have small children, read this book, Jo Knowles is a lovely writer, and this book is no exception to her excellent canon, But if you do have small children, stay away, unless you like to torture yourself, Tween book for sure!
A very realistic family story, Very sad story.
I found that the grieving process to by very authentic and real,
I would be careful who I recommended the book too, Appeal Characteristics: family relationships, death, restaurant business, bullies, coming out/gay relationships, school
I cried like a baby at this book, I love dysfunctional families. For some reason, I hate reading adult literary works about dysfunctional families, but I love kids perspectives on them, Fern's family is tough to beat, I felt like this was Bridge to Terabithia for the next generation, I don't want to write any spoilers because I want the magic to be there for anyone who wants to read it, Fern's raw emotional journey from beginning to end had me crying like a baby, Jo Knowles deserves all accolades she's getting from this book, The characters in here were all developed into rich, flawed works of art, that just shows simultaneously how precious and frail humans are, I loved how quirky the parents were especially with the children's names and just how strong the supporting cast of characters were included, Also, I liked how she used that middle school time to show how feelings can develop, and not every girl is ready for a Gossip Girl relationship, I think that's what made me love the book even more, Lush, Intimate, Tender, Humorous, and HeartBreaking are just the many tones to describe what's held inside the pages of this book, In the end, you realize, "All will be well, "
Red Flags: Hate Slurs, Mild Language, Mild violence descriptions,