Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero–a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off … back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her.
Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It’s causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed–just not in the way he, or she, expects.
Candace Ganger’s Six Goodbyes We Never Said is no love story. If you ask Naima, it’s not even a like story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye.
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Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger is a sad, emotional but well written story about two young teens who suffer the loss of their parents and try to navigate through their pain, while dealing with their mental illnesses. It’s a story with a lot of grief, heartache, family love, friendship and about learning to let go.
I adored the two main characters and rooted for their well-being! Naima, who is struggling with OCD, GAD, depression and PTSD by counting her lucky charm marshmallows and everything in sixes. She’s learning to cope with the loss of her father’s death. Dew, after losing both his parents is dealing with his anxiety behind his tape recorder. These two teens are both in therapy, they’re trying to accept the loss of their parents while getting used to their new homes and family life. But it’s not easy. Naima just wants to be left alone but Dew desperately wants a friend. They meet in an unlikely way and a strange but healing friendship helps these two teens learn to let go.
The reason I gave this four stars and the only part that was a disconnect for me was that the language was not very realistic. The dialogue and point of view at times was from adult children and not teenage children that lost their parents. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and think it was a good representation of how teenagers deal with loss and mental illnesses.
I won this ARC from the publisher. This is my fair and honest review.
4.5 Stars
Candace Ganger has penned a beautifully touching story about loss, grief, friendship, hope, and love. This isn’t an easy or lighthearted read, but I enjoyed all the achingly feels.
Naima and Dew have both lost people they love. They have their own issues and struggles that affect their daily lives and the people around them. They’re hurting and they’re scared, but they want to be happy. What happens when two broken souls meet? Will they be able to help each other heal, let go, and finally say their goodbyes?
This story is absolutely lovely and so meaningful. Both POVs and storylines touched my heart in so many ways and by the end, I definitely had so many wonderful feels. There are plenty of raw, real, and emotionally painful parts that affected me, but there are also so many heartwarming and sweet moments sprinkled throughout the story. Some scenes even made me smile and laugh and yes… there’s a bit of swooning too. There’s just so much honesty, hope and love in this story that even if my heart hurt so much for Naima and Dew, I felt some joy too.
The characters are not always easy to like at all times, but they’re charming and intriguing with so much realness. Naima’s pain and anger is so palpable that sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Her part of the story is definitely the most difficult for me to read. Naima’s relationship with her father broke my heart a thousand times. I didn’t see my dad before he passed because he lived in the Philippines, so this really hit me so hard.
I adored Dew so much. He’s sweet, caring, funny, honest, kind, loving, and always tries sees the best in people. He is just pure light and goodness so it’s literally impossible not to fall for him. I enjoyed reading his part of the story and his friendship with Violet is so cute and endearing. I love his quirks so much. Dew absolutely stole a piece of my heart and soul and I’m perfectly okay with that.
The supporting characters are just wonderful. Violet is eccentric in her own way, but I definitely liked her. She’s interesting and fun. Dew’s sister, Faith, can be a brat, but I liked her sassy personality. I love JJ and Kam and Stella and Thomas. I think they’re amazing — patient, supportive, kind, and loving. I liked Nell too. She seems to really care about Naima’s well-being and she tries to be there for her. Even though Ray is gone from Naima’s life, I could feel how much he truly cares and loves his daughter throught the messages he leaves her.
Wonderfully meaningful and utterly poignant, Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger is such a beautifully written story about grief, friendship, family, love, and having the courage to say goodbye and move on. I loved the writing, the loveable characters, the heartwarming relationships, the sweet moments, and all the emotions. It’s heartbreaking and difficult to digest, but there are so many amazing and uplifting moments that filled me with so much hope and love. Such a touching and lovely story and I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher Wednesday Books via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review and for participating in a blog tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Candace Ganger’s heartbreakingly honest, raw story of two teens struggling with grief and mental illness in the wake of incomprehensible loss is a moving testament to the power of human connection and forgiveness. Dew and Naima will stay in your heart long after the final page.
A no-filter story of living with loss, guilt, and mental illness. Naima and Dew are a mess of imperfections, and you’ll want nothing more than for them to figure out how to be okay(ish) again.
Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a knowing tour de force filled with crackling wit, pain, and mini, freeze-dried marshmallows. Original and funny, the best parts may be found in the small moments, especially Ganger’s hilarious, spot-on dialogue, as well as tucked within the brilliantly-placed parentheticals. All that and a bowl of Lucky Charms. Or maybe six boxes.
“Everyone needs that person. The one who sees you stuck between the minute and the hour hands of your most painful moments, and reaches out for you.”
This is one of those books that sneaks up on you. I started it after a few intense reads and struggled a bit with connecting to Naima so I set it aside for a few days, took a breath, and restarted. And then BAM! I’m so glad I picked it back up on the weekend because once I restarted I couldn’t put it down. This book took hold of me, took a piece of my heart, and just reflecting on it now has me tearing up. It’s one of the most powerful YA books I’ve ever read and probably the first time I’ve ever read a book where I wished I wasn’t the empath I am. But I’m enriched for having read it and am in awe of Candace Ganger.
At the center of the story are Naima Rodriguez and Andrew “Dew” GD Brickman. Two souls on the same hellish collision course with the worst thing in life, death. They are both experiencing tremendous and ferociously palpable grief that drives their paths towards and yet away from each other. Naima, traumatized by loss and life is riddled by OCD, GAD, and PTSD. Dew shares many of the same inflictions and as similar as their situations are, couldn’t be more different. But trust me, you need to get to know them. There’s something in both of them that the reader can connect with, you’ll want to experience their journey and see them safely off on their paths toward happiness and health.
I really can’t stress how incredibly well this book is written. Ganger’s writing is prolific and beautiful. Her style is clever and makes the story the immersive experience it is. My heart clenches at the thought of it, of Naima and Dew ‘s pain, of the cathartic release it inspired in me – yes, that response! This is a book worthy of the 5++ star, re-read status. And as for those books that I and those books that I thought were intense, just fell a notch or two in comparison.
I love when a book catches my attention with either the cover or description but I am not really ready for the gem it truly is. I was presented with an opportunity to read an early copy of this story, it caught my attention and I immediately signed up.
WOW! I don’t know exactly what I was expecting but I didn’t realize how much it would hit home to me. I worked with kids for a couple years in the mental health field so this story really did pull at my heart strings.
I loved the way Ms. Ganger told this story it is unique and really captured my attention. And she will definitely tap into your emotions and really grab onto you. I will forever carry this story with me. This story is ABSOLUTELY a must read and make sure you have tissues within reach.
It took me a minute to sort out these wonderfully intricate characters after I did I fell in love with all of them. The combination of anger and hurt from Naima broke my heart throughout most of the book. Then Dew would heal it a bit. He was going through his own grieve but he dipped his in sunshine.
Six Goodbyes We Never Said is a smart, heartbreaking story of love, loss, friendship, and finding their way through loss.
Oh my heart, this book!
I can’t even find the words — enough words, good words — that adequately convey how impactful, how emotional, how amazing this book is.
Naima and Dew are teens forced to endure unspeakable losses. Both are orphans now living with people who love them, but don’t always completely understand them, though they try — oh, they try so hard. The story dives deep into mental illness including General Anxiety Disorder, OCD, depression, suicide, and the complexities of navigating these disorders is practically Technicolor, it’s shown so vividly.
I’m normally a fast reader, finishing most novels in a single day, but this story took me way longer and that’s not a bad thing. It forced me to slow down, to feel, to process, to understand what I was reading and that is the novel’s most amazing capability — that I closed the book with a deeper comprehension of just how hard a struggle it can be for people living with such illness to simply get through a day.
Naima and Dew may be, at first glance, annoying characters. But when you take the time, as I just said, to read and read CAREFULLY with deliberation, you feel their pain and ultimately…their hope. Candace Ganger’s writing is poetic, poignant, deeply and intensely emotional, and at times, scathing. This novel is one that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
This was an incredibly powerful, emotional read. While I struggled at times with the dual POV writing style, I thought that discord actually added a little something to the story. I appreciated the quirky, realistic characters, and the fact that Ganger wasn’t afraid to tackle real issues in her novel. I understand that she writes from personal experience of the disorders she presents, and I think this lends a lot to the emotional impact of the story. Though it is intended as a YA novel, I (as not-so-young adult) enjoyed it tremendously, and even got a little weepy in (many) places. I highly recommend!
“The only thing consistent is change. We have to accept it or become our own enemies.”
Namia’s father didn’t come back from his latest tour, and she’s having trouble coping with the fact she will never see him again. Because she suffers from OCD, GAD, and PTSD it’s making things harder to deal. She’s so used to pushing everyone away, that when someone good comes along, she doesn’t know how to deal.
Enter Dew. He’s living with foster parents because he lost both of his parents in a car accident. That loss has manifested in avoidance and anxiety. His foster sister throws a lot of fits, so she can be hard to deal with, but you wouldn’t know it from the way Dew smoothly handles her. His foster parents are good people and they want the best for him. He wants to befriend Namia, but she isn’t making it easy. She thinks he’s weird and she wants him to stay out of her business.
I really liked Violet, she’s a great addition to the book and the author could even give her a book that I would most definitely read. When I read e-books, I highlight things that stick out or things that resonate with me, and there was a lot of highlighting done in this book. The book is beautifully written and it touches on so many real-life issues that people are struggling with (which I greatly appreciate).
Sometimes Dew seemed a little too “on”, a little too “perfect”, especially in the way he looked at his foster sister Faith. But the way he watched his family form was touching, I loved his positive view of the world and his acceptance to see what was under the surface.
I know this book wasn’t for everyone, it does get a bit tedious at times with some repetition. Once Naima gave Dew a chance, the book picked up and I would have liked for them to meet sooner. Despite those small issues, I loved this book. It was witty and poignant, and very thoughtful. Naima’s way of playing “Would You Rather” to stay connected to her father was amusing. She’s so much stronger than she realizes and I love how assertive she is. She’s actually really funny when you get past the tough exterior. I’m not sure where her PTSD comes from as it would be too soon to diagnose after the loss of her father, but as a sufferer, I can relate to her struggles. Very nicely done.