Jeff Zentner

"The heart-breaking and at times humorous look at one teen's life after the death of his best friends and how he navigates through the guilt and pain by celebrating their lives--and ultimately learning to forgive himself"--

Goodbye Days

Bria

would’ve been a five star if carver helped jesmyn through her grief

jess

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 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.

Delaney Woods 

** spoiler alert **
           i don’t actually know how i feel about this book. it’s about a boy whose 3 best friends die in a car accident because they were texting him so it was super sad and focused a lot on him dealing with the guilt from that. that aspect was definitely done well. however, the dialogue between him and his friends was extremely cringey and they all acted like they were 10 years old when they were actually 17. the main character also began to have feelings for his dead friend’s girlfriend so that wasn’t my favorite. overall enjoyable but i wouldn’t necessarily recommend to people.

Sophia Lazari

esse livro foi incrivel, mesmo pra mim q nao gosto muito de realistic fiction e sim de romance e fantasia. do comeco ate o final foi catching, com uma vibe mto diferente e com uma mensagem mto forte. o livro foi mto bem escrito eu consegui ate sentir a grief e guilt do Blade, e o jeito q o autor usou pra espressar a frustracao, solidao e raiva juro q doeu em mim. eu gostei mto do main character e dos sides, todos unicos e incriveis (principalmente a georgia), e eu gostei q cada um se sentia de um jeito diferente por ele, alguns com raiva, alguns culpando e alguns com pena. as melhores partes com ctz foi com o Dr. Mendez e os flashbacks com o Sauce Gang. Os goodbye days really hit me mano, eh absurdo o quao bem esse autor escreve e o quao louco eh vc sentir oq os characters tao sentindo, de pais que tao mourning os filhos ate pra advogado q doesnt give a shit. 
eu daria 5 estrelas se eu gostasse desse genre e eu tenho ctz disso, dei 3 pcausa do quao bem foi escrito mas se fosse pra levar em conta q n eh os tipos de livro q eu gosto eu daria menos. 
se vc gosta de realistic fiction em vez de acao toda hora e esses bgl loco, esse livro eh pra vc. super recomendaria

courtney garrison

This book was good and I enjoyed it, but I had an issue with one scene. We will get to that later. You have the MC Carver (Blade) who just lost his three best friends to a car accident. He is dealing with guilt because he sent the text that his friend was trying to reply to when he crashed the car.

Carver struggles with his guilt and pending prosecution on whether or not he is guilty of playing any part in the accident. You see him end up in therapy and dealing with panic attacks. Shortly after Blades funeral, Blades grandmother suggest they have a good bye day. They have one last day to remember Blade and say goodbye.

You see Carver struggle throughout the story, he truly thinks it is all his fault that his best friends are dead. Soon, from family members of his friends, he friends out that maybe his part was just one action in the part that made the accident happen.

I loved the writing and the anxiety rep. I did, however, have a problem with one scene in the book. The scene to me basically mocked suicide. You can see from the image that it shows the boys making gestures and mocking killing themselves over having to listen to the teacher’s lecture.

Overall I did enjoy this novel and it does a good job on showing guilt and how others may deal with grief differently. In Carver’s instance, he has severe anxiety and panic attacks over feeling responsible for his friend’s death. You see carver grow and make progress to heal and move on.

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 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.

Emi Gilmore 

Amanda Kordeliski

Sebastian coccimiglio

Las frases que te deja el autor y como te hace reflexionar, pensar y sentir lo que vive el personaje son lo mejor de la vida, me encanto 5⭐

The heart-breaking and at times humorous look at one teen's life after the death of his best friends and how he navigates through the guilt and pain by celebrating their lives--and ultimately learns to forgive himself. What would you say if you could spend one last day with someone you lost? One day Carver Briggs had it all--three best friends, a supportive family and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts. The next day it all crashed and burned, literally, after he wrote them out of existence with an inane text sent to his friend Mars--the last words his friends ever see. Carver can't stop blaming himself for the fatal crash and he's not the only one. Eli's twin sister is trying to freeze him out of school with her death-ray stare. Even worse, Mars's father, a powerful judge, pressures the district attorney to open a criminal investigation into Carver's actions. But Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli's girlfriend, who is the only person to stand by him at school, and Blake's grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a Goodbye Day with her--having him stand in as Blake for one last day doing all their favorite things so they can share memories and say a proper goodbye. Soon Eli and Mars's families are asking for a Goodbye Day with Carver--but he's unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these Goodbye Days bring Carver one step closer to prison or a complete breakdown?

Becky

If you want to cry like a baby and remember the importance of friendships and family and basically living in the moment then this is the book for you. I own another book by Jeff Zentner but I have never read anything by him before. He is an author I've heard many a good thing about but I am so glad I waited to read this book by him first. I was emotionally wrung out by the end but so very, vert happy as well.

This book is centred around Carver who has lost his three best friends in a car accident and is blaming himself because he texted them around the time of the car accident. It leads him on a path of guilt and self-discovery as he spends time with the families of those he loved trying to help them get some closure whilst also trying to get closure for himself. There is a mixed response from the family of his loved ones because too often we want to find someone to blame when we lose someone. It has to be someone's fault because bad things can't just happen.

I haven't cried so much reading a book in a long time. I know I get emotionally involved in things very easily, much like Carver I cry at youtube videos about good deeds, but this book will hit you in the feels and then beat you around the head with your emotions right until the end. But in a good way,y ou know? You may be ugly crying but you'll be happy about it, trust me.

Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming' Nicola Yoon 'Hold on to your heart- this book will wreck you, fix you, and most definitely change you' Becky Albertalli Can a text message destroy your life? Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. Now Carver can't stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, there could be a criminal investigation into the deaths. Then Blake's grandmother asks Carver to remember her grandson with a 'goodbye day' together. Carver has his misgivings, but he starts to help the families of his lost friends grieve with their own memorial days, along with Eli's bereaved girlfriend Jesmyn. But not everyone is willing to forgive. Carver's own despair and guilt threatens to pull him under into panic and anxiety as he faces punishment for his terrible mistake. Can the goodbye days really help?

Jawahir M

Descriptive Phrase: A heartfelt tender story that delves into the tragic circumstances of grief and loss. Score: 5/5

Goodbye Days is one of those books that will really make you sit and think about everything around you, I found myself in a deep discussion with my younger sister about accountability, guilt, loss, and the butterfly effects that some of our actions cause. If a book can result in such profound thoughts I think its done its job. Zentner has written a captivating story with genuine characters that will move and break your heart.

Goodbye Days deals with Carver Briggs, a young teen who sends a text to Mars Edwards. Mars was driving at the time with two other best friends of Briggs: Eli and Blake. This results in a tragic accident where the three pass away, and Craver is placed in a tragic situation where he must go through the grief of losing his best friends and dealing with the guilt brewing inside himself. The novel starts with Carver attending his friends' funerals and from there the we follow Carver and his story as the novel progresses. 

We've all read the known YA novels where depressing teens and death are a integral element but Zentner takes this further by providing a morally enigmatic story that looks into grief, accountability, and the weight of our actions and words. The story is highly captivating and I could not put the book down. It reveals a lot about us humans and how we process things, our brains seek to look for a pattern because it is difficult for us to come to peace that some things just happen, and bad things happen to good people for no reason. So to me the guilt that Carver felt, and the pointed fingers he got from the dead friends' relatives is expected. This all stems from the emotions and turmoil that humans have from grief and thus each "Goodbye Day" is illustrated differently from one family to another. Zentner writes about trauma and panic attacks so well I can completely feel what the character is going through. I feel this could be a really good YA novel to be read in schools because so much topics can be debated and important discussions can be brought up. 

In terms of characters Zentner really knows how to write modern complex characters that are enriching and flawed. There are so many layers, grey areas to them, and that is a great competent for a contemporary YA novel. Nana Betsy made my heart ache and sing, Eli made me want to hear his singing voice, Pierce enraged me, Blake made me laugh, and Carver annoyed me sometimes but also shattered my heart. The flashbacks made the death of the three even more sad as with each flashback it adds another piece of their persona. I also loved how the talk of the past (in form of dialogue) helped us readers shape the type of personas the three. 

Loved the pacing of the novel and the author's writing style. Zentner's made it easy for us to progresses the book swiftly and transcend from one goodbye day to the other. The conclusion was an appropriate ending though I must say that maybe the way things escalated between Jesmyn and Carver might be too quick and slightly weird. All in all I'm intrigued to read Zentner's first novel The Serpent King which I heard star reviews about.

Tiffany Engler

This book broke me in more ways than any book has this year. My heart hurt through most of this book. I felt every single emotion that Carver felt. Jeff Zentner is an artist with words. He paints such a vivid picture of what grief can feel like like. Of what having anxiety feels like. I've never read a book that explains it so freaking well.

Jeff wrote a book about something that can happen any time during someone's life. Death while using your phone while driving. This is a topic that's not as talked about as it should be. This book really opens your eyes. Especially, from the person who sent that last text to the person who was killed in the accident. This book should be read by every single individual who uses their phone while driving.

In Goodbye Days, Carver gets invited by Nana Betsy to have a goodbye day for Blake. I have never heard of this concept before but I'm totally planning one for the future. It seems like such a lovely way to say goodbye to a loved one. Thank you Jeff for introducing me to this.

Also, Nana Betsy has so much love from me. She reminds me so much of my grandmother who passed.

You get to see so much from this book. Dealing with guilt. Dealing with anxiety. Dealing with loss. This book is heavy. Prepare your heart for the heartbreak you'll get from reading this book.

5/5 Stars

Laura

This is a fine book. Getting that out of the way right now because the more I talk about it the more I may convince you that I really didn't like it, when I did. It wasn't my favorite book ever, but it was enjoyable enough. 

I kept forgetting that it was written by Jeff Zentner, especially since this is basically a long Adam Silvera book. Tbe characters, the writing style, all very Adam Silvera-y. I like Adam Silvera, don't get me wrong, but he's not my favorite YA contemporary writer and his books are typically on the younger side of YA. Still, better him than Becky Albertalli or John Green. 

Plotwise, the book reminds me a ton of The Lies About Truth, what with the car accident and the main character blaming himself for the death of his friends like how Sadie blamed herself for the death of Trent, as well as similar musings about God and forgiveness. Which I liked, especially given that The Lies About Truth was one of my favorite books of last year.

My biggest issue with Goodbye Days is the amount of cringe that it's in the book, mostly surrounding Jessmyn and Carver. I had such a hard time with their parts because, well, they reminded me of that Diversity Day episode of The Office that was basically unwatchable to me because I dislike that particular brand of cringe comedy. I also felt strange about the way Zentner introduced diversity to the story, like he had to get that out of the way before he could start to flesh out his characters. The first time we meet Jessmyn, she comments about her "Filipino genes", which struck me as a very odd thing to say to someone. And in casual conversation she keeps bringing up the fact that she's Asian, usually in really awkward places and, frankly, every time she showed up in a chapter or whatever I went into skim mode because their conversations made me super uncomfortable. I also thought Georgia's interactions in the beginning with Dr Mendez were really awkward because she is only there to inform us of his husband and children, the whole conversation coming across as when Barney from How I Met Your Mother introduced his brother James as being his gay black brother, though not nearly as enjoyably awkward as that scene. 

Also, the writing was pretty inconsistent. I loved the way certain parts were written, usually the sentences right before the chapter ends and Zentner tries to channel Cormac McCarthy, with short, beautiful sentences that hit hard. The rest of the book was okay, but very much a YA novel with teenspeak and lots of often gratuitous swearing. The really pretty parts felt like a tease, because if that's how he can write why doesn't he write the entire book like that? Because, take away those parts, and you have a book that could have been written by any of the recent YA hit writers, from Nicola Yoon to Becky Albertalli to Adam Silvera.

Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...

Maria

Kate Douglas

Hannah DCamp

dulce yasmin 

Megan Bliek

Jacob Salyer

Emily Orlando

“Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything. Perfect for fans of Turtles All the Way Down,Thirteen Reasons Why, and Zentner's own The Serpent King, one of the most highly acclaimed YA novels of 2016, Goodbye Days asks what you would do if you could spend one last day with someone you lost. Where are you guys? Text me back. That's the last message Carver Briggs will ever send his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. He never thought that it would lead to their death. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, a powerful judge is pressuring the district attorney to open up a criminal investigation. Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a “goodbye day” together to share their memories and say a proper farewell. Soon the other families are asking for their own goodbye day with Carver—but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these goodbye days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison? "Jeff Zentner, you perfectly fill the John-Green-sized hole in our heart." —Justine Magazine “Evocative, heartbreaking, and beautifully written." —Buzzfeed "Masterful." —TeenVogue.com “Hold on to your heart: this book will wreck you, fix you, and most definitely change you.” —Becky Albertalli, Morris Award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Goodbye Days

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