Name: Su Ah Lee's review of In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker
Item: In Her Wake
Rating: 4
Author: Su Ah Lee

K.A. Tucker

Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything. Discover his side of the story in this novella from the beloved nationally bestselling author, K.A. Tucker. When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys. Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness. And there’s only one person who can give that to him…

A Ten Tiny Breaths Novella

In Her Wake

Su Ah Lee

Anna Ureta

NOTE TO READERS: IMO This novella is best read after you’ve finished reading Ten Tiny Breaths or after you finish the series.

Okay let me tell you a quick story.
 Back in 2014 I read Ten Tiny Breaths, because I wasn’t about to meet K. A. Tucker having not read any of her books yet. Then the rest of the series came out, then the prequel novella, In Her Wake came out.
 Flash-forward to 2016 and I’m ready to pick up this series again. I pick up the novella, read it and then I sit there going, “I don’t remember the story…fuddddggggeeee.”

I haven’t read too many novellas, probably because I prefer to read a physical book rather than an ebook, but let me just say that if a novella around a hundred and fifty pagesish can make me feel THAT DEEPLY, you are definitely doing something right! I’ve never read something with so much grief… Maybe because I tend to stay away from sad novels because I’m an extremely empathetic person, but that was…that was moving (and maybe in some ways just a TEENY TINY BIT creepy :P ).

You never know which day will be your last. Every now and then you think about your future with your best friends, how you’ll grow old and still be cool in your old age – how you’ll remember all the fun times you had when you were young. Well sometimes life can take a turn and suddenly you have to face the world and your future alone. That’s what happened to Cole Reynolds. One mistake, one choice, one action, changed his life, the life of those around him, and the life of Kasey Cleary. Why should he have survived when his two best friends died? How could he possibly go on without them? Cole’s world spirals into a deep dark hole that even he can’t seem to crawl out of, but in time he finds purpose again, and perhaps he’ll be able to feel normal.

“I destroyed her life and then got caught in her wake.
 And I realize now that it’s exactly where I’m meant to be.”

The novella is short but extremely consuming. I just ate up every word and felt every pang of sadness in Cole after the accident that would change his life forever. How do you go on without your best friends? Just thinking about it now… I don’t even know how I’d manage it.
 This story isn’t sad per-say, and it isn’t about feeling helpless, it’s about regretting mistakes and learning to find purpose again.

As happy as I am for someone in deep depression to find their purpose in life again…I don’t know if I would go about it the same way Cole does…. I mean I get what he’s trying to do but at the same time it’s sort of, kinda, creepy. I can’t tell you! You’ll just have to read it for yourself.

But as for the novella, it was a beautiful follow-up/prequel to the series (as Tucker wrote it after the series was complete). Definitely worth reading!

5/5 Hearts of Love

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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Days after finishing it, I'm still in absolute awe over In Her Wake. I knew Trent's story would be painful, but I really didn't expect it to be as hard to read as it was at times. I love Trent. I have since he first appeared in Ten Tiny Breaths as Kacey's sexy neighbor and I stuck with him after the upsetting revelations during the book. My heart ached for him, nearly literally, as I read this book. 

If you've read Ten Tiny Breaths, you know the basics of the story. (If you've not read Ten Tiny Breaths, stop reading this review immediately. Pick up a copy of Ten Tiny Breaths instead.) Kacey loses her best friend, boyfriend and parents in a tragic car accident caused by a drunk driver. Trent (real name Cole) wasn't driving, but he was in the other car. His two best friends died that night, too. One mistake responsible for the lives of six people – and irreparable damage to at least another two lives. It was tragic and heartbreaking. It broke Kacey. After reading TTB, we knew she hasn't been the same since. We never knew just what all Trent went through, however. 

Trent's story tore me apart. (Seriously, I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it as I write this review.) The guilt he felt. The pain. The loss. It gutted me. This was no easy read, trust me. It was a quick one, but it was rather dark at times. Trent's head wasn't an easy place to be in, but I never even once thought of setting this book down. The Trent we met in TTB is so far from this Trent that it's difficult to believe they're the same person. Old Trent was a little creepy in his determination to make things right with Kacey. Do I blame him? No, not really. He lost nearly as much as she did that night. I can't really fault him for trying to make things right. Or, as right as they can possibly be. 

The only thing that disappointed me about this book, being perfectly honest, is that I didn't get any more of Kacey and Trent together. Had this book delved into their meeting, but from Trent's POV, I would have loved it that much more. But, I guess we already know Kacey and Trent's story. In Her Wake wasn't meant to retell it. It was meant to give us insight into what led Cole to become Trent and seek out Kacey. It was his story and his pain. It wasn't pretty, but it was real and unflinchingly honest. It was full of angst, but also hopeful in the end. 

In Her Wake was a great addition to the Ten Tiny Breaths series. When you go into this one, be prepared to feel all the feels – good, bad and everything in between. This series was incredible from start to finish. I can't believe it's really over now. *sad sigh* 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Emotional. Heartbreaking. Raw.

In Her Wake was much more of a rocky ride than I was expecting. Yes, I knew Trent’s story would be sad and emotional, but man, I wasn’t expecting to sob like a child while reading a majority of this book. Yes, it was seriously THAT sad.

Though In Her Wake is technically #0.5 in the Ten Tiny Breaths series, I would strongly recommend reading Ten Tiny Breaths first. This story does take place prior to the time period of Ten Tiny Breaths, but it’s much more appreciated and further understood if you read TTB first.

This story is told through Trent’s point of view. The source of all the feels, you ask? Well, hearing what Trent went through, why he made the decisions he did, and the impact it had on him tore my heart in two. I liked him in TTB, so seeing the horrificness he experienced prior to then really stole my heart.

Since this is a novella and on the shorter side, I’ll keep this review on the shorter side as well. I’ll just leave you with this: This entire series is absolutely amazing. It remains at the top of the charts for my list of favorite series. Though I constantly say I’m not a series girl, and I hardly ever read them, this is one series that I didn’t want to see end. Though I wouldn’t suggest starting with this book, I think it’s definitely worth reading AFTER reading Ten Tiny Breaths. I’m confident in saying you won’t be disappointed.

(Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Gretchen Gomez

I couldn't finish this book due to personal reasons.

The tone of this book was way too sad for me and I couldn't handle it anymore.

dija

Jessica Deaner

meaghan leger 

"When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he'd be able to lean on his best friends -- the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they're gone. Worse, there's the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important -- college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It's not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness"--www.bookmanager.com.

Su Ah Lee &
In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker

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In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker