Review: THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS by Ashley Woodfolk

Review:  THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS by Ashley WoodfolkThe Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk
four-stars
Published by Delacorte Press on March 6th 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:

Ashley Woodfolk’s The Beauty That Remains is one of the most moving books I’ve read in a long time.  It is a story about love and loss and how overwhelming the grieving process can be.  In some ways because of its subject matter, it was a difficult book to read.  I felt my heart absolutely breaking for the characters in this book over and over again because their grief was so palpable. At the same time, however, I thought it was a beautiful read with an important message about how we all grieve in our own way and in our own time, and I thought Woodfolk did a beautiful job of exploring that as she takes us through the grieving process of three teenagers who have lost someone close to them.

The book follows Autumn whose best friend Tavia recently died in a car accident, Shay who is dealing with the loss of her twin sister Sasha to leukemia, and Logan, whose ex-boyfriend Bram has committed suicide.  As soon as we meet each of them, it becomes clear that they are really struggling to cope with the loss of their loved ones.  Autumn spends more time at Tavia’s home than she does her own now and also sends emails to her dead friend’s Gmail account almost every day because she doesn’t feel like she can talk to anyone else about how lost she feels.  Shay is struggling, not just because looking at her own face in the mirror every day is a constant reminder that she has lost the person closest to her in the whole world, but also because she just doesn’t feel like she knows how to live or where she fits in without Sasha by her side.  She feels awkward around their mutual friends, and then there’s the music review blog she and Sasha ran together.  Shay can barely imagine trying to move forward with that without Sasha, whose reviews were the heart and soul of the blog.  Logan is not only mourning the loss of Bram who he’s pretty sure he was in love with, but he is also wracked with guilt because he and Bram had a huge fight and Logan said some awful things to him that he never got the chance to apologize for.  Logan is barely hanging on and starts drinking to cope with his emotions.

As Autumn, Shay, and Logan withdraw from their friends and family and bottle up their emotions, we see firsthand just how messy and ugly grief can be.  Woodfolk takes us deep into the psyche of these grieving teens and shows us exactly what they won’t share with those around them:  all of those haunting ‘what ifs’ –  what if we hadn’t fought, what if I hadn’t said those awful words, what if I had gone to the party with her, what if….

 

Powerful and authentic presentation.  I think what I liked most about this book is the way Woodfolk presents three completely different journeys of grief and healing to show just how truly individual the grieving process is.  Autumn, Shay, and Logan each experience their own unique array of emotions and develop their own mechanisms for coping with their loss.  Some of the emotions and coping mechanisms are of course healthier than others, but what each of them goes through just feels so authentic.  At times I felt like I was right there either grieving with them or wishing I could say something to take away their pain.

An emotionally devastating book that still manages to have a beautiful and positive message.  Even though this book was at times emotionally draining just because its subject matter is so difficult and intense, I still thought it radiated such a positive message overall.  Woodfolk shows us that no matter how dark a tunnel you find yourself in after losing a loved one, there is still light at the end of it.  You just have to keep pushing through at your own pace until you get there.  And you can’t do it alone.  You need the love and support of the ones you keep pushing away.  And of course you’ll always miss the person that you lost, but you can still heal and move forward.  Your loved one would want that for you.

The healing power of music.  Even though all of the teens in this book expressed their grief in different ways, they still had one thing in common on their journey to healing…music.  Music in the form of a local rock band called Unraveling Lovely is the thread that connects these three individual journeys of grief.  I’ve always found music to be cathartic and healing so I loved that it played such a central role in this book and helped these teens find their way through the darkness.

 

I had a couple of small issues with The Beauty That Remains but nothing so big that it took away from my enjoyment of the overall story.

Autumn has a budding romance with Dante, the brother of her deceased best friend, and I was torn about that.  On the one hand, it was nice to see Autumn and Dante talk to each other about the loss of Tavia, especially since they weren’t really talking to anyone else about it.  At the same time, however, every time their meetings took a romantic turn, the romance just felt out of place.

I also occasionally had trouble keeping all of the character’s names straight and kept mixing up who the survivors were and who the deceased were.  I’d have to refresh my memory each time I picked the book up again.  I think that was my own fault though because the book got to me so much emotionally.  I happened to be reading The Beauty That Remains the same week that 17 students and faculty members lost their lives at a high school in Parkland, Florida.  The book just hit me all the harder as I thought about what the students, parents, and administrators at the school must be going through and so I could only read a little at a time before I just needed to take a breather.  I think if I been able to read it straight through without stopping so much, keeping the names straight wouldn’t have been an issue.

 

Through her characters and their experiences in The Beauty That Remains, Woodfolk gently reminds us all that there isn’t a right or a wrong way to grieve when you lose someone you love.  We all grieve in different ways and some of us take longer to heal than others, but as long as we keep moving forward, eventually there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death wants to tear them apart.

Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.

But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.

Despite the odds, one band’s music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

 

 

 

four-stars

About Ashley Woodfolk

Ashley Woodfolk graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English and her life-long love of books led her straight to the publishing industry. She’s a member of the CBC Diversity Committee and markets books for children and teens. In her abundance of “spare” time, she writes contemporary YA. Indie movies, beer, books, and burgers are a few of her favorite things. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and pit bull puppy, Winnie. THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS is her debut novel.

26 replies
  1. Sara @ Forever 17 Books
    Sara @ Forever 17 Books says:

    It is so very important to me that grief is shown differently because people do have their own ways of dealing. I’m so glad this book explored that. I look forward to reading it.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I agree. That was what I loved most about the book, that it really hammered home that there’s no right or wrong way to grieve for someone you’ve lost.

  2. bookworm
    bookworm says:

    Even with the qualms you mention, this one sounds like a moving read. I agree, music is cathartic. Great review, glad you enjoyed this one. I like the cover and title too.

  3. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    Thank for yet another detailed and highly readable review. I think I’ll pass on this one – I don’t really want to read about grief, but this sounds like a wonderful, worthwhile book and I love that beautiful cover:)

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yes, I think you would have to be in the mood for an emotionally heavy read to really enjoy this book. I do love its message though.

  4. Angela
    Angela says:

    This sounds like such a tough read, but also an important one. It sounds like it has so many good messages about grief.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It’s definitely an emotional draining read at times, which I think is important to know going in, but yes, so many important messages are in there too.

  5. Kelly @ Here's to Happy Endings
    Kelly @ Here's to Happy Endings says:

    This sounds like a really beautiful book that deals with some really heavy topics, but does so in a way that makes you love the characters and the story. I’ve seen this around and I’m pretty excited to read it, but I should probably pick up a box of tissues along with it! Great review!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I agree with you. It was still a lovely book but I think it would have been an even stronger read either without the romance altogether or else with it better woven into the narrative.

  6. Lauren Becker
    Lauren Becker says:

    Oh wow, this sounds like a really beautifully written book. I like that the author focuses on different ways people cope with grief, and how they aren’t always the healthiest. I also like that the all have music in common, because that’s something that often makes me feel better/less alone.

    -Lauren

  7. Daniela Ark
    Daniela Ark says:

    I didn’t enjoy this one much 🙁 it was a DNF for me. Found it too depressing and couldn’t connect with the characters. I’m happy you did enjoy it!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Sorry to hear this one didn’t work better for you. I think it’s probably one of those books you definitely have to be in the mood to read since it is so sad.

  8. Lauren
    Lauren says:

    I finished this last Friday and I completely agree with your review. I found it hard to get behind Dante and Autumn’s romance as well. It just didn’t really stand out to me & nothing felt incredibly swoony or chemistry filled about it. I’m also glad to hear I’m not the only one who had a hard time keeping everyone straight! And yes, yes, yes about the overall message – I loved the idea of the “beauty that remains” and I loved seeing the characters eventually come to that conclusion as well. Great review, Suzanne!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yes, I think if the romance either hadn’t been there at all or else had been done a little differently, this would have easily been a five star read for me. Everything else about it was just beautiful.

  9. Literary Feline
    Literary Feline says:

    Books dealing with grief are always very emotional for me, but there’s something about them that draws me to them. I really want to read this one. I find music to be cathartic as well. I am glad you liked this one, Suzanne. I look forward to reading this one even more now.

  10. Verushka
    Verushka says:

    It’s weird sometimes, how people think they know what the right way it is to grieve, and decide to push it on other people. I love LOVE that this book acknowledges that grief is a personal thing and different for people. Wonderful review!

  11. Candid Cover
    Candid Cover says:

    This is such a beautiful book! I am so glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did. Sometimes these books with the grieving theme are hard to read, but this one has a really nice balance. <3

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