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shaynalambert's review
5.0
Truly a powerhouse of emotion, this book! It’s a deep, realistic view of grief, showing many true, ugly parts of healing after a sudden loss. The MC, Casey, lost her twin brother to an opioid overdose, and the book does not shy away from the anger and guilt and self-destructive paths that she takes as she deals with his loss.
I highly recommend this book! It felt cathartic to read. I loved the epistolary style, the confessional way that Casey speaks to her dead brother and thus the reader. This story is heavy in the best way, and really stirred a lot of emotions in me as I related to Casey because of my own experience of loss. This is a wonderful debut, and I can’t wait to read more work by Newbould!
I highly recommend this book! It felt cathartic to read. I loved the epistolary style, the confessional way that Casey speaks to her dead brother and thus the reader. This story is heavy in the best way, and really stirred a lot of emotions in me as I related to Casey because of my own experience of loss. This is a wonderful debut, and I can’t wait to read more work by Newbould!
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
This was a great YA coming of age story about a fat, bisexual surfer girl with ADHD who is dealing with grief over the overdose of her twin and grappling with the new romantic feelings she has for her two best friends.
I was all in for the great representation in this book but I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle plot. It seemed a little too unrealistic for me that high schoolers would entertain a throuple/threesome but maybe that's just me being a super square.
Recommended for fans of We ship it by Lauren Kay (another book with a MC whose sibling overdosed). Thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! This was good on audio narrated by Marli Watson.
I was all in for the great representation in this book but I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle plot. It seemed a little too unrealistic for me that high schoolers would entertain a throuple/threesome but maybe that's just me being a super square.
Recommended for fans of We ship it by Lauren Kay (another book with a MC whose sibling overdosed). Thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! This was good on audio narrated by Marli Watson.
utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Things I'll Never Say is a book about grief, addiction, friendship, and love. It's about all the things we wish we could have said to someone who isn't in our life anymore. Those feelings of anger, resentment, and guilt all wrapped into one. It's deeply emotional. With incredibly strong side characters, Things I'll Never Say has strong internal monologues and the character of Casey is so vivid, detailed, and authentic.
Things I'll Never Say is a book about grief, addiction, friendship, and love. It's about all the things we wish we could have said to someone who isn't in our life anymore. Those feelings of anger, resentment, and guilt all wrapped into one. It's deeply emotional. With incredibly strong side characters, Things I'll Never Say has strong internal monologues and the character of Casey is so vivid, detailed, and authentic.
stephnm26's review
4.0
Check TWs for sure but this is such a great read. A girl who loses her twin brother by OD. Now has a crush on her two best-friends, so she must come to terms with her bisexuality and figure out what is best for her heart overall. I enjoyed how it was written as journal entries from the FMC, Casey, but the other characters were very well developed!
jazzloops's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful story about grief, love and hope from a character who ropes you into her world through journal entries to her brother. By the end I was in tears, but I was laughing and smiling along the way. I'm saving this one for my teens one day (I want to be the nonna from this book!)
lovuelibrary's review
4.0
things i’ll never say by cassandra newbould
☆☆☆☆/5
I need to start this review with a CW. This book deals with addiction, death, overdose, grief, and many other triggers and sensitive material. Please be advised by the CW for this book and decide whether or not it’s right for you before reading.
This was a super emotional book about a girl who loses her twin brother to overdose. The entire book is written in journal entry form and also contains small poems. It also deals with a coming-of-age storyline regarding the FMC’s orientation. She discusses throughout the book her coming to terms with her bisexuality and not being able to understand it without having her best friend/twin to work through it with her.
The characters are very well written and extremely believable. Even though it’s all written from Casey’s (FMC) point of view in journal form, the characters are so well written and you really get a feel for who everyone is. Which can be very difficult to portray, as we only have one perspective of things, and little dialogue. There are small portions that include text conversations, but are still written by Casey and are interpreted by her. I felt so close to Ben and Frankie even though they had no actual part in the book? The way Casey feels for them and writes about them, I really feel close to them and the emotion that she feels for them.
I would categorize this as YA… but due to the subject matter there would have to be strong CW on this category. It meets my expectations for a YA coming-of-age story for sure. The confusion and isolation that Casey feels and the way she deals with it is exactly the type of storyline I expected for this genre.
I genuinely feel for Casey and her struggles. I was rooting for her and only want the best for her and her future. I almost lost it when she said “I can’t imagine living in this world without you for 40 years. Will I still talk to you like this when I’m old? Or will I forget?”. It honestly crushed my heart. It was very real and hit me hard, as I lost a loved one as well when I was 15 years old and wondered the same thing.
The story was very consistent and had no plot holes. There was no confusion and the pacing made sense. Which can be hard considering there are dates on the journal entries.
I loved it and thought it was very well written. I would recommend to readers who are okay with emotional books, and enjoy coming of age and YA romance/LGBTQIA2S+.
☆☆☆☆/5
I need to start this review with a CW. This book deals with addiction, death, overdose, grief, and many other triggers and sensitive material. Please be advised by the CW for this book and decide whether or not it’s right for you before reading.
This was a super emotional book about a girl who loses her twin brother to overdose. The entire book is written in journal entry form and also contains small poems. It also deals with a coming-of-age storyline regarding the FMC’s orientation. She discusses throughout the book her coming to terms with her bisexuality and not being able to understand it without having her best friend/twin to work through it with her.
The characters are very well written and extremely believable. Even though it’s all written from Casey’s (FMC) point of view in journal form, the characters are so well written and you really get a feel for who everyone is. Which can be very difficult to portray, as we only have one perspective of things, and little dialogue. There are small portions that include text conversations, but are still written by Casey and are interpreted by her. I felt so close to Ben and Frankie even though they had no actual part in the book? The way Casey feels for them and writes about them, I really feel close to them and the emotion that she feels for them.
I would categorize this as YA… but due to the subject matter there would have to be strong CW on this category. It meets my expectations for a YA coming-of-age story for sure. The confusion and isolation that Casey feels and the way she deals with it is exactly the type of storyline I expected for this genre.
I genuinely feel for Casey and her struggles. I was rooting for her and only want the best for her and her future. I almost lost it when she said “I can’t imagine living in this world without you for 40 years. Will I still talk to you like this when I’m old? Or will I forget?”. It honestly crushed my heart. It was very real and hit me hard, as I lost a loved one as well when I was 15 years old and wondered the same thing.
The story was very consistent and had no plot holes. There was no confusion and the pacing made sense. Which can be hard considering there are dates on the journal entries.
I loved it and thought it was very well written. I would recommend to readers who are okay with emotional books, and enjoy coming of age and YA romance/LGBTQIA2S+.
geritisdale's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
stephsbooktalk's review
3.5
Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much to PRH Audio for a complimentary copy of this!
This was such a mix of sweet and sad but yet a satisfying ending all mixed together. This book is told in a journal format of a teenage girl mourning the death of her twin brother who accidentally died of an overdosed. He was someone who she would look to for advice and she does so in the form of these journal writings. She often looks for guidance to her brother and now she is really stuck as she is in love with her two best friends.
I thought this book dealt with grief well. I have not lost a sibling let alone a twin but I could feel Casey's pain. I also liked the representation of Casey being not only a surfer but a fat surfer who is bi.
I thought the narrator Marli Watson was great & brought the youthfulness to Casey's character.
If you are looking for a quick YA listen that has some tough topics, high school drama, check this out!
This was such a mix of sweet and sad but yet a satisfying ending all mixed together. This book is told in a journal format of a teenage girl mourning the death of her twin brother who accidentally died of an overdosed. He was someone who she would look to for advice and she does so in the form of these journal writings. She often looks for guidance to her brother and now she is really stuck as she is in love with her two best friends.
I thought this book dealt with grief well. I have not lost a sibling let alone a twin but I could feel Casey's pain. I also liked the representation of Casey being not only a surfer but a fat surfer who is bi.
I thought the narrator Marli Watson was great & brought the youthfulness to Casey's character.
If you are looking for a quick YA listen that has some tough topics, high school drama, check this out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
elsanilenfors's review
2.75
like that it was written through letters. I haven't read many books like that, so that was nice.
Something I've noticed is that I don't love when we're just told the main character likes someone, I’ve to be there and start liking the person with the main character. I didn't feel like I got attached to the characters.
But otherwise it was a nice book about grief and having to move on when you've lost someone important
firestorm2343's review against another edition
5.0
It's like a warm hug.
That was the feeling I got the whole time reading and it took me a while to really think of why, how to explain this feeling.
When I say it's like a hug, it's like a day where you are crying, upset, and struggling. Then someone comes over to hold you in their arms, and tell you "I know how you feel".
They tell you their story and naturally not Everything's the same but there's enough to make you feel like you're not alone. They tell you things that you need to hear. They tell you things that make you know that you're not crazy, not a piece of shit, not broken. That your feelings are valid.
And they're not just saying those things to you, but showing how they got put in a place where they feel those things and that helps you see how natural what you're going through really is.
I think everything about this book was fantastic, from the discussion on grief and trying to live on without someone that was supposed to be there with/for you to the very real person that Casey is as you read her story. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future
That was the feeling I got the whole time reading and it took me a while to really think of why, how to explain this feeling.
When I say it's like a hug, it's like a day where you are crying, upset, and struggling. Then someone comes over to hold you in their arms, and tell you "I know how you feel".
They tell you their story and naturally not Everything's the same but there's enough to make you feel like you're not alone. They tell you things that you need to hear. They tell you things that make you know that you're not crazy, not a piece of shit, not broken. That your feelings are valid.
And they're not just saying those things to you, but showing how they got put in a place where they feel those things and that helps you see how natural what you're going through really is.
I think everything about this book was fantastic, from the discussion on grief and trying to live on without someone that was supposed to be there with/for you to the very real person that Casey is as you read her story. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future