Release Date: 4th February 2021
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 352
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Synopsis
One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery–one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
Review
Dear Edward is the heartbreaking and emotional story of Edward Adler, a twelve year old boy who is flying from New York to Los Angeles along with 183 other passengers. When the plane crashes, tragically Edward is the only one who survives. Told in two timelines of the moments leading up to the crash and Edward afterwards as he attempts to understand his purpose in life and how he will cope when he’s lost everything.
Dear Edward isn’t the kind of book I normally pick up but it sounded like a really compelling story and I was so intrigued. This book is a beautiful story, following Edward as he moves to live with his aunt and uncle, attempts to live a normal life as well as honour all those that died in the crash. The story is quite a slow paced one, it’s very much a character study of Edward and the people on the plane. I really liked Napolitano’s writing style and the characters were very well developed. Even though we only get snapshots of the people on the plane, they felt very real and relatable.
I was really surprised that some of the moments before the plane crash are taken from black box recordings of actual plane crashes and that Edward is inspired by a young boy who was the only survivor in a plane crash. It really added another layer to the story and left me thinking about this story longer after I’d finished turning the pages.
I really enjoyed seeing Edward grow up and I loved his relationship with his neighbour Shay. It was fascinating to see how the crash affected so many people even if they were direct family members of the victims. This is a thought-provoking read and despite it being at times quite a difficult read, it’s a story well worth reading.
The Crooked Mask is the sequel to Rachel Burge’s The Twisted Tree. Following on from the events of book one the story follows Martha as she ends up working at the Circus of Myth and Mayhem in an attempt to uncover the truth behind Nina’s death. When she discovers there is much more going on in the circus than she first thought, she is drawn into a dangerous game with the trickster god Loki, but can she uncover the truth before it’s too late?
Black Sun is the first book in a new series from Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning. The story is a multi-perspective tale following different characters on the lead up to a rare solar eclipse in the holy city of Tova. We follow Xiala, captain of a ship that is carrying a strange man to the city. The passenger – Serapio – is a blind and scarred young man with much more to him than meets the eye. Then there is the Sun Priest, preparing for this celestial event and attempting to navigate the politics of the order. As the solar eclipse begins, the three characters must battle for survival.
The all new addictive YA thriller from C. L. Taylor, the story follows six families who holiday together every year. This time they’re in Thailand and the six teenagers are taking part in a week long survival trip on a remote island. When their guide dies suddenly the teenagers are stranded and the trip quickly takes a dark turn. As the group attempt to survive they quickly learn someone on the island knows their worst fears – but who is making them come true?
An all new fantasy YA trilogy, Secrets of the Starcrossed is a story set in a world in which the Roman Empire has managed to retain a stronghold in Britain, creating the walled city of Londinium and an uneasy peace with the British kingdoms around it. The city has made great advances in technology and science and citizens live strongly by the code and rules in place. Cassandra is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and she is due to marry Marcus Courtenay, but when she helps her classmate avoid trouble for carrying a piece of illegal tech, she discovers there might be more to her past than she originally knew and she might be the lost girl he is searching for.
The Burning Girls is the newest dark and twisty thriller from The Chalk Man author C. J. Tudor. As soon as I read the synopsis for this one I was dying to read it. The story follows Jack and her daughter follow as they move to Chapel Croft, a small village incredibly different from the busy city life they’ve left behind. Chapel Croft is the fresh start they need and Jack is taking the spot of the new Vicar in the close knit community. As Jack and Flo begin to settle in they learn that there’s much more going on in Chapel Croft than meets the eye – will Jack be able to uncover the truth and protect her daughter from the sinister goings-on in Chapel Croft?
The Heiress is a beautiful historical fiction tale that follows Anne de Bourgh, a side character from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Anne is the heir to her father’s estate and has spent much of her child under the influence of laudanum. From a young age she has been promised to her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy. When Darcy’s engagement to Ms Elizabeth Bennett is announced Anne is cast aside and wonders what will become of her future. In order to escape the control of her mother Anne flees to London and takes up residence with her cousin John. Whilst there she shakes off the influence of her ‘medicine’ and takes her first steps into London society but will that be enough to allow her to take up the mantle of mistress of Rosings Park?
Good Morning, Midnight is an end of the world story following two different characters as they attempt to survive. Augustine is an astronomer living in a remote research facility who refused to evacuate with the rest of the scientists. Left alone he soon discovers a child named Iris who has been left behind. All alone Augustine must learn to care for the child and ensure their survival. Sully is a Mission Specialist onboard the ship Aether as it returns from a research mission on Jupiter. With no contact with Earth below them, they question what has happen on Earth and if the team will ever get home.
Last One to Die is a fast paced and addictive tale that follows Niamh, a young Irish girl who can come to London for the Summer to study. She soon discovers that women are being attacked all around the city, women who look alarmingly like herself. As Niamh attempts to focus on her studies and her work placement at the sinister Victorian Museum, she soon discovers there might be even more to this serial attacker than she first thought.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 