By Heather Hepler
She can't remember,
She can't forget...
Nearly a year has passed since the night Mia killed her sister. She doesn't remember it but she was driving and Rachel is dead. Her family has become as scarred as Mia's face and nothing will be able to repair the damage of that night. And now Mia is being sent to spend the summer with a grandmother she has never before met.
But this summer may just offer Mia a chance to live again but there are the dreams that refuse to let her go and yet they keep the memories from truly surfacing. And then there is the job her grandmother arranged for her - I mean who wants to get up before the sun and go to work during summer vacation. But Brunelli's Diner is just the place for Mia, especially after she meets Fig a personality that just may make her Mia's closest friend.
As Fig introduces Mia to her closest friends Mia is about to see the world through new eyes seeing beyond the surface to that which is inside. Sometimes to start healing we need to see the pain of others and this is just what Mia is about to do. And when you throw in the Brunelli family one has no choice but to heal with all the love they share.
This is an emotionally charged book that shows the different ways we can confront pain and loss. No one person handles it the same as evidenced by Mia, her parents and how dealt with the loss of Rachel differently. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself and this what several characters in this book are dealing with. The guilt one heaps upon one's self is not usually in proportion to what happened but we are left with "if only's" that get magnified as we look back.
This is definitely a teen book with all the issues it deals with. Issues that will leave the reader thinking "How would I have handled this situation?" And the best fiction that stays with us has a way of making us look past the normal that we are comfortable with and thinking and empathizing with the characters we are being introduced to. This would be an excellent teen book club selection if you are looking for a title to add to your list of possibilities.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.
About the Book:
It’s been a year since fifteen-year-old Mia Hopkins was in the car crash that killed her older sister and left her terribly scarred. The doctors tell her she was lucky to survive. Her therapist says it will take time to heal. The police reports claim there were trace amounts of alcohol in her bloodstream. But no matter how much she tries to reconstruct the events of that fateful night, Mia’s memory is spotty at best. She’s left with accusations, rumors, and guilt so powerful it could consume her.
As the rest of Mia’s family struggles with their own grief, Mia is sent to New York City to spend the summer with a grandmother she’s never met. All Mia wants to do is hide from the world, but instead she’s stuck with a summer job in the bustling kitchens of the café down the street. There she meets Fig—blue-haired, friendly, and vivacious—who takes Mia under her wing. As Mia gets to know Fig and her friends—including Cooper, the artistic boy who is always on Mia’s mind—she realizes that she’s not the only one with a painful past.
Over the summer, Mia begins to learn that redemption isn’t as impossible as she once thought, but her scars inside run deep and aren’t nearly so simple to heal … especially when Mia finally pieces together her memories of the night Rachel died.
From acclaimed author Heather Hepler comes We Were Beautiful, a poignant young adult novel about tragedy, forgiveness, and love. Perfect for fans of Robyn Schneider and Justina Chen.
Paperback: 304 Pages
Publisher: Blink (April 2, 2019)
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age
ISBN: 978-0-0310-76643-8
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes and Noble
About the Author:
Heather Hepler is the author of several books for teens and tweens, including Frosted Kisses, Love? Maybe, and The Cupcake Queen. Having lived in East Texas, Alaska, and Death Valley, she currently resides with her son, their two spoiled cats, and their ridiculously smart dog in Maine.Connect with Heather
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Heather Hepler’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, April 1st: @booksbeforebedtime and Books Before Bedtime
Tuesday, April 2nd: Book Fidelity
Wednesday, April 3rd: @createexploreread
Friday, April 5th: Not in Jersey
Monday, April 8th: A Bookish Way of Life
Tuesday, April 9th: Teachers Who Read
Wednesday, April 10th: Blooming with Books
Thursday, April 11th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Monday, April 15th: @diaryofaclosetreader
Wednesday, April 17th: @librarycutie
Thursday, April 18th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Monday, April 22nd: Book by Book
Tuesday, April 23rd: Bookworm for Kids
Wednesday, April 24th: Amy’s Book-et List
Thursday, April 25th: View from the Birdhouse
I love YA lit that gives the reader questions and makes them wonder how they would handle a situation, I think that's such a good marker for how good a YA book is. Thanks for being on this tour!
ReplyDeleteSara @ TLC Book Tours