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13 Ways to Say Goodbye
A novel-in-verse about life after loss, 13 Ways to Say Goodbye beautifully renders the power of sibling bonds, the depth of grief, and the strength of learning to love again, perfect for fans of Everywhere Blue and The Distance to Home, from the author of The Song of Us.
Nina always followed her older sister, Lily. But just before her thirteenth birthday, Lily died, leaving Nina behind forever.
In the three years since she lost her sister, Nina has completed Lily’s secret Before Birthday lists to continue in her footsteps. But now Nina is catching up. When Nina flies to Paris, France, and completes tasks that Lily never finished, Nina finds herself magically transported inside of her own memories, face-to-face with the ghosts of her past.
With her birthday looming and the last list running out, Nina is torn between visiting her sister in her memories and adventuring in the present, including crushing hard on her art classmate, Sylvie. Should she follow Lily’s instructions or try something new? And what happens when she finishes the list?
Nina always followed her older sister, Lily. But just before her thirteenth birthday, Lily died, leaving Nina behind forever.
In the three years since she lost her sister, Nina has completed Lily’s secret Before Birthday lists to continue in her footsteps. But now Nina is catching up. When Nina flies to Paris, France, and completes tasks that Lily never finished, Nina finds herself magically transported inside of her own memories, face-to-face with the ghosts of her past.
With her birthday looming and the last list running out, Nina is torn between visiting her sister in her memories and adventuring in the present, including crushing hard on her art classmate, Sylvie. Should she follow Lily’s instructions or try something new? And what happens when she finishes the list?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2025
8 people are currently reading
2,946 people want to read
About the author
Kate Fussner
2Ìýbooks53ÌýfollowersKate Fussner writes books for young people and bakes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. She holds a B.A from Vassar College, an M.Ed. from University of Massachusetts Boston, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People from Lesley University. After over a decade of teaching English for the Boston Public Schools, Kate now spends her time writing and walking her dramatic dog, Mrs. Weasley. She is represented by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary. Her writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and elsewhere. She and her wonderful wife live in MA.
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August 28, 2024I loved this one so much I blurbed it!! Fuller review coming closer to pub date <3
February 18, 2025
How can a novel written for a middle-grade audience bring me to tears? Thank you to Kate Fussner and HarperCollins for the ARC.
A quick and important read. I have never read a novel-in-verse but this has made me want to explore them more often.
I connected to many things about how this was written.... The real, human depiction of all of the characters. The way queerness was explored gently and was just one facet of Nina, but was still given its moments of significance. The way the exploration of Paris was blended with language and memories.
This book is so lovely, and I can see it really helping kids as they're growing, especially those who need a grief perspective or who want to see queer characters. It's coming out on March 18th, so please look into it.
A quick and important read. I have never read a novel-in-verse but this has made me want to explore them more often.
I connected to many things about how this was written.... The real, human depiction of all of the characters. The way queerness was explored gently and was just one facet of Nina, but was still given its moments of significance. The way the exploration of Paris was blended with language and memories.
This book is so lovely, and I can see it really helping kids as they're growing, especially those who need a grief perspective or who want to see queer characters. It's coming out on March 18th, so please look into it.
March 11, 2025
13 Ways to Say Goodbye by Kate Fussner is the second book I have read by this author in two weeks and upon finishing it, I immediately ran to preorder a physical copy.
This book follows Nina who is grieving over the sudden loss of her sister and as a way to manage her grief, she is determined to finish a list of things her sister made in Paris with her aunt. While she is there, she forms a connection with a girl named Sylvie. While exploring Paris, the connection grows deeper but what does it mean?
I loved this book. The sapphic representation in a middle grade book is so important right now. I love that this is a novel in verse. It makes it more accessible to middle grade readers. Not all middle schoolers want to read regularly formatted novels so I love seeing books like this as an option.
The grief representation in this is done so well. Not just with Nina but you also see how the loss affects her parents and the people around them. Grief is such a hard subject to write about, especially on a level that middle grade readers will understand but I think this was perfect.
This book made Kate Fussner an autobuy author from me and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
This book follows Nina who is grieving over the sudden loss of her sister and as a way to manage her grief, she is determined to finish a list of things her sister made in Paris with her aunt. While she is there, she forms a connection with a girl named Sylvie. While exploring Paris, the connection grows deeper but what does it mean?
I loved this book. The sapphic representation in a middle grade book is so important right now. I love that this is a novel in verse. It makes it more accessible to middle grade readers. Not all middle schoolers want to read regularly formatted novels so I love seeing books like this as an option.
The grief representation in this is done so well. Not just with Nina but you also see how the loss affects her parents and the people around them. Grief is such a hard subject to write about, especially on a level that middle grade readers will understand but I think this was perfect.
This book made Kate Fussner an autobuy author from me and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
October 14, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this novel in verse, Nina decides to attend an art camp in Paris ostensibly so that she can visit her Aunt Renee, but really because it is intolerable to stay at home with her parents after the death of her sister Lily. Her aunt is glad to see her, since the family usually visited every year, and makes arrangements for the daughter of a friend who is also attending the camp, Sylvie, to travel with Nina to class. Nina is struggling with several things, not the least of which is missing her sister and having regrets about things that she did and didn't do with her. Every year, Lily would make a list of "12 things to do before she turned 12", but she never even got to complete the 13th thing on her list. Even though Lily always gave Nina a hard time about copying her, Nina is determined to do all of the things on the last list. She and Sylvie get off to a rocky start, but Nina slowly picks up more French, takes her art more seriously, and convinces Sylvie to do some stereotypically touristy things with her. She develops a crush on Sylvie and isn't quite sure what to do about it, especially since the only person she's ever discussed the fact that she likes girls with is Lily. Eventually, she and Sylvie hold hands and kiss hello and goodbye, even though their time together is limited. After a falling out with Sylvie, and a lack of e mails from her parents when she asks them questions about Lily, Nina wanders off in Paris on her own. She comes across her sister's favorite place, and starts to heal a little bit. When she returns to her aunt's, her parents are there. Since everyone is upset because Nina was unaccounted for, when everyone simmers down, they are able to have some important conversations. Nina also talks to Sylvie, and is able to get some closure in that relationship as well.
I am classifying this as a fantasy, because Nina has very vivid, realistic dreams about the past, and at one point has a conversation with the spirit of her sister.
Strengths: This was a nice, light romance set against the very picturesque background of Paris. It was especially intriguing to see that Nina had a pretty good grasp of French, and was familiar with a lot of the city. There are lots of landmarks that are described, which will delight young readers who might one day like to go there. Like Schroeder's My Secret Guide to Paris, there is the undercurrent of dealing with death in the family, for readers who enjoy that. It was nice that Aunt Renee gave Nina a lot of freedom, and taking an art class in Paris would be quite the experience.
Weaknesses: While it creates more dramatic tension for parents to throw themselves into their work and ignore their remaining children after the death of an offspring, I think it's more common to get the child into therapy and spend a lot of time with them trying to help them cope. Why middle grade fiction so often draws grieving parents in this negative light, I will never understand.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who can't get enough of stories about the death of siblings like Condie's Summerlost, Dooley's Free Verse, Gale's The Other Side of Summer, Guterson's The Einsteins of Vista Point, Holt's From Me to You, O'Connor's Halfway to Harmony, Warga's The Shape of Thunder, Gemeinhart's The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Redmon's The Miraculous, Stoddard's Right as Rain, or Saunders' The Land of Neverendings.
In this novel in verse, Nina decides to attend an art camp in Paris ostensibly so that she can visit her Aunt Renee, but really because it is intolerable to stay at home with her parents after the death of her sister Lily. Her aunt is glad to see her, since the family usually visited every year, and makes arrangements for the daughter of a friend who is also attending the camp, Sylvie, to travel with Nina to class. Nina is struggling with several things, not the least of which is missing her sister and having regrets about things that she did and didn't do with her. Every year, Lily would make a list of "12 things to do before she turned 12", but she never even got to complete the 13th thing on her list. Even though Lily always gave Nina a hard time about copying her, Nina is determined to do all of the things on the last list. She and Sylvie get off to a rocky start, but Nina slowly picks up more French, takes her art more seriously, and convinces Sylvie to do some stereotypically touristy things with her. She develops a crush on Sylvie and isn't quite sure what to do about it, especially since the only person she's ever discussed the fact that she likes girls with is Lily. Eventually, she and Sylvie hold hands and kiss hello and goodbye, even though their time together is limited. After a falling out with Sylvie, and a lack of e mails from her parents when she asks them questions about Lily, Nina wanders off in Paris on her own. She comes across her sister's favorite place, and starts to heal a little bit. When she returns to her aunt's, her parents are there. Since everyone is upset because Nina was unaccounted for, when everyone simmers down, they are able to have some important conversations. Nina also talks to Sylvie, and is able to get some closure in that relationship as well.
I am classifying this as a fantasy, because Nina has very vivid, realistic dreams about the past, and at one point has a conversation with the spirit of her sister.
Strengths: This was a nice, light romance set against the very picturesque background of Paris. It was especially intriguing to see that Nina had a pretty good grasp of French, and was familiar with a lot of the city. There are lots of landmarks that are described, which will delight young readers who might one day like to go there. Like Schroeder's My Secret Guide to Paris, there is the undercurrent of dealing with death in the family, for readers who enjoy that. It was nice that Aunt Renee gave Nina a lot of freedom, and taking an art class in Paris would be quite the experience.
Weaknesses: While it creates more dramatic tension for parents to throw themselves into their work and ignore their remaining children after the death of an offspring, I think it's more common to get the child into therapy and spend a lot of time with them trying to help them cope. Why middle grade fiction so often draws grieving parents in this negative light, I will never understand.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who can't get enough of stories about the death of siblings like Condie's Summerlost, Dooley's Free Verse, Gale's The Other Side of Summer, Guterson's The Einsteins of Vista Point, Holt's From Me to You, O'Connor's Halfway to Harmony, Warga's The Shape of Thunder, Gemeinhart's The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Redmon's The Miraculous, Stoddard's Right as Rain, or Saunders' The Land of Neverendings.
August 19, 2024
ARC read full review to follow. A beautiful novel-in-verse about finding your own path while respecting all the ways that children grieve. 12-year-old Nina found comfort in art even when her friends and family expected her to be over the grief of losing her sister and not be sad anymore. “I don’t want to be the girl with the dead disaster or pretending she never existed. They both hurt.� Nina convinces her parents to let her visit her aunt in Paris to take an art course for the summer but she's really it is to finish Lily’s 13 before turning 13 wish list. Until she wakes in her aunt's apartment to see memories of her life with Lily. I cried a few times and then by 90% I was bawling! The poems are incredible atmospheric--young readers will feel transported to Paris--and connect with Nina's first crush with Sylvie, full of emotion and the need to see those we care for as their own people with their own goals and desires. Highly recommend!!
November 19, 2024
Without spoiling too much of the story, here is a glimpse of my thoughts:
13 Ways to Say Goodbye follows Nina as she grieves her sister, Lily. The writing resonates with anyone who has experienced a similar loss, making it relatable and impactful. I found myself connecting with Nina on many levels. The poems felt like intimate glimpses into her soul, often mirroring my thoughts and feelings about loss.
The poems were relatable at times, reminding me of myself. One poem often mentioned what Nina wanted to say, and another mentioned what she said or emailed.
Overall, "13 Ways to Say Goodbye" is not just a collection of poems; it explores love and loss that many readers will find both relatable and cathartic. It reminds readers that grief is a personal journey, and finding ways to say goodbye can be as unique as the relationships we cherish. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy.
13 Ways to Say Goodbye follows Nina as she grieves her sister, Lily. The writing resonates with anyone who has experienced a similar loss, making it relatable and impactful. I found myself connecting with Nina on many levels. The poems felt like intimate glimpses into her soul, often mirroring my thoughts and feelings about loss.
The poems were relatable at times, reminding me of myself. One poem often mentioned what Nina wanted to say, and another mentioned what she said or emailed.
Overall, "13 Ways to Say Goodbye" is not just a collection of poems; it explores love and loss that many readers will find both relatable and cathartic. It reminds readers that grief is a personal journey, and finding ways to say goodbye can be as unique as the relationships we cherish. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2024
If you are ready to feel emotions - this is the book for you. Once again, Fussner captures the extra big emotions of middle school in wraps them in a hug. You feel the emotions of Nina as she still grieves the loss of her sister, the butterflies she feels when brushing hands with Sylvie, and the longing for her parents to be more present in her life.
I love a good list and Nina has one - the list her sister would make of things to do before every birthday, except this is the last list. Nina is turning the age her sister was when she died. Fussner's poetry, with a touch of magic, pulls you into the story and makes the reader feel as if they too are exploring Paris through the eyes of Nina.
Highly recommend this book to 5th through 8th graders - and of course adults because MG is for all.
I love a good list and Nina has one - the list her sister would make of things to do before every birthday, except this is the last list. Nina is turning the age her sister was when she died. Fussner's poetry, with a touch of magic, pulls you into the story and makes the reader feel as if they too are exploring Paris through the eyes of Nina.
Highly recommend this book to 5th through 8th graders - and of course adults because MG is for all.
March 15, 2025
This middle grade novel in verse is heartfelt, captivating, and despite its heavier themes, an absolute delight. Fussner captures the heart of her first book, THE SONG OF US, through a new tender, yearning, grieving, protagonist exploring Paris, France. Nina feels like she's been left to deal with her sister's death alone after her parents, unable to cope themselves, have iced her out of their healing process (or lackthereof). She sets off for Paris one summer to try to finish her sister's bucket list, the 13 things she wanted to do before she was 13. There's magic (literally) in this list that helps her process the past. But she finds magic for her future in her art, city adventures, and a sweet first queer love. It had me holding my breath all the way through. Just gorgeous.
December 14, 2024
12yo Nina is still mourning the sudden death of her sister Lily 2 years ago. Lily had made a list of 13 things she wanted to do by the time she turned 13. Nina hopes completing the list herself will give her some closure.
I loved the travelogue- Nina has to return to Paris to accomplish some of the tasks. There’s an interwoven plot of Nina coming out and falling for a new friend in her art class. It felt superfluous - and almost like a plot device. I also wish there was more context to the flashbacks. Didn’t love the story but would recommend for the Paris adventure. Nina is American, Sylvia is French.
I loved the travelogue- Nina has to return to Paris to accomplish some of the tasks. There’s an interwoven plot of Nina coming out and falling for a new friend in her art class. It felt superfluous - and almost like a plot device. I also wish there was more context to the flashbacks. Didn’t love the story but would recommend for the Paris adventure. Nina is American, Sylvia is French.
January 8, 2025
I learned very quickly that I am not a fan of in verse story telling but that is on me. I wanted to read this book because I was hoping that maybe it would help me be able to cope with the loss of my parents this year.
I had a very difficult time following this writing style I don’t know if it was because it was in verse or because it just didn’t seem very cohesive to me.
I understand the deep meaning of it and it’s a beautiful story it’s just very hard to follow the writing style
Thank you Netgalley HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for the arc
I had a very difficult time following this writing style I don’t know if it was because it was in verse or because it just didn’t seem very cohesive to me.
I understand the deep meaning of it and it’s a beautiful story it’s just very hard to follow the writing style
Thank you Netgalley HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for the arc
February 6, 2025
I love novels-in-verse, and I really enjoyed The Song of Us, so I was excited for this one.
Books about grief always hit me hard, and this was no exception. As Nina learns to deal with her grief through art and her sister's list, she also explores a sweet summer romance with Sylvie. I wasn't expecting the magical parts, so that was a nice surprise, but I wish it'd gone into it a little bit more. This is an excellent book for middle graders to see how someone might cope with losing a sibling.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Books about grief always hit me hard, and this was no exception. As Nina learns to deal with her grief through art and her sister's list, she also explores a sweet summer romance with Sylvie. I wasn't expecting the magical parts, so that was a nice surprise, but I wish it'd gone into it a little bit more. This is an excellent book for middle graders to see how someone might cope with losing a sibling.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
April 16, 2025
Add this to the list of books that have made me teary in public. There's a lot to be said about the relationships between Nina & Lily and Nina & Sylvie, but the portrayal of Nina feeling ghosted by her parents hit me hard. will hit many adult children of distant parents just as hard as kids reading this one.
This book handled grief, family relationships, crushes, and more absolutely beautifully. It ties up a bit neatly for me, but I think it works well for a children's book.
4.75/5
This book handled grief, family relationships, crushes, and more absolutely beautifully. It ties up a bit neatly for me, but I think it works well for a children's book.
4.75/5
September 12, 2024
This is beautifully crafted, capturing the essence of loss and the grief it brings. It's perfectly suited for middle school readers, yet teens and adults alike will appreciate the poignant perspective shared with the reader. Though a first crush serves as a small backdrop to this narrative, the true essence of the story is a heartfelt tribute to the love shared between siblings.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2025
A sweet, reflective story, with a touch of magic, about dealing with grief, loss, family, friendship, and a first crush. As one who works with 12 and 13 year old students daily, the actions, feelings, and maturity with how the characters handled the situations didn't match with the age of the characters. This probably won't matter to anyone else, but I was baffled by it a few times. Otherwise, this is a great addition to middle grade novels written in verse.
March 18, 2025
This was a beautifully written book - queer love and POC representation is something I look for in the books I read, and I was very happy to see it so carefully interwoven into the poetry of this novel. My only complaint is the dream like sequences Nina experienced were somewhat off-putting and took me out of the zone while I was reading.
April 1, 2025
I liked the way this was written. I also liked the way it depicted imperfect family dynamics and how despite everything they still loved eachother. I especially liked the sister dynamic and how she was grieving her dead sister.
April 2, 2025
What a beautiful book! There are really lovely layers in this story, and it’s very accessible to younger middle grade readers. I really liked Sylvie, and would read an entire story just about her. So great! Brava, Fussner!
March 25, 2025
A beautiful, warm, delicious book full of love and sadness, and the ways that the two intertwine. And Paris. So much wonderful Paris.
March 12, 2025
When Nina's older sister Lily died, Nina's world fell apart. Her parents have retreated into grief, and without Lily, Nina has no road map—just the to-do lists Lily left behind. But although the last list has taken her to Paris for the summer, she knows that from here on out she'll be flying without a map. What she doesn't expect, though, is that this last list has a few surprises in store for her...
Like Fussner's first book, this is written in verse: She would hate / that I decided / my best path forward / was to follow hers / but I didn't know / what else to do. (loc. 547*) My favorite chapters/poems are the ones in which the form gets less conventional, because they force me to work a bit more for it, but as a whole they're cleanly put together. I'm not a huge fan of romance in middle grade (largely because I was not ready to be thinking about romance when I was that age, and I'm a fan of kids getting to be kids for longer), but I love the way the mini-romance is treated here: Nina and Sylvie are so tentative, so cautious—and what's more, they know that summer can't last forever. (Again: have read too many books where this is solved by "Surprise! I got a scholarship to study in Paris! Now we can be together forever!" and I just think it's valuable to let these shorter relationships, where the characters are figuring out what they want and what a healthy relationship looks like, play out.)
There's a mild supernatural element to the book. That's not generally my thing, but I think in this case it could have been explored just a wee bit more—Nina accepts it so easily (which actually makes a certain amount of sense, because it gives her a new way to process her grief, which is something she's desperate for), but it also slides back out of the story with barely a whisper, and she accepts that easily too. Perhaps an instance where some explanations were trialed and nothing quite fit.
Grief, first romance, and Paris—ingredients for an excellent sophomore book, as it turns out.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Like Fussner's first book, this is written in verse: She would hate / that I decided / my best path forward / was to follow hers / but I didn't know / what else to do. (loc. 547*) My favorite chapters/poems are the ones in which the form gets less conventional, because they force me to work a bit more for it, but as a whole they're cleanly put together. I'm not a huge fan of romance in middle grade (largely because I was not ready to be thinking about romance when I was that age, and I'm a fan of kids getting to be kids for longer), but I love the way the mini-romance is treated here: Nina and Sylvie are so tentative, so cautious—and what's more, they know that summer can't last forever. (Again: have read too many books where this is solved by "Surprise! I got a scholarship to study in Paris! Now we can be together forever!" and I just think it's valuable to let these shorter relationships, where the characters are figuring out what they want and what a healthy relationship looks like, play out.)
There's a mild supernatural element to the book. That's not generally my thing, but I think in this case it could have been explored just a wee bit more—Nina accepts it so easily (which actually makes a certain amount of sense, because it gives her a new way to process her grief, which is something she's desperate for), but it also slides back out of the story with barely a whisper, and she accepts that easily too. Perhaps an instance where some explanations were trialed and nothing quite fit.
Grief, first romance, and Paris—ingredients for an excellent sophomore book, as it turns out.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
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