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How Many Letters Are In Goodbye?
Seventeen-year-old Rhea Farrell carries the scars of a childhood accident in which she lost her arm. But she also carries scars that aren't so visible--the loss of a mother she hardly remembers, the impact of her father's drinking, and her confusion and pain around accepting her sexuality.
When Rhea runs away, she turns to the person she always wished she could confide in--her mother. And just like she used to do as a little girl, Rhea starts to write her letters--to tell her things she can't tell anyone else, to share her fears, to ask for help. Rhea's journey on the streets of New York brings her deeper into her mother's past where she uncovers buried family secrets. And as she finds out more about the woman her mother truly was, Rhea also discovers just what kind of woman she wants to be.
Praise:
"It's a powerhouse of emotion. My heart is now stretched into new shapes."--Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Stonewall Award-winning author of Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
When Rhea runs away, she turns to the person she always wished she could confide in--her mother. And just like she used to do as a little girl, Rhea starts to write her letters--to tell her things she can't tell anyone else, to share her fears, to ask for help. Rhea's journey on the streets of New York brings her deeper into her mother's past where she uncovers buried family secrets. And as she finds out more about the woman her mother truly was, Rhea also discovers just what kind of woman she wants to be.
Praise:
"It's a powerhouse of emotion. My heart is now stretched into new shapes."--Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Stonewall Award-winning author of Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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526 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 10, 2020
2.5 stars
January 3, 2016
What a great final for my reading challenge 2015!
This beautiful and emotional book has tough me that a great fiction has no gender.
I will never start my future reviews with the phrase "I normally don't read F/F or M/F, it is why I can't rate this book fairly...".
A good written book will make you forget about your preferences, a brilliantly written book will make you to reconsider your preferable genres.
I know,I should write a proper review for this book, alone because I don't think that a blurb sounds like something you want to grab immediately. But believe me, this book will catch your interest from the very first page and won't let you go up to the end.
It is such a poignant and emotional story that won't leave you indifferent, that will stay with you for a long time. I can't recommend it highly enough. Read it, please, read it!
**Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
This beautiful and emotional book has tough me that a great fiction has no gender.
I will never start my future reviews with the phrase "I normally don't read F/F or M/F, it is why I can't rate this book fairly...".
A good written book will make you forget about your preferences, a brilliantly written book will make you to reconsider your preferable genres.
I know,I should write a proper review for this book, alone because I don't think that a blurb sounds like something you want to grab immediately. But believe me, this book will catch your interest from the very first page and won't let you go up to the end.
It is such a poignant and emotional story that won't leave you indifferent, that will stay with you for a long time. I can't recommend it highly enough. Read it, please, read it!
**Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
January 25, 2016
3.5 Stars.
How Many Letters Are In Goodbye was an emotional and poignant read, so why did I feel so disconnected? Rhea was a formidable character, her past experiences have left her with a genuine likability but it felt as though the length of the storyline allowed her story to lose impact. It begins with Rhea in New York, having fled her aunts new house in Florida where the two moved in with her aunts boyfriend and his teenage daughter, the popular and sullen Laurie. Herein lies my issue. I don't often speak of characters with such disdain but Laurie's character made me livid or perhaps it's how she was portrayed. Although Rhea is gay, Laurie is unsure of her sexuality and wants to explore. I still believe Laurie could have been used as a tool for teens to relate to that feeling of finding your sexual identity, but it felt as though it was sinister and manipulative sadly. Had the concept been explored in positive light rather than just a secretive fling, my attitude towards How Many Letters In Goodbye may have been significantly different.
Yvonne Cassidy should be applauded for broaching what are generally confronting points of discussion. Abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness and prostitution. The loss of Rhea's arm at a young age felt as though it had very little impact. She was able, but was discriminated against by others especially when seeking employment. Her friendship with Sergei felt like little more than convenience, another body on the street who could provide her with a sense of safety and normalcy from what seemed to be out of obligation.
The storyline begins in the year 1999 and takes place over a few months. I'm assuming that may have been the period of Yvonne Cassidy's teen years as there doesn't seem to be any other explanation as to why, only that perhaps she felt it was more authentic. I did enjoy Rhea's recovery and that to heal she understood the need for professional help when dealing with her loss and the secrets she uncovers surrounding her mothers death, rather than the quick fix solutions so many young adult titles generally offer the reader. The most appealing aspect of How Many Letters Are In Goodbye is that is was messy. The moments of reflection and solitude, then and engaging and almost frantic page turner that unveils Rhea's story slowly.
But it was too long and the brutal nature of the storyline lost impact with me. Rhea's life on the streets seemed to rehash the same descriptive nature of being homeless, bloating the storyline and lacking that emotional connection sadly. It held promise, but unfortunately the length and lack of connection with it's characters made for a long and often rambling read.
How Many Letters Are In Goodbye was an emotional and poignant read, so why did I feel so disconnected? Rhea was a formidable character, her past experiences have left her with a genuine likability but it felt as though the length of the storyline allowed her story to lose impact. It begins with Rhea in New York, having fled her aunts new house in Florida where the two moved in with her aunts boyfriend and his teenage daughter, the popular and sullen Laurie. Herein lies my issue. I don't often speak of characters with such disdain but Laurie's character made me livid or perhaps it's how she was portrayed. Although Rhea is gay, Laurie is unsure of her sexuality and wants to explore. I still believe Laurie could have been used as a tool for teens to relate to that feeling of finding your sexual identity, but it felt as though it was sinister and manipulative sadly. Had the concept been explored in positive light rather than just a secretive fling, my attitude towards How Many Letters In Goodbye may have been significantly different.
Yvonne Cassidy should be applauded for broaching what are generally confronting points of discussion. Abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness and prostitution. The loss of Rhea's arm at a young age felt as though it had very little impact. She was able, but was discriminated against by others especially when seeking employment. Her friendship with Sergei felt like little more than convenience, another body on the street who could provide her with a sense of safety and normalcy from what seemed to be out of obligation.
The storyline begins in the year 1999 and takes place over a few months. I'm assuming that may have been the period of Yvonne Cassidy's teen years as there doesn't seem to be any other explanation as to why, only that perhaps she felt it was more authentic. I did enjoy Rhea's recovery and that to heal she understood the need for professional help when dealing with her loss and the secrets she uncovers surrounding her mothers death, rather than the quick fix solutions so many young adult titles generally offer the reader. The most appealing aspect of How Many Letters Are In Goodbye is that is was messy. The moments of reflection and solitude, then and engaging and almost frantic page turner that unveils Rhea's story slowly.
But it was too long and the brutal nature of the storyline lost impact with me. Rhea's life on the streets seemed to rehash the same descriptive nature of being homeless, bloating the storyline and lacking that emotional connection sadly. It held promise, but unfortunately the length and lack of connection with it's characters made for a long and often rambling read.
June 24, 2016
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Rhea is 17 years old, only has one arm and is living homeless on the streets of New York. As a way of exploring her feelings and what's happening to her, Rhea begins to write letters to her dead mother.
This one was a hard one to rate for me. There was a lot going on in this book from themes of exploring sexuality and coming to terms with sexuality, living with a disability, homelessness, the young homeless, sexual assault, depression, suicide. It was certainly diverse in a lot of ways and the story was set in the 90s, so there was no mobile phones, email or instant messenger. Everything seemed that little bit more drawn out because Rhea was writing everything down.
I felt like we did get a real sense of Rhea. She didn't seem to know where she was going or even who she really was but I felt close to her during her struggles. I did get frustrated at her now and again as I felt she was a bit slow in accepting things, particularly in her talks with Jean, but overall I do feel like she's a character a lot of people could identify with.
I'm giving this four stars because the book felt just that little bit too long for me. I think the middle could be trimmed down a lot and it would make the story feel a lot less dragged out.
On a side note, I didn't know this story would have an Irish connection so I was so happy when I read that. And you know an author is either Irish or has spent a great deal of time in Ireland when they talk about 'fizzy orange' and 'Hunky Dorys' and also use the phrase 'I'm grand.'
Rhea is 17 years old, only has one arm and is living homeless on the streets of New York. As a way of exploring her feelings and what's happening to her, Rhea begins to write letters to her dead mother.
This one was a hard one to rate for me. There was a lot going on in this book from themes of exploring sexuality and coming to terms with sexuality, living with a disability, homelessness, the young homeless, sexual assault, depression, suicide. It was certainly diverse in a lot of ways and the story was set in the 90s, so there was no mobile phones, email or instant messenger. Everything seemed that little bit more drawn out because Rhea was writing everything down.
I felt like we did get a real sense of Rhea. She didn't seem to know where she was going or even who she really was but I felt close to her during her struggles. I did get frustrated at her now and again as I felt she was a bit slow in accepting things, particularly in her talks with Jean, but overall I do feel like she's a character a lot of people could identify with.
I'm giving this four stars because the book felt just that little bit too long for me. I think the middle could be trimmed down a lot and it would make the story feel a lot less dragged out.
On a side note, I didn't know this story would have an Irish connection so I was so happy when I read that. And you know an author is either Irish or has spent a great deal of time in Ireland when they talk about 'fizzy orange' and 'Hunky Dorys' and also use the phrase 'I'm grand.'
April 4, 2016
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows Rhea, who in the beginning of this book is 17 going on 18, and she's basically living in the streets. Her mom died when she was 3 years old, and by now her father is dead too. She also only has one arm. What exactly lead to her living in the streets and how she lost her arm is unknown to the reader, but obviously part of the story, which is told entirely in letters - mostly letters Rhea writes to her dead mom, but also letters her aunt writes to her, letters her mom wrote to her aunt, and letters she writes to her aunt. It was a very enjoyable and emotional read and I really enjoyed how much it focused on family relations instead of romance, which is not something we see too often in YA. So I think it's great that the author wrote about this. I also like how this is a book about a physically disabled character, but their disability isn't the main focus of the story. It's so important to see diversity in literature, and to see diverse characters in normal contexts - I bet we all want stories about LGBT+ characters that aren't romances or about coming out, and stories about POC characters that aren't solely about race. And that is another reason why I really enjoyed this book. Obviously her disability comes into play at times, but she is portrayed as such a normal person that you pretty much forget she only has one arm as long as it's not mentioned.
This book follows Rhea, who in the beginning of this book is 17 going on 18, and she's basically living in the streets. Her mom died when she was 3 years old, and by now her father is dead too. She also only has one arm. What exactly lead to her living in the streets and how she lost her arm is unknown to the reader, but obviously part of the story, which is told entirely in letters - mostly letters Rhea writes to her dead mom, but also letters her aunt writes to her, letters her mom wrote to her aunt, and letters she writes to her aunt. It was a very enjoyable and emotional read and I really enjoyed how much it focused on family relations instead of romance, which is not something we see too often in YA. So I think it's great that the author wrote about this. I also like how this is a book about a physically disabled character, but their disability isn't the main focus of the story. It's so important to see diversity in literature, and to see diverse characters in normal contexts - I bet we all want stories about LGBT+ characters that aren't romances or about coming out, and stories about POC characters that aren't solely about race. And that is another reason why I really enjoyed this book. Obviously her disability comes into play at times, but she is portrayed as such a normal person that you pretty much forget she only has one arm as long as it's not mentioned.
March 21, 2016
A copy of this novel was provided by Flux for review via Net Galley.
There were three main things that prevented me from liking How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? The first was the main character, Rhea. I just didn’t like her, and I didn’t connect to her on an emotional level, either. I’ve read books with unlikeable main characters before, but there were aspects of Rhea’s personality that pushed her over the edge of likeable unlikeableness (which is a thing). One of those aspects was how she treated literally everyone she interacted with. I don’t think there was a moment in How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? where Rhea was nice to anyone.
She was a shitty friend to Sergei, who is a character at the beginning of the book but disappears without a trace about a third of the way in. And Rhea never thinks about him again, really. Or wonders if he’s doing okay.
She was rude and ungrateful to the woman who let Rhea live with her, and then helped her find a job. She was pretty outright disgusting to the psychologist at the camp where she worked. She laughed when a fellow workmate said that she was questioning her sexuality. She wasn’t even that nice to the girl who she claimed to have loved (at the end of the novel, especially so). She cut off all communication with her best friend back in Ireland for really no reason at all. She was monosyllabic and uncaring about her aunt, even when the woman apologised over and over again and said how much she cared about Rhea.
I just couldn’t warm to a character that only thought about herself, constantly misjudged people, and convinced herself that the entire freaking world was out to get her. I also thought it was highly unrealistic that everyone kept on trying with her. Her aunt apologised time and time again, and said that she would literally do ANYTHING to make Rhea happy. The psychologist was patient and caring, and tried to help Rhea � even though it wasn’t her job. Her co-worker still tried to be her friend, even after she was an A-grade bitch. And the woman who let Rhea live with her was just always so understanding.
I just don’t think that that many people would have enough patience, or care about Rhea that much to put up with her constant shit. I was sick of her, and I was supposed to care about her. But all I saw was a girl who saw hardship as an excuse to treat everyone like crap.
The second was the length of the novel. It was just far too long. There were passages that were repeated, and reveals that took way too long to get to. I suppose there was supposed to be an element of suspense in regards to Rhea’s own background, as well as that of her mother’s, but I guessed most of it, and was just waiting for Rhea to catch on.
The fact that Rhea wrote “fifty kinds of crazy� about fifty times per letter really got on my nerves, too.
I did like the structure � the fact that it was written in letters, but sometimes I felt like this didn’t really work, especially when Rhea read her own mother’s letters. If I was reading them, did that mean Rhea had rewritten them out in her notebook?
Thirdly, I feel like How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? was a novel that covered a lot of topics (sexuality, homelessness, and suicide at the forefront), but I don’t feel like any of them received adequate attention � Rhea’s sexuality in particular. Rhea’s sexual orientation was abruptly revealed, and she expressed a strong disliking to being referenced as gay. Her intense reactions to being called a lesbian were never really explained (there was only one tiny line from a memory of her father that I assumed was the connection), and there was no exploration of possible internalised homophobia, or a reference to a future possibility of Rhea overcoming it.
Unfortunately, How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? was really not for me.
© 2016, . All rights reserved.
trigger warning: attempted suicide, suicide, child molestation, homelessness, bullying, domestic violence, death by drunk driving, alcoholic parent, loss of limb (via machinery), ableism, and homophobia in this novel
There were three main things that prevented me from liking How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? The first was the main character, Rhea. I just didn’t like her, and I didn’t connect to her on an emotional level, either. I’ve read books with unlikeable main characters before, but there were aspects of Rhea’s personality that pushed her over the edge of likeable unlikeableness (which is a thing). One of those aspects was how she treated literally everyone she interacted with. I don’t think there was a moment in How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? where Rhea was nice to anyone.
She was a shitty friend to Sergei, who is a character at the beginning of the book but disappears without a trace about a third of the way in. And Rhea never thinks about him again, really. Or wonders if he’s doing okay.
She was rude and ungrateful to the woman who let Rhea live with her, and then helped her find a job. She was pretty outright disgusting to the psychologist at the camp where she worked. She laughed when a fellow workmate said that she was questioning her sexuality. She wasn’t even that nice to the girl who she claimed to have loved (at the end of the novel, especially so). She cut off all communication with her best friend back in Ireland for really no reason at all. She was monosyllabic and uncaring about her aunt, even when the woman apologised over and over again and said how much she cared about Rhea.
I just couldn’t warm to a character that only thought about herself, constantly misjudged people, and convinced herself that the entire freaking world was out to get her. I also thought it was highly unrealistic that everyone kept on trying with her. Her aunt apologised time and time again, and said that she would literally do ANYTHING to make Rhea happy. The psychologist was patient and caring, and tried to help Rhea � even though it wasn’t her job. Her co-worker still tried to be her friend, even after she was an A-grade bitch. And the woman who let Rhea live with her was just always so understanding.
I just don’t think that that many people would have enough patience, or care about Rhea that much to put up with her constant shit. I was sick of her, and I was supposed to care about her. But all I saw was a girl who saw hardship as an excuse to treat everyone like crap.
The second was the length of the novel. It was just far too long. There were passages that were repeated, and reveals that took way too long to get to. I suppose there was supposed to be an element of suspense in regards to Rhea’s own background, as well as that of her mother’s, but I guessed most of it, and was just waiting for Rhea to catch on.
The fact that Rhea wrote “fifty kinds of crazy� about fifty times per letter really got on my nerves, too.
I did like the structure � the fact that it was written in letters, but sometimes I felt like this didn’t really work, especially when Rhea read her own mother’s letters. If I was reading them, did that mean Rhea had rewritten them out in her notebook?
Thirdly, I feel like How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? was a novel that covered a lot of topics (sexuality, homelessness, and suicide at the forefront), but I don’t feel like any of them received adequate attention � Rhea’s sexuality in particular. Rhea’s sexual orientation was abruptly revealed, and she expressed a strong disliking to being referenced as gay. Her intense reactions to being called a lesbian were never really explained (there was only one tiny line from a memory of her father that I assumed was the connection), and there was no exploration of possible internalised homophobia, or a reference to a future possibility of Rhea overcoming it.
Unfortunately, How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? was really not for me.
© 2016, . All rights reserved.
trigger warning: attempted suicide, suicide, child molestation, homelessness, bullying, domestic violence, death by drunk driving, alcoholic parent, loss of limb (via machinery), ableism, and homophobia in this novel
October 14, 2015
I must confess that this book has me torn. On the one hand it is beautifully written with a strong protagonist voice. There are many things I liked about this story and many things that the author should be proud of. In many ways this is an accomplished story with a wonderful depth. It has numerous things to say on the topics of depression, suicide, sexual abuse, neglect and sexuality. I really liked Rhea, I was moved by her story, although not to tears (an issue which I'll get to later). The story is a small one and one which is highly believable. It has the potential to speak to a large number of young people.
Yet I am torn.
On the one hand I appreciated this story. I have a great deal of respect for its author. Yet, it failed to go to the next level which would push it into the stratosphere of where really awesome YA fiction sits. I spent a lot of time during my reading asking myself exactly where it fell short.
I have mentioned already that it failed to bring me to tears. The "crying index" as I call it is a sure fire indicator that a book works. That is not to say that all books should make me cry, some don't and were never meant to. However, this was a story that should have dragged me down with it. Considering the subject matter I should have been a blubbering mess. A couple of times I felt like I might get there but never really did. This is an issue for me and yet is is difficult to find a tangible reason why (that will be helpful to the author). On some level I did not manage to completely identify wit Rhea perhaps?
The second issue I have with this story is length. For a contemporary (or piece of Retro Fiction which is what I think it really is see below) it is at least 100 pages too long. While acceptable for Science Fiction and Fantasy novels in the YA genre to be longer (accounting for the needs of world building), a contemporary should be shorter. In this situation it lead to the story being repetitive and monotonous. A few times I could have put it down and never picked it up again. I'm concerned by this because I'm an adult reader reading YA. I am tolerant. I persist with stories which many of my students would move on from at a much earlier stage. As an educator I know that many young people, given its length, will never even open this book. They will pass it over for something closer to the 300 page count. This is a massive shame. This aside, I did feel that the book needed substantial paring back. Kill those darlings, the story will be better for it. This said, I did wonder if the fact I kept drifting off in my reading, prevented my ability to connect with the protagonist, thus contributing to my inability to cry.
Lastly, and this is not really a criticism, but a comment, a word about the time frame of the setting. Why did the story need to be written in 1999? I get that letters are a dying art form in today's world, but perhaps the story, comprising of letters (which were really an internal monologue/diary) would have worked just as well if set in 2015. Was the author trying to be retro? What was her reason for doing this? Does it make the story a contemporary, or, is it now something different, "Retro Fiction' perhaps?
In summary, a book of great merit, which might even find success if the author is brave enough to slash 100 pages and meet her audience where they are at. Thank you for the opportunity to review.
Yet I am torn.
On the one hand I appreciated this story. I have a great deal of respect for its author. Yet, it failed to go to the next level which would push it into the stratosphere of where really awesome YA fiction sits. I spent a lot of time during my reading asking myself exactly where it fell short.
I have mentioned already that it failed to bring me to tears. The "crying index" as I call it is a sure fire indicator that a book works. That is not to say that all books should make me cry, some don't and were never meant to. However, this was a story that should have dragged me down with it. Considering the subject matter I should have been a blubbering mess. A couple of times I felt like I might get there but never really did. This is an issue for me and yet is is difficult to find a tangible reason why (that will be helpful to the author). On some level I did not manage to completely identify wit Rhea perhaps?
The second issue I have with this story is length. For a contemporary (or piece of Retro Fiction which is what I think it really is see below) it is at least 100 pages too long. While acceptable for Science Fiction and Fantasy novels in the YA genre to be longer (accounting for the needs of world building), a contemporary should be shorter. In this situation it lead to the story being repetitive and monotonous. A few times I could have put it down and never picked it up again. I'm concerned by this because I'm an adult reader reading YA. I am tolerant. I persist with stories which many of my students would move on from at a much earlier stage. As an educator I know that many young people, given its length, will never even open this book. They will pass it over for something closer to the 300 page count. This is a massive shame. This aside, I did feel that the book needed substantial paring back. Kill those darlings, the story will be better for it. This said, I did wonder if the fact I kept drifting off in my reading, prevented my ability to connect with the protagonist, thus contributing to my inability to cry.
Lastly, and this is not really a criticism, but a comment, a word about the time frame of the setting. Why did the story need to be written in 1999? I get that letters are a dying art form in today's world, but perhaps the story, comprising of letters (which were really an internal monologue/diary) would have worked just as well if set in 2015. Was the author trying to be retro? What was her reason for doing this? Does it make the story a contemporary, or, is it now something different, "Retro Fiction' perhaps?
In summary, a book of great merit, which might even find success if the author is brave enough to slash 100 pages and meet her audience where they are at. Thank you for the opportunity to review.
May 19, 2016
(Thanks to Flux and NetGalley, I received an ebook copy of this book for free to review.)
I know a lot of people are looking for more diversity in YA novels, but this book just went way overboard. She’s originally from Ireland, her mom past away before she was born, she lost an arm when she was pretty young, her father passed on sometime after that, and she ends up homeless after living with her aunt. This is more than enough diversity for me in particular, but there is more that comes up as the story goes along.
I found the story very repetitive, which I believe is because the book is written in letter form. Usually I’m a big fan of books written like this, but I found it just wasn’t working for the story, or for me in general. The whole time I was reading this book I kept waiting for something to shock me, but there was honestly so much diversity that it got to a point where none of the plot twists were shocking.
Overall this book wasn’t for me. It seemed a bit too far fetched and repetitive. I’m not sure if I would read anything else by this author.
I know a lot of people are looking for more diversity in YA novels, but this book just went way overboard. She’s originally from Ireland, her mom past away before she was born, she lost an arm when she was pretty young, her father passed on sometime after that, and she ends up homeless after living with her aunt. This is more than enough diversity for me in particular, but there is more that comes up as the story goes along.
I found the story very repetitive, which I believe is because the book is written in letter form. Usually I’m a big fan of books written like this, but I found it just wasn’t working for the story, or for me in general. The whole time I was reading this book I kept waiting for something to shock me, but there was honestly so much diversity that it got to a point where none of the plot twists were shocking.
Overall this book wasn’t for me. It seemed a bit too far fetched and repetitive. I’m not sure if I would read anything else by this author.
August 24, 2016
Confused. That is how I felt about 80% of the time I read this book. To be honest, when I first started reading, I found it really hard to get into, it was pretty boring. I started reading and ended up putting it down and had to wait two weeks before I could muster up enough energy and patience to try it again. Again, I was bored, but slowly it got better…Until it got bad again, it was a constant roller coaster of good, than bad, good and then bad again. It got to the point where I was mentally begging God for it to end. It was SO long and the worst part of it was that the length was not necessary to tell the story! There was so much going on that had nothing to do the the backbone of the core storyline. I am pretty sure that half of Rheas journey with Sergei could have been tossed in the can and we would have gotten the point.
December 11, 2015
Beautiful, sad, heartwarming, emotional. Loved.
January 6, 2016
I have my mom to thank for my love of letter-writing. As a child, anytime I would receive a gift, she’d sit me down at the kitchen table with a box of “Thank You� cards, and would instruct me to write a thoughtful letter to the gift-giver. It was a chore at first, I admit, but I eventually came to love how I could purposefully choose the best words to express my thoughts. That sentiment still rings true today. I love writing letters, and when upset or feeling particularly emotional, I will write a letter to the universe. The familiarity of the task never fails to make me feel calmer and more rational. This is why I was so intrigued by the synopsis of How Many Letters Are In Goodbye? by Yvonne Cassidy, about a teenage girl on the brink of becoming a woman, who writes letters to her dead mother in a cathartic attempt to make sense of the confusion of her world.
Rhea Farrell could be a study on “tortured souls� in YA literature. Originally from Ireland, Rhea was a young girl when her mum disappeared without warning. For a while afterward, Rhea and her father would write letters to her mum, which her father always promised to post. One day, after a visit from Rhea’s aunt, her father refused to write, gruffly reprimanded Rhea for doing so, and that was that. Then, an accident happened. As if Rhea hadn’t lost enough, she lost something else of herself, quite literally. Her dad started disappearing, too, drifting away on rivers of alcohol into the darkness of his depression, until he was gone.
Rhea’s aunt whisks her away to Florida to live with her husband and daughter, and Rhea does her best to fit in, both at school and at home, though an abusive step-uncle and conflicted feelings about her new step-sister, Laurie, prevent even the slightest bit of normalcy in her life. After a frightening encounter with her step-uncle, when he catches her and Laurie in a compromising situation, Rhea decides to run away to New York City, where her mum was born and lived before moving to Ireland. Forced by her circumstances to live on the streets, Rhea becomes fast friends with Sergei, whose hook-ups at gay bars sometimes leaves them with a place to stay and with food to eat.
Up to this point in the story, we learn about Rhea’s past and how she came to be in New York through letters she has started writing once again to her mum, sheltering in diners or while sitting on benches in nearby parks. This is where the story begins to plod and sag quite a bit. Through her letters, we follow Rhea as she counts change in her head, calculating how many slices of pizza she can afford to eat with the money she has, and as she attempts to find employment but is categorically denied due to her handicap. We follow her through the subway system of New York City, through strange apartments and hotel rooms with Sergei and his lovers, and eventually, through the doors of a help group, where she meets a woman who will change her life.
In the story that follows, Rhea discovers torrid family secrets and the truth about her mum. She also learns a lot about dealing with grief and disappointment, about her own sexuality, and about how to deal with the blows of life with the grace of a woman and not the conceit of a child. How Many Letters Are In Goodbye? features quite a few hard-hitting subject matters, including suicide, questions of sexuality, sexual abuse, and child neglect and abuse. As such, it is not a light-hearted read by any means. However, considering the weight of the subject matter, most threads in the plot never quite reached its full potential of making me feel something deep and profound.
The plot itself is rather tragic, and so much happens to Rhea that it’s almost unbelievable when added together, but I was willing to buy into her story. The letters she writes to her mum are more akin to internal dialogues and reflection, though I suppose that’s to be expected when Rhea has no one else to talk to; at least, no one she’ll let get close enough to talk to her about her issues. Rhea herself is a sympathetic character, due to her circumstances; as a person, she is abrasive, distrustful, and unpredictable. I admit, there were several times when I rolled my eyes at her. The characters I most admired were two older women, who take Rhea under their wing, despite her protests and, frankly, her nasty, ungrateful attitude.
It is through the inclusion of these two characters that the reader learns to see Rhea from a different perspective. I was happy to see that the importance of sound counseling for grief and depression is positively highlighted, instead of disparaged. If more teenage kids felt that it is okay to reach out to a professional for help, that it’s normal to feel not-normal, perhaps we’d see fewer tragic headlines in our news. I hope to see a more positive emphasis on this in Young Adult literature in the future.
Overall, How Many Letters Are In Goodbye? is an intriguing read, though not a hard-hitting emotional one, as it should have been. Fans of contemporary stories that feature a character dealing with and overcoming adversity will enjoy it. Is that you, dear reader?
------------------
This review was originally posted on my book review blog, .
Rhea Farrell could be a study on “tortured souls� in YA literature. Originally from Ireland, Rhea was a young girl when her mum disappeared without warning. For a while afterward, Rhea and her father would write letters to her mum, which her father always promised to post. One day, after a visit from Rhea’s aunt, her father refused to write, gruffly reprimanded Rhea for doing so, and that was that. Then, an accident happened. As if Rhea hadn’t lost enough, she lost something else of herself, quite literally. Her dad started disappearing, too, drifting away on rivers of alcohol into the darkness of his depression, until he was gone.
Rhea’s aunt whisks her away to Florida to live with her husband and daughter, and Rhea does her best to fit in, both at school and at home, though an abusive step-uncle and conflicted feelings about her new step-sister, Laurie, prevent even the slightest bit of normalcy in her life. After a frightening encounter with her step-uncle, when he catches her and Laurie in a compromising situation, Rhea decides to run away to New York City, where her mum was born and lived before moving to Ireland. Forced by her circumstances to live on the streets, Rhea becomes fast friends with Sergei, whose hook-ups at gay bars sometimes leaves them with a place to stay and with food to eat.
Up to this point in the story, we learn about Rhea’s past and how she came to be in New York through letters she has started writing once again to her mum, sheltering in diners or while sitting on benches in nearby parks. This is where the story begins to plod and sag quite a bit. Through her letters, we follow Rhea as she counts change in her head, calculating how many slices of pizza she can afford to eat with the money she has, and as she attempts to find employment but is categorically denied due to her handicap. We follow her through the subway system of New York City, through strange apartments and hotel rooms with Sergei and his lovers, and eventually, through the doors of a help group, where she meets a woman who will change her life.
In the story that follows, Rhea discovers torrid family secrets and the truth about her mum. She also learns a lot about dealing with grief and disappointment, about her own sexuality, and about how to deal with the blows of life with the grace of a woman and not the conceit of a child. How Many Letters Are In Goodbye? features quite a few hard-hitting subject matters, including suicide, questions of sexuality, sexual abuse, and child neglect and abuse. As such, it is not a light-hearted read by any means. However, considering the weight of the subject matter, most threads in the plot never quite reached its full potential of making me feel something deep and profound.
The plot itself is rather tragic, and so much happens to Rhea that it’s almost unbelievable when added together, but I was willing to buy into her story. The letters she writes to her mum are more akin to internal dialogues and reflection, though I suppose that’s to be expected when Rhea has no one else to talk to; at least, no one she’ll let get close enough to talk to her about her issues. Rhea herself is a sympathetic character, due to her circumstances; as a person, she is abrasive, distrustful, and unpredictable. I admit, there were several times when I rolled my eyes at her. The characters I most admired were two older women, who take Rhea under their wing, despite her protests and, frankly, her nasty, ungrateful attitude.
It is through the inclusion of these two characters that the reader learns to see Rhea from a different perspective. I was happy to see that the importance of sound counseling for grief and depression is positively highlighted, instead of disparaged. If more teenage kids felt that it is okay to reach out to a professional for help, that it’s normal to feel not-normal, perhaps we’d see fewer tragic headlines in our news. I hope to see a more positive emphasis on this in Young Adult literature in the future.
Overall, How Many Letters Are In Goodbye? is an intriguing read, though not a hard-hitting emotional one, as it should have been. Fans of contemporary stories that feature a character dealing with and overcoming adversity will enjoy it. Is that you, dear reader?
------------------
This review was originally posted on my book review blog, .
June 27, 2016
I received this book from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? is about Rhea Farrell and mission on finding out who her mom really was. This is clear in the beginning but as we go on through the story, it starts changing and instead of Rhea’s main goal being to find out the person her mom was, she’s trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. After running away from home, Rhea’s alone in New York and finds comfort by writing letters to her mom.
What first got me interested in this book was that it was completely in the form of letters. Rhea writes her experiences and days as if it were a diary. She and her dad used to write to her mom -who died when she was little, but they stopped suddenly one day.
This book focuses on everything. It’s takes you on a journey and makes you question even the small things. There are many people Rhea meets on the way and I think that each one played a different part in her experience. Without meaning to, they helped her grow. There were very few nice moments in this book. I’d go as far as to say that it was pretty depressing and if I were in a different time of my life, it would have affected me greatly, but I made it through okay.
I didn’t like this book when I started. Nothing interesting was happening and I found it almost boring. There was a moment, I can remember it’s about 40% through the book when I started liking it a lot. I wanted to finish it immediately but my eyes started drooping.
I noticed little things, how Rhea would act almost like a child at some points, then I remembered that with her mom dying when she was three and her dad drinking so much, she had to grow up pretty early. Many of the letters to her mom are signed differently. Here are a few examples:
Rhea
Rae
Your Loving Daughter
Your Daughter
‘No signature�
I thought that maybe her emotions were all over the place but I think it was more of a ‘mood� she was in. If she felt like signing a certain way, she would.
The last quarter of this book took me on a roller coaster ride and dangled at the top and I was waiting for the drop to come…and oh but it did. Once everything unfolded, there was nothing rushed about it. The pace remained the same. The writing style of this book, the way the story was told, it was beautiful.
�-there are no perfect moments, and I know [she’s] right. -there are only moments of vulnerability and courage and honesty and in each and every moment we need to choose, over and over, what kind of person we want to be.�
There was closure at the end. Which I think is a good thing. Closure for Rhea, and for me as the reader as well. I didn’t have any lingering questions. They were all answered.
***
I read the poem ‘Fear� by Raymond Carver and thought that I should note it down here for you guys. It’s not like it has any major significance in the story but it’s mentioned and I thought it was worth checking out.
Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive.
Fear of falling asleep at night.
Fear of not falling asleep.
Fear of the past rising up.
Fear of the present taking flight.
Fear of the telephone that rings in the dead of night.
Fear of electrical storms.
Fear of the cleaning woman who has a spot on her cheek!
Fear of dogs I’ve been told won’t bite.
Fear of anxiety!
Fear of having to identify the body of a dead friend.
Fear of running out of money.
Fear of having too much, though people will not believe this.
Fear of psychological profiles.
Fear of being late and fear of arriving before anyone else.
Fear of my children’s handwriting on envelopes.
Fear they’ll die before I do, and I’ll feel guilty.
Fear of having to live with my mother in her old age, and mine.
Fear of confusion.
Fear this day will end on an unhappy note.
Fear of waking up to find you gone.
Fear of not loving and fear of not loving enough.
Fear that what I love will prove lethal to those I love.
Fear of death.
Fear of living too long.
Fear of death.
I’ve said that.
Trigger Warnings: Mentions (as well as thoughts and attempts) of suicide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, homophobia
How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? is about Rhea Farrell and mission on finding out who her mom really was. This is clear in the beginning but as we go on through the story, it starts changing and instead of Rhea’s main goal being to find out the person her mom was, she’s trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. After running away from home, Rhea’s alone in New York and finds comfort by writing letters to her mom.
What first got me interested in this book was that it was completely in the form of letters. Rhea writes her experiences and days as if it were a diary. She and her dad used to write to her mom -who died when she was little, but they stopped suddenly one day.
This book focuses on everything. It’s takes you on a journey and makes you question even the small things. There are many people Rhea meets on the way and I think that each one played a different part in her experience. Without meaning to, they helped her grow. There were very few nice moments in this book. I’d go as far as to say that it was pretty depressing and if I were in a different time of my life, it would have affected me greatly, but I made it through okay.
I didn’t like this book when I started. Nothing interesting was happening and I found it almost boring. There was a moment, I can remember it’s about 40% through the book when I started liking it a lot. I wanted to finish it immediately but my eyes started drooping.
I noticed little things, how Rhea would act almost like a child at some points, then I remembered that with her mom dying when she was three and her dad drinking so much, she had to grow up pretty early. Many of the letters to her mom are signed differently. Here are a few examples:
Rhea
Rae
Your Loving Daughter
Your Daughter
‘No signature�
I thought that maybe her emotions were all over the place but I think it was more of a ‘mood� she was in. If she felt like signing a certain way, she would.
The last quarter of this book took me on a roller coaster ride and dangled at the top and I was waiting for the drop to come…and oh but it did. Once everything unfolded, there was nothing rushed about it. The pace remained the same. The writing style of this book, the way the story was told, it was beautiful.
�-there are no perfect moments, and I know [she’s] right. -there are only moments of vulnerability and courage and honesty and in each and every moment we need to choose, over and over, what kind of person we want to be.�
There was closure at the end. Which I think is a good thing. Closure for Rhea, and for me as the reader as well. I didn’t have any lingering questions. They were all answered.
***
I read the poem ‘Fear� by Raymond Carver and thought that I should note it down here for you guys. It’s not like it has any major significance in the story but it’s mentioned and I thought it was worth checking out.
Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive.
Fear of falling asleep at night.
Fear of not falling asleep.
Fear of the past rising up.
Fear of the present taking flight.
Fear of the telephone that rings in the dead of night.
Fear of electrical storms.
Fear of the cleaning woman who has a spot on her cheek!
Fear of dogs I’ve been told won’t bite.
Fear of anxiety!
Fear of having to identify the body of a dead friend.
Fear of running out of money.
Fear of having too much, though people will not believe this.
Fear of psychological profiles.
Fear of being late and fear of arriving before anyone else.
Fear of my children’s handwriting on envelopes.
Fear they’ll die before I do, and I’ll feel guilty.
Fear of having to live with my mother in her old age, and mine.
Fear of confusion.
Fear this day will end on an unhappy note.
Fear of waking up to find you gone.
Fear of not loving and fear of not loving enough.
Fear that what I love will prove lethal to those I love.
Fear of death.
Fear of living too long.
Fear of death.
I’ve said that.
Trigger Warnings: Mentions (as well as thoughts and attempts) of suicide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, homophobia
February 10, 2016
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
There were several good things about this book, but also some not so good things. For most of the book, I was going to give this one two stars. But then I had to bump it up to three, based on a few things that happened around the middle and the end of the story.
Okay, so first of all, the entire book is told through letters that Rhea is writing to her dead mom. The synopsis didn't really make that clear, so I will just get that out of the way. Normally, I love books told in formats different from a traditional narrative. The issue I have with letters is that they are boring. Not always, I know, but they were here. When you are dealing with letters and especially letters to your dead mother, you expect some sort of emotion. But these letters were very cold for the first fifteen percent of the book or so. It was basically saying "I did this" and "Then this happened" so I didn't enjoy it. And I don't understand why Rhea instead on putting the date and time stamp on every letter. That's distracting.
After a while, I got more into the letters, maybe because Rhea got more into the emotions of everything and I started getting invested in her story. Rhea's mom died when she was really young and she was raised by an alcoholic father. When Rhea was seven, she lost her arm due to an accident with a meat grinder. When Rhea is a teenager, her father dies in a car accident and she is taken in by her aunt, her aunt's boyfriend and her aunt's boyfriend's daughter. To top it off, she is struggling with her sexuality. When the book begins, Rhea is living on the streets of New York City and is struggling to survive with her friend, Sergei. In the letters, Rhea tells of her history with her family and everything that led to her being homeless. Rhea was discriminated against a lot because of her arm. Everyone assumed she was disabled and that she couldn't do anything. That could not have been further from the truth. The author does tackle a lot of important topics, like homelessness and abuse and neglect and sexuality and depression and alcoholism and even prostitution. Does that seem like a lot of issues? That's because it was. And this book is almost 500 pages and yet, it only takes place over the span of a couple of months. I think that was my other issue: the story was so long that it started to drag a bit.
At first, I did wonder why she wrote to her mom instead of her father, especially because she didn't even remember her mom. But I think it was because she kind of idealized her mom and could imagine how her life would have turned out if her mom had not died. Part of the reason I grew to like this book was because of all the character development and her realization about who her mom was and who she was. She ended up working at a summer camp for homeless kids and that was my favorite part of the book because Rhea learned way more than the kids did. At the beginning of the summer, she hated everything about the camp and its rules and the head counselor (Jean), but by the end of the summer, she had completely turned around. There were so many things that happened over the course of that summer and I ended up tearing up more than once.
This book had a few issues, but it ended up being very moving.
There were several good things about this book, but also some not so good things. For most of the book, I was going to give this one two stars. But then I had to bump it up to three, based on a few things that happened around the middle and the end of the story.
Okay, so first of all, the entire book is told through letters that Rhea is writing to her dead mom. The synopsis didn't really make that clear, so I will just get that out of the way. Normally, I love books told in formats different from a traditional narrative. The issue I have with letters is that they are boring. Not always, I know, but they were here. When you are dealing with letters and especially letters to your dead mother, you expect some sort of emotion. But these letters were very cold for the first fifteen percent of the book or so. It was basically saying "I did this" and "Then this happened" so I didn't enjoy it. And I don't understand why Rhea instead on putting the date and time stamp on every letter. That's distracting.
After a while, I got more into the letters, maybe because Rhea got more into the emotions of everything and I started getting invested in her story. Rhea's mom died when she was really young and she was raised by an alcoholic father. When Rhea was seven, she lost her arm due to an accident with a meat grinder. When Rhea is a teenager, her father dies in a car accident and she is taken in by her aunt, her aunt's boyfriend and her aunt's boyfriend's daughter. To top it off, she is struggling with her sexuality. When the book begins, Rhea is living on the streets of New York City and is struggling to survive with her friend, Sergei. In the letters, Rhea tells of her history with her family and everything that led to her being homeless. Rhea was discriminated against a lot because of her arm. Everyone assumed she was disabled and that she couldn't do anything. That could not have been further from the truth. The author does tackle a lot of important topics, like homelessness and abuse and neglect and sexuality and depression and alcoholism and even prostitution. Does that seem like a lot of issues? That's because it was. And this book is almost 500 pages and yet, it only takes place over the span of a couple of months. I think that was my other issue: the story was so long that it started to drag a bit.
At first, I did wonder why she wrote to her mom instead of her father, especially because she didn't even remember her mom. But I think it was because she kind of idealized her mom and could imagine how her life would have turned out if her mom had not died. Part of the reason I grew to like this book was because of all the character development and her realization about who her mom was and who she was. She ended up working at a summer camp for homeless kids and that was my favorite part of the book because Rhea learned way more than the kids did. At the beginning of the summer, she hated everything about the camp and its rules and the head counselor (Jean), but by the end of the summer, she had completely turned around. There were so many things that happened over the course of that summer and I ended up tearing up more than once.
This book had a few issues, but it ended up being very moving.
February 14, 2016
I went into this book with some high hopes. It's about Rhea, who's Irish, lesbian, and an amputee, so there was indeed some diversity, and the letters she sends to her dead mom while she's essentially homeless in New York. I like letters. I liked the premise. I did not, however, like this book.
It has a fairly intriguing plotline. Rhea journeys around a bit in her letters, talking about present-day New York, recalling on her childhood in Ireland, or her troubled teen years in Florida with her aunt. Rhea's pretty homeless for most of the book, which was interesting to read about, although I'm not too certain about the accuracy. I MEAN, I could definitely be wrong- what do I know about being homeless? Some of it just felt odd, though.
However...that was really all of the book I enjoyed. Yes, it's got some interesting things to draw us in, but I just didn't enjoy the rest of the story.
For one: I didn't like ANY of the characters. Rhea, was, quite frankly, rather dull, whiny, and angsty. I've nothing against characters that you can't connect to very easily, but the thing with Rhea is that I couldn't connect to her at ALL, along with the rest of the characters. Her aunt was the only person who felt reasonable, but I didn't even like her. (And minor spoiler ahead- I marked it just in case, but it's really unspecific and could honestly be the turning point if you want to buy this or not.)
I also just didn't really get the point of this book. I guess that it's supposed to be her "discovering-herself-and-what-happened-to-her-mother"...but it didn't feel at all like that. It felt like "Rhea-being-selfish-and-complaining-about-life". AND I FEEL REALLY BAD FOR SAYING THAT, because it feels really harsh. But...it's what I felt. I mean, Rhea has definitely had some crappy things happen to her, so I guess a lot of it was warranted.
In the short, this book was not for me. I don't know who it is for, but that doesn't matter- if you're interested, regardless, try it!
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC copy! I received it in exchange for an honest review.
It has a fairly intriguing plotline. Rhea journeys around a bit in her letters, talking about present-day New York, recalling on her childhood in Ireland, or her troubled teen years in Florida with her aunt. Rhea's pretty homeless for most of the book, which was interesting to read about, although I'm not too certain about the accuracy. I MEAN, I could definitely be wrong- what do I know about being homeless? Some of it just felt odd, though.
However...that was really all of the book I enjoyed. Yes, it's got some interesting things to draw us in, but I just didn't enjoy the rest of the story.
For one: I didn't like ANY of the characters. Rhea, was, quite frankly, rather dull, whiny, and angsty. I've nothing against characters that you can't connect to very easily, but the thing with Rhea is that I couldn't connect to her at ALL, along with the rest of the characters. Her aunt was the only person who felt reasonable, but I didn't even like her. (And minor spoiler ahead- I marked it just in case, but it's really unspecific and could honestly be the turning point if you want to buy this or not.)
I also just didn't really get the point of this book. I guess that it's supposed to be her "discovering-herself-and-what-happened-to-her-mother"...but it didn't feel at all like that. It felt like "Rhea-being-selfish-and-complaining-about-life". AND I FEEL REALLY BAD FOR SAYING THAT, because it feels really harsh. But...it's what I felt. I mean, Rhea has definitely had some crappy things happen to her, so I guess a lot of it was warranted.
In the short, this book was not for me. I don't know who it is for, but that doesn't matter- if you're interested, regardless, try it!
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC copy! I received it in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2016
HOW MANY LETTERS ARE IN GOODBYE? was originally published in Ireland in 2014, but Flux has now brought it to the USA. It is the story of Rhea Farrell, who is homeless in New York when the story starts. She moved to Florida to live with her aunt's family after her father died, but was kicked out.
The story is told in letters to Rhea's mother, who drowned when Rhea was very young. This conceit did not work well from me, since the letters are usually very exact renditions of events (albeit through Rhea's biased point of view), complete with long passages of dialogue. There's no commitment to the form. Short letters between the narrative might've gotten the same point across and been more believable.
I did find the narrative compelling. Rhea is highly annoying in her self-absorption: everything is about her, even when other characters are telling her it isn't. At the same time, I understood why she was messed up. She lost an arm in an accident as a child, her mother drowned, her father was an alcoholic, and her first serious relationship ended with her getting kicked out of the house because it was with a girl. I thought it was wonderful that she got actual therapy. But Rhea's journey wasn't always an easy one to read.
Part of that is because Yvonne Cassidy knows how to write secondary characters who are clearly the heroes of their own story. I particularly missed her friend Sergei when he exited her life. He was a hustler in a relationship with a cheating, abusive man who Rhea encouraged him to stay with so they could live in his apartment. I got why their relationship ended, but I did hope for reconciliation once Rhea got some perspective.
HOW MANY LETTERS ARE IN GOODBYE? is a very weighty book. It's got suicide, alcoholism, teen homelessness, teen prostitution, domestic abuse, coming out going terribly awry - and it definitely aims to tug at the heartstrings in many parts. I thought it was a very realistic portrait of a teen girl who was struggling with her own identity and a need to accept help from others, and thought it succeeded on those grounds.
The story is told in letters to Rhea's mother, who drowned when Rhea was very young. This conceit did not work well from me, since the letters are usually very exact renditions of events (albeit through Rhea's biased point of view), complete with long passages of dialogue. There's no commitment to the form. Short letters between the narrative might've gotten the same point across and been more believable.
I did find the narrative compelling. Rhea is highly annoying in her self-absorption: everything is about her, even when other characters are telling her it isn't. At the same time, I understood why she was messed up. She lost an arm in an accident as a child, her mother drowned, her father was an alcoholic, and her first serious relationship ended with her getting kicked out of the house because it was with a girl. I thought it was wonderful that she got actual therapy. But Rhea's journey wasn't always an easy one to read.
Part of that is because Yvonne Cassidy knows how to write secondary characters who are clearly the heroes of their own story. I particularly missed her friend Sergei when he exited her life. He was a hustler in a relationship with a cheating, abusive man who Rhea encouraged him to stay with so they could live in his apartment. I got why their relationship ended, but I did hope for reconciliation once Rhea got some perspective.
HOW MANY LETTERS ARE IN GOODBYE? is a very weighty book. It's got suicide, alcoholism, teen homelessness, teen prostitution, domestic abuse, coming out going terribly awry - and it definitely aims to tug at the heartstrings in many parts. I thought it was a very realistic portrait of a teen girl who was struggling with her own identity and a need to accept help from others, and thought it succeeded on those grounds.
Read
March 17, 20169% sure isn’t that much, is it? But this book has over 400 pages so� it still isn’t my usual ‘at least 50 pages� approach. But I didn’t enjoy the writing style at all and all I could think while reading was ‘boooooooring�. So I gave up.
This book is written letter style � big surprise there. But it isn’t really letter style. If you take away the beginning and end of each ‘letter� and take out the occasional thrown in ‘mum’� it doesn’t read like a letter anymore. I was really confused how unbelievable detailed her memories were� it’s been years and she still knows what people wore? I don’t think so.
I don’t like books, which have too much words in them without really saying anything, but I know a lot of people do, so if you like dramatic YA LGBT novels, give this a shot? The idea itself is very interesting and heartbreaking as well, but like I said, I sadly couldn’t get into it.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
This book is written letter style � big surprise there. But it isn’t really letter style. If you take away the beginning and end of each ‘letter� and take out the occasional thrown in ‘mum’� it doesn’t read like a letter anymore. I was really confused how unbelievable detailed her memories were� it’s been years and she still knows what people wore? I don’t think so.
I don’t like books, which have too much words in them without really saying anything, but I know a lot of people do, so if you like dramatic YA LGBT novels, give this a shot? The idea itself is very interesting and heartbreaking as well, but like I said, I sadly couldn’t get into it.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
May 1, 2016
I picked up this book back in March and it honestly pains me to have to say this but I did not-could not-finish how many letters are in goodbye. the protagonist, Rhea, goes to New York looking for something and anything that ties her to her mother. the story is written in letters that she writes to her deceased mother. I've tried on 3 separate occasions to finish the story and I can't seem to get into it. I had high hopes of it being this amazing coming of age story and I found it lackluster. other than her missing one arm, I can't recall anything about this book. also, I felt like her having only one arm brought nothing to the story. I don't know anymore. this book seemed to progress to slowly for my taste.
October 18, 2015
This story had so many layers, the protagonist was so believable and the format of letters worked perfectly. This is a book that explores the themes of self identity, relationships, sexuality, family secrets through the main character of Rhea's letters to her mother as she works through a really tough time in her life. The LGBT aspect is just part of a bigger story. It was a book I read late into the night, not wanting to put it down.
Read through Net Galley. To be published in March 2016
Read through Net Galley. To be published in March 2016
August 7, 2017
This book was absolutely amazing, it should honestly be a coming of age book. I do advised this for teens and elders. I have rated this book a 5 out of 5, it's just too good for words.
Rhea was a independent 17 year-old to me.
For someone so young to have gone through the things she has is one hell of a person.
Lauren in the book oh god what a two faced female. Of course I didn't like her after the fact that she hurt Rhea the way that she did.(READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT WHAT)
I'm exhilarated that Rhea found Amanda and Amanda found Rhea, these two are wonderful.
Now let's get on Aunt Ruth she's a handful for trying her best for always thinking what's best for everyone little did she know that's how she ran Rhea away. We are not going to talk about that dang Cooper, whoever gave him the rights to hit a female.
Let's all give him a round of applause for Jean when push comes to shove this lady is one of a kind. She helped Rhea in so many ways that not even a million thank yous would be enough for what she accomplished.
In my personal opinion, Yvonne Cassidy I wished the book didn't end the way that it did I mean it was a good ending but not the 'I THINK I SEE THE LIGHT' ending. Something as to her mom not actually being dead or that the bench was there and on the bench was her address of where she lives. Also I believe that I am speaking for everyone on this part, that Rhea and Sergio reunites and nothing but good comes out of it. But anyways I love this book.
Rhea was a independent 17 year-old to me.
For someone so young to have gone through the things she has is one hell of a person.
Lauren in the book oh god what a two faced female. Of course I didn't like her after the fact that she hurt Rhea the way that she did.(READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT WHAT)
I'm exhilarated that Rhea found Amanda and Amanda found Rhea, these two are wonderful.
Now let's get on Aunt Ruth she's a handful for trying her best for always thinking what's best for everyone little did she know that's how she ran Rhea away. We are not going to talk about that dang Cooper, whoever gave him the rights to hit a female.
Let's all give him a round of applause for Jean when push comes to shove this lady is one of a kind. She helped Rhea in so many ways that not even a million thank yous would be enough for what she accomplished.
In my personal opinion, Yvonne Cassidy I wished the book didn't end the way that it did I mean it was a good ending but not the 'I THINK I SEE THE LIGHT' ending. Something as to her mom not actually being dead or that the bench was there and on the bench was her address of where she lives. Also I believe that I am speaking for everyone on this part, that Rhea and Sergio reunites and nothing but good comes out of it. But anyways I love this book.
December 1, 2016
Rhea is dealing with loss - the loss of her arm, her mother, her family, her identity and her home. When she runs away, she's forced to survive on her own, telling her story through a variety of letters to her mother.
This book was really long, and it definitely felt like it dragged on forever. I felt as though the events in the story were so disjointed and only there to create a darkness within the main character who seemed a bit melodramatic. I had no connection to Rhea at all, and didn't really care what happened to her, which meant from around 40% onwards, this book was painful to read. I feel as though the book tried really hard to be emotional and hard-hitting, but for me it just wasn't.
I have read some good reviews about this book so I would highly recommend reading those before making a decision as to whether or not you should read this book - unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
This book was really long, and it definitely felt like it dragged on forever. I felt as though the events in the story were so disjointed and only there to create a darkness within the main character who seemed a bit melodramatic. I had no connection to Rhea at all, and didn't really care what happened to her, which meant from around 40% onwards, this book was painful to read. I feel as though the book tried really hard to be emotional and hard-hitting, but for me it just wasn't.
I have read some good reviews about this book so I would highly recommend reading those before making a decision as to whether or not you should read this book - unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
October 15, 2017
The concept of how many letters are in goodbye is great I feel like people who have lost a parent could relate to writing them letters and trying to figure out more about their parents past. The problem for me with this book was the main character Rhea she was very self centered and to me it felt like she thought the world owed her something because of the things she experienced. She did have a lot of bad things happen to her loosing her both of her parents, her dad's alcoholism while he was alive, loosing her arm, becoming homeless to name a few. She took all that happened to her out on everyone else. I could not sympathize with her because she didn't seem genuine in anything that she did. She was rude to her aunt who took her in and apologized to her over and over again. Rhea was an awful character which made me unable to connect with the book and her.
June 11, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this book, from it's unique format* to it's heart-wrenching plot. The main character, Rhea, couldn't be more out-of-the-ordinary, and as the story develops she has to face more and more obstacles. Yet with these on-going obstacles, readers too can see how Rhea learns, develops, and blossoms as a character. I couldn't be happier with the ending, and in general the book in its entirety.
I whole-heartedly suggest picking up this book and giving it a try, and I assure you that you won't be disappointed.
*(If you're wondering what I mean by "unique format", the book is written as a series of letters from Rhea to her dead mom, which is why the title is "How many letters are in goodbye".)
I whole-heartedly suggest picking up this book and giving it a try, and I assure you that you won't be disappointed.
*(If you're wondering what I mean by "unique format", the book is written as a series of letters from Rhea to her dead mom, which is why the title is "How many letters are in goodbye".)
June 12, 2017
Rhea is a queer, Irish girl with one arm, living on the streets in New York, writing letters to her deceased mother. Her mother drowned when she was 3, and her father was an alcoholic who died in a car accident. This book tackles these, and several more heavy issues, and I think it pulled it off for the most part. However, some issues were addressed more than others, and Rhea came off rather self-centered until she finally got help. This book is long, and wasn't an easy read, but the ending was good.
September 4, 2017
I got this book from book club back in high school. I really didn't like the genre it's not my cup of tea. But this was a really tug at the heart strings.
It was simple about a girl who was different physically and in her sexuality at the time period. But what got me was one of the main themes is speak up if things aren't right. Rhea could've avoided heart break and so many choices if she spoke up and told the truth. But it also shows that girls are mean.
And the fact that it took so long for someone to tell her about her mother. Is just god awful. But it was such a good story.
It was simple about a girl who was different physically and in her sexuality at the time period. But what got me was one of the main themes is speak up if things aren't right. Rhea could've avoided heart break and so many choices if she spoke up and told the truth. But it also shows that girls are mean.
And the fact that it took so long for someone to tell her about her mother. Is just god awful. But it was such a good story.
September 8, 2018
This was an emotional and interesting read.
I liked the different way it was written - not in chapters but in letters. I usually tend to read and finish a chapter (or two) before putting a book down, but this time it was reading a letter (or two or three) before settling down to sleep!
Rhea was a very human character with masses of insecurities and questions about her mum, and her past. I loved that she was vulnerable and yet abrasive. It was an extremely eye-opening journey which I accompanied her on.
I liked the different way it was written - not in chapters but in letters. I usually tend to read and finish a chapter (or two) before putting a book down, but this time it was reading a letter (or two or three) before settling down to sleep!
Rhea was a very human character with masses of insecurities and questions about her mum, and her past. I loved that she was vulnerable and yet abrasive. It was an extremely eye-opening journey which I accompanied her on.
February 4, 2021
3 might be generous. This was another battle books for HS. One, it is too long to get its point across considering it is YA. Over 400 pages and at times it is repetitive. Second, How many issues can be crammed into 1 story? How many can just 1 character be confronted with? Death of a parent, loss of limb, homosexuality, homelessness, sexual abuse, and more. Not to mention, the main character has such a chip on her shoulder. Nasty, combative, selfish, and her responses are immature for about to turn 18.
October 3, 2017
I absolutely love this book. I really genuinely enjoy the story it tells but even more than that I love how everything is written. The author did a great job of including dialogue and then telling what was going on between the dialogue so you can really picture it well. I also love how everything is written as a letter. The story itself was interesting and enjoyable. By the end of the book you feel an attachment to Rhea. Very well written!
March 19, 2022
I can understand why some reviewers disliked Rhea. She's very much an unreliable narrator but that's sort of the point: she a teenager with an enormous amount of trauma and is gay, and the book is set in 1999 when it neither of those things was accepted nearly as well as they are today. She is also, as Lurie tells her repeatedly, kind of a dumbass.
It's still a good read though, even while it is super heavy at times.
It's still a good read though, even while it is super heavy at times.
March 2, 2023
This is hard. I gave it three because I just couldn't finish it but it was a good story, what I read. The character is living on her own in New York as a runaway. Both of her parents have passed away and her friend has left her. It was written very well, i just couldn't connect with the story and i really wanted to. When I start skipping whole pages to find something that interests me, i know I need to put the book down. I do think this would be a fabulous book to read, just not for me.
March 28, 2019
Picked this up on vacation and it was an easy and light read. Read it in one day. Though the protagonist Rhea faces too many unrealistic challenges, the story was interesting and the book was exactly what it set out to be. The format (written letters) worked surprisingly well. I liked the setting in the late 1990s
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