Review: See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Title: See You at Harry’s
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publishing Date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 310
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Digital ARC

Goodreads Summary:

Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges - until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

Review:
I seemed to be picking so real emotional books as of late. I knew this one was going to be tear jerking, I did not expect it to be completely heart wrenching. Phenomenal Book!

The story: Fern, a 12 year girl, fights for her place in the family social ladder. She is one of four kids. Sarah is the oldest at 18 works with their parents at the family diner, 14year old Holden is struggling with admitting he is gay, and 3 year old surprise childe, Charlie is the center of attention. Fern feels she is invisible, everyone has drama but her. Everybody’s world changes when the family of 6 becomes the family of 5.

The characters: Fern is fun, smart, and devoted. She struggles at times with having an annoying little brother, a mother who is always busy, a father who works too much, and older siblings who have their own world and problems. She wants to help everyone but also be left alone. She seemed like the average 12 year girl at the beginning and she matured quite a bit throughout the book.

Fern’s family had a big part to play in this story. The story centered on the family’s grieving process and I felt I could relate to them and felt the tragedy happened to me. The book was raw, unfiltered, and real emotional. The characters were well developed and the relationships were honest.

The issues: The real issue in this book was death and grieving; however many more issues were introduced. They are read issues that many families in our society are dealing with today. The author did a great job on keeping it real, I cried, I laughed, I learned, and I felt that I grew some in reading this book.

Overall this book was AMAZING and SENSATIONAL!


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