Today I am sharing with you The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda. Find info about the book as well as my thoughts, below.
I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.
Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can’t believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated façade of her life. Will and his wife are fine—as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class).
Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it’s like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple’s second act together—empty nesting—might possibly be the end.
My Thoughts On The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda
Overall I thought this was a good book. I found some things that I identified with in a couple of the characters like Melanie who was, pretty much, having a nervous breakdown. Her “empty nest syndrome” was taking control of her life and she was having a hard time dealing with it. She loves her husband and her kids but things just started to get out of hand. I can see where many moms and even dads would go through that.
I liked Sarah and her daughter Ashley as well as Melanie and Keith and their so Dane but that was it. The others, to me, were too wack-a-do! But, it takes all kinds, right? There are some of those in every community. And these wack-a-do’s were written very well and I could picture them and what they were doing.
There are quite a few characters in this novel but it is fairly easy to keep up with them. Anytime there is a change to a particular person’s story there is a caption to let you know so it is easy to follow along. There were only a couple times I got lost in the story and had to double check which person I was reading about.
Some parts I could see coming but there were a couple twists that I didn’t expect. If you’re looking for a weekend or vacation read, The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda is a great one to check out!
Others Thoughts:
-Meg Mitchell Moore, author of The Admissions, So Far Away, and The Arrivals
-Redbook magazine, “20 Best Books to Read Come Spring”
―Working Mother magazine
About the Author
Kaira Rouda is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction and sexy modern romance novels that sparkle with humor and heart.
Her women’s fiction titles include THE GOODBYE YEAR, HERE, HOME, HOPE, ALL THE DIFFERENCE and IN THE MIRROR. Her bestselling short story is titled, A MOTHER’S DAY. Her sexy contemporary romance series include the LAGUNA BEACH Series, the INDIGO ISLAND Series with a new MALIBU Series launching in 2016.
Her nonfiction titles, REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, and REAL YOU FOR AUTHORS: 8 Essentials for Women Writers (available for free download on her website) continue to inspire.
Kaira’s work has won numerous awards including the Indie Excellence Award, USA Book Awards, the Reader’s Choice Awards and honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest International Book Awards. She lives in Southern California with her husband and four almost-grown kids, and is at work on her next novel.
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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.
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I am a stay-at-home- mom, living in KY with my husband and children. I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger encouraging folks to live their life one adventure at a time while also focusing on beauty, essential oils and health. From time to time I also like to showcase my adorable pets along with my family. Along with Cinnamon Hollow I can be found at The Martin Family Adventure … read more