Fifteen-year-old Laurel Summers couldn't tell you the last words she spoke to her mother and siblings if her life depended on it. But she will...

Fifteen-year-old Laurel Summers couldn't tell you the last words she spoke to her mother and siblings if her life depended on it. But she will never forget the image of her mother's mangled green car on the freeway, shattering the boring world Laurel had been so desperate to escape. Now she can't stop seeing the ghosts of her family members, which haunt her with memories of how life used to be back when her biggest problem was the kiss she shared with her best friend Hanna.

After the accident, Laurel and her dad are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Her dad is struggling with his grief and depression, unable to cope with the loss of his family. He seeks a way out of his pain, leaving Laurel behind while he struggles to cope with his own mental illness. She is desperate to find a way to hold everything together again and help her father come to terms with the loss so he can come back to her.

Laurel tries to make sense of her pain with the help of her grandparents, her two best friends, and some random strangers. As she struggles to understand who she is without her family, she must come to terms with the items on her List of Things Not to Talk About, learn to trust her dad again, and--on top of it all--keep her heart open to love in the wake of her immense loss, eventually learning that it's okay to not be okay.

Author: Erin Moynihan
Publisher: Ooligan Press
Published: 11/10/2020
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781947845190
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 09/01/2020 pg. 92
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2020
Foreword 10/26/2020
Booklist 12/04/2020

About the Author
Moynihan, Erin: - Erin Moynihan is a debut novelist and dog mom from Seattle whose editorial work has appeared on HuffPost, BuzzFeed, The Mighty, and elsewhere. She has a background in social work and is passionate about elevating young female voices and breaking the stigma around mental health. You can see what she's up to at www.erinmoynihan.com.