Six Goodbyes We Never Said

This book is such a beautiful portrayal of grief from two teenagers POV’s and the unique friendship they build to help them get through the tough times.

Naima has the toughest of exteriors but on the inside is a tornado of emotions that she’s not sure how to navigate. Her dad was just killed in action and after not speaking to him for months she’s not sure exactly how to feel other than to take things out on others, especially her stepmom. When she goes to live with her grandparents she meets the strange boy next door. He seems to know a lot about her but she knows nothing about him. As she gets to know Dew, she starts to discover the keys to coping with her father’s loss, and finds ways to open up about how she feels. Her journey through such an extremely emotional time is so well done in Candace’s writing.

Dew lost both his parents in a car accident and is now living with his adoptive parents Stella and Thomas. He is a quirky person who always finds his parents words coming to mind whenever he’s faced with any kind of challenge. He is full of wisdom and when he meets a man in the coffee shop he works at a year prior he finally figures out what he’s to do with his interactions with him. When he meets Naima he tries his best to befriend her despite how much she fights against him and by the end they’ve build a friendship only they could understand.

I loved the way Candace portrayed grief within these two teenagers and showed that despite the differences in the way each person grieves they can also find common ground in how they learn to cope with it. There were so many beautiful quotes throughout this book and it will definitely hit you in the feels. If you love books that encompass mental health, grief, and friendship than you’ll love this wonderfully written YA contemporary!