I couldn’t find any pre-written questions for this books online, so here are a few general questions I gathered together. Feel free to answer one or all... or pose your own topics of discussion.
You can also comment on favorite passages, parts that stuck with you, or sections that didn’t resonate with you. Was there something you didn't fully grasp? Did the book leave you with more questions than it answered?
All questions and viewpoints are welcome.
Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)?
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what?
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any emotions? Make you laugh, cry, or cringe?
How, if at all, did this book relate to your own life? Did it evoke any memories or create any connections for you?
What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you?
What was the most challenging or difficult part of the book for you to read or understand? How did you overcome it?
How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles?
If there was one thing about the book you could have improved, what would it be?
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? How long did it take you to get into the book?
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more?
Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)? Yes, I would recommend this book to someone especially if they had experienced death of a loved one in their life. It validates a lot of feelings and emotions AND HEALING that a reader would find comforting.
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? I felt this book brought back a deep reflection in myself as I read it. I lost my mother at a young age and then my husband who I have two children with. This book stirred my soul with sadness, it brought back many memories of what I have missed out on life not having these two wonderful people in my life.
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any emotions? Make you laugh, cry, or cringe? I'm glad I read this book even though it made me sad. I sometimes feel sorry for myself that I had to experience death too many times. I miss my loved ones DEEPLY still. Time hasn't healed my wounds.
How, if at all, did this book relate to your own life? Did it evoke any memories or create any connections for you? This book was too close to home for me. It tugged my heart.
What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you? My favorite part was the romance with Dani and Jackson. I'm not finished yet, but getting close. I LOVE LOVE! Also, the kid's camp; I highly recommend any type of therapy to someone in need. Group therapy is my favorite because hearing other people's stories help me understand and adjust my situations better. I cried on page 267 when Juniper told Bella about the friend she had after her parents died. Her name was Rainbow. She kept Juniper company when she was the saddest. (Very common to find friends like that after a loss.) This is my true story; when my husband was ill, my 5 year old daughter kept talking about her friend, Gloria. I couldn't see her, but my daughter talked about her often. One day in my sorrow, my daughter said to me, "Mom, it's going to be okay, Gloria is here." I need Gloria right now; this book has stirred many emotions in me and I'm thankful I read this book. I will remember it the rest of my days.
What was the most challenging or difficult part of the book for you to read or understand? How did you overcome it? My heart hurt hearing Jackson had lost his daughter; how can one ever get through that! I also cried with the ending of the book when I read, "Letting go can take a lifetime."
How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles? I wouldn't want to watch this book as a movie. I don't do well with emotional loss and I would not purchase the movie ticket to protect me from it. If I had to choose someone to play Jackson, it would be Brandon Sklenar.
If there was one thing about the book you could have improved, what would it be? I don't think I would have changed a thing. It was a well written, emotional book and well researched for publishing.
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? How long did it take you to get into the book? I liked the author's writing style. I like reading the characters' perspectives. I got right into the book from the start which is a bonus for me. It has taken me a little longer to read probably because of the emotions it evoked in myself and I didn't pick the book up like I would with a thriller.
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more? I was relieved when I finished the book; too much sadness stirred up in my soul while reading. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and I will treasure it in my library. I was so happy that Jackson and Dani got together in the end and Bella accepted him. Jackson will bless both of their lives and they to him.
I really enjoyed the ocean/beach setting - it helped give me a peace of mind as the breeze blew through my hair and the sand was soft on my feet. It was comforting which was needed in my sorrow.
I just finished this so I will jump in while the memory is fresh.
Would I recommend? Yes, especially if I had started reading back in January when it was a free Amazon First Reads book. I would have been telling every reader I know to pick it up. I honestly don't look at the First Reads too closely; I should start I've probably been missing some good ones.
Thought provoking? Yes. The whole importance of acknowledging grief and the importance of therapy. I am 58. Nothing like this was around when I was young.
How did the book make you feel? Sad but also optimistic. There was a community which is so important. Everyone had their own things they were dealing with and processing grief in different ways. Reggie's dad who threw himself into his work after his wife died made me sad, he was trying to deal with it all by himself.
How did the book relate to your own life? Just that there really isn't a timetable. I remember my grandfather telling me before he died how much he still missed my grandmother who dies 20 years earlier.
Favorite scenes? The making of the jars and Dani doing her own with the girls about the loss of her mom years earlier.
Challenging/difficult parts? Thinking about how challenging Dani's younger life was, getting married when she was 18 to a man she really hadn't even dated and then raising a baby, then getting divorced young. And now her medical issue at only30 years old.
How would you adopt this to a movie? To me this read like a movie. I could easily see this as a streaming movie on Amazon or Netflix.
A thing to improve? Nothing really. The characters were easy to keep track of. I liked the ghost girl and the chat with Mrs. Nelson.
Author's style easy or hard to read? Easy which I appreciate. One author who I love (Liane Moriarty) often throws a bunch of characters at you right away then time hops past to present and I can get very lost. This author presents in a straightforward way.
Ending? Loved it. Good closure for everyone I think.
Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)? Eh, it was an easy read (listen) and everyone got their happy ever after.
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? Not really thought provoking at all- I do think the author has suffered grief, as those emotions were accurately written from my perspective
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any emotions? Make you laugh, cry, or cringe? Not really, It was pretty predictable to me.
How, if at all, did this book relate to your own life? Did it evoke any memories or create any connections for you? I have lost loved ones, so I did relate to the grief process
What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you? I liked envisioning the change in the construction of the silos & house
What was the most challenging or difficult part of the book for you to read or understand? How did you overcome it? There was no challenging parts- but I did understand the parenting a teenager parts.
How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles? I do not recommend turning this into a movie- nothing really happens.
If there was one thing about the book you could have improved, what would it be? Unsure- SOMETHING more to happen- maybe Dani's blindness actually happens & how they navigate that?
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? How long did it take you to get into the book? It was easy to read/listen- read it in less than a day.
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more? I wanted more from the whole thing- but in general the ending was fine- everyone's happily ever after & all tied up in a bow.
Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)? I would, as long as I know it wouldn't bring back grief for those who had been through the same kind of loss.
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? I'm not sure it was very thought-provoking, but when I read about how different grief affected these characters, it brought to mind how some people I know who have experienced these losses grieve.
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any emotions? Make you laugh, cry, or cringe? The book was kinda sad overall, but it was nice to know that the characters wound up happy. I thought Anna was mean, and I wondered where that came from - she was the one who had died, not the one who experienced grief. It made me mad when she broke Bella's bracelet. But then later on, Jackson fixed the bracelet so Bella couldn't even really tell it had been broken. I think that helped their relationship.
How, if at all, did this book relate to your own life? Did it evoke any memories or create any connections for you? I have experienced loss, but not yet to the extent it was presented in the book.
What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you? My favorite scenes were when Bella and Reggie met, really connected, and became good friends, especially since her friends from her old town turned on her. Reggie was good for her. I also really like how Dani agreed to do the activities that Bella did at camp, initially to help Bella overcome her grief, and because it made Dani overcome her own grief, which I don't she expected.
What was the most challenging or difficult part of the book for you to read or understand? How did you overcome it? It was difficult to read just how grief affected the characters, like Bella hating her father and that it broke up Jackson's marriage.
How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles? I don't think I would.
If there was one thing about the book you could have improved, what would it be? I thought that the chapters for each person should have been in first person, not a combo of first and third. That kinda drove me crazy. I've never read a book like that, and I don't know why the author did that.
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? How long did it take you to get into the book? I thought it was very easy to read, and it didn't take me long at all to get into the book.
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more? I really enjoyed the ending, because everyone seemed happy, and Bella accepted Jackson.
I will answer some of the questions.... others I really can't come up with anything for, so I deleted those.
Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)? I would recommend it... but it might be a tough read for someone who has experienced a significant loss.
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? I guess I didn't find it especially thought provoking although I could relate to Dani (see next question).
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any emotions? Make you laugh, cry, or cringe? Having lost my former husband to a rare form of cancer 4 years after we divorced, I could definitely relate to Dani's emotions around the death of Matthew. It is a strange place to be because of course there are still feelings for the person who I was married to for 18 years, and I also needed to support our 3 sons as they processed their grief. They were not super close with their dad, but he was still their dad, you know? I like that Dani processed her own feeling about the loss of her mom (I lost my mom when I was 23) and that she modeled that for her daughter.
How, if at all, did this book relate to your own life? Did it evoke any memories or create any connections for you? I guess I already answered this question lol. It was challenging to watch my boys (who were 21, 19 and 17 at the time of their dad's passing) try to deal with the emotions of losing him. Two of them ended up seeking out counseling on their own, which I was super proud of.
What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you? I loved the connection that Bella and Dani developed with Reggie. Clearly she needed them in her life and I'm glad they found each other.
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? How long did it take you to get into the book? I was a little bit confused by the girl that appeared to Bella until I got farther along in the book. It was a pretty easy read (listen). I liked the different voices in the audio version.
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying or did you want more? I am happy that there was a happy ending. I'm a sucker for those lol. I'm glad to know that Dani will have the support she needs as she continues to deal with her worsening eyesight.
