Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner: A Review

Carver Briggs is one fourth of the Sauce Crew.  His three best friends Eli, Mars, and Blake comprise the rest.  Right before their senior year, Eli, Mars, and Blake died in an horrible car accident.  Carver wasn't in the car.  He was waiting for his three best friends to come pick him up. He was so impatient that he texted Mars "Where are you guys? Text me back."  

Did his text message distract Mars causing the horrific accident?  What if Carver had never sent the text message? 

The title of Goodbye Days refers to Carver spending a day with each grieving family saying goodbye. Yet each family seeks Carver's presence for different motives. Could they be trying to trick him into implicating himself as the cause of their sons' deaths? Could they be trying to understand the children that they lost?

A strong narrative voice coupled with powerful, complex conflict means that this was a book that I could just not put down. Not only was Carver dealing with the grieving parents of his best friends, but he also befriended Eli's girlfriend, Jessmyn.  Feelings develop between the two causing even more problems.

I'm a pretty cold-hearted, cynical reader, but this book really affected me. I found myself inexplicably engaged with all the characters. Interestingly, I was emotionally invested in not only the teen protagonist. I also cared deeply for the parents even when they were in conflict with the protagonist. Tears may have fallen. I can neither confirm nor deny. 

This powerful book will surely speak to teens. If you are a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, this book may be for you.   It's power is in its portraits of grief.

Come check it out from the library today.  Copies are available at BCHS, MHS, and GVHS.  If you don't attend those schools, you can still request a copy.