PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
K. J. Reilly graduated from Boston University with a BA in psychology then headed to New York City to work in the marketing research departments of several of the largest advertising agencies in the world. She loves reading, writing, dogs, sailboats, cycling, children of all shapes and sizes, and growing her own food. She is the author of Words We Don’t Say. Four for the Road is her second young adult novel. Learn more at KJReillyAuthor.com and on Instagram and Twitter @KJReillyAuthor.
* In this at once funny and moving novel, it's been just over a year since seventeen-year-old Asher's mom died in a car accident . . . The intergenerational friendship with [a delightful octegenarian] adds to the humor; a philosophical connection with Will provides depth; and a blossoming romance with Sloane brings sweetness to Asher's difficult, deserved path toward healing. -- <I>The Horn Book Magazine, </I>STARRED REVIEW * Reilly uses empathetic prose, and Asher's by turns biting and achingly earnest voice, to expertly portray the white-cued group's journey through individual and shared grief. -- <i>Publishers Weekly, </i>Starred Review * Reilly explores the avenues of grief most people don't encounter until they are older, and she does it with bright, funny characters who hold onto one another and the truths that unfold on their trip. -- Booklist, Starred Review * So overwhelming is the load of trauma [each character carries] that it's hard to see how their journey could end on a buoyant note, but Reilly pulls it off by developing rich friendships while artfully slipping in comical elements on the way to a climactic whirl of laughter, tears, budding romance, and well-placed insights. . . A heady round trip, heavy baggage and all, from heartbreak to healing. -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
