Trigger warnings: Grief, talk of alcohol and drug use, and suicide
Synopsis: Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.
Review: The Beauty that Remains is a great story about grief and coming together as a community. This book follows three perspectives, Shay who lost her twin to Leukemia, Logan who lost his ex-boyfriend to suicide, and Autumn who lost her best friend in a car accident. Personally, I loved reading Shay's experience the most. Trying to be the good sibling is always difficult, but she faced an incredible loss when her sister died. Her attempt to fill the void of the good sister hit very close to home. There's a particularly touching scene where Shay's friends talk to her about the way she's faking being okay and, despite therapy being looked down on in black communities, she should go seek professional help.
Logan ended up being forced into therapy, but I feel like the conversations about therapy were handled well. By the end of the book, he definitely seemed to feel more comfortable being in that space which I appreciated. I loved that Logan's sexuality wasn't a major focus of his story. This wasn't an opportunity for him to come out. He was already open about his sexuality, so the story was able to focus on his dealing with grief. Logan's story was the most difficult to read for me. His ex-boyfriend killed himself, and Logan is having a hard time reconciling this. He turns to alcohol as a way to cope.
Autumn's chapters open with her sending messages to her dead best friend. This is haunting because she is aching for a response that will never come. Her perspective is particularly interesting because it's written as if she is telling her own story to Tavia. It was incredible to read, but I felt for her deeply. I wanted her to have some closure so she might be able to move on. She does have great conversations with other people in Tavia's life who are also dealing with the loss of Tavia.
I loved this book. It was deep in many ways as it handled so many perspectives of grief. Shay, Autumn, and Logan were all connected to a band called Unraveling Lonely. This band has broken up when the book begins, but the relationship threads of the band members are what connects these stories. I understand why the band isn't together throughout this book, but I wish we got to see a bit more of them as a group. The band members are important parts of The Beauty that Remains, but sometimes the group felt detached from everything. That might be a problem with the way the synopsis is written, but it sounded like this particular band was meant to be a larger part of the story. Still, the execution of the story was overall brilliant. Especially at the end where it isn't just about individuals overcoming grief. It's about an entire community.
The Beauty that Remains is a great book about various kinds of grief and healing.
4 howls
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