The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley –352 pages
Book Blurb:
Two cousins, Rory and Arden, lie unconscious in a hospital burn unit. The fire, which broke out in their shared college dorm room, killed another student, and the police want answers. Tension between Rory and Arden’s parents was already at an all-time high before the fire, owing to a recent financial crisis and the decline of the family business. As the parents huddle anxiously in the waiting room, carefully avoiding the subject of their own unraveling relationships, disturbing truths come to light. This is the deeply moving story of a family’s struggle to hold together while their secrets threaten to tear them apart.
My Review: 4 stars
The Good Goodbye was a family drama filled with suspense, mystery and a full emotional ride.
Thanks to my followers for recommending this book to me! I was sucked in from page one and it kept me guessing chapter after chapter. I loved all the characters because they were all portrayed so realistically.
Because we only heard one of the mom’s POV and not the other, I was very interested in learning more about Gabrielle’s back-story. Her family and upbringing remained an unsolved mystery.
The two moms dealt with their children in such contrasting ways and seeing that in action was impactful to the reading experience. It was interesting to see that their parenting styles were vastly different and still neither of them knew what their children were really doing. Their daughters were so similar, so different, so weak, so strong and so interdependent on each other. I felt for them as they tried to find themselves individually while still so feeling so deeply connected.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
Quotes I like:
The first time you hold your baby and see she’s all right, you breathe a sigh of relief. You think you’ve crossed the finish line. You don’t realize that the race had just begun.”
– “Sending a child to college is like drawing that line in the sand. Your child walks over it and she’s not your little girl anymore. She’s just not.”
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