Audiobook Review – Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano #20booksofsummer20

Book Details
Genre: Fiction
Series: None
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publication Date: 1/6/2020
Narrated By: Cassandra Campbell

Goodreads Synopsis –

One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.

Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery–one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?

My Opinion –

A story of tragedy and survival!

Truth be told I was a bit hesitant going into this book. I was afraid it would be an extremely emotional book. Between a plane crashing and the sole survivor being only twelve years old, I feared it would be too much for me to handle. I am pleased to report that I was wrong. It was definitely tragic, no doubt, but it was not the overly emotional read I was bracing for!

I chose to do the audio version of this book and am very thankful I did, I really enjoyed the narration. Being that I have not read the synopsis for quite some time, I did not expect the alternating perspectives. The first storyline is Edward, his family, and many of the other passengers on the flight leading up to the crash. The other storyline is Edward after the crash, where he now must navigate his new unexpected future. I was drawn more to Edward’s story after the crash than the passengers during the flight, but I do understand why it was written the way it was.

One of my favorite things about this book was Shay. Wow, what a friend he found in her! Edward’s journey is no less than amazing! I could not even begin to put myself in his shoes.

This is a story of loss, grief, friendship, and the quest to understand how to continue on.