The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

Cover Art Courtesy of
Random House Children's Books

The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk is a book about loss. Most of us have experienced at least one great loss in our lives (and if you haven't, you're so very lucky). Experiencing a great loss tears you up inside and makes you question everything, and often when this type of loss strikes you're forced to rebuild your life from the ground up.

In this story, Autumn, Logan, and Shay have all recently lost someone: a best friend, an ex-boyfriend, a twin sister. From a car wreck, to suicide, to cancer, these deaths were mostly unexpected, and tear each of the characters apart. Autumn turns to her dead best friend's brother for comfort (and a little more), Logan picks up the bottle and develops a destructive relationship with drinking, and Shay runs, literally, away from every situation that reminds her of her sister. But all three characters also find comfort in music. Through their love of music, they all know one another as acquaintances, but really come together at the end of the story to honor the loved ones they lost through the music that held them together.

But in addition to loss, this book is more about finding yourself after that loss, holding onto what you have, and embracing your own life while learning to live without the person that is no longer with you. Woodfolk's main characters do exactly that: find themselves and hold on to each other in their times of loss, truly living with an unwavering determination in memory of those now gone. Each of the characters was well developed, and it was easy to get inside their heads and understand their feelings. The diverse representation here was important, but the characters were so much more than that. The plot was simple but effective.

My biggest complaint with this book is the same one I usually have with YA contemporaries...the youth/parent interactions just didn't seem realistic. Maybe it's me, but I just don't believe (and have never experienced myself or even witnessed) the high level of obliviousness and leniency that I see with some of these parents. That being said, this book was beautiful. It tugged at your heart strings and you were really able to relate to the characters, no matter who you've lost in your life.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Random House Children's Books for sending me an advanced copy of this book! The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk releases TODAY so be sure to pick up a copy!