This is What Goodbye Looks Like by Olivia Rivers

Pages: 338
Publish date: June 17th 2016
Publisher: Red Sparrow Press
ISBN: 9781533075635
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

This is What Goodbye Looks Like:

I received a copy of This is What Goodbye Looks Like by Oliva Rivers from Red Sparrow Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I picked this book up on a whim – I hadn’t heard about it until I saw in on Netgalley, but something about the synopsis caught my eye, and I am glad that I did. Because I really enjoyed it.

This is What Goodbye Looks Like follows Lea Holder as she tries to figure out how a family that lost a member could stand together so well, while hers in falling apart. Lea just doesn’t feel guilty for the accident, but for lying.

Her mother was the cause of the accident that killed the other drive, left her sister in a coma and caused her to walk with a cane. But, when it came to telling the truth, she couldn’t do it, she lied. Her mother walked free and a family was left without answers.

Lea transfers schools to figure just how this family stood together, where hers broke them. Turns out that she is in the same class as Seth, the brother of the boy that her mum killed. From friendship, to something a little more; they go on one hell of our journey.

I really enjoyed Lea as a protagonist. She has so much going on in her life that she doesn’t even know where to start. She just wants her life to go back to how it was, but it never will.

I adored her love for her sister; she would do literally everything for her and it was beautiful. Her relationship with her parents and older brother are a different. Lea has yet to forgive her mother for the accident and her father for making her lie. It was hard to read about how Lea was feeling about the accident, she wanted to tell the truth; but she also loved her mother. Add to the mix her brother not bothering to call her or return her calls.

Then there is Seth, brother of the victim and someone that Lea befriends. There relationship is slow and steady. It was really nice to see that it didn’t turn into a romantic relationship as soon as it meet, like it took quite a lot of the book before it was really hinted at – and I loved that. However, the whole time all I could think about was how things are going to turn out when the truth is revealed.

Seth has a lot of anger towards Lea’s family. He wants to see her mother in jail so he can finally get his peace, but it also hunted by his brother’s passing and makes it his mission that he finish his last project so that he graduates college.

I also liked the friendships that Lea made throughout the novel, it was really nice for her to see her lean on people.

But it all had to come to an end and the truth did have to come out, it hurt me a little. Lea finally started to let herself go and then everything she built comes crashing down on her. Lea has to make some tough decisions that no-one should ever make, but they make her strong.

I wasn’t overly satisfied with the ending, but it wasn’t horrible as well – I just wanted more.

This is What Goodbye Looks Like also deals with disabilities, Lea has a limp and has to use a walking cane; so she doesn’t fall and Seth is blind. It was wonderful to see two characters these two diverse characters come together. 

Overall, This is What Goodbye Looks Like is a beautiful story about grief, family, love, forgiveness and doing what is right.