Goodbye Days, Jeff Zentner
Goodbye Days, Jeff Zentner
5 Rating(s)
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
Club: $13.75

Goodbye Days

Author: Jeff Zentner

Narrator: Michael Crouch

Unabridged: 10 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/07/2017


Synopsis

“Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming,” says Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also A Star, of this novel about finding strength and hope after tragedy. Perfect for fans of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Looking for Alaska.
 
Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. But now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, a powerful judge is pressuring the district attorney to open up a criminal investigation. 
 
Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a “goodbye day” together to share their memories and say a proper farewell.
 
Soon the other families are asking for their own goodbye day with Carver—but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these goodbye days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison?

Includes the song “The Motion of the Earth” by Jeff Zentner, performed by Jeff Zentner and Elin Palmer

“One of the most stunningly heartfelt, lump-in-your-throat novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Hold on to your heart: this book will wreck you, fix you, and most definitely change you.” —Becky Albertalli, author of Morris Award winner Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Tender, honest, moving, and lyrical. His characters live and breathe. Ahh, lucky me. Lucky us. Zentner is the real thing.” —Benjamin Alire Sáenz, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and Printz Honor winning author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

About Jeff Zentner

Jeff Zentner is the author of the New York Times Notable Books The Serpent King and In the Wild Light. He has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, and the International Literacy Association Award for Young Adult Fiction and has been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.  


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff on March 14, 2017

Here's where GOODBYE DAYS came from: I think about death a lot. Not to an unhealthy degree, mind you. Or at least I don’t think so. I guess it’s hard to be objective about this sort of thing. I know that I think about dying at least once a day. Anyway, death fascinates me. And while I adhere to the m......more

Goodreads review by Laura on April 17, 2017

Isn’t it terrible... What a loss... He was so young... He was so funny... He was... He was... He was.People take shelter under clichés. Language is powerless enough in the face of death. I guess it’s asking too much for people to veer from the tried-and-true under such circumstances. It legit was my......more

Goodreads review by Aj the Ravenous Reader on December 17, 2017

I don’t remember reading a book that had me laughing and crying literally at the same time from start until the very end until Goodbye Days. When you decide to read the book, the most helpful tip I could give you is to take good care of your heart because after reading, mine felt like it cart wheele......more

Goodreads review by Korrina on August 16, 2016

Oh boy. What can I even say? I'm exhausted and emotionally drained from this book, but in a good way? I was sad the entire time I was reading this. It's a hard story to get through, because it's devastating. As it should be. Because the subject matter of accidents caused by texting while driving is h......more

Goodreads review by Erik on August 12, 2020

Kniha dočítaná, svetlá zhasli, a tak tu sedím a píšem recenziu. Teda… skôr nepíšem, len pozerám na bielu obrazovku a v hlave tornádo myšlienok. Aj ja som prišiel o kamarátku. Neodišla… zomrela. Utopila sa. Jednu chvíľu sme spolu kecali a ďalšiu… Američania by napísali, že som rozbitý na milión kúsko......more


Quotes

"Jeff Zentner, you perfectly fill the John-Green-sized hole in our heart."Justine Magazine

“Evocative, heartbreaking, and beautifully written."
Buzzfeed

"Masterful." —Teen Vogue

Tender, honest, moving, and lyrical. Zentner is the real thing.”
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and Printz Honor winner

An Indie Next List Selection


"Zentner does an excellent job in creating empathetic characters, especially his protagonist Carver, a budding writer whose first-person account of his plight is artful evidence of his talent."—Booklist, Starred

"Racial tensions, spoiled reputations, and broken homes all play roles in an often raw meditation on grief and the futility of entertaining what-ifs when faced with awful, irreversible events."—Publishers Weekly, Starred

"[E]xquisite and tragic." –Shelf Awareness, Starred

"[A] novel full of wisdom." —Kirkus

"[The] kind of intelligent, intense, and life-affirming tale that will resonate with teens seeking depth and honesty." —SLJ

"An organic, frequently raw narrative." –Horn Book

"Tissues not optional." The Bulletin


Praise for Jeff Zentner’s The Serpent King

A William C. Morris Award Winner
A New York Times Notable Book
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
An Indie Next List Top Ten Selection

A Paste Magazine and Popcrush Most Anticipated YA Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Spring Flying Start


"Move over, John Green; Zentner is coming for you." —The New York Public Library

Will fill the infinite space that was left in your chest after you finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” —Book Riot

“A story about friendship, family and forgiveness, it’s as funny and witty as it is utterly heartbreaking.” —Paste Magazine

“A brutally honest portrayal of teen life . . . [and] a love letter to the South from a man who really understands it.” —Mashable

“Zentner’s great achievement — particularly impressive for a first novel — is to make us believe three such different people could be friends. He also manages to blend a dank, oppressive, Flannery O’Connor-esque sense of place with humor and optimism .... I adored all three of these characters and the way they talked to and loved one another.” —New York Times Book Review


Awards

  • Lincoln Prize