The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk - OPTIONAL

The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk, 327 pages.  Delacorte Press, 2018.  $18.  

Content: Language: R (100+ swears;  68 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

In this book, three different characters have three distinctively different stories about losing a loved one to death.  Autumn loses her best friend and feels guilty because she should have been with her the night of the party.  Logan loses his ex-boyfriend and the last words he had spoken to him were hurtful, so Logan feels like he contributed to his ex-boyfriend’s suicide.  Shay lost her twin sister to Leukemia and hates being “twin-less” and the pain that term even causes.  All three teens go through the ranging emotions of losing someone important to them and how their friends and family try to help them deal.  

Each chapter moves from story to story, but the characters are distinct enough that it is easy to follow.  This book is depressing, but does a good job exploring the topic of losing someone who is young and close to you.  I liked that each of the characters worked through their friend's loss and reached out to others for hope and comfort.   The swears are over the top and distract from the story, especially Logan’s character who likes to swear A LOT.  The mature content includes make-out sessions and reference to a naked guy on a sex tape.

C. Peterson