In the book, Goodbye Days, by Jeff Zentner, it follows the story of Carver Briggs, a teenager in high school, moments after his friends pass away in a car crash. The story follows Carver through the ups and down of his life and occasionally flashes back to when his friends were alive. One of his friends had a girlfriend who helps Carver through these tough times.

Right as the story begins, everything goes down. Carver is accused by the cops and the parents of the deceased because Carver was the one that sent a text message which led to the crash. He is constantly blamed for their death leading to occasional panic attacks and eventually therapy. It’s then that Carver decides to visit one of the victim’s grandmother. They have a talk and the grandmother admits to wanting to say goodbye to her grandson. They both come up with the idea of a ‘Goodbye Day’. This would be a day where Carver goes out with his friend’s parents and act as if he is their son to provide closure. One of the families of the victims blames Carver and refuses to do a ‘Goodbye Day’, but in the end they give in. Even though Carver was blamed for the death of his friends, he managed to try and fix the damage he has supposedly done.

This book was a true page turner. I never put it down once I picked it up and started reading. In my opinion, I feel like this book is good for teens to read. It contains a lot of issues that teens face and ultimately conveys the idea of cherishing your friendships and life in general. I like the fact that they addressed mental illnesses and how tragic situations effect people in different ways. If you like books that are funny and serious at different times, this is the book for you.