Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

By Steven Rowley

Oh, wow. This book was hard to read in the VERY BEST WAY. I so deeply related to feeling like you don’t know where time has gone, the desire for honest connection that comes from those who’ve known you longest, and the need to feel that you mattered in this world. It is a powerful read about complex and enduring friendships.

After the death of their friend Alec weeks before college graduation and their realization that they didn’t tell him how important he was to them until after he was gone, five friends make a pact. They will give each other “living funerals” in times of need so that no one doubts they are loved when they need it the most. The book chronicles 1995 to 2023 through the events that caused each to call for their funeral.

Unlike some books with a friend group, within this short novel, each character has their own space and feels whole. It is heartbreaking, funny, and thought-provoking. Please read it.

Thanks to Net Galley, Putnam Books, and Steven Rowley for the opportunity to read this book before publication in exchange for my honest review.