The How & the Why

by Cynthia Hand

"Cynthia Hand is the master of pulling at your heartstrings. The How & the Why tells both sides of an adoption story with love, compassion, and care." —Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to the Lost

A poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.

Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.

But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.

Alternating between Cass’s search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who placed her for adoption, this emotionally resonant narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina LaCour and Jandy Nelson.

• ISBN10: 0062693174
• ISBN13: 9780062693174
• Publish Date: 13 May 2021 (first published 5 November 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 22 August 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperTeen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This book! Seriously, it was a feelsplosion! I suspected I needed to buckle up, when I read the dedication, and started getting all emotional. It was touching and beautiful, and I am so grateful I got to spend a year with Cass as she filled in some of her missing pieces.

• Pro: The format of this book was a win. I loved alternating between Cass in present time and her birth mother in the past. I always like, when I know part of the story, and slowly learn the rest. I like the build and anticipation, and Hand did an amazing job bridging the past and the present in this book.

• Pro: Cass's parents were phenomenal. Their love and affection was unquestionable, and there were so many hankie moments with these two. I loved them to pieces.

• Pro: It was interesting seeing an adoption from multiple points of view. Not only did I learn about Cass and her birth mother's experience, I also got to hear from her parents, and even her best friend, Nyla, whose circumstances were quite different.

• Pro: Though I keep talking about all the crying I was doing, there were a lot of happy, fun, and joyful moments in this book too. There, of course, was Cass's search for her birth mother, but she was also a teen visiting colleges, starring in the school play, and maybe falling in love. Hand deftly blended these elements to produce something really special.

• Pro: I loved how Hand kept me on my toes throughout the story. I was collecting pieces, left and right, and had quite a few amazing AHA! moments.

• Pro: The ending! The ending! The ending! I was crying and clapping, and it was just perfection.

Overall: This book held me in its grip from beginning to end, while burrowing its way into my heart. It was simply stupendous!

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[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand is a story about how an adopted daughter finds her birth mom.

Will Cassandra get the answers that she is seeking?

Cassandra McMurtrey

Cassandra, aka Cass, McMurtrey, is the main character who has had a lot of things happen to her. She has wonderful parents and friends that are there for her when she needs them. Cass loves theatre and loves to act. There are a lot of things that are happening that I don't want to spoil. I love Cass and how she is as a person. Cass does a lot of things and finds out a lot from the time she turned eighteen to a year later when she's nineteen. She is a sort of typical teenager, and I can see her and me as friends.

S

We only learn of S and about her situation in letters that she wrote for Cass. Cass doesn't get these letters until she's eighteen, but we learn a lot about them. I feel for S and her situation, along with how her relatives deal with her. S is a great character and the perfect sarcastic teenage pregnant girl who knows what she wanted to do once she found out that she is pregnant. I like this character as well.

Five Stars

The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand is a remarkable story that I wasn't sure if I would like. However, I loved this story and how Ms. Hand wrote this story. Ms. Hand did a fabulous job, and she just got a new fan in me. 

I am giving this story a rating of five stars and recommending it to everyone.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand. 

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

This book is phenomenal and will make you feel so many things that your emotions might actually explode but you'll be okay with it cause it's worth it. I mean, I almost don't want to tell you much about it because I just want you to go ahead and experience it for yourself? I'll try to give you a little idea of why you must.

• • FAMILY. Can I be any clearer that this novel is straight up overflowing with family? Because it is. In so many ways. Examples of awesome families (like perhaps the actual best I have ever read about?) and some that are... less so. The point is, it's brimming with love and heart, and when is that not a great thing?



• • So many complex relationships! Again, keeping it vague purposely, but there will be so many relationships in both times, for both women, that are just incredible. There's a focus on friendships, romances, and family dynamics that are so well-developed that you simply cannot help but care about how they play out.



• • The adoption stories, from both mother and child's perspectives are incredible. And yes, there will be feels, obviously. But they're multifaceted, and I will leave it at that. Honestly please just read the thing.



• • It's still, at its core, a coming of age story about both Cass and her mother. And while all of these huge life changes are happening in their respective lives/respective times, they're also living their daily lives, navigating growing into adulthood. And it's great to see that dichotomy in play.

Bottom Line: Gosh please just read this and experience all the lovely feels! You can  thank me later.

[katie]

Full review to be posted on http://kaitplusbooks.com closer to the release date (which is in November, not December. Oops!), but just know that this is probably going to be my favorite book of 2019. So read this book as soon as you can get your hands on it!!! (And also have a box of tissues ready)