So Glad to Meet You

by Lisa Super

"A moving exploration of heartache and the courage that points toward the light."—Kirkus Reviews



Daphne and Oliver have almost nothing in common…


Seventeen-year-old Daphne Bowman, a bookish drama nerd in public school, might never have crossed paths with Oliver, the popular, outgoing mascot for his private school's football team, but one event has bound them inextricably. Daphne's older sister, Emily, and Oliver's older brother, Jason, who were high school sweethearts, died by suicide together seven years earlier.


When Daphne uncovers Emily and Jason's bucket list—a list comprised of their "Top Ten" places to visit before they die—she knows she has to tell someone. The one person who might actually get what she's going through and who might not think it's silly that she wants to complete the list, is also someone she's never spoken to—Oliver Pagano. Throwing caution to the wind, Daphne sends Oliver a Facebook message that will come to change the course of both of their senior years—and maybe their entire lives.


Tackling grief with a wry voice and an unflinching eye, So Glad to Meet You tells the story of two people who, in searching for what they've lost, end up finding what they never knew they needed—each other.


"At once bitingly funny and strikingly poignant, Lisa Super's powerful debut touches on grief, identity, and first love, the perfect read for fans of John Green, Mary H. K. Choi and Rainbow Rowell."—Julia Lynn Rubin, author of Burro Hills

• ISBN10: 1635763975
• ISBN13: 9781635763973
• Publish Date: 16 August 2018 (first published 31 July 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Diversion Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Emily and Jason were high school sweethearts. Emily and Jason committed suicide together. For seven years, their families had been seeking answers as to why this tragedy occurred, and crumbling under their own buried grief.

One day, Daphne, Emily's younger sister, finds a "top ten" list of places Emily and Jason hoped to visit. Since they never got to complete the list, Daphne thought she and Oliver, Jason's younger brother, should finish the list for them.

Both Daphne and Oliver were deeply affected by their siblings' deaths. It fueled Daphne's drive to succeed academically, because she saw that success as an escape from the pain and darkness which loomed over her parents. Oliver was determined to not form any "real" attachments, because he saw what it did to his brother, and his main objective was to NOT be anything like his brother. It saddened me that these two were suffering alone for so long, and concealing their grief behind all these other things. I was very relieved, when Daphne and Oliver started opening up to each other, because they could understand each other's pain better than most other people could.

I thought the list was a brilliant way to bring these two together and jump start their healing. My favorite parts of the book were where when they were "visiting" one of the places on this list. The list was difficult to complete as written, because many of the places were way out of reach. Therefore, Oliver and Daphne came up with ways to experience the list without ever leaving California. I absolutely adored the way they substituted sites for those on the list, and each one of those excursions was a very important and meaningful part of their healing journey.

I will admit, it took me a long time to warm up to Oliver. Honestly, he was kind of jerk, but the more I got to know him, the more I understood, that his behaviors were part of his armor to protect himself from caring too much about anyone again.

I was quite pleased with the ending. It was obvious how much progress Oliver and Daphne had made emotionally with respect to the suicides, but I was impressed with the ways their parents were actually taking some action to promote their own healing. I would have loved an epilogue, just because of where the characters were in their relationship at the end of the book. I actually think an epilogue would have pushed this to a solid 4-stars for me. Nonetheless, I was still happy with the conclusion.

Overall: A solid debut exploring two people's journey through their grief and back to their lives.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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