"What to Say Next reminds readers that hope can be found in unexpected places." –Bustle
From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. Nicola Yoon, the bestselling author of Everything, Everything, calls it "charming, funny, and deeply affecting."
Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.
KIT:I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand. DAVID:In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her.
When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?
Named a Best Young Adult Novel of the Year by POPSUGAR
“Charming, funny, and deeply affecting all at the same time.” –Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star
“Heartfelt, charming, deep, and real. I love it with all my heart.” –Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
After Kit's father died in a car accident, she withdrew a bit. Looking for a way to avoid her usual crowd, she elected to share a lunch table with the social outsider, David. She thought she was just going to occupy a physical space with him, but an unlikely friendship developed, which forced Kit to face some difficult truths.
Julie Buxbaum never lets me down. This is my 5th Buxbaum book, and I have yet to be disappointed.
For me, this was primarily a story of grieving, healing, and friendship. Kit seemed so adrift after her father's death. She was not really dealing with it well, but rather, avoiding the truth of it, and as she tried to repress her grief, she closed herself off, more and more. David was a gift to her. He was honest, when she needed it, but he also offered her an unadulterated friendship. It was beautiful watching them both change as their friendship grew.
I appreciated Kit's struggle with her father's death and the issues with her mother that arose, but David's situation made my heart ache in a different way. It really broke my heart to learn the root of his isolation, and I just wanted to grab his hand and keep him safe by my side.
There were a few choices Buxbaum made, that I wasn't too sure about, but OH, how I adored the exploration of Kit's grief, her friendship with David, and spending time with David and his family (who were wonderful!).
Overall: Like every other Buxbaum book, this one left me with a smile on my face and a happy heart.
