Don't ask if I'm okay

Jessica Kara

Book - 2023

A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Without the person who always brought out the best in him, Gage doesn't know who he is. He likes working as a fry cook and loves his small-town friends and family, but they weren't in the wreck and he can't tell them how much he's still hurting. He just wants to forget all his pain and move on. So when his stepdad shows him a dream job opening in one of his idol's restaurants, Gage knows this is his chance to convince everyone and himself that he's fine. To try to push past his grief once and for all, Gage applies for the job, asks out a crush, and volunteers to host a memorial for Hunter. But the more Gage tries to ignore his grie...f, the more volatile it becomes. When his temper finally turns on the people he loves, Gage must decide what real strength is--holding in his grief until it destroys him, or asking for help and revealing his broken heart for all to see.

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Subjects
Genres
Young adult fiction
Novels
Published
Salem, MA : Page Street Publising Co 2023.
Language
English
Main Author
Jessica Kara (author)
Physical Description
331 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781645677659
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

There are as many ways to grieve as there are grieving people, but Gage suspects that most people expect the bereaved to "get over it" sooner rather than later. It has been a year since Gage's best friend and cousin, Hunter, died in a car accident, and Gage, a passenger in the car, is not over it. In an effort to support others, such as his young cousin Justine, he won't let on how he really feels, especially that he has full-blown panic attacks whenever he gets into a car and therefore has to walk everywhere. The only witness to these attacks is his father, who counterproductively advises Gage to "man up" and not burden his family. When Justine runs off and ends up in a town 10 miles away, Gage decides to go find her, and his friends rally around him to get him through the car ride to bring her home. Gage's growth and journey of healing are marked by empathetic and engaging characters and a solid plot that will have readers cheering for Gage and his friends.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A small-town Idaho teenager in mourning must find the courage to reveal his pain and ask for help. One year after surviving the car accident that killed Hunter, his cousin and best friend, recent high school graduate Gage is hiding his nightmares and panic attacks. His belief that everyone else is dealing better with grief, combined with pressure from his dad to be a rock for his family, convinces Gage that he must pretend to be OK. Aunt Gina, Hunter's mother, has the opportunity to showcase an art piece about grief at an exhibition in Seattle, which Gage, unable to get in a car since the accident, refuses to attend. With his aunt, mom, and stepdad out of town, Gage agrees to host a memorial for Hunter for their friends. To Gage, the memorial, a potential job working in his favorite celebrity chef's restaurant, and a budding romance with a charming new girl seem like the perfect opportunities to show how well he is handling things, but when it all gets to be too much, Gage is forced to reevaluate how to live with grief while also caring for others. This poignant, character-driven novel meditates on themes of grief, loss, trauma, masculinity, vulnerability, and healing in ways that are accessible for teen readers. Gage is initially resistant to suggestions that he seek therapy; his father and stepfather offer contrasting examples of openness to mental health support. Main characters read White. A tender and honest coming-of-age tale. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.