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Meet Me at the River
We can't choose who we love - but can we choose to let go?
Stepsiblings Tressa and Luke have been close since they were little - and when they become teenagers, they slip from being best friends to being something more. Their relationship makes everyone around them uncomfortable, but they can't - won't - deny their connection. Nothing can keep them apart.
Not even death. Luke is killed in a horrible, tragic accident, and Tressa is suddenly and desperately alone. Unable to outrun the waves of grief and guilt and longing, she is haunted by thoughts of suicide. And then she is haunted by Luke himself.
He visits only at night. But when he's with her, it's almost like the accident never happened. Oh, there are reminders, from the way she can only feel him when he touches the scars on her wrist, to how she can't seem to tell him about life since he's been gone. As long as they're together, though, the rest - it fades away.
But during the day it is Tressa who can't grasp hold of the people around her. The same people who never wanted her and Luke together in the first place are determined to help her move on. Determined to help her heal. They just don't understand - one misstep, one inch forward, could leave Luke behind forever.
Nina de Gramont, author of Gossip of the Starlings and Every Little Thing in the World, writes of love that is beautiful and poetic, forbidden and radical - and utterly irresistible.
Stepsiblings Tressa and Luke have been close since they were little - and when they become teenagers, they slip from being best friends to being something more. Their relationship makes everyone around them uncomfortable, but they can't - won't - deny their connection. Nothing can keep them apart.
Not even death. Luke is killed in a horrible, tragic accident, and Tressa is suddenly and desperately alone. Unable to outrun the waves of grief and guilt and longing, she is haunted by thoughts of suicide. And then she is haunted by Luke himself.
He visits only at night. But when he's with her, it's almost like the accident never happened. Oh, there are reminders, from the way she can only feel him when he touches the scars on her wrist, to how she can't seem to tell him about life since he's been gone. As long as they're together, though, the rest - it fades away.
But during the day it is Tressa who can't grasp hold of the people around her. The same people who never wanted her and Luke together in the first place are determined to help her move on. Determined to help her heal. They just don't understand - one misstep, one inch forward, could leave Luke behind forever.
Nina de Gramont, author of Gossip of the Starlings and Every Little Thing in the World, writes of love that is beautiful and poetic, forbidden and radical - and utterly irresistible.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2013
25 people are currently reading
1656 people want to read
About the author
Nina de Gramont
11 books893 followersNina de Gramont's latest novel, The Christie Affair, is an international and New York Times best seller, and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for February, 2022. Nina is also the author of a collection of short stories, Of Cats and Men, as well as the novels Gossip of the Starlings and The Last September. She has written several YA novels (Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, The Boy I Love, and -- under the pen name Marina Gessner -- The Distance From Me to You). Nina teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She lives with her daughter and her husband, the writer David Gessner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
August 27, 2016
I think I'm finally ready to start reading again, but I'm still not ready to spend more than 5 minutes writing a review. Sorry kids. I'll get my reviewing mojo back eventually. O.o
This is the book that Ever should have been. I felt the connection between the couple in Meet Me at the River in a way I never did with Ever.
It's really too bad that I rarely click with the books which have a certain sort of quiet beauty in the details. In the same way that I struggled with Shiver and A Certain Slant of Light, I did the same with Meet Me. I could see how others might connect with this melancholy account of a girl's day-to-day struggle to handle her loss of a dear love.
THE WRITING IS SO DARN BEAUTIFUL, AFTER ALL.
My attention span is that of a fly. If stuff isn't happening RIGHT NOW, my mind will wander. I'm envious of the people who can appreciate the journey more than I can.
So, for that, I put my enjoyment rating at about a 2 star. But the end of the book was so damn beautiful and profound that I cried. I had to give an extra star for an ending which was impossible not to appreciate.
Well done, Ms. de Gramont. You got my tears.
If you like the books I mentioned above, you'll probably enjoy Meet Me at the River far more than I did.
This is the book that Ever should have been. I felt the connection between the couple in Meet Me at the River in a way I never did with Ever.
It's really too bad that I rarely click with the books which have a certain sort of quiet beauty in the details. In the same way that I struggled with Shiver and A Certain Slant of Light, I did the same with Meet Me. I could see how others might connect with this melancholy account of a girl's day-to-day struggle to handle her loss of a dear love.
THE WRITING IS SO DARN BEAUTIFUL, AFTER ALL.
My attention span is that of a fly. If stuff isn't happening RIGHT NOW, my mind will wander. I'm envious of the people who can appreciate the journey more than I can.
So, for that, I put my enjoyment rating at about a 2 star. But the end of the book was so damn beautiful and profound that I cried. I had to give an extra star for an ending which was impossible not to appreciate.
Well done, Ms. de Gramont. You got my tears.
If you like the books I mentioned above, you'll probably enjoy Meet Me at the River far more than I did.
October 29, 2013
In general, I'm a pretty impatient reader. I like action. I like drama, I like passion. This book had none of that. This book was quiet. It was a story about longing, and grief. It was slow and normally a read like this would bore the crap out of me, but for some reason, I was never bored with this book. Something about it just held my attention from the very beginning and never let go.
This story is about how 18 year old Tressa deals with the aftermath of the untimely death of her boyfriend, Luke. There’s also the added layer of Tressa’s and Luke’s unconventional family life, and I found myself just as interested in what was going with their parents as I was with Tressa and Luke. I loved that the story is told in Tressa’s point of view AND Luke’s. It made my heart ache more than a little to read the POV of this boy who died but is unable to leave.
The writing had a sort of simplicity to it that I didn’t know what to make of at first, but in the end decided was lovely. Reading this was like listening to a melancholy, haunting tune. And I liked the sense of place the book was able to convey also; at various moments I would be on the verge of shivering from the cold Colorado air, or I'd be able to hear the roaring sound of rushing water, and at one point I could almost taste the river. No small feat to someone who lives in a place with no seasons discernible from summer and who has never seen an actual river before in her life. Good stuff.
October 24, 2013
I loved….
… That no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t love any of them completely ~ or hate them for that matter, because they all just were. She’s sad and going on ~ or struggling to, while he’s after-Luke, unable to move on.
… How the story isn’t just theirs, but touches on other lives as well. In particular there’s that almost mirroring in who her mother was to who his father, made more by those admissions of Romeo/Juliet and vice.
Mirroring but in the opposite because where the younger are meant, there’s a measure of forcing one thing where it isn’t normally for their parents. And that’s what’s screwed up. It’s their own love story that should have been heart breaking, but it's also the same that's left me aware that not one of them is perfect. With the realizations on who another really is and then moving on from there, MEET ME AT THE RIVER is clearly more than just a girl struggling at being alive.
… That there’s all these thoughts voiced out on suicide and one’s place and commitments made; and then there’s all these other (not-foreign-at-all) notions on belonging and loving and devotion but there’s their inverse, as well, of being stifled, needing (wanting) to be free, or freer as the case applied.
It’s to the last that a selfishness seeps through; it’s a selfishness that’s much appreciated. Early moments are all done on tip-toe; but things progress and the ”real” comes out. What’s better is what’s real isn’t always what you’d want. Again, there’s that selfishness. Again, there’s that want. And again, there’s that need. It’s all very true but never easy to witness.
…But the thing is it's not always the negative truth that’s revealed; there’s the easier newer things, as well (because to term it as “positive” feels like a stretch) entry of HJ and Evie and the re-emergence of the mother she knew.
It’s HJ that I’m loving the most though… him and his advice of “just the next day” and “just a little bit.” So wrong… but somehow right (in a way.) There’s a shared thing between them… and based on that a growing connection. It’s the newness of who he could be and her having to decide on what that was. It all rang of possibilities that she’s slow to open her eyes to. And darn it, but slow moments always feel right to me.
… That this is a multifaceted sort of haunting. In fact it’s more than being haunted. Sure, there’s the more literal one after-Luke, but there’s the deeper type of wanting to turn back time to do one thing or another thing or a host of others differently. And then there’s the way that they all put their truth forth; they all do so in ways I dare not would have but likely thought anyway. So, it’s not linear story: at least for Luke, things go from a past without her, to one with her, then shifts to the present with him on the sidelines. But for her, it’s all that coupled with the uncertainty of what’s to come as well as that ever present feeling of guilt over so many things.
So, while I can’t say I love them, I did love this story.
… That no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t love any of them completely ~ or hate them for that matter, because they all just were. She’s sad and going on ~ or struggling to, while he’s after-Luke, unable to move on.
… How the story isn’t just theirs, but touches on other lives as well. In particular there’s that almost mirroring in who her mother was to who his father, made more by those admissions of Romeo/Juliet and vice.
Mirroring but in the opposite because where the younger are meant, there’s a measure of forcing one thing where it isn’t normally for their parents. And that’s what’s screwed up. It’s their own love story that should have been heart breaking, but it's also the same that's left me aware that not one of them is perfect. With the realizations on who another really is and then moving on from there, MEET ME AT THE RIVER is clearly more than just a girl struggling at being alive.
… That there’s all these thoughts voiced out on suicide and one’s place and commitments made; and then there’s all these other (not-foreign-at-all) notions on belonging and loving and devotion but there’s their inverse, as well, of being stifled, needing (wanting) to be free, or freer as the case applied.
It’s to the last that a selfishness seeps through; it’s a selfishness that’s much appreciated. Early moments are all done on tip-toe; but things progress and the ”real” comes out. What’s better is what’s real isn’t always what you’d want. Again, there’s that selfishness. Again, there’s that want. And again, there’s that need. It’s all very true but never easy to witness.
…But the thing is it's not always the negative truth that’s revealed; there’s the easier newer things, as well (because to term it as “positive” feels like a stretch) entry of HJ and Evie and the re-emergence of the mother she knew.
It’s HJ that I’m loving the most though… him and his advice of “just the next day” and “just a little bit.” So wrong… but somehow right (in a way.) There’s a shared thing between them… and based on that a growing connection. It’s the newness of who he could be and her having to decide on what that was. It all rang of possibilities that she’s slow to open her eyes to. And darn it, but slow moments always feel right to me.
… That this is a multifaceted sort of haunting. In fact it’s more than being haunted. Sure, there’s the more literal one after-Luke, but there’s the deeper type of wanting to turn back time to do one thing or another thing or a host of others differently. And then there’s the way that they all put their truth forth; they all do so in ways I dare not would have but likely thought anyway. So, it’s not linear story: at least for Luke, things go from a past without her, to one with her, then shifts to the present with him on the sidelines. But for her, it’s all that coupled with the uncertainty of what’s to come as well as that ever present feeling of guilt over so many things.
So, while I can’t say I love them, I did love this story.
July 1, 2013
Nina de Gramont is such an amazing writer, I love what she does with prose and how real her characters feel. (proper review to come)
seriously excited for this book. i loved her debut Every Little Thing in the World so, so much <3
seriously excited for this book. i loved her debut Every Little Thing in the World so, so much <3
May 2, 2015
Meet Me At the River is told from two viewpoints, that of Tressa, trying to cope with the death of her boyfriend, and Luke, the boy who is dead but can't leave. I don't want to say too much about it, because I so much enjoyed discovering the facts of the story in exactly the way the author wanted me to, which was not immediately, not all in a paragraph of explanation, but gradually, through the interchanges, the thoughts, the scenes, that I'd like other readers to have that experience.
This book was more than a sad love story. It was as deep and intense as the river in its title, and I loved the involvement of so many people in the story and what each of them brought to it. The story of Tressa's mother reminded me of Where the Stars Still Shine, by Trisha Doller, and although Tressa wasn't damaged in quite the same way by her mother's odyssey of wandering with Tressa, the theme brought a similar contrast to the plot of things that happens when you stay put vs. when you are always on the move, playing into Tressa's reluctance to move an inch from where she was when Luke died.
I wonder if de Gramont had an ulterior, underlying motive for calling the book Meet Me at the River. I found myself humming while I was reading and finally figured out that I was humming the hymn "Shall We Gather At the River," a song they sang at funerals in my childhood, a song laden with images of crossing over, being with loved ones. So much of this book was about death, but so much about life, too.
The writing was beautiful. This quote, when Tressa says goodbye to Carlo: "It seems so unfair, how hard life is, just getting through every day. It's hard enough without these endless goodbyes. Every sixteen hours or so we living have to close our eyes all night long, just so we can recover." And others I would share but that, again, I don't want to spoil the read. If you loved A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb, this book has the same intensity, the same sensibility. Beautifully done.
ADDENDUM: Upon rereading this, I still stand by everything in my review. This was slow, quiet, emotional, revelatory. Not a book for those who want action, excitement or fireworks, but such a beautiful evolution.
This book was more than a sad love story. It was as deep and intense as the river in its title, and I loved the involvement of so many people in the story and what each of them brought to it. The story of Tressa's mother reminded me of Where the Stars Still Shine, by Trisha Doller, and although Tressa wasn't damaged in quite the same way by her mother's odyssey of wandering with Tressa, the theme brought a similar contrast to the plot of things that happens when you stay put vs. when you are always on the move, playing into Tressa's reluctance to move an inch from where she was when Luke died.
I wonder if de Gramont had an ulterior, underlying motive for calling the book Meet Me at the River. I found myself humming while I was reading and finally figured out that I was humming the hymn "Shall We Gather At the River," a song they sang at funerals in my childhood, a song laden with images of crossing over, being with loved ones. So much of this book was about death, but so much about life, too.
The writing was beautiful. This quote, when Tressa says goodbye to Carlo: "It seems so unfair, how hard life is, just getting through every day. It's hard enough without these endless goodbyes. Every sixteen hours or so we living have to close our eyes all night long, just so we can recover." And others I would share but that, again, I don't want to spoil the read. If you loved A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb, this book has the same intensity, the same sensibility. Beautifully done.
ADDENDUM: Upon rereading this, I still stand by everything in my review. This was slow, quiet, emotional, revelatory. Not a book for those who want action, excitement or fireworks, but such a beautiful evolution.
March 7, 2014
I remember reading an Onion article years ago where the headline was "Pitchfork gives music a 6" or something like that, and I feel like I'm getting to be that way about books. "Jessica gives books a 3"
I think my barriers to totally accessing this book were the fact I really struggle to swallow anything supernatural that isn't like, campy supernatural. Also, I have a hard time becoming emotionally invested in someone named Tressa.
That being said, this was a very thoughtful book with a message about hope in the midst of tragedy. And I really liked how the ending was so very realistic.
I think my barriers to totally accessing this book were the fact I really struggle to swallow anything supernatural that isn't like, campy supernatural. Also, I have a hard time becoming emotionally invested in someone named Tressa.
That being said, this was a very thoughtful book with a message about hope in the midst of tragedy. And I really liked how the ending was so very realistic.
April 21, 2024
The concept of the story held such promise; I could truly feel Tressa's sorrow and the weight of her depression woven throughout the pages. However, there were aspects that simply didn't add up. It left me feeling quite puzzled and confused.
November 29, 2022
Sad to the point of depression with a one-note plot that goes nowhere. The author's customary lovely writing but it went downhill to a DNF for me.
October 31, 2014
Están a punto de leer serias reflexiones filosóficas porque hay varias cosas que me gustaría compartir después de haber leído esto.
Existe una belleza silenciosa alrededor de las tragedias. Y contrario a lo que se podría pensar, esto no las hace menos terribles sino más reales e incluso más dolorosas. En la vida siempre habrá momentos de reflexión hacia el pasado, en el que se nos cruce el pensamiento de que cierta cosa pudo haber sido distinta, un gesto, una palabra, un beso, una hora. Siempre existirán culpas y arrepentimientos, esta parte del ser humano es natural, es como respirar o sentir hambre.
“By now I should have figured out that death never brings any kind of relief. It just brings sorrow, and guilt, and the insane, maddening, screaming wish that you could redo the one single moment in time that might possibly change everything”
No hay una sola posibilidad de que este sentimiento se presente diferente o se transforme, la sola idea de haber tenido la posibilidad de haberle dado más horas de vida a alguien amado nos harán sentir culpable y desesperados por su perdida. Pero, lo que obviamos en muchas ocasiones, es que así como muchos actos borran opciones, las crean. Si haber actuado de cierta forma hizo que una vida acabara, ¿Cuántas veces haber hecho algo hizo que muchas vidas se salvaran?
Este es el momento exacto en el que deberías estar, el lugar correcto, la situación correcta. Todo lo que has hecho y han hecho te ha traído aquí, con lo bueno y lo malo, no existen culpables.
Estuve a punto de ponerle 3 estrellas a este libro, porque digamos que aunque me sentía con la convicción de decir que me gustaba no podía decir que lo amaba, hasta que leí las últimas 100 páginas (hermosamente escritas) que me hicieron llorar y reír al pensamiento de que a esta vida no hay que entenderla, hay que vivirla.
Tressa es una chica solitaria, que la vida (y su madre) la han hecho una pieza difícil de encajar, sin raíces de un hogar, sin amigos, sin camino y con una familia enredada, para darles una idea: Hannah se enamoro de Paul cuando eran jóvenes, tuvieran unas gemelas. Hannah los abandono, tiempo durante el cual Paul se enamoro de otro mujer, tuvieron a Luke. Hannah conoce a otro tipo, tiene a Tressa. Hannah aparece y desaparece de la vida de Paul. Hannah es un vicio para Paul. Luke conoce a Tressa y se aman desde el primer día. Luke y Tressa no son hermanos, pero su amor es medio incestuoso (¿O que opinan?). Hannah vuelve, se casa con Paul, quiere otro hijo. EN FIN… cosas complicadas. Se puede sentir realmente la conexión que existe entre Luke y Tressa sin forzar mucho las cosas y es algo que engrandeció al libro pero vuelvo y repito la razón por la que le doy 4 estrellas esta en las ultimas 100 páginas.
Mas que una historia de amor es una historia acerca de un duelo, de enfrentarse a la existencia después de haber perdido al amor de la vida y es un libro que te dice entre líneas que la única forma de sanar es perdonando y perdonándose. Y que increíblemente la vida sigue y se puede vivir sin esa persona, y se puede disfrutar.
“At the top of See Forever the whole world stretches its wide, wide wings below us, and the future refuses to make a single promise. The only thing we have is the sunlit height of the present tense—immediate and fine and ever so fleetingly sure.”
Existe una belleza silenciosa alrededor de las tragedias. Y contrario a lo que se podría pensar, esto no las hace menos terribles sino más reales e incluso más dolorosas. En la vida siempre habrá momentos de reflexión hacia el pasado, en el que se nos cruce el pensamiento de que cierta cosa pudo haber sido distinta, un gesto, una palabra, un beso, una hora. Siempre existirán culpas y arrepentimientos, esta parte del ser humano es natural, es como respirar o sentir hambre.
“By now I should have figured out that death never brings any kind of relief. It just brings sorrow, and guilt, and the insane, maddening, screaming wish that you could redo the one single moment in time that might possibly change everything”
No hay una sola posibilidad de que este sentimiento se presente diferente o se transforme, la sola idea de haber tenido la posibilidad de haberle dado más horas de vida a alguien amado nos harán sentir culpable y desesperados por su perdida. Pero, lo que obviamos en muchas ocasiones, es que así como muchos actos borran opciones, las crean. Si haber actuado de cierta forma hizo que una vida acabara, ¿Cuántas veces haber hecho algo hizo que muchas vidas se salvaran?
Este es el momento exacto en el que deberías estar, el lugar correcto, la situación correcta. Todo lo que has hecho y han hecho te ha traído aquí, con lo bueno y lo malo, no existen culpables.
Estuve a punto de ponerle 3 estrellas a este libro, porque digamos que aunque me sentía con la convicción de decir que me gustaba no podía decir que lo amaba, hasta que leí las últimas 100 páginas (hermosamente escritas) que me hicieron llorar y reír al pensamiento de que a esta vida no hay que entenderla, hay que vivirla.
Tressa es una chica solitaria, que la vida (y su madre) la han hecho una pieza difícil de encajar, sin raíces de un hogar, sin amigos, sin camino y con una familia enredada, para darles una idea: Hannah se enamoro de Paul cuando eran jóvenes, tuvieran unas gemelas. Hannah los abandono, tiempo durante el cual Paul se enamoro de otro mujer, tuvieron a Luke. Hannah conoce a otro tipo, tiene a Tressa. Hannah aparece y desaparece de la vida de Paul. Hannah es un vicio para Paul. Luke conoce a Tressa y se aman desde el primer día. Luke y Tressa no son hermanos, pero su amor es medio incestuoso (¿O que opinan?). Hannah vuelve, se casa con Paul, quiere otro hijo. EN FIN… cosas complicadas. Se puede sentir realmente la conexión que existe entre Luke y Tressa sin forzar mucho las cosas y es algo que engrandeció al libro pero vuelvo y repito la razón por la que le doy 4 estrellas esta en las ultimas 100 páginas.
Mas que una historia de amor es una historia acerca de un duelo, de enfrentarse a la existencia después de haber perdido al amor de la vida y es un libro que te dice entre líneas que la única forma de sanar es perdonando y perdonándose. Y que increíblemente la vida sigue y se puede vivir sin esa persona, y se puede disfrutar.
“At the top of See Forever the whole world stretches its wide, wide wings below us, and the future refuses to make a single promise. The only thing we have is the sunlit height of the present tense—immediate and fine and ever so fleetingly sure.”
September 12, 2014
As it appears on The Accidental Reader
When I was working at a bookstore I was around 100's of books...between them was this one.
The storyline is simple and cliché – about a girl and a boy , the ''mean parents'' (this reminds me of stuff – probably he is reading this right now and he is either smilling or cursing :) , a weird mother and the boys death. Its a pretty cliché romance BUT (drumroll please) the writing is so beautifuly amazing, so superb and although I wouldn;t read this book the writing alone made me finish it within a day.
Meet Tressa the girlfriend left behind and has to cope with the death of her boyfriend. Meet Luke the dead boyfriend – he is dead I know – but what kind of a young adult novel would that be without the dead coming back to hunt us???? Right. What I have to say next may be confusing for some and not for others. Although Meet Me At The River has a touch of paranormal the whole plot is all about coping with grief and life. Coming of age like. The beautiful wirting that I menitoned earlier helped a lot to shape the story.
Its a sad book. I didnt cry but my heart swell from sadness when paranormal and actual real life blended together. Tressa trying to find a way to cope with the loss and Luke trying to help her do it. How the people after an accident see you, how you get special treatment like you are a celebrity or simply because they think you are too fragile that if they push you even a tad you will break into a thousand little pieces.
There is a side story to the whole thing as well. Tressas mother and her adventures. This is the most important of all in order to understand Tressa and what shaped her. Why she didn;t quite fit with the rest and why Luke chose her. Make sure to pay extra attention to the family explaining otherwise you wont understand a thing.
This is a great read and although not The Fault In Our Stars (tears tears everywhere) this is a book worth reading.
When I was working at a bookstore I was around 100's of books...between them was this one.
The storyline is simple and cliché – about a girl and a boy , the ''mean parents'' (this reminds me of stuff – probably he is reading this right now and he is either smilling or cursing :) , a weird mother and the boys death. Its a pretty cliché romance BUT (drumroll please) the writing is so beautifuly amazing, so superb and although I wouldn;t read this book the writing alone made me finish it within a day.
Meet Tressa the girlfriend left behind and has to cope with the death of her boyfriend. Meet Luke the dead boyfriend – he is dead I know – but what kind of a young adult novel would that be without the dead coming back to hunt us???? Right. What I have to say next may be confusing for some and not for others. Although Meet Me At The River has a touch of paranormal the whole plot is all about coping with grief and life. Coming of age like. The beautiful wirting that I menitoned earlier helped a lot to shape the story.
Its a sad book. I didnt cry but my heart swell from sadness when paranormal and actual real life blended together. Tressa trying to find a way to cope with the loss and Luke trying to help her do it. How the people after an accident see you, how you get special treatment like you are a celebrity or simply because they think you are too fragile that if they push you even a tad you will break into a thousand little pieces.
There is a side story to the whole thing as well. Tressas mother and her adventures. This is the most important of all in order to understand Tressa and what shaped her. Why she didn;t quite fit with the rest and why Luke chose her. Make sure to pay extra attention to the family explaining otherwise you wont understand a thing.
This is a great read and although not The Fault In Our Stars (tears tears everywhere) this is a book worth reading.
June 27, 2015
This book was absolutely brilliant. It is everything literature can be in its purest form. The author focuses on one character and her life altering event, spiraling outward to embrace her family and hometown with loving prose that encompasses the reader. Tressa is a girl from a fairly troubled background, born on the road to a woman who just can't settle down. She has a difficult time making friends, but becomes unusually close to an almost-sibling, the son of her stepfather's ex-wife. When he is killed trying to save her dog from drowning, Tressa tries to kill herself and our story begins. This is a beautifully written novel about loss, grief, family and survival. I can't wait to read more from this author.
March 18, 2014
A heartwrenching story of death, attempted suicide, survival and the will to go on. I started this book a while ago and had to put it down because it was too sad for me to continue at that point. I picked it up this morning and I was not able to put it down until I reached the final page, crying as I did so.
This story is a reminder that no matter what goes on in life, everyone has problems and secrets. Given the chance I would definitely read this again. The story was well written, in fact one of the best written stories I've read in a long time.
This story is a reminder that no matter what goes on in life, everyone has problems and secrets. Given the chance I would definitely read this again. The story was well written, in fact one of the best written stories I've read in a long time.
December 24, 2013
You know an author is a good one when you can feel the emotions the characters are feeling. I felt the sense of longing Tressa felt for Luke and the feeling of wanting to help as she went through this tragedy. I love novels that make me think afterward, and I know I won't be forgetting about this one anytime soon. Not only did this novel have a great storyline, but also a great message. Suicide is a big theme in the novel and it shows that even if you don't believe it, you will make it through another day. Already know I will be reading again!
April 2, 2015
This book is so much more than the description. It doesn't do it justice really. This is a very well written book about things most people don't want to talk about. It covers love, loss, and the struggle to move on beautifully. It is very moving and I am adding it to my favorites list.
September 26, 2014
4.5 for the record.
Loved this book to pieces and wish it was more well known.
READ READ READ.
Loved this book to pieces and wish it was more well known.
READ READ READ.
August 8, 2013
I think maybe more like a 2.5.
First: don't go in expecting a ghost story, as some reviews have suggested this book may be. It's not. It's pretty much a straight contemporary novel, with maybe an element of magical realism to it, depending upon reader interpretation.
Tressa's been grieving the loss of her boyfriend and step-brother Luke after a terrible accident at the river, for which she feels responsible. But it's not just grief that penetrates Tressa -- it's much, much deeper than that. Near immediately, we're dropped into a world of loss and sadness, which doesn't improve when Tressa's beloved dog becomes very ill and doesn't have much time left himself.
With the new school year beginning, Tressa's repeating senior year at age 19 because of what happened last spring, things should get better. But they don't, at least not initially. She's still seeing and talking to Luke, who does play a role as a ghost in the story. It's minor, more as a means of filling in the gaps of memory and story that Tressa herself has packed away or willfully chosen to ignore. He's less of a ghost who haunts and more of a ghost who informs. And in many instances, it's up to the reader to decide whether his role in the book is a real one or if it's a voice that Tressa allows to share on her behalf.
Making friends at school another year, especially as an outsider, as the person everyone knows as the weird girl who did the thing she did and who lost what she lost, isn't easy. But eventually, she befriends HJ and his sister. HJ is older than Tressa and he's a teacher, but he's young -- 22 or 23. Fresh out of college. And what draws Tressa to him is what it was he said to Kelly, one of Luke's former girlfriends. Over the course of the story, Tressa will learn that
Tressa's family life is exceptionally complicated. For many years, she lived a life of wild travel with her mother, who refused to settle. Her mother who married Paul, who was Luke's father and father of older twin girls; Luke was Tressa's age exactly, since Paul was not Tressa's father. But after years of being wild and free, her mother chooses to return to the first true love of her life Paul, who deserts his wife/Luke and the twin's mother, to be with her. Compared to other books that feature romantic relationships between siblings, what de Gramont does here with Luke and Tressa is tame. They kiss. They've been naked together. But as Luke notes repeatedly, he wasn't with Tressa in the same way he was with his former girlfriend.
While I thought de Gramont did a great job of capturing the weight and heft of grief -- particularly as it manifests in unsavory, complicated, sometimes incomprehensible manners -- there was far too much going on in this book to be completely satisfying. The complicated family set up was over-the-top and because most of the family didn't matter and were written flatly (particularly the little brother and older twin sisters), they just weighed down the story. Moreover, the romance that emerged between step siblings felt forced; where it could have been THE story, where it could have had strength and merit and been a hot-to-discuss element of the plot and about the tangled ways of grief other people could never understand, it wasn't. It just . . . happened. It felt tacked on. Likewise, I had a hard time buying
One thing I did like upon reflection was Tressa's obsession with maps and drawing them. I almost wish this had been pushed a little further. Much of it came because of her wandering with mom early on. It was a way to ground her and give her a sense of purpose when her life felt otherwise untethered. It could have been hit even harder and been more of her means of grounding and stood out even more.
I read this book coming immediately off reading Vikki Wakefield's Friday Brown and there were a startling number of similarities: the mother who took a child at a young age from home and wandered. Biological fathers who were absent (though Tressa knows who her father is). Grandparents who end up playing a significant role in the main character's feeling grounded. Relationships with someone who was cast-out (in Wakefield's case, it's Silence and in de Gramont's, it's HJ). They don't end up following the same paths, of course, but it's hard not to compare the lyrical, lush prose of Wakefield's against de Gramont's, which at times feels inflated and propped up by the too-many-dramatic-plot-lines-to-the-story problem. It's serviceable, but it doesn't thrust the story forward in the same manner Wakefield's does.
In no way is this a bad book. Many readers will fall in love with the fact that Luke's voice is present. It makes the crashes Tressa experiences even harder to watch. It is easy to see why she loved him. But this book would have been stronger 100 pages shorter, with some of the convoluted plot pulled out. It almost tried too hard to be edgy and didn't succeed. This makes for a strong read alike to Laura Nowlin's If He Had Been With Me, as readers know from the start there is a death which ravages the main character and that the book will follow her through the grieving process. What makes them even better read alikes is that their paths through grief are so completely different.
First: don't go in expecting a ghost story, as some reviews have suggested this book may be. It's not. It's pretty much a straight contemporary novel, with maybe an element of magical realism to it, depending upon reader interpretation.
Tressa's been grieving the loss of her boyfriend and step-brother Luke after a terrible accident at the river, for which she feels responsible. But it's not just grief that penetrates Tressa -- it's much, much deeper than that. Near immediately, we're dropped into a world of loss and sadness, which doesn't improve when Tressa's beloved dog becomes very ill and doesn't have much time left himself.
With the new school year beginning, Tressa's repeating senior year at age 19 because of what happened last spring, things should get better. But they don't, at least not initially. She's still seeing and talking to Luke, who does play a role as a ghost in the story. It's minor, more as a means of filling in the gaps of memory and story that Tressa herself has packed away or willfully chosen to ignore. He's less of a ghost who haunts and more of a ghost who informs. And in many instances, it's up to the reader to decide whether his role in the book is a real one or if it's a voice that Tressa allows to share on her behalf.
Making friends at school another year, especially as an outsider, as the person everyone knows as the weird girl who did the thing she did and who lost what she lost, isn't easy. But eventually, she befriends HJ and his sister. HJ is older than Tressa and he's a teacher, but he's young -- 22 or 23. Fresh out of college. And what draws Tressa to him is what it was he said to Kelly, one of Luke's former girlfriends. Over the course of the story, Tressa will learn that
Tressa's family life is exceptionally complicated. For many years, she lived a life of wild travel with her mother, who refused to settle. Her mother who married Paul, who was Luke's father and father of older twin girls; Luke was Tressa's age exactly, since Paul was not Tressa's father. But after years of being wild and free, her mother chooses to return to the first true love of her life Paul, who deserts his wife/Luke and the twin's mother, to be with her. Compared to other books that feature romantic relationships between siblings, what de Gramont does here with Luke and Tressa is tame. They kiss. They've been naked together. But as Luke notes repeatedly, he wasn't with Tressa in the same way he was with his former girlfriend.
While I thought de Gramont did a great job of capturing the weight and heft of grief -- particularly as it manifests in unsavory, complicated, sometimes incomprehensible manners -- there was far too much going on in this book to be completely satisfying. The complicated family set up was over-the-top and because most of the family didn't matter and were written flatly (particularly the little brother and older twin sisters), they just weighed down the story. Moreover, the romance that emerged between step siblings felt forced; where it could have been THE story, where it could have had strength and merit and been a hot-to-discuss element of the plot and about the tangled ways of grief other people could never understand, it wasn't. It just . . . happened. It felt tacked on. Likewise, I had a hard time buying
One thing I did like upon reflection was Tressa's obsession with maps and drawing them. I almost wish this had been pushed a little further. Much of it came because of her wandering with mom early on. It was a way to ground her and give her a sense of purpose when her life felt otherwise untethered. It could have been hit even harder and been more of her means of grounding and stood out even more.
I read this book coming immediately off reading Vikki Wakefield's Friday Brown and there were a startling number of similarities: the mother who took a child at a young age from home and wandered. Biological fathers who were absent (though Tressa knows who her father is). Grandparents who end up playing a significant role in the main character's feeling grounded. Relationships with someone who was cast-out (in Wakefield's case, it's Silence and in de Gramont's, it's HJ). They don't end up following the same paths, of course, but it's hard not to compare the lyrical, lush prose of Wakefield's against de Gramont's, which at times feels inflated and propped up by the too-many-dramatic-plot-lines-to-the-story problem. It's serviceable, but it doesn't thrust the story forward in the same manner Wakefield's does.
In no way is this a bad book. Many readers will fall in love with the fact that Luke's voice is present. It makes the crashes Tressa experiences even harder to watch. It is easy to see why she loved him. But this book would have been stronger 100 pages shorter, with some of the convoluted plot pulled out. It almost tried too hard to be edgy and didn't succeed. This makes for a strong read alike to Laura Nowlin's If He Had Been With Me, as readers know from the start there is a death which ravages the main character and that the book will follow her through the grieving process. What makes them even better read alikes is that their paths through grief are so completely different.
March 23, 2024
[YA/New Adult book, Adult reviewer]
VERDICT: 4 solar units.
YA RATING: ~3.6 -- bumped up to 4 because I'm not a YA, nor are romantic-ish tales a favorite genre.
ADULT RATING: Passing grade.
DETAILS (no big spoilers):
VERDICT: 4 solar units.
YA RATING: ~3.6 -- bumped up to 4 because I'm not a YA, nor are romantic-ish tales a favorite genre.
ADULT RATING: Passing grade.
DETAILS (no big spoilers):
July 20, 2017
How can she let go, when she is all she has and the only constant she has ever had?
This sad story tells the story of Tressa, following the death of her boyfriend Luke. At the same time it tells the story in Luke's point of view and his inability to reach "the other side". After a tragic accident Tressa is left without the boy of her dreams and the boy she cannot live without. However, for some magical reason she can still see him. Even though their touch is senseless and he cannot hear when she talks about the future he is not in, he at leasts is there and they can talk about the past.
As Luke keeps coming back Tressa also has to deal with the fact that she almost tried to commit suicide and failed. Apart from Luke's death, she also has to deal with her flaky mother and her new pregnancy.
This story is slow, extremely slow. In all truth I do not think there is any part of the book that can be considered the climax because it just goes all on a recurrent resolution. There is no moment of excitement or fear or extreme heartbreak. With that being said, the whole book is an extreme heart break. I think this story was just really sad and really dark for me and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I also didn't enjoy very much the fact that Luke was Francine and Paul's son and Tressa is Hannah and some dude's daughter and Hannah is Paul's former and current wife. Tressa and Luke share sisters because they were from Hannah and Paul's former relationship. WHAT? I know, that is how I felt trying to connect the dots of how they were related.
I understand how some people would like the slow pace and the good writing. However, this sad piece wasn't for me. I also simply didn't enjoy the characters and didn't feel connected at all to them and in order to feel sympathy or empathy one must connect and this lacked greatly for me.
-- 2 stars --
This sad story tells the story of Tressa, following the death of her boyfriend Luke. At the same time it tells the story in Luke's point of view and his inability to reach "the other side". After a tragic accident Tressa is left without the boy of her dreams and the boy she cannot live without. However, for some magical reason she can still see him. Even though their touch is senseless and he cannot hear when she talks about the future he is not in, he at leasts is there and they can talk about the past.
As Luke keeps coming back Tressa also has to deal with the fact that she almost tried to commit suicide and failed. Apart from Luke's death, she also has to deal with her flaky mother and her new pregnancy.
This story is slow, extremely slow. In all truth I do not think there is any part of the book that can be considered the climax because it just goes all on a recurrent resolution. There is no moment of excitement or fear or extreme heartbreak. With that being said, the whole book is an extreme heart break. I think this story was just really sad and really dark for me and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I also didn't enjoy very much the fact that Luke was Francine and Paul's son and Tressa is Hannah and some dude's daughter and Hannah is Paul's former and current wife. Tressa and Luke share sisters because they were from Hannah and Paul's former relationship. WHAT? I know, that is how I felt trying to connect the dots of how they were related.
I understand how some people would like the slow pace and the good writing. However, this sad piece wasn't for me. I also simply didn't enjoy the characters and didn't feel connected at all to them and in order to feel sympathy or empathy one must connect and this lacked greatly for me.
-- 2 stars --
May 13, 2019
While I would love to say that I enjoyed every aspect of the novel meet me at the river, I have to say that it wasn't one of my favorite pics. I was looking for something extremely deep yet entertaining, and while it was probably one of the saddest books I've ever read, I just wasn't entertained. The book was extremely slow for me which I know is just a personal problem considering I love action and drama, but I just wish the book had been more fast-paced. Perhaps that would have kept me more alert and excited to continue on with the story. It was extremely well written, and talks about real things that go on with teenagers today like suicidal tendencies and self-harm. I think they approached these matters very well and maturely without glorifying these acts. That's a very hard thing to do considering how sensitive subject it is becoming today's society. The love story between Luke and Tressa seems somewhat Bland to me unfortunately. It just sounded like another Forbidden Love with parents in friends who didn't want them together. I was also disappointed in the fact that Tressa found her happiness in the end with another man. I would have been much more satisfied if she had learned to find the world to live as an independent woman. Instead she just jumped from one man to the other. But at least she's happy right? Watching her through the healing process was a very interesting take. I like how in the starting out of the novel , it is unknown what exactly happened to Luke at the river and why Tressa feel so guilty. That buildup was a nice touch . Either way the book was well done, perhaps it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure other novels by Nina De Gramont are very well done and I wouldn't be opposed to checking some of them out.
June 15, 2019
The girl is obsessed with her dead boyfriend. She is more drowned toward death than life. A big guilt surrounded her after his death. As for her, she was the reason for his invisibility from the world. After his death, world staring at her awaits for her explanation she can't give.
The story was all about the depression that comes as a result of some guilt. A wish you couldn't fulfill. An incident horrible one , you can't forget and forgive.
The whole point is facing that thing sitting inside you and sorting it out with just yourself.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to overcome their fear, guilt or any feeling that's hard to leave.
The story was all about the depression that comes as a result of some guilt. A wish you couldn't fulfill. An incident horrible one , you can't forget and forgive.
The whole point is facing that thing sitting inside you and sorting it out with just yourself.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to overcome their fear, guilt or any feeling that's hard to leave.
June 17, 2020
Interesting at first but becomes very repetitive and boring. I lost interest when I realized that Luke was never going to come back. Maybe I was hoping for some super natural to happen but from my understanding I believe she just imagined luke and letting him go was just a chapter in her life that she was ready to move on from but not forget. Overall, the story is nice but it is very detailed in the way tressa (main character) deals with grief. Which got boring to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2019
I didn’t expect to like this book at first. I thought it was gonna be about someone who has no experience of real depression. Grief. Overwhelmed of feelings. But this book did it perfectly. I’m a metaphoric and poetic writer when I write Sappy work, this is a good example of it. I hope to remember this book for years to come.
May 13, 2017
An interesting book that tells about a young girl's recovery from an attempted suicide over a love who drowned. The ghost of the young man helps her move on over the next year. It shows how he slowly fades out of her life, but still remains a part of her memories.
March 4, 2021
i thought the beginning was a little confusing, but I did like the characters and the back story, but some parts jumped around too much for me and it make the story all wonky. Wasn’t TERRIBLE but I wouldn’t recommend.
April 25, 2024
I did not expect this book to be so good but it was amazing! it was definitely a diffrent style then what I'm use to but one of my favorites now! I love how it made me surprised at diffrent parts of the book when I didn't even know I could be surprised anymore.
November 1, 2013
"You make me want to live." - Tressa, near the end of the book
The quote I put from a random section of the book, which is nearing the end of it, accurately describes the book. The whole novel is about life and trying to survive when someone you love dies. It contains survivors guilt, depression, blaming, and loss of self control, especially when it comes to the one who who passed on. Tressa and Luke have an enduring love, one that I certainly admire, which honestly lasts even after he dies. They both cannot let go of each other. It's the sort of love that I think every girl craves and I think that is why they have such a hard time moving past it. I know that I would have a hard time letting go of what I feel like is the love of my life. Nina de Gramont manages to capture the most difficult emotions to depict and brings them to life through these characters who must face some of the most difficult situations. I cannot even make myself picture these situations and I applaud the fact that she brings it so flawlessly to life.
Tressa is an admirable girl, despite her flaws that are sadly becoming more and more common in girls that face depression. Such as... myself at times. The author has certainly given a role model to girls about how to face depression by the end of the book. She definitely faces a great deal of challenges prior to and throughout the course of the novel, things that I wouldn't even want to imagine. I can't picture loosing a boyfriend, one that is particularly a son to my mother and is a son to my step-father. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be by any stretch of the imagination. She clings to the past which makes it so much more difficult for her to move beyond her pain but she struggles with the idea of moving on because she doesn't want to lose Luke. I can completely relate in one way or another. Even before his death, she had a hard time connecting to people and now people blames her for Luke's death and she definitely does. I am proud of how much she grew by the end of the book and how much her attitude shifted in such a short amount of times.
I can't even imagine what it would be like to be Luke. The poor boy faces the idea of living without her, the love of his life, for a very long time. He has to face the idea that she might move on and find someone else. How could that be easy for anyone? I can't imagine having to come to grips with something like that. Another aspect that is hard for him is the fact that he has nothing to do but live in the past and the fact that he cannot visit anyone but Tressa. I am not entirely sure that I would be entirely okay with that if I were him. I would want to see my mom and all of the other people, yet I feel like he accepts the fact he cannot see others better than I certainly would. But even seeing her is not everything he wants because he cannot feel her touch outside of the skin of her wrists, which are scarred - evidence of her depression, and that is something that I think would make it only that much harder.
Her family and his family is filled with so many complexities that it's hard to even describe. Hannah, Tressa's mom, is flaky and has a hard time staying in one place for long. Ever since Tressa was born, she was dragged around the world because she doesn't like feeling trapped, I believe. I think the mother-daughter relationship is somewhat dysfunctional because while she never truly gets angry at her, she constantly hovers. Paul, Luke's dad and Tressa's stepfather, has very little relationship with Tressa because he felt a great amount of jealousy for the relationship between Tressa and Hannah as well as disapproving of her relationship with Luke. In someways, he blames her for what happened. I cannot even imagine having the man I am trying to view as my father essentially hating me. It would hurt and it would be extremely hard. Francine, Luke's mom, is having a hard time. She is certainly suffering from the loss of her son and struggles with how to confront her emotions and Tressa, which makes it awkward when ever they see each other. She avoids Tressa constantly, especially since they both are at the high school five days a week, because she is afraid of the past and partly blames herself for Luke's death. Tressa's grandma and grandpa are the greatest support for Tressa and therefore they were my favorite family members.
Evie is the girl that slowly becomes Tressa's only friend and the only person that doesn't look at her with complete pity because she has been in a similar place. They bond over their losses and it makes the idea of moving on easier for our lovely main character. Tressa is able to see that it is possible to let go of the hard times in life and find the joys in the beautiful moments however rare they may be. HJ is Evie's brother and also a great support to her. He inspires her to want to live again for so many reasons. Even if she is living one day at a time, he encourages her to move beyond Luke. I was surprised at how big of a role he actually played in the novel but by the end of the book, I understood completely why he was so important.
It was a great read, definitely check it out!
The quote I put from a random section of the book, which is nearing the end of it, accurately describes the book. The whole novel is about life and trying to survive when someone you love dies. It contains survivors guilt, depression, blaming, and loss of self control, especially when it comes to the one who who passed on. Tressa and Luke have an enduring love, one that I certainly admire, which honestly lasts even after he dies. They both cannot let go of each other. It's the sort of love that I think every girl craves and I think that is why they have such a hard time moving past it. I know that I would have a hard time letting go of what I feel like is the love of my life. Nina de Gramont manages to capture the most difficult emotions to depict and brings them to life through these characters who must face some of the most difficult situations. I cannot even make myself picture these situations and I applaud the fact that she brings it so flawlessly to life.
Tressa is an admirable girl, despite her flaws that are sadly becoming more and more common in girls that face depression. Such as... myself at times. The author has certainly given a role model to girls about how to face depression by the end of the book. She definitely faces a great deal of challenges prior to and throughout the course of the novel, things that I wouldn't even want to imagine. I can't picture loosing a boyfriend, one that is particularly a son to my mother and is a son to my step-father. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be by any stretch of the imagination. She clings to the past which makes it so much more difficult for her to move beyond her pain but she struggles with the idea of moving on because she doesn't want to lose Luke. I can completely relate in one way or another. Even before his death, she had a hard time connecting to people and now people blames her for Luke's death and she definitely does. I am proud of how much she grew by the end of the book and how much her attitude shifted in such a short amount of times.
I can't even imagine what it would be like to be Luke. The poor boy faces the idea of living without her, the love of his life, for a very long time. He has to face the idea that she might move on and find someone else. How could that be easy for anyone? I can't imagine having to come to grips with something like that. Another aspect that is hard for him is the fact that he has nothing to do but live in the past and the fact that he cannot visit anyone but Tressa. I am not entirely sure that I would be entirely okay with that if I were him. I would want to see my mom and all of the other people, yet I feel like he accepts the fact he cannot see others better than I certainly would. But even seeing her is not everything he wants because he cannot feel her touch outside of the skin of her wrists, which are scarred - evidence of her depression, and that is something that I think would make it only that much harder.
Her family and his family is filled with so many complexities that it's hard to even describe. Hannah, Tressa's mom, is flaky and has a hard time staying in one place for long. Ever since Tressa was born, she was dragged around the world because she doesn't like feeling trapped, I believe. I think the mother-daughter relationship is somewhat dysfunctional because while she never truly gets angry at her, she constantly hovers. Paul, Luke's dad and Tressa's stepfather, has very little relationship with Tressa because he felt a great amount of jealousy for the relationship between Tressa and Hannah as well as disapproving of her relationship with Luke. In someways, he blames her for what happened. I cannot even imagine having the man I am trying to view as my father essentially hating me. It would hurt and it would be extremely hard. Francine, Luke's mom, is having a hard time. She is certainly suffering from the loss of her son and struggles with how to confront her emotions and Tressa, which makes it awkward when ever they see each other. She avoids Tressa constantly, especially since they both are at the high school five days a week, because she is afraid of the past and partly blames herself for Luke's death. Tressa's grandma and grandpa are the greatest support for Tressa and therefore they were my favorite family members.
Evie is the girl that slowly becomes Tressa's only friend and the only person that doesn't look at her with complete pity because she has been in a similar place. They bond over their losses and it makes the idea of moving on easier for our lovely main character. Tressa is able to see that it is possible to let go of the hard times in life and find the joys in the beautiful moments however rare they may be. HJ is Evie's brother and also a great support to her. He inspires her to want to live again for so many reasons. Even if she is living one day at a time, he encourages her to move beyond Luke. I was surprised at how big of a role he actually played in the novel but by the end of the book, I understood completely why he was so important.
It was a great read, definitely check it out!
May 23, 2017
This book actually had me in tears at one point. It spoke so close to home for me
January 6, 2018
Loved this book way more than I thought I would. Good solid story.
October 8, 2018
Weird read. I liked it
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