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What We Leave Behind
From the author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, a tenderhearted story of two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies passed down by their parents—for fans of Dani Shapiro, Ann Napolitano, and Jody Picoult.
It’s the perennial are we a product of how we were raised, or is our identity hardwired by our genetic inheritance? When her adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, high school senior Melody Marcus doubles down on her refusal to learn anything about her birth parents. In this age of 23&me, though, that may not be possible, and the secrets hidden in her DNA threaten to upend everything she knows about herself and her family.
For Candace Milton, a successful woman in her forties, the collateral damage from her parents’ tortured marriage has led to a life of intentional unattachment. She is happy—enough. But a chance encounter with a friend of Melody’s father will challenge this assumption and force her to reimagine who she is and who she might become.
Big-hearted evocative, and achingly relatable, What We Leave Behind grapples with destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of the kind we’re born into and the kind we create.
It’s the perennial are we a product of how we were raised, or is our identity hardwired by our genetic inheritance? When her adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, high school senior Melody Marcus doubles down on her refusal to learn anything about her birth parents. In this age of 23&me, though, that may not be possible, and the secrets hidden in her DNA threaten to upend everything she knows about herself and her family.
For Candace Milton, a successful woman in her forties, the collateral damage from her parents’ tortured marriage has led to a life of intentional unattachment. She is happy—enough. But a chance encounter with a friend of Melody’s father will challenge this assumption and force her to reimagine who she is and who she might become.
Big-hearted evocative, and achingly relatable, What We Leave Behind grapples with destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of the kind we’re born into and the kind we create.
352 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 2025
36 people are currently reading
9204 people want to read
About the author
Sue Halpern
16 books134 followersSue Halpern lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont where she writes books and articles, consorts with her husband, the writer and activist Bill McKibben, looks forward to visits from their wonderful daughter Sophie, plays with their remarkably enthusiastic dog, and introduces Middlebury College students to digital audio storytelling. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and Rhodes Scholar with a doctorate from Oxford, the author of a book that was made an Emmy-nominated film as well as six others that weren’t, one-half of a therapy dog team, a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College, and a major supporter of the ice cream industry.
(from her website)
(from her website)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
June 2, 2025
I think it is becoming a well established fact for me that I don’t get the point of most literary fiction. I’m pretty sure that’s what What We Leave Behind is supposed to be. I’m definitely sure it didn’t do anything for me. It’s another one of those books that I don’t understand the point of. The book has two protagonists that there’s only the most tenuous connection between, and that doesn’t appear until late in the book. It makes me question why Halpern opted to split a book into two different stories and go back and forth between them without fully interweaving them together. Melody is an adopted child whose mother was killed by a falling rock, and now she’s grieving and lost, and trying to figure out what she wants to do when she graduates from high school in a few months. And then there’s Candace, a single career woman in her early forties that’s facing down the potential acquisition of her company, her best friend being in a serious relationship, and the possibility of a serious relationship of her own. I didn’t really like either character, although despite being in similar circumstances to Candace, I really didn’t care for her and her general sense of affront for anyone creating upheaval in her life. The two (pair seems inappropriate since they barely have contact with each other) eventually find some resolution to the changes that they’re facing, but it seems more like someone forced them to instead of them experiencing personal growth. This just felt really dull to me and I don’t understand why Halpern decided to tell stories about both Melody and Candace instead of focusing on just one of them. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 15, 2025
thank you to harper perennial for the ARC of this book!
this was a beautiful story about the differing lives of two women supported by a strong cast of such unique, three dimensional characters.
i really enjoyed the writing style of this novel & i loved our main characters. i really wish the author would have interwoven their stories in a much stronger way. i was wanting an emotional punch to the gut & that’s where it fell flat for me.
we got a bittersweet ending to melody’s story, but i have a lot of questions about candace.
overall, i rated this 4.25 stars!
this was a beautiful story about the differing lives of two women supported by a strong cast of such unique, three dimensional characters.
i really enjoyed the writing style of this novel & i loved our main characters. i really wish the author would have interwoven their stories in a much stronger way. i was wanting an emotional punch to the gut & that’s where it fell flat for me.
we got a bittersweet ending to melody’s story, but i have a lot of questions about candace.
overall, i rated this 4.25 stars!
March 26, 2025
3.5, rounded up | this quiet novel tells the story of Melody after her adoptive mom dies in a tragic accident. It also is the story of Candice, a high level HR executive. I kept waiting for there to be more overlap in the two plot lines. The writing in this books is beautiful, and if you like quiet family sagas where not much happens, I think you would enjoy this one.
August 13, 2025
I should have listened to the reviews and avoided this one. I was intrigued by the premise and I finished it because I was hoping that it would get better. However, the connection between the main characters stories seemed so forced. It didn’t help that Candace and Melody were both borderline insufferable. I’ll give Melody more of a pass since she was a teenager who was going through a traumatic experience. I just found myself wondering what is going on in this book too many times. This probably should have been a DNF.
July 1, 2025
So I was initially feeling optimistic about this book- it’s dual-pov which I typically enjoy, and it started with such a morbid premise (a woman dying by way of a rogue boulder) that I figured it would end up being oddly funny and heartwarming, like The Wedding People (which was my favorite book from 2024). But on this last point, I was mistaken. I get that the overall message of this book is to live each day like it’s your last, don’t leave anything unspoken, etc. but this story did not keep my attention. And I don’t really know why Candace needed to be a part of it. And I also don’t know (though I’d like to) what happened to Tom’s hand! I could’ve done without this read, which is probably why it took me so long to get through. On to the next!
August 29, 2025
What's more important: nature or nurture? In this moving novel, a young woman comes to terms with her background.
June 18, 2025
Full of everyday details and observations that fill in the gaps between the sorrows these characters are navigating. This was an ARC.
August 7, 2025
I was intrigued by the title and the synopsis of this character driven novel, which tells the story of two very different females and how they navigate life and how their pasts have influenced their present.
I like stories with dual points of view and this is one, according to the synopsis, is "about destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of the kind we’re born into and the kind we create."
I relished the chance to read about Melody Marcus, a high school senior whose adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, and Candace Milton, a 40 something year old successful HR professional who shuns any hint of a serious relationship. She said, "men are overrated," a view stemming from the failed relationship her parents had. She prefers to live life on her own terms, single and unattached. Her two friends Angela and Paul are enough for her.
When we meet Melody, who is on the cusp of adulthood, she is eulogizing her "amazing" mother and navigating life after her tragic death. Her adoptive father, Eddie, is reeling from the death of the love of his life and finding it hard to cope.
She has to take her SATs, do the college tour, choose where she will receive her higher education, which her mother has been pushing her towards, and she likes a boy. She navigates this period of her life with her friend Lily and her neighbour's son Danny and one of his friends who offers her a different option to college, at least for a year.
This option causes a rift between her and her father. He wants her to continue on the path her mother laid out, but without her there, she is uncertain what she wants her future to be.
Through a project for one of Lily's classes, Melody finds out about her birth mother, which raises so many questions. When she hears the story about her parents and her mother, it is not what she expected. She is understandably angry and perceives her life to be "one big lie". She has so many questions about the choices Delia and Eddie made.
Candace, whom we meet in chapter three, learns about Delia's death via the news. Through the ensuing chapters, we gain some insights into her life, her job, her friendships with Angela and Paul. We also see her willingness to try at a relationship with Tom, whom she met after an incident on Thanksgiving.
It was her pal Paul's budding serious relationship with Noah that forced her to examine herself, her chosen path, and determine if she really wanted to be alone for the rest of her life, though.
Many chapters later, she meets Eddie through Tom. He invites her to speak with Melody about her decision to take a gap year from college. He later offers Candace a chance to do something different and challenges her to step out of her comfort zone work wise.
The chapters, which sometimes focused on Melody and other times on Candace, allow readers to follow both characters and witness their lives unfold. Their individual stories are not the same. Their lives don't connect, except for that brief instance. This novel is two distinct stories in one. It shows how two people handle their emotional trauma caused by decisions their parents made.
I like the author's writing style, which made the story easy to read. It flowed, but it took a while before the characters' lives overlapped, and it was more fleeting to me than anything. I wanted more about them together, considering that the story is about them. I particularly wanted to read more about Candace. The ending was anti-climatic for me.
If you like character drive narratives with teen angst, loss, love, relationships, and family but not a ton of drama, this is right up your alley.
Thanks to Harper Perennial via NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book released in June this year.
I like stories with dual points of view and this is one, according to the synopsis, is "about destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of the kind we’re born into and the kind we create."
I relished the chance to read about Melody Marcus, a high school senior whose adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, and Candace Milton, a 40 something year old successful HR professional who shuns any hint of a serious relationship. She said, "men are overrated," a view stemming from the failed relationship her parents had. She prefers to live life on her own terms, single and unattached. Her two friends Angela and Paul are enough for her.
When we meet Melody, who is on the cusp of adulthood, she is eulogizing her "amazing" mother and navigating life after her tragic death. Her adoptive father, Eddie, is reeling from the death of the love of his life and finding it hard to cope.
She has to take her SATs, do the college tour, choose where she will receive her higher education, which her mother has been pushing her towards, and she likes a boy. She navigates this period of her life with her friend Lily and her neighbour's son Danny and one of his friends who offers her a different option to college, at least for a year.
This option causes a rift between her and her father. He wants her to continue on the path her mother laid out, but without her there, she is uncertain what she wants her future to be.
Through a project for one of Lily's classes, Melody finds out about her birth mother, which raises so many questions. When she hears the story about her parents and her mother, it is not what she expected. She is understandably angry and perceives her life to be "one big lie". She has so many questions about the choices Delia and Eddie made.
Candace, whom we meet in chapter three, learns about Delia's death via the news. Through the ensuing chapters, we gain some insights into her life, her job, her friendships with Angela and Paul. We also see her willingness to try at a relationship with Tom, whom she met after an incident on Thanksgiving.
It was her pal Paul's budding serious relationship with Noah that forced her to examine herself, her chosen path, and determine if she really wanted to be alone for the rest of her life, though.
Many chapters later, she meets Eddie through Tom. He invites her to speak with Melody about her decision to take a gap year from college. He later offers Candace a chance to do something different and challenges her to step out of her comfort zone work wise.
The chapters, which sometimes focused on Melody and other times on Candace, allow readers to follow both characters and witness their lives unfold. Their individual stories are not the same. Their lives don't connect, except for that brief instance. This novel is two distinct stories in one. It shows how two people handle their emotional trauma caused by decisions their parents made.
I like the author's writing style, which made the story easy to read. It flowed, but it took a while before the characters' lives overlapped, and it was more fleeting to me than anything. I wanted more about them together, considering that the story is about them. I particularly wanted to read more about Candace. The ending was anti-climatic for me.
If you like character drive narratives with teen angst, loss, love, relationships, and family but not a ton of drama, this is right up your alley.
Thanks to Harper Perennial via NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book released in June this year.
June 6, 2025
What We Leave Behind by Sue Halpern is a highly recommended domestic drama following two women of different ages and backgrounds.
Delia Marcus, wife of Eddie and mother to Melody, 17, dies in a freak accident. While Eddie is deeply mourning a woman he loves, Melody, who was adopted at age 3, is both mourning and confused. She was planning on taking the SATs and then heading on to college. Now, she has never heard the full story of her adoption and her mother is dead. After talking to friends, she questions if she should even go to college, take a gap year, or work on an organic farm.
Candace Milton is a successful HR professional in her forties. She has a best friend, Paul. After growing up in a turbulent home, she is intentionally single and unattached. When her company moves to Connecticut, she leaves New York City for a home in the country located closer to her job. Friends from the city come out to visit her and on Thanksgiving they save a man who fell into the pond when he broke through the ice. His name is Tom and he may offer the emotional attachment she needs.
The chapters alternate between the separate narratives following the lives of these two women. Their individual stories are distinctive and not kindred tales. Their lives do connect, but only briefly toward the end, and in an incidental way, although it is an encouraging occurrence. Basically, the novel follows two very different women contending with their own diverse emotional trauma from their parents and their destiny.
The writing is very good and the characters are all portrayed as sympathetic, unique individuals with strengths and weaknesses. You will hope both Melody and Candace find their way through life, overcome their emotional pain, and encounter future peace of mind. The choice to tell the story of these two women, side by side, in two distinct narratives is an interesting, especially since they are not dependent on each other. It kind of comes together in the end, but not completely.
There were several little issues along the way in the plot. They include: No mention of doing or even hiring someone to do yard work or snow removal at Candace's house in the country. All the climate change comments, which added nothing to the plot. Finally, the throw-away line about not moving with a company to South Dakota, specifically mentioning the Bad Lands, came across annoyingly coastal elitist since that is not where tech companies are relocating to in SD.
What We Leave Behind is a good choice for those who enjoy domestic dramas and can appreciate the dual story lines. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Harper Perennial for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
Delia Marcus, wife of Eddie and mother to Melody, 17, dies in a freak accident. While Eddie is deeply mourning a woman he loves, Melody, who was adopted at age 3, is both mourning and confused. She was planning on taking the SATs and then heading on to college. Now, she has never heard the full story of her adoption and her mother is dead. After talking to friends, she questions if she should even go to college, take a gap year, or work on an organic farm.
Candace Milton is a successful HR professional in her forties. She has a best friend, Paul. After growing up in a turbulent home, she is intentionally single and unattached. When her company moves to Connecticut, she leaves New York City for a home in the country located closer to her job. Friends from the city come out to visit her and on Thanksgiving they save a man who fell into the pond when he broke through the ice. His name is Tom and he may offer the emotional attachment she needs.
The chapters alternate between the separate narratives following the lives of these two women. Their individual stories are distinctive and not kindred tales. Their lives do connect, but only briefly toward the end, and in an incidental way, although it is an encouraging occurrence. Basically, the novel follows two very different women contending with their own diverse emotional trauma from their parents and their destiny.
The writing is very good and the characters are all portrayed as sympathetic, unique individuals with strengths and weaknesses. You will hope both Melody and Candace find their way through life, overcome their emotional pain, and encounter future peace of mind. The choice to tell the story of these two women, side by side, in two distinct narratives is an interesting, especially since they are not dependent on each other. It kind of comes together in the end, but not completely.
There were several little issues along the way in the plot. They include: No mention of doing or even hiring someone to do yard work or snow removal at Candace's house in the country. All the climate change comments, which added nothing to the plot. Finally, the throw-away line about not moving with a company to South Dakota, specifically mentioning the Bad Lands, came across annoyingly coastal elitist since that is not where tech companies are relocating to in SD.
What We Leave Behind is a good choice for those who enjoy domestic dramas and can appreciate the dual story lines. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Harper Perennial for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
December 19, 2025
Book review: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: fiction
Themes: grief, family, growing pains, belonging
📖 Read if you like: The Peculiar Gift of July, The Incredible Kindness of Paper
I saved this novel for a time in my life when grief resurfaced and it really let me sink into this feeling of loss and searching for something to fill the gaping whole.
It fundamentally explored the question of nature versus nurture. How much of a person is based off of their DNA versus the environment in which they were raised. What really is the meaning of family and identity when the question of adoption is considered. It was beautiful written and full of feeling. A story about humans just attempting to survive and thrive after unimaginable loss and that deep need for connection. It was a search for belonging and the families we were born to and those that we create.
When Melody’s adopted mother dies in a freak boulder to car accident her life becomes a quiet and contentious existence. Her bereft father is notably absent and Melody is left searching for answers, though her birth parents aren’t one of them. She is your typical teen, one part angst and one part curious, and wholly heartbroken.
In tandem we have successful and ambitious Candace Milton in her shroud of isolation. Living in a beautiful, but remote area north of Manhattan Candace is seemingly happy in her solitude. Scarred by her parents’ marriage she intentionally creates her own removal from attachment, yet the best laid plans will always shatter. A chance encounter and potential drowning will of course put this ethos to the test. Tom is quiet and humble, a man who loves his daughter just as he loves to make things. He too is searching for something, or someone though he doesn’t know it.
As these worlds collide, a new sort of family will be formed. Secrets will be unearthed and both women will have to undergo their share of self-reflection and acknowledgement. It was a beautifully written quiet sort of story. I kept waiting for more to happen or for a larger intersection of storylines, but I appreciate everyday tales of relatable women dealing with the emotional fallout of messy dynamics with their parents.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for a gifted copy of this book. It was released in June, but I decided this sort of sentimental realization would be most impactful when I was feeling my own wave of sorrow so I postponed reading it.
Genre: fiction
Themes: grief, family, growing pains, belonging
📖 Read if you like: The Peculiar Gift of July, The Incredible Kindness of Paper
I saved this novel for a time in my life when grief resurfaced and it really let me sink into this feeling of loss and searching for something to fill the gaping whole.
It fundamentally explored the question of nature versus nurture. How much of a person is based off of their DNA versus the environment in which they were raised. What really is the meaning of family and identity when the question of adoption is considered. It was beautiful written and full of feeling. A story about humans just attempting to survive and thrive after unimaginable loss and that deep need for connection. It was a search for belonging and the families we were born to and those that we create.
When Melody’s adopted mother dies in a freak boulder to car accident her life becomes a quiet and contentious existence. Her bereft father is notably absent and Melody is left searching for answers, though her birth parents aren’t one of them. She is your typical teen, one part angst and one part curious, and wholly heartbroken.
In tandem we have successful and ambitious Candace Milton in her shroud of isolation. Living in a beautiful, but remote area north of Manhattan Candace is seemingly happy in her solitude. Scarred by her parents’ marriage she intentionally creates her own removal from attachment, yet the best laid plans will always shatter. A chance encounter and potential drowning will of course put this ethos to the test. Tom is quiet and humble, a man who loves his daughter just as he loves to make things. He too is searching for something, or someone though he doesn’t know it.
As these worlds collide, a new sort of family will be formed. Secrets will be unearthed and both women will have to undergo their share of self-reflection and acknowledgement. It was a beautifully written quiet sort of story. I kept waiting for more to happen or for a larger intersection of storylines, but I appreciate everyday tales of relatable women dealing with the emotional fallout of messy dynamics with their parents.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for a gifted copy of this book. It was released in June, but I decided this sort of sentimental realization would be most impactful when I was feeling my own wave of sorrow so I postponed reading it.
August 10, 2025
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.
I’m always here for a good family drama. Give me complicated relationships, buried secrets, and emotional fallout, and I’m 100% in. When I read the premise for this book, it had “right up my alley” written all over it. And yet, it didn’t land the way I’d hoped.
The first half of the book was promising. The pacing worked, the emotional beats landed, and I wanted to know more. Then came the second half and the ending. Without spoiling anything, the “big” reveal near the end left me blinking at the page and asking, “Why?” Not in the good, thought-provoking way. More in the “Why was that necessary? What was the point?” kind of way. It didn’t add to the emotional resonance of the story, and it didn’t feel earned. If anything, it took away from the stronger, quieter moments the book had been building toward.
The book alternates between two narrators: Melody, a high school senior reeling from the sudden death of her adoptive mother, and Candace, a forty-something whose life has been shaped by the collateral damage of her parents’ bad marriage. On paper, this dual perspective should work. In practice, I found myself far more invested in Melody’s chapters than Candace’s.
What's surprising is, I didn’t expect that. Usually, the older I get, the more I connect with characters closer to my own age. Teen characters can sometimes feel like they’re written in a language I don’t fully speak anymore. But Melody pulled me in. Her grief, her stubborn refusal to learn about her birth parents, and her messy attempts to navigate friendships and identity all felt grounded and real. She’s flawed in a way that makes her interesting.
Candace, on the other hand, was… fine, but that’s about it. She’s competent, self-contained, and perfectly serviceable as a character. But I never felt like her storyline had the same emotional pull as Melody’s. Honestly, I’m still not sure the book needed her chapters at all. What we learn about her could have been delivered in a different way, making this Melody’s story from start to finish. I think it would have had a stronger impact that way.
That said, there’s still a lot to appreciate here. Halpern captures well that bittersweet space between the family we’re born into and the family we build for ourselves. Melody’s arc in particular has some beautiful, aching moments. I just wish the entire book had held onto that same energy.
In the end, this was a mixed bag for me. If you’re in it for Melody’s journey, you’ll probably find plenty to enjoy (especially in the first half). If you’re looking for a knockout ending or a perfectly balanced dual POV, you might walk away feeling underwhelmed.
I’m always here for a good family drama. Give me complicated relationships, buried secrets, and emotional fallout, and I’m 100% in. When I read the premise for this book, it had “right up my alley” written all over it. And yet, it didn’t land the way I’d hoped.
The first half of the book was promising. The pacing worked, the emotional beats landed, and I wanted to know more. Then came the second half and the ending. Without spoiling anything, the “big” reveal near the end left me blinking at the page and asking, “Why?” Not in the good, thought-provoking way. More in the “Why was that necessary? What was the point?” kind of way. It didn’t add to the emotional resonance of the story, and it didn’t feel earned. If anything, it took away from the stronger, quieter moments the book had been building toward.
The book alternates between two narrators: Melody, a high school senior reeling from the sudden death of her adoptive mother, and Candace, a forty-something whose life has been shaped by the collateral damage of her parents’ bad marriage. On paper, this dual perspective should work. In practice, I found myself far more invested in Melody’s chapters than Candace’s.
What's surprising is, I didn’t expect that. Usually, the older I get, the more I connect with characters closer to my own age. Teen characters can sometimes feel like they’re written in a language I don’t fully speak anymore. But Melody pulled me in. Her grief, her stubborn refusal to learn about her birth parents, and her messy attempts to navigate friendships and identity all felt grounded and real. She’s flawed in a way that makes her interesting.
Candace, on the other hand, was… fine, but that’s about it. She’s competent, self-contained, and perfectly serviceable as a character. But I never felt like her storyline had the same emotional pull as Melody’s. Honestly, I’m still not sure the book needed her chapters at all. What we learn about her could have been delivered in a different way, making this Melody’s story from start to finish. I think it would have had a stronger impact that way.
That said, there’s still a lot to appreciate here. Halpern captures well that bittersweet space between the family we’re born into and the family we build for ourselves. Melody’s arc in particular has some beautiful, aching moments. I just wish the entire book had held onto that same energy.
In the end, this was a mixed bag for me. If you’re in it for Melody’s journey, you’ll probably find plenty to enjoy (especially in the first half). If you’re looking for a knockout ending or a perfectly balanced dual POV, you might walk away feeling underwhelmed.
June 25, 2025
This character driven novel is about two very different women and how they handle life, grief and the pasts that were handed down to them by their parents.
Melody is a high school senior when her adopted mother died in a freak car accident. Her father wasn't able to help her navigate her grief because he was an emotional wreck at the loss of his wife. Melody has always known that she's adopted but doesn't have any interest in finding her birth family. As she deals with her grief, she decides not to go to college but to work on a farm collective. At first it looked like this decision was made because that's what a boy she had a crush on decided to do but even after she got over her crush, she still planned to skip college much to her father's dismay. Her best friend convinces her to try to find out about her birth family and the results send her on a downward emotional spiral and threaten everything she knew about her adopted family.
Candace is in her 40s and still dealing with the emotional baggage from her parent's contentious marriage. She has no desire to marry or have children. Her best friend, Paul, is gay and he manages to get her out to socialize and meet new people but she's still happiest with her solitary life until she meets Melody's father and begins to wonder what it would be like to be in a romantic relationship
This book is interesting and the struggle each woman goes through is life-changing. My problem with the book is that I didn't like Melody or Candice. They both seemed very involved in life and didn't really get interesting until they were facing life changes. Also for most of the book, we had chapters by Melody and chapters by Candace but there was no connection between them until almost the end of the book and then it was a very tenuous connection.
Melody is a high school senior when her adopted mother died in a freak car accident. Her father wasn't able to help her navigate her grief because he was an emotional wreck at the loss of his wife. Melody has always known that she's adopted but doesn't have any interest in finding her birth family. As she deals with her grief, she decides not to go to college but to work on a farm collective. At first it looked like this decision was made because that's what a boy she had a crush on decided to do but even after she got over her crush, she still planned to skip college much to her father's dismay. Her best friend convinces her to try to find out about her birth family and the results send her on a downward emotional spiral and threaten everything she knew about her adopted family.
Candace is in her 40s and still dealing with the emotional baggage from her parent's contentious marriage. She has no desire to marry or have children. Her best friend, Paul, is gay and he manages to get her out to socialize and meet new people but she's still happiest with her solitary life until she meets Melody's father and begins to wonder what it would be like to be in a romantic relationship
This book is interesting and the struggle each woman goes through is life-changing. My problem with the book is that I didn't like Melody or Candice. They both seemed very involved in life and didn't really get interesting until they were facing life changes. Also for most of the book, we had chapters by Melody and chapters by Candace but there was no connection between them until almost the end of the book and then it was a very tenuous connection.
June 22, 2025
3.5 Stars
Listened at 1.5X
Dual POV
Dual Narration
"Deliah Marcus would neither get old or get wrinkled" is how this story opens. I went in blind to this ALC on NETGALLEY as the author is coming to my local bookstore, and I wanted to read it before meeting them. Many, many times as I listened to this book, I thought I knew where it was going. I thought it was going a certain way and then it didn't. It kept me listening until the end.
This is two very different stories told by two very different people in alternating chapters. There were times while listening to this story, I thought I had missed something important because what would be the point of two separate books entwined in individual chapters.
Some serious philosophical thinking happened in mundane activities like using an elliptical machine "sometimes the combination of nature and nurture created its own mutation" the story itself revolves around what family is and why they are what they are.
I think the narrators did a good job keeping me entertained while the story itself was, at times, overly detailed.
Overall, this is a story I would recommend though it is not one I would have normally picked up.
Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.
Listened at 1.5X
Dual POV
Dual Narration
"Deliah Marcus would neither get old or get wrinkled" is how this story opens. I went in blind to this ALC on NETGALLEY as the author is coming to my local bookstore, and I wanted to read it before meeting them. Many, many times as I listened to this book, I thought I knew where it was going. I thought it was going a certain way and then it didn't. It kept me listening until the end.
This is two very different stories told by two very different people in alternating chapters. There were times while listening to this story, I thought I had missed something important because what would be the point of two separate books entwined in individual chapters.
Some serious philosophical thinking happened in mundane activities like using an elliptical machine "sometimes the combination of nature and nurture created its own mutation" the story itself revolves around what family is and why they are what they are.
I think the narrators did a good job keeping me entertained while the story itself was, at times, overly detailed.
Overall, this is a story I would recommend though it is not one I would have normally picked up.
Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.
September 3, 2025
This is a lovely, slow book that takes a bit to get into. Melody is a high schooler whose adoptive mother dies suddenly in a car accident. She and her father are adrift in their grief, and she debates trying to figure out who her biological parents are. On the other side of town, Candace is in her 40s and wondering what’s next for her. Then Melody and Candace’s paths cross in unexpected ways.
This book is about ordinary people living ordinary lives with ordinary tragedies that of course don’t feel ordinary to them. The depictions of grief, especially grief complicated by unfinished business and confusing feelings, feel really raw and visceral, and I appreciated how this book let Melody be a messy teenager who didn’t really know herself. The themes of found family and non-traditional life paths in Candace’s storyline are also really heartwarming. Some of the narrative threads don’t quite come together in the end, but this book hit the emotional notes well enough that it didn’t matter.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book is about ordinary people living ordinary lives with ordinary tragedies that of course don’t feel ordinary to them. The depictions of grief, especially grief complicated by unfinished business and confusing feelings, feel really raw and visceral, and I appreciated how this book let Melody be a messy teenager who didn’t really know herself. The themes of found family and non-traditional life paths in Candace’s storyline are also really heartwarming. Some of the narrative threads don’t quite come together in the end, but this book hit the emotional notes well enough that it didn’t matter.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!
September 8, 2025
What We Leave Behind is a beautifully written book that explores loss and how those of us left behind process loss. Told from dual points of view, the reader follows the lives of two very different but strong women as they are forced to face tragedy and trauma head on.
The fluidity of the story combined with rich and intricate character development; this was a very easy book to read.
After reading the synopsis, as someone who has been greatly impacted by the world of these DNA sites, I had personally hoped for a bit more regarding that portion of the story. Even more, I would have loved there to be more of an overlap between the characters. I think that would have brought more depth and I would be curious to see where it would lead.
All in all, this was a solid, heartfelt read embracing the concepts of loss and trauma and the way that we as humans work through that. It is about strength, love, family, and support systems.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for the gifted copy of this book. It was a touching read at just the right time for me.
The fluidity of the story combined with rich and intricate character development; this was a very easy book to read.
After reading the synopsis, as someone who has been greatly impacted by the world of these DNA sites, I had personally hoped for a bit more regarding that portion of the story. Even more, I would have loved there to be more of an overlap between the characters. I think that would have brought more depth and I would be curious to see where it would lead.
All in all, this was a solid, heartfelt read embracing the concepts of loss and trauma and the way that we as humans work through that. It is about strength, love, family, and support systems.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for the gifted copy of this book. It was a touching read at just the right time for me.
June 20, 2025
I received a free copy from Harper Perennial, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I really enjoyed this book because although it involved grief it was a lighthearted read. Melody, a teenager, and her father Eddie are grieving and navigating life after loss. She’s trying to decide what to do with her future as is he, and when a secret is uncovered the truth comes out and everyone has to be honest with themselves and each other for once. I also enjoyed Candace’s character as she navigates relationships and her career. The plot was easy to follow and the character development was really great. I enjoyed Melody’s character and sense of humor throughout the book. Eddie is a likeable guy who I was cheering for the whole way through. Candace is a compassionate woman and I found myself wanting only the best for her. Sue Halpern introduced a great cast of characters that had me wanting to befriend them in real life. Definitely a wonderful and relatable read.
July 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complementary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion. Melody is a high school student, soon to be going to college when her mother dies. Her father sinks into depression and Melody is basically on her own as she tries to process her mother's death. She was adopted as a three year old after being in foster care. Melody never wanted to hear her birth/adoption story so her mother doesn't tell it. By the time that Melody needs to hear it, her mother is gone. Part of the story deals with Melody, her father, the adoption and her plans after graduation. Interwoven, is a story about Candace which really doesn't need to be told. There is very little connection between Melody and Constance. The book is character driven and nothing really happens to keep me interested in this book--I picked it up and put it down numerous times. 2 1/2 stars, rounded up to 3.
March 30, 2025
4.5 stars
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I’ll admit this was a hodge podge of characters. Reminded me of the show Shrinking on Apple TV. Melody’s mother’s accidental death weaves a string of occurrences that ripples to this cast of characters. The book starts right upon Delia’s death and she feels like a prominent voice throughout the entire book although she’s gone. Melody’s character is written like a true 17 year old ansy and lost. Candace a steady adult finds love after 40.
I didn’t really care for the Tom/Wardo connection to her but I’ll let you decide.
Hands down my favorite character was Paul. Liked the twist at the end, didn’t see it coming. I wish the last chapter wasn’t so rushed since it blended Candance and Melody’s POV it was a little confusing overall pretty good.
Thank you Harper Perennial for my ARC gifted copy.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I’ll admit this was a hodge podge of characters. Reminded me of the show Shrinking on Apple TV. Melody’s mother’s accidental death weaves a string of occurrences that ripples to this cast of characters. The book starts right upon Delia’s death and she feels like a prominent voice throughout the entire book although she’s gone. Melody’s character is written like a true 17 year old ansy and lost. Candace a steady adult finds love after 40.
I didn’t really care for the Tom/Wardo connection to her but I’ll let you decide.
Hands down my favorite character was Paul. Liked the twist at the end, didn’t see it coming. I wish the last chapter wasn’t so rushed since it blended Candance and Melody’s POV it was a little confusing overall pretty good.
Thank you Harper Perennial for my ARC gifted copy.
July 6, 2025
Thank you to Harper Perennial for the ARC of What We Leave Behind, out now!
This beautifully written novel follows two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies left by their parents. High school senior Melody struggles with the untimely/unexpected, and tragic death of her mother and refuses to learn about her birth parents (even as DNA testing threatens to expose family secrets). Meanwhile, Candace, in her forties, has lived a carefully unattached life shaped by her parent’s failed marriage, only to be forced to reconsider everything after a chance encounter.
I enjoyed the dual POVs and found both women's stories compelling on their own, but even by the end, they felt disjointed and not as interwoven as I hoped. Beautiful storytelling, but the plot ultimately fell a bit short for me. It ended, and I was like, "Oh, that's it?"
This beautifully written novel follows two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies left by their parents. High school senior Melody struggles with the untimely/unexpected, and tragic death of her mother and refuses to learn about her birth parents (even as DNA testing threatens to expose family secrets). Meanwhile, Candace, in her forties, has lived a carefully unattached life shaped by her parent’s failed marriage, only to be forced to reconsider everything after a chance encounter.
I enjoyed the dual POVs and found both women's stories compelling on their own, but even by the end, they felt disjointed and not as interwoven as I hoped. Beautiful storytelling, but the plot ultimately fell a bit short for me. It ended, and I was like, "Oh, that's it?"
July 23, 2025
Sweet, quiet story of adopted teen Melody whose adoptive mom died in a freak car accident. Her dad Eddie is devastated. Meanwhile, in a parallel story, HR head single Candace whose BFF is gay Paul. Paul starts dating Dr Noah who saves guy who fell through the ice. Candace’s company is getting taken over; she starts to see that guy who fell through the ice and who, as it turns out, knows Eddie. They all agree to work in Eddie’s foundation which honors his schizophrenic bro who died as well as his wife.
Questions of nature V nurture. Melody has never been very curious about finding out her biological parents, but it turns out her mom was both her birth mom had adaptive mom, and her dad is her adoptive dad. Melody‘s BFF is a girl adopted from China by white parents.
I would have been more touched by the loss in the story, but it’s a little long and meandering in places.
Questions of nature V nurture. Melody has never been very curious about finding out her biological parents, but it turns out her mom was both her birth mom had adaptive mom, and her dad is her adoptive dad. Melody‘s BFF is a girl adopted from China by white parents.
I would have been more touched by the loss in the story, but it’s a little long and meandering in places.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
When high school senior Melody Marcus’ adoptive mother is killed by a boulder in a freak car accident, she’s even more convicted that she doesn’t want to know about her birth parents. But with genetic testing so easily available, she may not be able to hide from her DNA, and buried secrets begin to threaten everything. Enter Candace Milton, a successful woman in her 40’s whose own parent’s unhappy marriage has left her with a deep desire to avoid attachment. A chance encounter with a friend of Melody’s father will force her to reimagine who she is and what she might become. This engrossing novel asks the age-old question of nature versus nurture. Is it how we’re raised or is identity hard-wired? Get ready for an exploration of love, family, loss and relationships.
September 3, 2025
I bought this on vacation, for the national Buy Local/ Don't Buy at Amazon protest. I was excited for the chance to read a real book; I usually use Kindle, because book lights bother my partner. I'm sorry, but this was not the read I was hoping for. It got off to a good start, with dual POVs and a shocking death. However, I found myself constantly questioning whether this was meant to be YA, and when the two stories might meet. I won't spoil it for other readers, but I was disappointed on both fronts. Story 1 was too YA'ish for me; story 2 a bit predictable, and I'm not sure how these two stories are meant to merge. It was a quick and easy read, and had a few compelling sections, but this one just didn't grab me as I'd hoped from the book jacket and start.
November 11, 2025
As a fan of literary fiction, the book was high on my list. I loved the dual perspective of two very different women two very different walks of life. The author did a good job at crossing their timelines in a fun, and believable way.
However, she kind of lost me the last 15% of the book. I was pretty blindsided with the plot switch up at the end, although I will say she recovered it. Without giving any spoilers, I wish she hinted at some of this throughout the book instead of a complete blind side at the end.
The ending aside, it was a pretty good quiet fiction read. She used the word “just” way too many times, and unfortunately once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it!
If you’re a fan of messy feelings and real life drama, this book is for you.
However, she kind of lost me the last 15% of the book. I was pretty blindsided with the plot switch up at the end, although I will say she recovered it. Without giving any spoilers, I wish she hinted at some of this throughout the book instead of a complete blind side at the end.
The ending aside, it was a pretty good quiet fiction read. She used the word “just” way too many times, and unfortunately once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it!
If you’re a fan of messy feelings and real life drama, this book is for you.
December 17, 2024
This is a sweet, yet sad story that had me wondering and guessing all the way through about its outcome for main character Melody as she sees the tragic death of her adopted mother. Does this unfortunate tragedy allow her to move forward and lean of her heritage? Doe she really have an interest in this?
There is mystery,heartache, friendship, anger and many regrets as we delve into the chapters of this neat book.
It is a good read and I believe women's fiction lovers will definitely enjoy it.
Than you to @NetGalley and to @Harper Perennial and Paperback for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
There is mystery,heartache, friendship, anger and many regrets as we delve into the chapters of this neat book.
It is a good read and I believe women's fiction lovers will definitely enjoy it.
Than you to @NetGalley and to @Harper Perennial and Paperback for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
April 14, 2025
Thank you to #NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC!
Melody Marcus's adopted mother has just died in a tragic accident. Candace Milton has a thriving career and is happy not being in a relationship, but her best friend has started seeing someone.
In all, I really enjoyed this novel and the themes of the legacies we have from our parents is interesting. I felt like Candace's growth wasn't as well charted as Melody's, which was frustrating because I really loved the dynamic she had with Paul. The novel is well written and would make a great pick for a book club because the themes and different storylines would lead to a lot of great discussions.
3.75 stars rounded up
Melody Marcus's adopted mother has just died in a tragic accident. Candace Milton has a thriving career and is happy not being in a relationship, but her best friend has started seeing someone.
In all, I really enjoyed this novel and the themes of the legacies we have from our parents is interesting. I felt like Candace's growth wasn't as well charted as Melody's, which was frustrating because I really loved the dynamic she had with Paul. The novel is well written and would make a great pick for a book club because the themes and different storylines would lead to a lot of great discussions.
3.75 stars rounded up
June 24, 2025
"What We Leave Behind" is a beautifully written domestic/family drama that alternates between two different storylines (two different FMCs) who are both going through their own grief journeys. Halpern's writing is really wonderful; I was able to listen on audio and the narrators were a perfect pick! This book would have been a solid 4 star for me but the ending was unsatisying for me (other reviews have indicated why, but I don't want to give it away). Still a really good read. For me, it is a 3.5 rounded up. *I received a complimentary audio ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
July 22, 2025
I began this book without any preconceived ideas about how it would turnout. At first, I thought it would be your typical adoption story and the two main characters would be intertwined by that theme. However, I was greatly and happily surprised that it took a totally different turn. I expected the two main characters to be more related to each other, but they weren’t, and that was better for the story. I really enjoyed that the usual tropes that we find in fiction literature were not necessarily followed in this story but it also wasn’t a big gotcha moment or twist. It just was a very interesting story.
I won a free arc of this book from Goodreads .
I won a free arc of this book from Goodreads .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2025
I gave this novel four stars because the writing drew me in, the characters felt real and stayed with me for a while; but I didn’t much like the book’s structure. It is two alternating stories, one of 17-year-old Melody, whose adoptive mother dies in a shocking accident, the other of 40-something Candace, who helps save a man from a near-disaster; the two stories have only a tenuous, false-seeming connection. Both Melody and Candace are trying to figure out their lives; and there is a lot in both stories about found, or chosen, families. Melody’s story has a twist that I didn’t see coming; but in the end I was left unsatisfied, though not sorry to have met these characters, and this author.
April 21, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
This quiet (read: slow) novel follows two women dealing with "emotional legacies" from their parents.
I am not going to go on and on - this book is for someone looking for a slow moving, gentle, clean novel. Not much happens. I spent way too much time wondering why I was reading two books at once (the characters dont intersect until well past half way and even then its a brush)
I liked the writing. I couldnt connect to Collette's story. I enjoyed Melody's.
3*
This quiet (read: slow) novel follows two women dealing with "emotional legacies" from their parents.
I am not going to go on and on - this book is for someone looking for a slow moving, gentle, clean novel. Not much happens. I spent way too much time wondering why I was reading two books at once (the characters dont intersect until well past half way and even then its a brush)
I liked the writing. I couldnt connect to Collette's story. I enjoyed Melody's.
3*
July 7, 2025
What We Leave Behind by Sue Halpern was a 5-star read for me! This heartwarming novel follows a young woman navigating adoption, identity, and the complexities of forging her own path in life. It beautifully explores themes of found family, grief, and choosing a future that defies expectations. Halpern tackles heavy topics with grace and sensitivity, creating a story that’s both emotional and uplifting. I felt deeply connected to the characters and their journeys—this book will stay with me for a long time.
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