A Gentle Push Forward

by Vannissa Johnson

Seventeen-year-old Natalie Eve, better known as Evie, has spent the past four years running from her past, hiding in a life of distraction after a tragic night that changed everything. When she and her father move back to his lakeside hometown, she hopes for relief from her current struggles with anxiety, grief, and a father who seems more distant than ever.

Silver Summit pulls Evie into family ties, new friends, and a boy. Harrison Anderson is a passionate and idealistic boy who jumps right into causes bigger than himself. Through his energy and compassion, Evie starts to rediscover hope, love, and the possibility of healing, even after suffering an unbearable loss.

A Gentle Push Forward is a heartfelt journey filled with grief, growth, and the small moments that help carry us forward.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Dawn-Marie Ferrante · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I want to be the one to hold you when your pain is too heavy to bear alone."

Evie and Harrison have my heart! ❤️

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️

Minor spoilers ahead

Thank you to the author for this arc in exchange for my honest review


Uplifting and inspiring! This book will have you laughing, crying, and hanging onto to every word


The story follows a teenage girl named Evie who is surrounded by tragedy. After her mom and sister’s recent passing she falls into a deep depression and becomes quite lonely. With no friends or other family members besides her dad - who is handling the grief even worse than Evie is.

However, her dad, hoping to create a fresh start moves them back to their summer vacation town to reside permanently.

The town holds nothing but good memories of summer vacation with her cousin and aunt who already reside there all year around.

Evie starts work at the cafe, meets her cousin’s friends, and eventually falls in love with a local boy named Harrison

Through hardships, tears, and many panic attacks Evie and her dad begin to heal

The ending had me in utter shock!!! I almost didn’t want to read rest of the book. I just wanted to Evie to have her happy ending with Harrison!!

It is revealed that Evie however does learn how to heal and learned so much from Harrison and her time in her new home

While I enjoyed the book throughly this book would best fit for a YA audience. (Younger me would have eaten this book up even more)

Overall a great debut novel!!

[Read_with_Beans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I very rarely say this, but I wish this book were longer. Some areas could have been explored more deeply, and small holes within the plot could have been fleshed out a bit more. With that being said, I truly enjoyed this book. I thought the author did an excellent job covering tough topics that should be addressed more often in books. I feel, for whatever reason, authors tend to skirt around the difficulties in life, and this author thrusts readers into the fold while prying their eyes wide open.

This book was so much more than surface-level high school romance, and that is why I wish it were longer. I felt we needed more time with the characters and their lives, but then again, I guess that is what makes this book as heartbreaking as life; sometimes it’s cut shorter than we want.

This book was written extremely well, and I highly recommend this book.

Please check trigger warnings for this book prior to reading.
- Death of a parent
- Self-harm
- Domestic abuse
- Alcohol abuse

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that is reminiscent of John Green books, that has all the summer vibes and with characters that are relatable and lovable, this book is for you! It's also for you if you just love books. Right from the prologue I was hooked and needing to know what was going to happen next. I laughed (snorted) and I cried (ugly crying) and I added this book to the list of books that I've read that are more than just a story. It's one of the books that feels more like an experience. Vannissa is so great with imagery and writing moments that you can actually feel in your bones. Great coming of age story, great writing and just an all around wonderful reading experience.

[Nash Sanchez-Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is HEAVY and packed with REAL, RAW emotions! The way the author wrote this book is very REAL and it portrays a high school love in much more depth than the romance books do. The way she wrote anxiety, depression, loss of parents, self-harm, will have you feeling all the feels. The plot twist at the end definitely left me breathless and gasping. This book broke me in so many ways but it healed me as well. Did not expect to cry but definitely did! Such a beautiful book, very RAW and a great depiction on how life is sometimes cut short!

Make sure to read the trigger warnings before diving into this book.

[Rosa Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I want to thank the author Vanessa for the opportunity of receiving an arc for this book. Wow, I’ve always been a fan of books that deal with grief & the aftermath of how our lives continue without our loved ones. It was so good to see the different forms of grief that everyone had but the beauty of having some form of happiness, the mental health was pretty greatly written, a book that I will remember, that twist absolutely wrecked me. Such a devastating novel that perfectly puts into perspective of loss, grief, healing & attempting to move on. I would have loved if it was longer but I really liked it.

[Addy Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I am incredibly bias. I know the author and she is a very important person in my life.

BUT

I dont usually read books like this. I stay towards books that are more completely impossible to escape the real world.

This book is definitely in the real world with all the real hurt. Evie needs community to heal after a horrible accident. She finds the community that she needs in her dad's hometown. Unfortunately, you cant run from real life.
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This book made me cry. I listen to the playlist and find that I feel the characters when I hear certain songs.

[Jade Matzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gentle Push Forward was a refreshing break from the usual rom-coms and fantasy books that I read. I don't usually get easily emotional from books, but Vannissa's dive into anxiety and how to rediscover yourself after a life altering tragedy had my emotions all over the place. I laughed, I got annoyed, and I even cried. Books that leave a mark on you are my favorite and I can honestly say this one is one of my favorites this year.

If you enjoyed John Green's writing I believe this book is for you!

[Shenny Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story and one that sticks with you long after you've read it. Vannissa did such a great job with the characters and story. It was relatable and really showed all sides of love, loss and grief.