The Goodbye Year: A Novel

by Kaira Rouda

Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can’t believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated façade of her life. Will and his wife are fine—as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class). Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it’s like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple’s second act together—empty nesting—might possibly be the end.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Womens Fiction, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Kaira Rouda is a USA TODAY and #1 Amazon and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction exploring beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her suspense novels include BEST DAY EVER, THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER, ALL THE DIFFERENCE, THE NEXT WIFE, SOMEBODY'S HOME, THE WIDOW, BENEATH THE SURFACE, UNDER THE PALMS, THE SECOND MRS STROM, WHAT THE NANNY SAW and JILL IS NOT HAPPY. Her next novel, WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS, is out February 3, 2026.

She lives in Southern California with her family and is at work on her next novel. Visit her webiste, KairaRouda.com for more. Connect with her on Instagram and Pinterest: @KairaRouda; and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books.

If you'd like to host Kaira at your book club, please reach out through her website KairaRouda.com

Sign up to receive a monthly email from Kaira with exclusive sales news, book excerpts, sweepstakes, and giveaways at: kairarouda.com/signup/

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many ways to say goodbye. Are you ever ready for any of them? Follow the families of Crystal Beach, CA as they deal with heartache, Empty Nest Syndrome (it's real), graduation, adultery, and more. Kaira does a fantastic job of not only showing the mind of women approaching middle age and all the thoughts that go along with it, but also the troubled mind of a teenager, the unbelievably selfish mind of a narcissistic man (who you actually feel bad for for a split second at the end) and a cheater. She wonderfully weaves through their stories without ever losing momentum. They will make friends, lose lovers, find themselves and go to trial. I finished this book in less than 24 hours, I just could not put it down. And neither will you.

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page)]

A child's last year of high school is so hard for the child and the parent, and it is interesting reading about how all of these people handle it. Many of them are dwelling with additional issues, and it makes for a busy year for them all!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My oldest child is going into fifth grade, so I still have a while before he goes to college. However, I could still find some ways to relate to the parents in The Goodbye Year. I could appreciate them wanting their kids to do well in school so they could get into a good college and also wondering what was in store now that their kids didn’t need them as much. I wouldn’t say my kids don’t need me, but they’re definitely on that road to independence as they continue to grow and learn new life skills. However, soon-to-be empty nesters and parents whose children are about to go to college will definitely be able to relate more than I even did.

I really liked the teenagers in this story. They were dealing with stress, peer pressure, preparing for the next step in their lives, and the way their parents were acting now that it was their last year at home. I could definitely relate to them, as I had been down that road. Even though it feels like ages ago, it was interesting to live that time out again vicariously. Having said that, I think Kaira Rouda should try her hand at writing a young adult novel.

There were a lot of surprises in store while reading this novel. Some things came out of left field and I did not expect them at all. I like being surprised and especially enjoy a good shocker. Kaira definitely delivered on that front.

My main concern was that there were too many characters. I had to go back to the front of the book a lot to double check which character was from which family. After a while, I was able to keep up. However, this also caused the climax to feel rushed, as there were so many stories going on from so many different voices. I was expecting Melanie to be the core of the story, but after a while it felt like the attention was more on Sarah or Will. It’s kind of like those movies where there are a bunch of stories going on at the same time, such as Men, Women, and Children. It has a similar feel to that movie, as well. (Mostly in terms of all the family dynamics and drama, told from different perspectives.)

Overall, the story had great entertainment value and was an addictive read.

Dream movie cast:
Will: Paul Rudd
Sarah: Jennifer Aniston
Jud: Jim Caviezel
Ashley: Olivia Holt
Melanie: Teri Hatcher
Dane: Miles Heizer
Marni: Ariel Winter
Lauren: Melissa George 
Keith: Peter Hermann

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I Read this book so fast because the author makes it so easy for you to understand the characters and their thinking. It alternates between the children and the parents view. You will not believe how each of these families lives take shape after this senior year. You can relate to one or more of these families and their children. This second act for these families has a lot of twists and turns. Not a dull moment!!!

[Ronya]

Horrible. F. Why did I even finish it??? My first zero star review.

[Monica Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced read that threw a few curveballs at me.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always found the word goodbye to be an oxymoron. Seldom is a goodbye an actual good thing. In The Goodbye Year, Kaira Rouda chronicles the lives of five families. She explores the relationship between husband and wife, parent and child and between friends. The struggles we face when our children are about to leave home, when someone we love has been unfaithful and when substance abuse takes over one’s life. The situations in this book are so relatable and things that happen to people on a daily basis, it makes you realize that no one is immune to personal angst. Behind closed doors, we all deal with our own goodbyes.

For me, personally, I was afraid of my “goodbye year.” My boys’ high school graduations were fast approaching and the thought of being an empty nester was terrifying. Not wanting to be without children in the house when I was only in my late 30s, we made the decision to adopt a baby girl. That bought me 18 more years before I had to worry about it again!

Written with such emotion and honesty, The Goodbye Year is destined to be a bestseller!

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Melanie has a slacker senior son who is adorable but lost. On her way to being an empty nester she smothers him in unwanted attention for his own good but completely misses the mark of who he actually wants to be. Beyond wealthy Sarah idolizes her perfect Ashley who got into Harvard ED, while her husband’s secrets destroy their family and Will and his wife are fine as long as his affair with Lauren continues and his controlling, OCD, vice principal wife runs the ship. In this small enclave in one of California’s wealthiest neighborhoods, call it “The Housewives with Highschool Seniors,” these pretty horrible people learn just how horrible they really are. I love a good satire of parenting but this was too over the top ridiculous and the simplistic writing and predictable storyline just didn’t grab my attention. May be a case of “it’s not you it’s me” but either way just not my cup of tea.

[Sheree Kun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just WOW! This is an amazing book that is told through many perspectives. Had I not won this book, I would not have bought it as I'm going through my "goodbye year" with my son and thought it would make me cry. As I won the book, through Tall Poppies, i felt obligated to read it. I'm so very glad that I did.! This is an incredible story as witnessed from different perspectives. It made me lighten up a little bit on my son. With that said, you don't need to have a senior in high school to enjoy this book. There is a lot of adult drama, kind of like Big Little Lies, to keep you turning the page and staying up late.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of my friends (myself included) have hit the crossroads of life called "empty nest". Our children have grown up and gone away to college to leave us all wondering how we deal with the fact that we are no longer needed in the same way.

Kaira Rouda addresses this situation through her novel The Goodbye Year. In it we meet a group of families who live in a well-to-do beach town in Southern California. There are several couples who are on the cusp of empty nest, including power couple plastic surgeon Jud and his perfectly put together (partially through plastic surgery) wife Sarah, who have the perfect daughter Ashley.

Ashley is a great girl, a hard-working student, beautiful, president of everything. She is dating a football player, but becomes friendly with Collin, the son of two recent Ohio transplants. His mom Melanie works hard to make sure every post on her Facebook page represents the kind of family she wants everyone to believe she has.

Collin is musically gifted but not academically motivated like his older brother Seth, which drives Melanie crazy. She can't understand why he doesn't try harder in school. It caused much friction between them.

Will works as a building inspector for the town, and his wife is the uber-organized principal of the middle school. She has her entire family's lives on a color-coordinated schedule, with nothing left to chance or circumstance. Will is tired of being scheduled to death and is having an affair with the mother of one of the students in his daughter's class.

Rouda takes us through the senior year of high school, alternating narration from the adults and their children. I liked the differing perspectives we get from this, not only what the parents are dealing with, but also the pressures of being a high school senior with everyone coming at you about your future. It is much different than when I was in school.

The one thing I took away from this is that you never know what the person next to you is dealing with. Someone may look so together on the outside, but on the inside they may be just as conflicted or lonely or scared as the next person. Maybe it will make someone reading this feel not so alone with their own issues.

The Goodbye Year can be a little Desperate Housewives-like, with the scandals and affairs and secret lives, but it also makes you think as well as entertain you. And if empty nest is sneaking up on you, reading this may make you feel like you can handle whatever comes your way.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaira Rouda never disappoints me. I've read some of her previous books and she continues to get better and better each time I open one of her books! Kudos, Kaira!

The Goodbye Year is filled with many characters, the parents and children of a beach community. Once you understand who belongs with who and what is happening, is just about the time everything begins to fall apart for certain characters.

I was able to laugh out loud at the humorous parts of The Goodbye Year. I also was commiserating with some of the parents as I will be going through my own "goodbye year" next year. I definitely could see myself in some of their shoes.

Highly recommend? Yes! You won't be disappointed.



I received a print copy of this book from BookSparks for my honest review.

[vvb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took awhile to get into this story with its big cast of characters - most of which were unlikable. But the secrets revealed from both parents and their teens were a draw.

There are plenty of characters in this story who provide different aspects of the craziness that occurs during the period of college preparation and application in the upper middle class world.

Having gone through some of that craziness last year, I could relate to some parts. Whew! It is a workout and the tension and stress is captured in the book.

Got me thinking about the empty nest syndrome.

[Fiona R · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointing read after Best Day Ever. The Goodbye Year's cast was an eclectic one with a lot of potential, but the plot just didn't stand up. Sure, there was action, but I found myself rolling my eyes at its far fetched nature. Kaira Rouda definitely knows how to create characters, which is why I stuck it out to the end.
I'm not deterred from trying more of her novels, but this one is best forgotten.

[Jacob Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my full review and others at Eyes and Books!
www.eyesandbooks.com
www.twitter.com/eyesandbooks

A gripping, phenomenal story about parents having to face reality as their children enter their senior year that is masterfully paced and beautifully portrayed.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Proofreader missed a lot mistakes!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rouda at the height of her literary powers! A marvel!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

California Dreamin’ turns into a nightmare - money, sex, drugs, affairs - this book covers them all plus more! Sounds seamy but actually it’s not, more like the written version of the Desperate Housewives of Crystal Bay! Just a gossipy fun read. Ms Rouda has become one of my favorite authors.

Again, the characters come to life with all their quirks and faults, she definitely makes them sound like real people. Since authors are supposedly writing about what they know, I’m presuming this novel was the inside scoop on the elite of Laguna Beach!!

Oh did I laugh at her description of Florida - hot, swampy and a place where only alligators are meant to live! I beg to differ on that!

And my usual dig - why would you have two of the characters named Tom?

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! The novel revolves around three families who have different (and yet the same) issues trying to navigate spouses, children, school, and life as it constantly changes. Melanie and Keith have two sons who differ vastly in their interests and abilities. Plastic surgeon Jud has a beautiful wife Sarah, who's ben enhanced by his talent, and daughter Ashley who's the "queen" of the school. But Jud has a secret life that of course will never remain a secret. Carol and Will are also married but Will enjoys another woman until his secret is out. Rouda writes about our successes and failures as we come together with someone we HOPE will mirror our personalities, our desires for our children, and our never-ending search for contentment and happiness.

[Karen Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like reading Desperate Housewives, it was juicy good and hooked me in. Great read when you don’t need serious and would like a guilty pleasure read.

[Cindy Roesel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crystal Beach, California is the fictional location for author, Kaira Rouda's, novel THE GOODBYE YEAR (SparkPress). Crystal Beach, much like Laguna Beach where Kaira resides is a glamorous, upper-middle class, gated-community located near the beach in southern California. If you happen to watch BRAVO'S, The Real Housewives of Orange County, it's very similar to where Vicki Gunvalson and the cast of characters have lived for the past ten seasons. I've watched TRHOC since the beginning and I'm looking forward to the upcoming eleventh season. While reading THE GOODBYE YEAR, I felt as if I'd been beamed into a script reading. TRHOC live large, have plastic surgery, work out, shop, drink, dine out at fancy restaurants and oh, deal with their spouses, boyfriends and kids, when necessary.

In THE GOODBYE YEAR, its senior year and the moms and dads of Crystal Beach are looking ahead to when their kids fly the nest and head off to college. For Melanie, she has only one more year to live vicariously through her senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah, who has had nearly everything nipped and tucked, realizes the departure of her daughter, Ashley, will leave her alone and crack the façade of Sarah's life, because hubby is always on the road. Will and his wife, Carol are tied to their family calendar; can't imagine the two of them spending time alone together, unless it's a school function. Now Will has to consider how he's going to handle an affair he's having with another woman, whose daughter is in the senior class.

Kaira provides a list of characters and a table of contents at the beginning of the novel, but even with that, I found myself getting lost and confused. There are a lot of characters in this novel and perhaps I just needed to pay more attention. Parents of kids beginning their senior year of high-school might connect to this book. The chapters are told from the alternating points of view of the parents and kids. I suggest an editor takes a peek before anymore printings.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

Since she never had a girl of her own, she took sublime pleasure in judging everyone else's.

Melanie knew they had been friends since their kids were in preschool together. So, basically forever in suburban years. Much like dog years, Melanie knew most moms counted their years by kid-years, and they made and marked their friendships accordingly. Another reason Melanie was an outsider here. She had just three suburban years in this town. She was a toddler amid high school seniors.

People were serious about this stuff, he knew, but looking around now he felt as if he were watching a school of sharks circling their prey, cutting in, chomping a brochure and signing their names on a list, before swimming to the next booth.

My Review:

The Goodbye Year is a brilliant written and expertly crafted character study. Ms. Rouda's masterpiece quickly tapped into my psyche and didn't let go; I am still contemplating the many nuances of the story hours after completing the book. The writing was compelling and full of insightful and cleverly amusing observations. Ms. Rouda's characters were richly textured, complicated, flawed, fascinating, endearing, and despicable. As the story evolved I was blindsided by several characters spiraling out of control while others experienced profound growth, with most of the outcomes being what I had least expected. I experienced a full range of emotion during perusal - my heart was squeezed, I smiled, I fist pumped, and I blinked hard and swallowed with difficulty. This was my first experience with Kaira Rouda but I am now at the level of totally gasping fan-girl enamored with her genius.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure enough has been said of the storyline and reviews typically show no end of summaries. So in leu of that, I'm just offering my raw opinions:
One of my favorite things about this novel is how Kaira managed to weave no less than 6-10 points of view into one storyline. I was a bit intimidated going in to this, especially when the first page has a sort of "family/friend tree/outline" to start; however that was invaluable in those first chapters as I got my bearings and each character began to materialize in my mind.

It was very well written and fast paced - if I had the time I could have read it in a single sitting, but I was vacationing and so I didn't have an undivided day to commit to it. I enjoyed following both the parents and children's lives - Kaira did a great job voicing both without sounding like she was trying too hard; they were believable, interesting and engaging. I thought the plot (including sub-plots) was well formed and the story flowed easily, even with some curveball storylines in there!

Overall it was surprising, enthralling, intriguing and satisfying; plus this is a great read this time of year too considering it's the end of a school year. I have already recommended it to others and it easily earned a spot in my favorite reads of 2016 so far!

[Lori Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

What excited me about this book was that it focused on a population I work with every day in my day job--students going through the college search process. I loved the premise of the book and that it was told from different perspectives. That being said, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight in the beginning. There is a "cast list" at the beginning that listed all the characters and their families, but reading it on a kindle made it difficult to go back and forth. I definitely recommend reading the physical book for this reason!

Rouda does an excellent job of portraying her characters in each chapter. It was definitely an entertaining read, but was hard to relate to at times for me because it was almost too much drama...felt like a "reality" show! Still an excellent summer read that keeps you turning the pages!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last year of high school is very stressful for not only the seniors but also for their families. In this novel, Kaira Rouda takes us into the conflicts of several families with a high school senior hoping to go to college - there is perfect Ashley with her plastic surgeon father and her mother who he has helped make into a walking advertisement for his plastic surgery practice.... But he is hiding a secret and their marriage isn't all that it seems to be. There is Dane who appears to be a real loser who won't get into college and his mother has turned to alcohol to console herself. These are only two of the families who are part of this fast paced, fun to read novel. It's a novel about relationships in families and about growing up and saying goodbye. Fantastic book.

[Meg Munson · Rating 5 out of 5]

​This was such an interesting read. I love how the author wrote about the five families and included both the parents and children's perspectives. This book covered everything from empty nest syndrome, infidelity, alcoholism, drug abuse and even some other surprises along the the way (don't want to give any spoilers!). It was amazing to see how the events in this story brought certain characters together. I felt like there was so much I could relate to in this story. This was beautifully written and you will not be dissappointed!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the premise especially as I have. Daughter graduating high school this month. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be basic and the plot was lacking. The worst offense is the editor. In at least a dozen places I found incorrect words used or extra words in sentences. Perhaps just the electronic edition had these errors but it was incredibly irritating to read and find so many blatant errors.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. I thought it would be a meaningful story that I could even relate to. Nope, more like a reality TV show. Perhaps it was the location and superficial problems that turned me off. Mistakes.....p. 233, third paragraph..."And I let you go to far." too, not to.
p. 183 4th paragraph refers to Jud as "Mark".

With that said, it was entertaining enough, like a People Magazine, that I did finish it. 2 1/2 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rouda has captured the high school senior angst and the "empty nest" anxiety that plagues many parents. Telling the story from many points of view is engaging and allows for the various reactions to the impending changes. Parents will be able to identify with the conflicting feelings of pride and frustration. An excellent novel for discussion and will be a favorite for Book Clubs. Read my review at http://pennyformythoughts-nona.blogsp...

[susieqlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This book is full of secrets and surprises. Inside a wealthy world, families still have struggles. Money does not solve every problem. Family relationships unfold as families prepare for an empty nest.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Letty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about that last year of high school, when the kids leave for college and parents end up as empty nesters. Very well written and with some shocking surprises towards the end. Fast-paced read! I recommend it!!

I was provided with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.