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Just a Normal Tuesday
If you are reading this, I am already gone.
It’s just a normal Tuesday…until sixteen-year-old Kai finds a suicide note from her beloved older sister, Jen. Now Kai is the only child in a family reeling with grief. Unable to make sense of her sister’s choice, Kai begins to lose control. She cuts class. Lashes out at the people closest to her. Pops the same pills that killed her sister.
As she spirals toward rock bottom, her parents offer her a lifeline: a summer away at camp. Grief camp…for teens. Kai reluctantly agrees to attend, even though she’s not exactly in the mood for s’mores. But she finds solace in meeting kids like her, and slowly she begins to come back to life—and even love—at The Treehouse.
It’s just a normal Tuesday…until sixteen-year-old Kai finds a suicide note from her beloved older sister, Jen. Now Kai is the only child in a family reeling with grief. Unable to make sense of her sister’s choice, Kai begins to lose control. She cuts class. Lashes out at the people closest to her. Pops the same pills that killed her sister.
As she spirals toward rock bottom, her parents offer her a lifeline: a summer away at camp. Grief camp…for teens. Kai reluctantly agrees to attend, even though she’s not exactly in the mood for s’mores. But she finds solace in meeting kids like her, and slowly she begins to come back to life—and even love—at The Treehouse.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2017
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2468 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
July 15, 2017
Get ready, I have a lot to say about this one.
Suicide is such a risky subject. A complex staircase that has so many crumbling railings that loved ones have to navigate in their grief. This book captured that so perfectly.
I want to start by saying thank you to Kim Turrisi for pouring out her heart and soul into this. It couldn’t have been easy to be so open and raw as she was writing this book. In the acknowledgements she informs her readers that she herself lost her sister to suicide when she was young and with that I know that every bit of this book holds the truth of someone who has dealt with that specific kind of pain.
I cried so much throughout reading this. Sometimes from my heart touching the pages, other times I’m not even sure why. Maybe it was the author’s impeccable way of placing her feelings into her work. I know that Turrisi went through this, and not just her character. I felt like when I was reading her book I was actually reading her. Let me tell you, connecting to an author like that is something really special that not all can do.
The book begins when Jen (Kai’s older sister) has sent Kai a letter telling her she has killed herself. Kai goes off the deep end, not sure how to handle this sudden tragedy in her life. The book allows you to fall in love with Jen and to see that special sister relationship the two had, which in turn makes the death so much more heartbreaking. Because Kai is having such a hard time dealing with it all and her parents don’t know how to help her, they send her to a grief camp. She doesn’t see this helping her but soon finds that opening up about how she feels and coming to terms with what has happened does help.
If I had to describe this written work in one word it would have to be, “Raw.”
One more time I’d like to say to Kim Turrisi, thank you so much for allowing me to venture the secrets of your soul. It was quite something.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book Via NetGalley.
Suicide is such a risky subject. A complex staircase that has so many crumbling railings that loved ones have to navigate in their grief. This book captured that so perfectly.
I want to start by saying thank you to Kim Turrisi for pouring out her heart and soul into this. It couldn’t have been easy to be so open and raw as she was writing this book. In the acknowledgements she informs her readers that she herself lost her sister to suicide when she was young and with that I know that every bit of this book holds the truth of someone who has dealt with that specific kind of pain.
I cried so much throughout reading this. Sometimes from my heart touching the pages, other times I’m not even sure why. Maybe it was the author’s impeccable way of placing her feelings into her work. I know that Turrisi went through this, and not just her character. I felt like when I was reading her book I was actually reading her. Let me tell you, connecting to an author like that is something really special that not all can do.
The book begins when Jen (Kai’s older sister) has sent Kai a letter telling her she has killed herself. Kai goes off the deep end, not sure how to handle this sudden tragedy in her life. The book allows you to fall in love with Jen and to see that special sister relationship the two had, which in turn makes the death so much more heartbreaking. Because Kai is having such a hard time dealing with it all and her parents don’t know how to help her, they send her to a grief camp. She doesn’t see this helping her but soon finds that opening up about how she feels and coming to terms with what has happened does help.
If I had to describe this written work in one word it would have to be, “Raw.”
One more time I’d like to say to Kim Turrisi, thank you so much for allowing me to venture the secrets of your soul. It was quite something.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book Via NetGalley.
March 24, 2021
Full Review on The Candid Cover
Just a Normal Tuesday is a beautifully written book that explores the aftermath of suicide. The main character, Kai, is a raw and relatable teen who has to learn to deal with the death of her beloved sister. Turrisi’s message is one that resonates throughout the narrative and really turns it into a guide for grief as well as a story of those who are left to pick up the pieces.
Turrisi’s writing is so captivating and right from the explosive beginning to its heart-wrenching end, the reader will have a hard time setting this one down. One of the wonderful aspects of this story is the way in which the author describes the strong feelings that Kai is having during the book. The descriptions are both vivid and real, drawing the reader into Kai’s mindset while she struggles with her grief, substance abuse, and eventual acceptance.
Kai is a character that is easily identifiable to readers. The fact that she is flawed, gives her a realistic and interesting personality. As the book progresses and Kai starts to discover and understand herself, it is her sense of hope that makes her relatable. She is also quite a resilient character who undergoes so many changes, yet is able to somehow overcome them.
One of the themes that pulses throughout Just a Normal Tuesday is: you are not alone. Kai learns that she has a network of people that she can rely on, such as her friends and parents, as well as those she meets at grief camp. It is this message that sets this book apart from other books for teens that have the theme of suicide. The reader comes away with a message that people grieve differently and there are many ways to cope.
The wonderful writing, relatable protagonist and strong themes make Just a Normal Tuesday not your normal book about teen suicide. Readers will come away from this novel with a set of strategies and a deeper understanding of what it is to grieve the loss of a loved one. Ensure that your box of tissues is nearby when you read this one!
Just a Normal Tuesday is a beautifully written book that explores the aftermath of suicide. The main character, Kai, is a raw and relatable teen who has to learn to deal with the death of her beloved sister. Turrisi’s message is one that resonates throughout the narrative and really turns it into a guide for grief as well as a story of those who are left to pick up the pieces.
Turrisi’s writing is so captivating and right from the explosive beginning to its heart-wrenching end, the reader will have a hard time setting this one down. One of the wonderful aspects of this story is the way in which the author describes the strong feelings that Kai is having during the book. The descriptions are both vivid and real, drawing the reader into Kai’s mindset while she struggles with her grief, substance abuse, and eventual acceptance.
Kai is a character that is easily identifiable to readers. The fact that she is flawed, gives her a realistic and interesting personality. As the book progresses and Kai starts to discover and understand herself, it is her sense of hope that makes her relatable. She is also quite a resilient character who undergoes so many changes, yet is able to somehow overcome them.
One of the themes that pulses throughout Just a Normal Tuesday is: you are not alone. Kai learns that she has a network of people that she can rely on, such as her friends and parents, as well as those she meets at grief camp. It is this message that sets this book apart from other books for teens that have the theme of suicide. The reader comes away with a message that people grieve differently and there are many ways to cope.
The wonderful writing, relatable protagonist and strong themes make Just a Normal Tuesday not your normal book about teen suicide. Readers will come away from this novel with a set of strategies and a deeper understanding of what it is to grieve the loss of a loved one. Ensure that your box of tissues is nearby when you read this one!
April 22, 2017
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This will be a difficult review to write as Just a Normal Tuesday is difficult to read. It deals with the issues of death, suicide, and teens. Kai is sixteen and comes home from school and finds a letter in the mail from her sister Jenn. She finds this strange as no one write letters any more when they can call or text, especially when Jenn lives close by. Then Kai opens the letter and her life changes forever as it is a suicide note from Jenn. Kai rushes to her sister’s apartment but it’s too late. This is just the beginning of Kai’s story.
This is Kim Turrisi’s first novel and what a debut it is! Just a Normal Tuesday is raw, gritty, and real! After her sister’s death Kai spirals out of control. She drinks heavily and begins taking drugs, including the prescription drugs her sister took. The feelings Kai has feel so real! Once her family and friends realize she needs serious help she is sent to a grief camp against her will.
The second half of the book focuses on the grief camp and we see the transformation Kai experiences as she gets comfortable with her group she is assigned to. We see all the teens change for the better as they go through camp. We come to care about them all and want them to all overcome their grief from their various losses. Just a Normal Tuesday ends with a positive note towards the future.
In the Author’s Note Kim Turrisi shares that when she was fifteen her sister committed suicide. She shares how writing Just a Normal Tuesday helped her with forgiveness and the loss of her sister. Everything feels so authentic that it seems like she took the feelings Kai had when she was out of control from her own experiences. The words she wrote could only come from someone who had experienced that kind of grief. With that you feel a connection to the author. At times it felt like these were Kim’s feelings and experiences. Just a Normal Tuesday is that real.
I want to share that I lost my dad just a few days after my nineteenth birthday. It was not in the way that Kai lost her sister, but it was still a heavy loss that I still feel at times. Reading Just a Normal Tuesday brought back that time for me and the memories and feelings from then and because of this at times it was difficult to read. I knew it was going to be difficult when I began it, but it is a book you do not want to put down.
Just a Normal Tuesday is very highly recommended for anyone who has lost someone, especially at a younger age. The target demographic is 14-18 but anyone could read this book and take something away from it.
I want to end with this: My dad passed away on May 4, 1999 which was a Tuesday.
“It was just a normal Tuesday. And then it wasn’t.”- Kai
**Special thanks to Kids can Press and KCP Loft for sending me an arc. Just a Normal Tuesday deeply touched me and it was a pleasure to review it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This will be a difficult review to write as Just a Normal Tuesday is difficult to read. It deals with the issues of death, suicide, and teens. Kai is sixteen and comes home from school and finds a letter in the mail from her sister Jenn. She finds this strange as no one write letters any more when they can call or text, especially when Jenn lives close by. Then Kai opens the letter and her life changes forever as it is a suicide note from Jenn. Kai rushes to her sister’s apartment but it’s too late. This is just the beginning of Kai’s story.
This is Kim Turrisi’s first novel and what a debut it is! Just a Normal Tuesday is raw, gritty, and real! After her sister’s death Kai spirals out of control. She drinks heavily and begins taking drugs, including the prescription drugs her sister took. The feelings Kai has feel so real! Once her family and friends realize she needs serious help she is sent to a grief camp against her will.
The second half of the book focuses on the grief camp and we see the transformation Kai experiences as she gets comfortable with her group she is assigned to. We see all the teens change for the better as they go through camp. We come to care about them all and want them to all overcome their grief from their various losses. Just a Normal Tuesday ends with a positive note towards the future.
In the Author’s Note Kim Turrisi shares that when she was fifteen her sister committed suicide. She shares how writing Just a Normal Tuesday helped her with forgiveness and the loss of her sister. Everything feels so authentic that it seems like she took the feelings Kai had when she was out of control from her own experiences. The words she wrote could only come from someone who had experienced that kind of grief. With that you feel a connection to the author. At times it felt like these were Kim’s feelings and experiences. Just a Normal Tuesday is that real.
I want to share that I lost my dad just a few days after my nineteenth birthday. It was not in the way that Kai lost her sister, but it was still a heavy loss that I still feel at times. Reading Just a Normal Tuesday brought back that time for me and the memories and feelings from then and because of this at times it was difficult to read. I knew it was going to be difficult when I began it, but it is a book you do not want to put down.
Just a Normal Tuesday is very highly recommended for anyone who has lost someone, especially at a younger age. The target demographic is 14-18 but anyone could read this book and take something away from it.
I want to end with this: My dad passed away on May 4, 1999 which was a Tuesday.
“It was just a normal Tuesday. And then it wasn’t.”- Kai
**Special thanks to Kids can Press and KCP Loft for sending me an arc. Just a Normal Tuesday deeply touched me and it was a pleasure to review it.
May 1, 2017
This is such an important book to read. There were so many moments that made me so sad that I couldn't help but cry my eyes out. Kim Turrissi's writing is just so easy to digest, so easy to read that it makes you relate to the main character's woes that much easier.
This is a book about grief. About life after someone you love leaves you by suicide. And in the acknowledgements section, she writes that her own sister committed suicide. This is why the book was just so raw and emotional and real. The pain is real. I actually cried reading that acknowledgment. For someone who has been depressed and suicidal myself, this book is easy to relate to. But reading from the grieving sister's point of view is even more heartbreaking.
I loved this one and couldn't put it down. A heart-breaking read that will have you grateful for all the love that you have in your life. I know I won't be able to forget it.
RATING 4/5
QUOTES
"Dying is black and white, but suicide is gray." (33)
"The thing about best friends is you don't have to say anything and they know what you need." (78)
"You can't be angry at a dead person." (149)
"Only when it's dark enough, you can see the stars." (232)
This is a book about grief. About life after someone you love leaves you by suicide. And in the acknowledgements section, she writes that her own sister committed suicide. This is why the book was just so raw and emotional and real. The pain is real. I actually cried reading that acknowledgment. For someone who has been depressed and suicidal myself, this book is easy to relate to. But reading from the grieving sister's point of view is even more heartbreaking.
I loved this one and couldn't put it down. A heart-breaking read that will have you grateful for all the love that you have in your life. I know I won't be able to forget it.
RATING 4/5
QUOTES
"Dying is black and white, but suicide is gray." (33)
"The thing about best friends is you don't have to say anything and they know what you need." (78)
"You can't be angry at a dead person." (149)
"Only when it's dark enough, you can see the stars." (232)
April 11, 2017
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this book, and now I totally understand why. Just a Normal Tuesday was a big, beautiful, brave grenade to the heart, absolutely destroying me in the best possible way.
And the characters. Gah. So startlingly real. So much so, that I FELT each and every one of them, from friends to parents to counselors to children.
And Graham. GRAHAM. *heart eyes*
A thousand thank yous, Kim Turrisi, for sharing this gorgeous, important story about grief, love, and friendship, and that thin gray line where they all intersect. <3
And the characters. Gah. So startlingly real. So much so, that I FELT each and every one of them, from friends to parents to counselors to children.
And Graham. GRAHAM. *heart eyes*
A thousand thank yous, Kim Turrisi, for sharing this gorgeous, important story about grief, love, and friendship, and that thin gray line where they all intersect. <3
August 12, 2017
😱😱😱🙊🙊🙊😭😭😭💔💔💔❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Where do I begin? Seriously? This book wasn't what I expected tbh and it ended up being such a profound and touching story about a 16 year old girl who loses her sister (who's 6 years older then she is) to suicide, leaving her now to be an only child. One day Kai hits rock bottom and is sent to a grief camp for a month (4 week camp) where there's many people and kids at different ages all there because they're having a hard time getting through a lost loved one. Whether from car accidents to cancer etc, there were small groups to help these kids to cope through the grief.
So Kai's journey through letting all the grief, sorrow, and questions about why her sister and best friend killed herself go is one amazing story. And I loved the characters and I did get teary eyed a few times throughout the book but it was so good I loved it and honestly wish EVERYONE would read this one. Especially if they either lost a loved one or me personally, something traumatic that happened to me in my life a few years back. But it was a life changing book and story that's for sure and I loved Kai's character soooo much and wishing it had an epilogue at least. Or maybe a sequel and call it good? I wish her recovery was more expanded on and hope it is one day. But overall, this book gets a first 5 solid stars because of how very well written this one was and it's definitely going to be a memorable story for me and didn't want to put it down. So considering how slow I sometimes am, I'm amazed at how fast I read this haha. But go read this book because I seriously loved this one and it's become a new favorite. 😊
Where do I begin? Seriously? This book wasn't what I expected tbh and it ended up being such a profound and touching story about a 16 year old girl who loses her sister (who's 6 years older then she is) to suicide, leaving her now to be an only child. One day Kai hits rock bottom and is sent to a grief camp for a month (4 week camp) where there's many people and kids at different ages all there because they're having a hard time getting through a lost loved one. Whether from car accidents to cancer etc, there were small groups to help these kids to cope through the grief.
So Kai's journey through letting all the grief, sorrow, and questions about why her sister and best friend killed herself go is one amazing story. And I loved the characters and I did get teary eyed a few times throughout the book but it was so good I loved it and honestly wish EVERYONE would read this one. Especially if they either lost a loved one or me personally, something traumatic that happened to me in my life a few years back. But it was a life changing book and story that's for sure and I loved Kai's character soooo much and wishing it had an epilogue at least. Or maybe a sequel and call it good? I wish her recovery was more expanded on and hope it is one day. But overall, this book gets a first 5 solid stars because of how very well written this one was and it's definitely going to be a memorable story for me and didn't want to put it down. So considering how slow I sometimes am, I'm amazed at how fast I read this haha. But go read this book because I seriously loved this one and it's become a new favorite. 😊
February 13, 2019
More on Chill and read
“Just a normal Tuesday” has been in my Kindle for some time now and I just couldn’t decide to start reading it. And then one day I said to myself that I need to read that book. It has been waiting for way too long! What I great decision that was!
Kai is a teenage girl that is very close to her older sister Jen. Jen is her idol, the person she turns to whenever she wants an advice, or to share happy moments and her thoughts, or even just to chat about anything! They are very close and Jen always looks after her little sister, no matter what. They know each other very well as they share all their little secrets, or at least that is the impression Kai has.
Until one day she returns home to find a letter from Jen waiting for her. An another for her mother. And another one for her father. This does not seem right so Kai opens Jen’s letter in the solitude of her own room. She believes it is very personal and she is right as the letter is a suicide not to Kai. This is more than a shock to the girl, but she finds the courage to run to Jen’s house, only to find out that she is too late. After that, her whole world crumbles. Her whole family is broken into pieces and Kai is walking to the edge of an emotional cliff until her parents decide to send her to a grief camp. There, among other kids her own age and with similar experiences, should should be able to morn and recover and come back to reality.
The whole story is very emotional, right there from the start. The relationship between the two sisters is becoming known to the reader through Kai’s memories and it becomes clear that they were very close, that Jen was like a second mother to Kai, given also their age difference. So it becomes pretty obvious, why Kai is so devastated. Not only she lost a sibling. She lost the person she confided to, the one she considered most valuable and precious of all, her alter ego. Therefore it was certain that it would have a great impact on Kai.
Kai loses herself when she loses her sister. She hits the ground just like someone else in her place would have. Grief is handled differently by each and everyone and this one takes it really ugly. It was not nice to see how Kai responded to grief. It became a bit surreal I think. However, since this is fiction, it does not feel odd.
However, what is so important in this book, is the light that comes after Kai decides to try and move forward. It promotes the idea that whenever you are in a dark place, all it takes to come back from there is to be open to the little slice of light that may come from a person you never expected to reach out for you. Either that person be someone else or yourself. Hope may come at any moment. If you lose someone, the world is not lost. You are not lost.
“Just a normal Tuesday” has been in my Kindle for some time now and I just couldn’t decide to start reading it. And then one day I said to myself that I need to read that book. It has been waiting for way too long! What I great decision that was!
Kai is a teenage girl that is very close to her older sister Jen. Jen is her idol, the person she turns to whenever she wants an advice, or to share happy moments and her thoughts, or even just to chat about anything! They are very close and Jen always looks after her little sister, no matter what. They know each other very well as they share all their little secrets, or at least that is the impression Kai has.
Until one day she returns home to find a letter from Jen waiting for her. An another for her mother. And another one for her father. This does not seem right so Kai opens Jen’s letter in the solitude of her own room. She believes it is very personal and she is right as the letter is a suicide not to Kai. This is more than a shock to the girl, but she finds the courage to run to Jen’s house, only to find out that she is too late. After that, her whole world crumbles. Her whole family is broken into pieces and Kai is walking to the edge of an emotional cliff until her parents decide to send her to a grief camp. There, among other kids her own age and with similar experiences, should should be able to morn and recover and come back to reality.
The whole story is very emotional, right there from the start. The relationship between the two sisters is becoming known to the reader through Kai’s memories and it becomes clear that they were very close, that Jen was like a second mother to Kai, given also their age difference. So it becomes pretty obvious, why Kai is so devastated. Not only she lost a sibling. She lost the person she confided to, the one she considered most valuable and precious of all, her alter ego. Therefore it was certain that it would have a great impact on Kai.
Kai loses herself when she loses her sister. She hits the ground just like someone else in her place would have. Grief is handled differently by each and everyone and this one takes it really ugly. It was not nice to see how Kai responded to grief. It became a bit surreal I think. However, since this is fiction, it does not feel odd.
However, what is so important in this book, is the light that comes after Kai decides to try and move forward. It promotes the idea that whenever you are in a dark place, all it takes to come back from there is to be open to the little slice of light that may come from a person you never expected to reach out for you. Either that person be someone else or yourself. Hope may come at any moment. If you lose someone, the world is not lost. You are not lost.
May 5, 2017
Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. I want to also thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.
This story is very raw, and it's really about grieving. I guess a trigger warning is necessary. Even though the suicide isn't that much, it all felt more than real.
This is about Kai, who loses her sister and best friend, her soulmate, when she finds her dead body on what she was sure it would be a normal Tuesday. She doesn't take it well at all but tries to fake it so her family won't notice until it all crashes. As her parents notice they can't help her alone, she needs to go to a camp for those grieving and give it a last try.
I don't really like giving half the story of the book in the summary but this was a slow-paced story. I think it needed a lot more editing so the plot doesn't really take off when you're already at 50% in. And that's the book's biggest flaw. I didn't remember the summary anymore when I started, and as a result, I kept thinking "now the story begins" but it would never really. I would have made the camp appear much before and make the many good scenes we have before into flashbacks. I think that would be the easy way to fix it, especially since those scenes post suicide were mostly episodic, time-jumping every time and Kai does mention the period a lot during the camp. Of course, every author is free to choose a style but I'm not into slow beginnings.
On the other hand, when you exclude the lack of transitions between each phase in Kai's grief, this was a very well written first novel. You can feel each of the characters—as well as feel (a lot) for each of them—and it's just very sad.
Even before researching about this author I knew she was speaking from experience. I've only lost one close but not that close a person to suicide, so I couldn't be sure if that was really how one would feel. Still, it hurt inside me as if we could really read inside this existing person's mind. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to put it all so explicitly on paper. So don't expect this to be your usual YA book on suicide, it's the real thing.
Also, I didn't know grief camps existed. The author says she wished she had attended one when it happened to her, and I do see how nice they seem to be. I'm glad she presented this to us. I was particularly glad about Kai's reaction to the idea. She's not into it but she really makes the effort. I'm glad she wasn't portrayed as this uncooperative irrational teenager we usually see in similar stories.
In sum, this book needed a better structure, and the parts not about the suicide read a little superficial but it didn't diminish its value. This was a beautiful story about coping after someone so, so close decides to leave you.
This story is very raw, and it's really about grieving. I guess a trigger warning is necessary. Even though the suicide isn't that much, it all felt more than real.
This is about Kai, who loses her sister and best friend, her soulmate, when she finds her dead body on what she was sure it would be a normal Tuesday. She doesn't take it well at all but tries to fake it so her family won't notice until it all crashes. As her parents notice they can't help her alone, she needs to go to a camp for those grieving and give it a last try.
I don't really like giving half the story of the book in the summary but this was a slow-paced story. I think it needed a lot more editing so the plot doesn't really take off when you're already at 50% in. And that's the book's biggest flaw. I didn't remember the summary anymore when I started, and as a result, I kept thinking "now the story begins" but it would never really. I would have made the camp appear much before and make the many good scenes we have before into flashbacks. I think that would be the easy way to fix it, especially since those scenes post suicide were mostly episodic, time-jumping every time and Kai does mention the period a lot during the camp. Of course, every author is free to choose a style but I'm not into slow beginnings.
On the other hand, when you exclude the lack of transitions between each phase in Kai's grief, this was a very well written first novel. You can feel each of the characters—as well as feel (a lot) for each of them—and it's just very sad.
Even before researching about this author I knew she was speaking from experience. I've only lost one close but not that close a person to suicide, so I couldn't be sure if that was really how one would feel. Still, it hurt inside me as if we could really read inside this existing person's mind. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to put it all so explicitly on paper. So don't expect this to be your usual YA book on suicide, it's the real thing.
Also, I didn't know grief camps existed. The author says she wished she had attended one when it happened to her, and I do see how nice they seem to be. I'm glad she presented this to us. I was particularly glad about Kai's reaction to the idea. She's not into it but she really makes the effort. I'm glad she wasn't portrayed as this uncooperative irrational teenager we usually see in similar stories.
In sum, this book needed a better structure, and the parts not about the suicide read a little superficial but it didn't diminish its value. This was a beautiful story about coping after someone so, so close decides to leave you.
November 3, 2016
Huge thank you to NetGalley,Kids can press and Kim Turriai for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review
An incredibly raw, gut wrenching, heartbreaking start, light, healing, friendship love and honesty in the middle and a beautiful ending. Bringing the reader on a remarkable journey. An incredibly author I really went on this journey with Kai.
It was just a normal Tuesday for Kai that was until she found a letter addressed to her which reads 'My very bestest sister Kai. If you are reading this I am already gone'.
In one split second Kai's life will never be the same again. Sucked into the dispaire and hopelessness of loosing her sister Jen to suicide. Kai turns to drink and drugs to help her cope. Kai lasses out against the people who love her most and who are grieving too her parents.
Consumed with sadness. Kai's parents send a reluctant Kai to a grief camp hoping that the camp can help heal and fix their daughter in ways that they can't.
Although Kai is reluctant to go. When Kai is there she finds other teenagers who can relate and understand Kai in ways no one else can. Kai is no longer alone and can see light at the end of the very long tunnel.
Kim does a wonderful job with this book shedding light on suicide, mental illness, substance abuse and loss.
Kim sets out a process for healing and moving forward for people who have been through the same things as Kai. This is also a hopeful story which sets out to prove that when life throws the worst at you. Things can get better. You can heal and you can learn to love again.
An incredibly raw, gut wrenching, heartbreaking start, light, healing, friendship love and honesty in the middle and a beautiful ending. Bringing the reader on a remarkable journey. An incredibly author I really went on this journey with Kai.
It was just a normal Tuesday for Kai that was until she found a letter addressed to her which reads 'My very bestest sister Kai. If you are reading this I am already gone'.
In one split second Kai's life will never be the same again. Sucked into the dispaire and hopelessness of loosing her sister Jen to suicide. Kai turns to drink and drugs to help her cope. Kai lasses out against the people who love her most and who are grieving too her parents.
Consumed with sadness. Kai's parents send a reluctant Kai to a grief camp hoping that the camp can help heal and fix their daughter in ways that they can't.
Although Kai is reluctant to go. When Kai is there she finds other teenagers who can relate and understand Kai in ways no one else can. Kai is no longer alone and can see light at the end of the very long tunnel.
Kim does a wonderful job with this book shedding light on suicide, mental illness, substance abuse and loss.
Kim sets out a process for healing and moving forward for people who have been through the same things as Kai. This is also a hopeful story which sets out to prove that when life throws the worst at you. Things can get better. You can heal and you can learn to love again.
November 15, 2016
Copy courtesy of NetGalley
It's clear (even before reading the afterword) that the author has lived this hurt, or done a shit ton of accurate research. This book deals with some hard-core truths, which not everyone will enjoy. A heart-wrenching story of loss, love and finding a reason to live again. Read it if you dare!
It's clear (even before reading the afterword) that the author has lived this hurt, or done a shit ton of accurate research. This book deals with some hard-core truths, which not everyone will enjoy. A heart-wrenching story of loss, love and finding a reason to live again. Read it if you dare!
February 3, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars because while it was missing connective tissue, the purpose was fulfilled!
Teen Kai returns home on just a normal Tuesday to find a letter from her older sister, Jen. It says she's already gone but Kai rushes over to try to save her. Unable to deal with what she finds Kai spirals into hardcore drug and alcohol use which don't work well with the dark thoughts that start to invade her reality. Luckily her best friends have her back and report her descent to her parents who send her to a grief camp where she learns she is not alone in losing someone she loves. There she meets friends for life who help her to keep moving forward...
The first half of the book sets up the death of Kai's sister and her descent in the face of the suicide. The second half of the book Kai is at a camp for grieving kids who have lost loved ones. I really enjoyed the contrast of the two Kai's and how it showed therapy, recreational and otherwise, helps deal with grief and other extreme emotional situations.
I liked Kai's best friends at home, they seemed realistic to me, even if Kai is quite self-centered. The kids at the camp (Ben, Jack, Graham and Cass) were also developed well with enough presence that I too felt effected by their stories of grief. I liked that Cass was so different from Kai and yet they had a joint bond because of their grief. It shows girls reading that bonds can be made in any situation no matter how different or odd they feel they are compared to others. There is this whisper of a love triangle for about a minute. I liked that Kai quickly moved on, chose the boy she liked and the triangle went away. This felt more true to life to me. While multiple choices are totally present in life we as the heroine tend to chose and keep moving. Then Jack became this great interaction about their loved ones, not everyone descends into substance abuse, some even appear to be upbeat but they still need to grieve and heal. And someone she could squee over with Cass! Ben made me so heart sore, but I loved the different perspective he gave on loss and the pressures that kids are under. The best relationship though was with Graham, her love interest. His relationship with his brother was the same but different as the one with her sister. This really made them coming together make sense to me and better yet you could feel their connection. Not only is the love interest a big plus but I loved how they come together as a group and help one another have a refuge to share their loss. They are all doing the activities together and it makes them feel more acceptable.
Grief doesn't fly by quite so fast as portrayed in the story. It read as if you get over a loved one dying as quickly as heart break. Suicide, especially, can't be further from the truth, especially if this was due to depression. I know that wasn't the intention but without connective tissue in the story to show passage of time and the healing process it just feels rushed. A strong use of the questions that linger after suicide did mitigate this effect to a point. An overwhelming question I had at the end was why? Why kill yourself Jen if your life was so good and you loved your sister Kai so much? Kai also was left with this lingering question. Just because you are healing doesn't mean you let go of the questions.
My only other reservation was the way drugs and alcohol were portrayed. It was gratuitous. While setting up Kai's status quo it seemed to me she made use of drugs and alcohol regularly in the course of her everyday life. As a result young readers will assume this is perfectly normal for a teenager. For those teens with a privileged lifestyle maybe and this may make the book seem more realistic to some. But to me it seemed dangerous to present such regular abuse of drugs and alcohol as typical for teens in general so much so that only a descent into hardcore abuse would appear natural when Kai's sister died. There were also a lot of F bombs dropped in the beginning. Also Kai makes out with Graham on their first "date." This may make me a prude but neither seem to add anything to me. The cursing was quickly dropped. And I actually quite like Graham but there seems to be no stops on Kai or on her way of life. This distanced me from Kai and her emotions more than I would have liked! I wanted to really relate to her and that was hard to do at first, once we hit camp Kai seemed to change overnight to this regular girl who I could totally relate to (making out or not!)
I really appreciated how this was a healthy look at mourning and therapy and not a dysfunctional running amuck in the end...
BOTTOM LINE: A true portrayal of how grief counseling and therapy works for the better...
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars because while it was missing connective tissue, the purpose was fulfilled!
Teen Kai returns home on just a normal Tuesday to find a letter from her older sister, Jen. It says she's already gone but Kai rushes over to try to save her. Unable to deal with what she finds Kai spirals into hardcore drug and alcohol use which don't work well with the dark thoughts that start to invade her reality. Luckily her best friends have her back and report her descent to her parents who send her to a grief camp where she learns she is not alone in losing someone she loves. There she meets friends for life who help her to keep moving forward...
The first half of the book sets up the death of Kai's sister and her descent in the face of the suicide. The second half of the book Kai is at a camp for grieving kids who have lost loved ones. I really enjoyed the contrast of the two Kai's and how it showed therapy, recreational and otherwise, helps deal with grief and other extreme emotional situations.
I liked Kai's best friends at home, they seemed realistic to me, even if Kai is quite self-centered. The kids at the camp (Ben, Jack, Graham and Cass) were also developed well with enough presence that I too felt effected by their stories of grief. I liked that Cass was so different from Kai and yet they had a joint bond because of their grief. It shows girls reading that bonds can be made in any situation no matter how different or odd they feel they are compared to others. There is this whisper of a love triangle for about a minute. I liked that Kai quickly moved on, chose the boy she liked and the triangle went away. This felt more true to life to me. While multiple choices are totally present in life we as the heroine tend to chose and keep moving. Then Jack became this great interaction about their loved ones, not everyone descends into substance abuse, some even appear to be upbeat but they still need to grieve and heal. And someone she could squee over with Cass! Ben made me so heart sore, but I loved the different perspective he gave on loss and the pressures that kids are under. The best relationship though was with Graham, her love interest. His relationship with his brother was the same but different as the one with her sister. This really made them coming together make sense to me and better yet you could feel their connection. Not only is the love interest a big plus but I loved how they come together as a group and help one another have a refuge to share their loss. They are all doing the activities together and it makes them feel more acceptable.
“Okay, squeeze it out. You’re gonna be okay,” Marco says with such calm in his voice. Then it happens. The simple act of another hand squeezing mine lightens my burden. For the first time since Jen left me.
Grief doesn't fly by quite so fast as portrayed in the story. It read as if you get over a loved one dying as quickly as heart break. Suicide, especially, can't be further from the truth, especially if this was due to depression. I know that wasn't the intention but without connective tissue in the story to show passage of time and the healing process it just feels rushed. A strong use of the questions that linger after suicide did mitigate this effect to a point. An overwhelming question I had at the end was why? Why kill yourself Jen if your life was so good and you loved your sister Kai so much? Kai also was left with this lingering question. Just because you are healing doesn't mean you let go of the questions.
My only other reservation was the way drugs and alcohol were portrayed. It was gratuitous. While setting up Kai's status quo it seemed to me she made use of drugs and alcohol regularly in the course of her everyday life. As a result young readers will assume this is perfectly normal for a teenager. For those teens with a privileged lifestyle maybe and this may make the book seem more realistic to some. But to me it seemed dangerous to present such regular abuse of drugs and alcohol as typical for teens in general so much so that only a descent into hardcore abuse would appear natural when Kai's sister died. There were also a lot of F bombs dropped in the beginning. Also Kai makes out with Graham on their first "date." This may make me a prude but neither seem to add anything to me. The cursing was quickly dropped. And I actually quite like Graham but there seems to be no stops on Kai or on her way of life. This distanced me from Kai and her emotions more than I would have liked! I wanted to really relate to her and that was hard to do at first, once we hit camp Kai seemed to change overnight to this regular girl who I could totally relate to (making out or not!)
I really appreciated how this was a healthy look at mourning and therapy and not a dysfunctional running amuck in the end...
BOTTOM LINE: A true portrayal of how grief counseling and therapy works for the better...
June 24, 2017
4.5 stars
November 28, 2018
This was beautifully tragic. Loved every second.
October 1, 2019
I thought this book was super well done. I loved how the main character went to a grief camp and everything that happened at the camp. I did take off a star though bc the main character was selfish at times and that really bothered me, but I understand she was selfish bc her sister had just died. But still it was bothering me bc she acted like she was the only one going through anything.
May 1, 2017
One of a kind
You don't tend to find books which deal with grief, death, the loss of a dear one, and the heavy, loaded, word: suicide. And you certainly don't find books where a young teenager is having to deal with these issues. As the author acknowledges, suicide affects a lot of people and a lot of families. There should be no stigma in discussing it, without this stigma we may actually be able to save lives.
The main character, Kai, is excited for the summer, she has plans for how she will spend her gap-year. And her sister, Jen, is her only ally. Without Jen to persuade and convince their parents, the plans for travelling to Europe will probably never happen. Immediately, when reading the first chapter of the book, I was taken aback to how the writer was immediately able to take us back to our college days, the feeling of complete freedom, and the buzzing excitement. Now imagine brimming with excitement rushing home only to pick up letters your sister left, for you and your parents. Suicide letters. I cried, it was real, raw and powerful. It was too much, and it was just enough. We can't let people keep ignoring, or flitting past and around suicide, and all things deemed to be 'embarrassing', or 'socially inappropriate'.
This book broke me down, I couldn't for a second imagine the extent of Kai's pain. I wanted to leap right into the page, give her a hug and cry with her. This book was written intelligently, and I can't think of a better way to have put the story to a page. I felt that this book was perfectly appropriate for teenagers, the sort of story you'll find on Wattpad. Except, there was excellent spelling and grammar at all times, and it was a story like no other.
I could read this a dozen times over, this is a story that will instantly restore your faith in humanity. Just a Normal Tuesday serves as reassurance that when you are broken down, there will be someone to help you up, and to help you move forward. You are not alone. Kai was lucky to have found others just like her, at grief camp. Her inner circle of amazing. But no one in her circle was dealing with suicide, but still there was no judgement. They were helping one another out during a time of trouble. Those are the grounds for a beautiful friendship. There at grief camp, she falls in love for the first time, she experiences what it is really like to connect with others, and she moves forward.
It's incredibly important that we remind ourselves that there are others out there who are facing what we face, or have faced. Like the author, I want to help others see that they are being 'represented'. That they have a voice they can relate to. Often, this knowledge is all they need. This book is a wonderful form of reassurance, and I'm glad to have read it. An easy recommendation.
I received this book through NetGalley.
You don't tend to find books which deal with grief, death, the loss of a dear one, and the heavy, loaded, word: suicide. And you certainly don't find books where a young teenager is having to deal with these issues. As the author acknowledges, suicide affects a lot of people and a lot of families. There should be no stigma in discussing it, without this stigma we may actually be able to save lives.
The main character, Kai, is excited for the summer, she has plans for how she will spend her gap-year. And her sister, Jen, is her only ally. Without Jen to persuade and convince their parents, the plans for travelling to Europe will probably never happen. Immediately, when reading the first chapter of the book, I was taken aback to how the writer was immediately able to take us back to our college days, the feeling of complete freedom, and the buzzing excitement. Now imagine brimming with excitement rushing home only to pick up letters your sister left, for you and your parents. Suicide letters. I cried, it was real, raw and powerful. It was too much, and it was just enough. We can't let people keep ignoring, or flitting past and around suicide, and all things deemed to be 'embarrassing', or 'socially inappropriate'.
This book broke me down, I couldn't for a second imagine the extent of Kai's pain. I wanted to leap right into the page, give her a hug and cry with her. This book was written intelligently, and I can't think of a better way to have put the story to a page. I felt that this book was perfectly appropriate for teenagers, the sort of story you'll find on Wattpad. Except, there was excellent spelling and grammar at all times, and it was a story like no other.
I could read this a dozen times over, this is a story that will instantly restore your faith in humanity. Just a Normal Tuesday serves as reassurance that when you are broken down, there will be someone to help you up, and to help you move forward. You are not alone. Kai was lucky to have found others just like her, at grief camp. Her inner circle of amazing. But no one in her circle was dealing with suicide, but still there was no judgement. They were helping one another out during a time of trouble. Those are the grounds for a beautiful friendship. There at grief camp, she falls in love for the first time, she experiences what it is really like to connect with others, and she moves forward.
It's incredibly important that we remind ourselves that there are others out there who are facing what we face, or have faced. Like the author, I want to help others see that they are being 'represented'. That they have a voice they can relate to. Often, this knowledge is all they need. This book is a wonderful form of reassurance, and I'm glad to have read it. An easy recommendation.
I received this book through NetGalley.
May 9, 2020
A breathtaking novel! This is one of my new favourite novels. The author is so nice. I was fortunate enough to meet and talk with her at the MTL YA FEST 2019 event. This book was about grief. It was about life after someone you love leaves you due to suicide. I felt so much emotion. This book was just so raw and emotional and real. The pain was very real and the fact that the author was able to convey these emotions is astonishing. Thank you to Kim Turrisi for pouring out her heart and soul into this. I loved this novel and I couldn't put it down. Reading this makes me grateful for all the love that I have in my life. This is an unforgettable read. The main character, Kai, is a raw and relatable teen who learns to deal with the death of her sister. They both had such a strong bond, which in turn makes the death much more heartbreaking. As the book goes on, Kai starts to discover and understand herself. I love how we get to see her grow and develop. She is a resilient character who undergoes so many changes, yet is able to somehow overcome them and I admire her for that. She gets help and doesn’t see this helping her, but soon finds out that opening up about how she feels and coming to terms with what has happened does help. She has a group of people that she can rely on, such as her friends and parents, as well as those she meets at grief camp. I love it, because it emphasizes the theme of support. Indeed, what we learn from this book is we are not alone. I love all the characters. I love how diverse the people Kai meets at camp. They are all different, yet they all share the feeling of grief. Indeed, we come to care about them all and want them to all overcome their grief from their losses. A touching reading in which the reader comes away with the idea that people grieve differently and there are many ways to cope.
November 18, 2016
Publication date : 2nd May 2017
Net Galley ARC
I should not have started reading ‘Just another Tuesday’ in the morning before a lecture. With every chapter I teared up and felt such extreme emotions. ‘Just another Tuesday’ follows the story of Kai, whose sister has just died. It was such an emotional read. It makes you very grateful for your own life and is written so beautifully that you really feel the pain Kai feels and here desperation for understanding. You can also really understand and feel her desperation to escape the pain she is feeling. The first half of the book was really fantastically focused on this and I really felt this was such a realistic and interesting first half. The book then looks into Kai trying to deal with her grief. This was also done really well, she is able to work through her emotions and progress to semi normal. I think that is really important to show this element in a book about grief as I think if you were going through something similar and picked up this book then that is an element that could help you. One bit I didn’t like (surprisingly) is that the book started off with a clear focus on familial love and I wasn’t soon keen when this started to change. Kai was a really interesting and very relatable character. I definitely felt that I could completely understand how she handled her grief. I thought how she was portrayed very well and we really got to know her as a character. You felt so many emotions towards her and her experience. Very well written.
General I thought it was a brilliant book and I loved how it tackled the topic. It made me so emotional!
Net Galley ARC
I should not have started reading ‘Just another Tuesday’ in the morning before a lecture. With every chapter I teared up and felt such extreme emotions. ‘Just another Tuesday’ follows the story of Kai, whose sister has just died. It was such an emotional read. It makes you very grateful for your own life and is written so beautifully that you really feel the pain Kai feels and here desperation for understanding. You can also really understand and feel her desperation to escape the pain she is feeling. The first half of the book was really fantastically focused on this and I really felt this was such a realistic and interesting first half. The book then looks into Kai trying to deal with her grief. This was also done really well, she is able to work through her emotions and progress to semi normal. I think that is really important to show this element in a book about grief as I think if you were going through something similar and picked up this book then that is an element that could help you. One bit I didn’t like (surprisingly) is that the book started off with a clear focus on familial love and I wasn’t soon keen when this started to change. Kai was a really interesting and very relatable character. I definitely felt that I could completely understand how she handled her grief. I thought how she was portrayed very well and we really got to know her as a character. You felt so many emotions towards her and her experience. Very well written.
General I thought it was a brilliant book and I loved how it tackled the topic. It made me so emotional!
June 8, 2017
Having lost my son 3 yrs ago to suicide and the awful shock of finding him, I thought I could handle reading this heartbreaking book. Instead I found I could only read a few pages at a time. Despite the subject matter, it was very well written and one that i could certainly relate to. Recommended.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2017
I knocked off a star because the romance in the
story was super unnecessary and to be honest
I found the main character Kai very bratty and
annoying. The way she reacted to her sister's
death was understandable, but I really didn't
like her as a person. She was very bratty, selfish,
full of herself, and kind of annoying. Also,
I wish the author wouldn't have incorporated the
romance between Graham and Kai, there are just
books were I think the romance factor is just
super unnecessary. Plus, Graham's and Kai's
fixation with one another was kind of awkawrd
and really out of place (especially when Graham
is asked what he is thankful for in group and he
says Kai, super weird considering his twin
brother is the reason he's at grief camp).
I will admit that from the get-go I was bawling
like a baby. The author's experience with suicide
was translated very well in her writing and in the story.
story was super unnecessary and to be honest
I found the main character Kai very bratty and
annoying. The way she reacted to her sister's
death was understandable, but I really didn't
like her as a person. She was very bratty, selfish,
full of herself, and kind of annoying. Also,
I wish the author wouldn't have incorporated the
romance between Graham and Kai, there are just
books were I think the romance factor is just
super unnecessary. Plus, Graham's and Kai's
fixation with one another was kind of awkawrd
and really out of place (especially when Graham
is asked what he is thankful for in group and he
says Kai, super weird considering his twin
brother is the reason he's at grief camp).
I will admit that from the get-go I was bawling
like a baby. The author's experience with suicide
was translated very well in her writing and in the story.
November 18, 2016
I lost a sister when I was in my early 20s, the same way Kai lost hers. Unlike any author I have read, Kim Turrisi captures the raw pain and anger I felt as a survivor. Very rarely do you find a voice as truthful about issues never talked about. I was with her every step, from denial to recovery. Seeing the response of those around her, from HER point of view, was enlightening for me as I looked back at my own experiences. Kim has a way with words, a way of making you feel as if you are inhabiting her body and mind, a 16 year old undergoing unthinkable trauma. This should be required reading for middle grade to high school so that kids and teens understand how their actions have impact on their loved ones. And for adults, a must read, really a road map, to understanding today's teens.
November 15, 2016
As someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, I found this story to be heart wrenching, honest, and cathartic. Suicide elicits so many emotions: shock, denial, anger, guilt, and Turrisi captures all of them from the viewpoint of a younger sister struggling to answer the biggest question: why? I think what I liked most about Just a Normal Tuesday was Kai's journey through the pain to the healing, finding comfort in community and sharing with others who have suffered a similar loss. Kai's voice is witty and smart and the ending will leave you full of hope for her future. I think any teen (or adult, for that matter) who has lost a loved one will relate to the gamut of feels in this one. <3
February 8, 2017
This book it's not about grief, deal with death or blame yourself or the others. The book is about emotions and how to deal with then when you most need. Isn't easy to find such subject in a book young adult but I can ensure you the author made this carefully. If you lost some loved one, the book wouldn't suit your desire for answers but will help to mend your soul and you to deal with your lost and pain. I loved the writing and the way the author led the end. I really recomend this book to everyone, doesn't matter if you lost or not someone, "Just a normal tuesday" deal with feelings and that's what we need these days.
March 15, 2017
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley*
Full ramble here
Moving. Heartbreaking. Soulful. Emotional.
These four words don’t even begin to describe the journey you take with Kai in Just A Normal Tuesday.
If you are looking for something well written and deeply meaningful, give this book a chance.
Full ramble here
Moving. Heartbreaking. Soulful. Emotional.
These four words don’t even begin to describe the journey you take with Kai in Just A Normal Tuesday.
If you are looking for something well written and deeply meaningful, give this book a chance.
January 17, 2021
4.5 stars
August 22, 2017
Kai’s life is about to change in the most unimaginable way when she comes home from school on ‘just a normal Tuesday’ ready to hang with her best friend, do some homework, and hit the taco trucks. Grabbing the mail, she heads to her room and notices three envelopes addressed to her mom, her dad, and herself, all from her sister. This is weird because she lives just a few miles away, and she just saw her on Sunday at their family dinner. She is extremely close to her older sister and can’t imagine why she is writing. The most Jen’s ever written are postcards from her gap year, spent traveling all over Europe. Kai has them pinned all over her headboard and still reads them as inspiration for her possible gap year. Finally, Kai opens her letter.
In the aftermath of her sister’s suicide, Kai is understandably a mess. Her parents aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy and are dealing with her death in their own way. Her mom is managing the funeral, the caterers, the casket, and the cleaning out of her apartment with an efficiency of a small army. Her dad is handling the drinking, but not in an excessive manner because that’s Kai’s coping mechanism. Well, that and the stash of pills she swiped from her sister’s apartment after they found her. Numbing herself is the only way she can get through the day without Jennifer. The question of why is haunting her, and she’s not getting any answers from her dead sister. Thankfully, Kai has some pretty amazing friends who catch her spiraling out of control and tell her parents. Their solution is a month spent at grief camp with others going through the same thing she is. Grief camp is exactly what it sounds like, and Kai is willing to give it a try.
This is a gut wrenching story that the author knows plenty about, as mentioned in her afterward. Her own sister committed suicide when she was younger, and from that, this story was written. The palpable grief that Kai and the others at the camp were hard to read at times because it felt so real but it also felt a little too neat and tidy, especially the romance component. Regardless, this quick book about overcoming grief, or at least learning how to, is worth the read.
In the aftermath of her sister’s suicide, Kai is understandably a mess. Her parents aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy and are dealing with her death in their own way. Her mom is managing the funeral, the caterers, the casket, and the cleaning out of her apartment with an efficiency of a small army. Her dad is handling the drinking, but not in an excessive manner because that’s Kai’s coping mechanism. Well, that and the stash of pills she swiped from her sister’s apartment after they found her. Numbing herself is the only way she can get through the day without Jennifer. The question of why is haunting her, and she’s not getting any answers from her dead sister. Thankfully, Kai has some pretty amazing friends who catch her spiraling out of control and tell her parents. Their solution is a month spent at grief camp with others going through the same thing she is. Grief camp is exactly what it sounds like, and Kai is willing to give it a try.
This is a gut wrenching story that the author knows plenty about, as mentioned in her afterward. Her own sister committed suicide when she was younger, and from that, this story was written. The palpable grief that Kai and the others at the camp were hard to read at times because it felt so real but it also felt a little too neat and tidy, especially the romance component. Regardless, this quick book about overcoming grief, or at least learning how to, is worth the read.
May 7, 2017
Grade: B+
4.5 stars
After Kai's beloved older sister, Jen, commits suicide, Kai drowns her pain in anger, booze and pills. Her parents send her to grief camp, where she and four other teens struggle with mourning their losses.
Boy can Kim Turrisi write; her prose is fresh and unique. Like Kai, Turrisi lost her sister to suicide as a teen, so she accurately captures the magnitude of grief and different ways people mourn. Sometimes when writers pen books on topics they've experienced, those novels lack perspective. Not Turrisi.
Kai's grief is as complex and layered as her character. Each of the campers in her group are caught uniquely up in their individual struggles, yet share common themes of pain, regret and sorrow.
I wish Turrisi hadn't called the groups therapy, because they aren't. Therapist need of training and oversight. Marco has a BS in Business. He had the camp training and life experience to be a camp counselor and do exercises with the teens, not therapy or even group therapy. He was qualified to run a support group. Turrisi makes no mention of therapists or psychiatrists being on staff, which are a must for therapeutic camps. At least two of the teens in Kai's group had PTSD, which at times needs closer supervision than a guy with a bachelor degree in business.
JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is such a hopeful story and should be mandatory reading for teens and tweens dealing with death. Life can improve, but it will never be the same as before the death.
4.5 stars
After Kai's beloved older sister, Jen, commits suicide, Kai drowns her pain in anger, booze and pills. Her parents send her to grief camp, where she and four other teens struggle with mourning their losses.
Boy can Kim Turrisi write; her prose is fresh and unique. Like Kai, Turrisi lost her sister to suicide as a teen, so she accurately captures the magnitude of grief and different ways people mourn. Sometimes when writers pen books on topics they've experienced, those novels lack perspective. Not Turrisi.
Kai's grief is as complex and layered as her character. Each of the campers in her group are caught uniquely up in their individual struggles, yet share common themes of pain, regret and sorrow.
I wish Turrisi hadn't called the groups therapy, because they aren't. Therapist need of training and oversight. Marco has a BS in Business. He had the camp training and life experience to be a camp counselor and do exercises with the teens, not therapy or even group therapy. He was qualified to run a support group. Turrisi makes no mention of therapists or psychiatrists being on staff, which are a must for therapeutic camps. At least two of the teens in Kai's group had PTSD, which at times needs closer supervision than a guy with a bachelor degree in business.
JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is such a hopeful story and should be mandatory reading for teens and tweens dealing with death. Life can improve, but it will never be the same as before the death.
April 2, 2019
Personal Response:Just A Normal Tuesday is by far one of the best books I've read ever read. In the beginning, it kind of made me cry. I could not stop reading it. Every time I wanted to, I couldn't because it had a good hook.
Plot: The main character is Kai. She is a sixteen-year-old girl who, when she got home, finds a suicide note from her sister, Jen. When she realizes she is the only child in the family, she starts to rebel. She starts popping the same pills that killed her sister. When she starts to go downhill, her parent offer her a lifeline- to go to summer camp. The camp is called Grief camp for teens. She really didn't want to agree, but she did anyway. When she got there, she realized a whole bunch of teens her age have a lot in common with her. Since meeting kids that have the same thing in common, she slowly comes back to herself.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to any high school girl. It has a lesson in this book. I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of emotion in it so girls will like it.
Plot: The main character is Kai. She is a sixteen-year-old girl who, when she got home, finds a suicide note from her sister, Jen. When she realizes she is the only child in the family, she starts to rebel. She starts popping the same pills that killed her sister. When she starts to go downhill, her parent offer her a lifeline- to go to summer camp. The camp is called Grief camp for teens. She really didn't want to agree, but she did anyway. When she got there, she realized a whole bunch of teens her age have a lot in common with her. Since meeting kids that have the same thing in common, she slowly comes back to herself.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to any high school girl. It has a lesson in this book. I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of emotion in it so girls will like it.
May 7, 2017
I thought this was a very good book. The topic is a very difficult subject and it was nice to see it from the perspective of the loved one of the person who committed suicide. It is always talked about why did they commit suicide, what made them do it. We never discuss the horrible heartache of the people they have left behind. This book did that. The author showed you the side of suicide we don't normally notice.
In this story Kai is dealing with the death of her sister who was more like a mother to her. Kai can't understand how she didn't know that her sister was struggling. Kai slowly goes off the deep end to the point that her parents send her away to a camp for people going through a loss. Kai is against going in the beginning but through the camp she finds a way to understand that she will never know why and what her sister was going through to make her commit suicide.
I would recommend this book to everyone. I think it will open peoples eye to what everyone else has to go through in the aftermath of suicide.
In this story Kai is dealing with the death of her sister who was more like a mother to her. Kai can't understand how she didn't know that her sister was struggling. Kai slowly goes off the deep end to the point that her parents send her away to a camp for people going through a loss. Kai is against going in the beginning but through the camp she finds a way to understand that she will never know why and what her sister was going through to make her commit suicide.
I would recommend this book to everyone. I think it will open peoples eye to what everyone else has to go through in the aftermath of suicide.
November 29, 2018
One Tuesday afternoon, Kai comes home from school to find a letter from her sister. It's a suicide note. Her sister Jen has taken her own life. As can be expected, it completely devastates Kai's family and sends Kai into a spiral of depression and grief. After Kai scares both her best friends and her parents by nearly overdosing on pills washed down with alcohol, she is sent to a grief camp, where she learns how to manage her grief and to try to find joy again after such a devastating loss.
It's hard for me to rate this book objectively now that I've read the Author's Note in which Turrisi reveals her own sister's suicide. Unfortunately, I had a hard time caring for Kai; I found her spoiled and selfish, rude and angry. I understand anger over the loss of her sister, but she came across as someone who's just normally a negative person. Perhaps Turrisi wanted to write a character that was clever, yet snarky, but unfortunately Kai came across as very unlikable.
I can see how this book would be helpful for a teen who has experienced this sort of loss; it would help him or her feel a lot less alone, realizing that there are many people who have lost people they loved.
It's hard for me to rate this book objectively now that I've read the Author's Note in which Turrisi reveals her own sister's suicide. Unfortunately, I had a hard time caring for Kai; I found her spoiled and selfish, rude and angry. I understand anger over the loss of her sister, but she came across as someone who's just normally a negative person. Perhaps Turrisi wanted to write a character that was clever, yet snarky, but unfortunately Kai came across as very unlikable.
I can see how this book would be helpful for a teen who has experienced this sort of loss; it would help him or her feel a lot less alone, realizing that there are many people who have lost people they loved.
September 29, 2020
Won this. I enjoyed the book. Parts were hard and parts were cute.
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