True to her talent for writing about young adults in the throes of huge crises, Emery Lord’s All That's Left to Say handles big topics in a style that combines the twisting plot of a thriller with considerable empathy.
Almost a year has passed since Hannah’s wealthy cousin and best friend Sophie overdosed and died at a party. Now, while “grief has eaten through a part of me that won’t regrow”, Hannah senses a shift as “new leaves begin to sprout.” Through a slick “then” and “now” structure that takes in the girls’ Junior and Senior year, a thoroughly page-turning plot reveals what happened back at the fatal party, and how Hannah comes to uncover the truth behind the overdose — who gave Sophie the oxycodone that killed her?
While the overall mystery will have readers whizzing through the pages, the themes and writing also compel reflection, with a poignant portrayal of grief and friendship, troubled family dynamics, and substance abuse. Add to that the ripple of romance and All That's Left to Say amounts to a memorable reading experience.
Hannah MacLaren has grown up between two worlds: scraping by happily with her single, working mum and avoiding the Maryland upper crust in the next town over, where her wealthy cousin and best friend Sophie lives.
The plan is to get out: Hannah from paycheck-to-paycheck life, and Sophie from the cosseted world she doesn't fit into.
But just before junior year begins, something goes horribly wrong. Sophie overdoses at a party, leaving behind a shocked community and bereft best friends. As the haze of grief begins to clear, Hannah teams up with Sophie's other best friend, Gabi, to find out what happened that fateful night. Someone gave Sophie oxycodone. Someone knew what was going on. And Hannah will not stop until she has uncovered the truth.
This is more than a love story. When We Collided carefully yet effortlessly puts mental illness in conversation with the beauty and struggle of adolescence. It is a book I wish I could have written, but am so much better for having read - Julie Murphy, bestselling author of Dumplin’, on WHEN WE COLLIDED
Author
About Emery Lord
Emery Lord is the author of Open Road Summer, The Start of Me and You, and When We Collided. She lives in a pink row house in Cincinnati, with a husband, two rescue dogs, and a closet full of impractical shoes.
