debi_g's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but a few parts weren’t “earned” and didn’t hit as well as they could have.
The Quaker angle is interesting.
The suspense doesn’t seem necessary.
The Quaker angle is interesting.
The suspense doesn’t seem necessary.
katiez624's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic ride! Even though this book starts with a brutal murder, there is very little violence in this story. The mystery is not about who is the guilty party, but how the events came to pass, and how the people left behind must put the pieces back together. The story of Jonah and Daniel's friendship, Evangeline's unexpected appearance, and the complicated relationship of Lorrie and Isaac were well-developed and full of emotion.
I was also fascinated to get an inside look at a Quaker church, the way in which silence is used as a key tool to convening with the Divine. The plot is propulsive, with secrets being revealed slowly but deliberately. This was a great read from start to finish.
I was also fascinated to get an inside look at a Quaker church, the way in which silence is used as a key tool to convening with the Divine. The plot is propulsive, with secrets being revealed slowly but deliberately. This was a great read from start to finish.
akappel32's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I want to give this more stars because the message is truly sweet and honest. But, the truth is that I was so bored. This story focuses on what happens after one boy murders his friend and then ends his life. The nature of the story alone focuses on raw human emotion and behavior and highlights the not so pretty aspects of grief. I just could not connect enough to the characters to experience any of the emotion along with the story.
kimveach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Addiction, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Minor: Dementia
sundeviljewels's review against another edition
4.0
The beginning really pulled me in. Sadness, loss, grief, finding a family, people who love you no matter what.
bernadettebloom's review against another edition
4.0
This book grew on me, and turned out to be a solid story. Two teenage boys are dead, then a pregnant girl shows up and situates herself right in the middle of the mystery. For me it was about why people are the way they are, how love, loss, and feelings of belonging play into how you see yourself, and the life you can carve for yourself, when the deck is stacked against you.
xtinee's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. All of the storylines were so interesting and really well woven together. It's definitely a sad, heavy read but I couldn't put it down. The book was never predictable and I thought it had many powerful lessons that were presented with subtlety that has been missing from many of the books I've read recently.
mgallmeyer03's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars.
"She had recognized him, and he had recognized her. And maybe that was a type of love, finding in someone the same river that flows through you, both of you sharing its banks."
"Death is certain. Yet stories rain down on us of souls who 'bravely battled' their fatal condition 'until the end,' as if being at war with an unalterable fact is the highest possible good."
What Comes After is a compelling story about loss, grief, found family, and the power of love and forgiveness. It centers around three main characters: Isaac, a divorced high school teacher struggling with his Quaker faith; Evangeline, a pregnant teenager without a home; and Lorrie, a widowed CNA living next door to Isaac. After Isaac's son, Daniel, is brutally murdered by Lorrie's son, Jonah, Evangeline unexpectedly enters their lives. Isaac, Lorrie, and Evangeline must then learn to navigate their lives with one another amongst this unspeakable tragedy.
I absolutely LOVED this book and had a difficult time putting it down. I just had to know where the book was going and how these three characters were going to come together and prevail. The writing is stunning, the characters are wonderfully flawed and are easy to root for, and the pacing is perfect. The story is told from three different perspectives: Isaac, Evangeline, and Jonah. JoAnne Tompkins did an incredible job at weaving past and present timelines so seamlessly. Truthfully, I'm stunned that this book is from a debut author because the writing is incredibly beautiful and nearly perfect. I can't begin to explain the way that the writing in this book spoke to me. It also made me sob uncontrollably for two whole chapters. I have only had a handful of books make me cry the way this one did: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Clockwork Princess, A Monster Calls, 11/22/63, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am so glad I read this book and cannot believe I almost didn't read this. This book is the epitome of why I read. I will buy anything JoAnne Tompkins writes in the future.
"She had recognized him, and he had recognized her. And maybe that was a type of love, finding in someone the same river that flows through you, both of you sharing its banks."
"Death is certain. Yet stories rain down on us of souls who 'bravely battled' their fatal condition 'until the end,' as if being at war with an unalterable fact is the highest possible good."
What Comes After is a compelling story about loss, grief, found family, and the power of love and forgiveness. It centers around three main characters: Isaac, a divorced high school teacher struggling with his Quaker faith; Evangeline, a pregnant teenager without a home; and Lorrie, a widowed CNA living next door to Isaac. After Isaac's son, Daniel, is brutally murdered by Lorrie's son, Jonah, Evangeline unexpectedly enters their lives. Isaac, Lorrie, and Evangeline must then learn to navigate their lives with one another amongst this unspeakable tragedy.
I absolutely LOVED this book and had a difficult time putting it down. I just had to know where the book was going and how these three characters were going to come together and prevail. The writing is stunning, the characters are wonderfully flawed and are easy to root for, and the pacing is perfect. The story is told from three different perspectives: Isaac, Evangeline, and Jonah. JoAnne Tompkins did an incredible job at weaving past and present timelines so seamlessly. Truthfully, I'm stunned that this book is from a debut author because the writing is incredibly beautiful and nearly perfect. I can't begin to explain the way that the writing in this book spoke to me. It also made me sob uncontrollably for two whole chapters. I have only had a handful of books make me cry the way this one did: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Clockwork Princess, A Monster Calls, 11/22/63, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am so glad I read this book and cannot believe I almost didn't read this. This book is the epitome of why I read. I will buy anything JoAnne Tompkins writes in the future.
lingoreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, and Suicide