This is What Goodbye Looks Like
- 4.6 out of 5
- 75 ratings
- 328 pages
Overall Content Rating: Restricted R
This young-adult story centers on a new boarding-school student hiding her identity from peers tied to a past tragedy. Expect steady strong language from teens and adults dealing with guilt, family secrecy, fundraising pressure, and social-media backlash. Past and present emotional intensity includes memories of a fatal crash, injury recovery, and a blind love interest navigating trust and romance. Sexual content in the sampled material is limited to a brief rejection of incest as a topic; there is no explicit sexual activity in the passages reviewed.
Reviews first uploaded October 7, 2026 5:52 pm. Page updated October 7, 2026 5:52 pm.
These summaries are AI-generated from relevant Amazon reviews of this book.
Crude Moderate
33Characters often call one another foolish or worse in heated moments, sibling-style teasing, and campaigns of online abuse aimed at a parent.
Amazon reviews mentioning crude
Specific words
- stupid: 18
- idiot: 13
- suck: 2
Profanity Heavy
101Strong and mild swearing run throughout dialogue and internal monologue, especially among teens and family members under stress. Characters also hurl gendered insults and crude terms when angry, gossiping, or reacting to online harassment.
Amazon reviews mentioning profanity
Specific words
- hell: 38
- damn: 20
- shit: 20
- bitch: 10
- ass: 8
- bullshit: 3
- bastard: 1
- butt: 1
Violence Moderate
8The story revisits a deadly car accident: a teen died, another was seriously hurt, and the narrator still sees blood and dying moments in flashbacks. Present-day conflict is mostly verbal; physical harm is talked about more than shown in detail.
Amazon reviews mentioning violence
Specific words
- blood: 4
- punch: 2
- bleed: 1
- kick: 1
About this book
After Lea witnesses a boy die in a drunk driving accident, all she wants is to leave the tragedy in the past. So she decides to move on--to a new town, a new school, and a new chance at life. But when Lea transfers schools, she finds herself in the same class as Seth Ashbury, the brother of the boy who was killed in the accident. As Lea gets to know Seth, she quickly falls for his quick wit and passionate soul. But she also realizes Seth is drowning in grief, and he'll never recover unless the drunk driver who caused the accident is brought to justice. Soon, Lea faces a choice: She can stay away from Seth and move on from the accident once and for all. Or she can confront the horrible memories of the night she watched a boy die and help Seth seek justice. "'This is What Goodbye Looks Like' explores the sometimes blurred line between family, friendship, love, and tragedy. This Young Adult read will capture your attention from page one--and hold you captive until the last page!" -- Christina McKnight, USA Today Bestselling Author Read more