Review: Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

ECHOES BETWEEN US
Katie McGarry
Publication date: January 14, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Format: eARC
Source: Tor Teen and Netgalley
4.25 Stars

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON







S Y N O P S I S

Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.
Veronica sees ghosts—more specifically, her mother’s ghost, thanks to the blinding migraines that consume her whole life and keep Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting afterimages make her wonder if there is something more going on….
Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all…including their lives?

M Y   T H O U G H T S

I’m sure I say it with her every new release, but when it comes to YA, Katie McGarry is my #1 go-to author. She writes the kind of stories that I love and I’m always ready and waiting for each new novel. In Echoes Between Us, Katie delivers a story with her trademarks: relatable characters facing real-life challenges, romance, and an emotional connection.

Life hasn’t been easy for seventeen-year-old Veronica since the death of her mother six months ago. Her father is a truck driver who is gone for days at a time and her best friend Leo, who she is also secretly in love with, is leaving for college. Veronica also has a brain tumor… like the one that killed her mother. The tumor causes debilitating headaches that seem to be getting worse, but she keeps that information from her father. She also doesn’t share with him that she sees and communicates with her mother’s ghost.

From outward appearances, Sawyer is the golden boy. Handsome, popular, a star athlete. But Sawyer is being crushed by the pressure he feels at home. Since his parent’s divorce six years ago he has felt increasingly responsible for not just his six-year-old sister but also his mother. Her drinking has gone from letting loose on the weekends to almost every night. Between her interference in his life, his resentment of his father, and pressure at school, Sawyer feels like he’s walking a tightrope. The only relief he finds is the adrenaline rush from cliff jumping but he finds himself craving that high more and more.

Veronica and Sawyer were an unlikely pair – the girl who marched to the beat of her own drum and who was considered “weird” by the kids at school and the boy who, from the outside, had it all. But they both felt a lack of control over their lives. In Sawyer, Veronica had someone who saw beyond the tumor and the quirks and appreciated her for the bold and fearless girl she was. And in Veronica, Sawyer found someone who accepted him for who he was, who cared about what he wanted, and supported him without judgment. They truly brought out the best in each other.

The friend groups played a big role and those who have read McGarry’s Only a Breath Apart will remember Jesse, Scarlet, Leo and Nazareth (side note: we seriously need a book about Nazareth). Veronica and Sawyer did not run in the same circles and their friends definitely started off as wary and judgmental of one another. I loved seeing the slow acceptance as they started to know and trust each other and were actually supportive of each other during times of need.

Katie did an amazing job of blending the paranormal elements (Veronica sees ghosts), the spiritual aspect (Veronica’s friend Glory is something of a psychic who believes in angels and an afterlife) and skepticism (Sawyer is convinced there is a logical explanation for any “phenomenon”). McGarry tackles some weighty issues in Echoes Between Us and, as usual, handles them with such a light, respectful hand. There are addiction issues, learning disorders, faith, grief, mortality, discussion of sexuality, and more. There is a big focus on acceptance, in many forms, and I loved how Katie wove that deftly throughout the story.

By the end of the story, I was in love with these characters and my heart ached for their struggles. Both Sawyer and Veronica had to have such inner strength to face their challenges and overcome them. Katie made these characters feel utterly realistic and I shed some tears as I was swept into their story. Once again, Katie McGarry has delivered an emotional and compelling story that is sure to be among my favorite books of the year.


Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.

28 comments

  1. Oh, yes! A book for Nazareth would be fabulous. I feel like there is so much to explore with his character

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    1. Agreed! I'm certain there's a story there about his biological father.

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  2. What a great review! You really captured the heart of the book. I would love for Nazareth to get a book, too.

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    1. Thanks Deanna! I think Nazareth probably has a fascinating back story.

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  3. I've been seeing a lot of this one around lately! I've never read anything by this author but this does sound really good. The friendships sound wonderful!

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    1. I don't think you read much YA contemporary (I don't think?) but Katie McGarry is my favorite in the genre.

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  4. Glad you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to it!!

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  5. Lovely review. I am so happy that you enjoy this one too, I cried so much while reading it but it was just so good!

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    1. Same here, Jenea! Sawyer's situation broke my heart, V's struggles broke my heart... so many tears!

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  6. I've enjoyed Katie McGarry in the past, but it's been a while. I'm worried this has a sad ending! I hate sad endings, and if I do pick up a book I'd like to know ahead of time if one of the main characters dies. Is this the book Sam made you tell her the ending?

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    1. LOL No, this isn't the same one Sam made me spoil. :) That was Sisterhood Everlasting, the finals Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book (which I truly disliked, btw). This one is totally worth reading... and no sad ending, I promise. I mean, there are parts that were emotional and got me teary, but definitely no sad ending.

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    2. So happy to hear there's no sad ending! Thanks for letting me know because I have to mentally prepare for those if I even pick them up. I recommended the audio and e-book for purchase at my library since they didn't have a copy. They're pretty good at purchasing recommends so I'm sure I'll get to this at some point. :)

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    3. Oh, I hope they get copies of it, Rachel! It's so worth reading!

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  7. I'm so confused - it's described as McGarry's "breakout" teen contemporary novel - weren't her early books YA contemp?? Maybe they considered them NA? At the time that wasn't a category so I don't know lol

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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    1. Yeah, I didn't get the "breakout" reference either. I mean, it's contemporary YA and Katie has always written contemporary YA... so where's the breakout? Strange.

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  8. I really enjoyed this one as well. Veronica and Sawyer were such great characters and some of the issues they were dealing with were big. I need to check out Only a Breath Apart so I can see more of some of these characters.

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    1. Only a Breath Apart was Jesse and Scarlet's story... and Glory was featured a lot, too. I hope you'll enjoy it, too!

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  9. Glad this was good. It does sound like it handles weighty issues, glad she did such a phenomenal job bringing it all together!

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  10. Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed this one too. I thought McGarry did a wonderful job with the supernatural elements as well. And oh yes, count me in for a book about Nazareth! I'd love to know more about him.

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  11. I don't think I've read Katie McGarry before, but this sounds like a wonderful story.

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    1. Katie McGarry is my #1 pick when it comes to YA contemporary. She is just *so* good.

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  12. When I saw Katie McGarry's name on the cover I thought I knew what kind of review this would be but then you mentioned paranormal elements and I so wanted to read. I mean, I usually know what I'm getting into with a Katie McGarry book so it's nice to see something a little different with this release.

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    1. Yeah, she kind of delved into some new territory with this one. I don't know if you read Only a Breath Apart but there was sort of a mystical (? I can't think of a better word right now) element to it and she went even further with that in this book. So good!

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  13. This author writes some awesome series!!! I think Thunder Road was my favorite! I don't think this is for me because of the ghost factor. Hard pass for this scaredy cat lol!

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    1. I loved the Thunder Road series so much, Jessica! I just adored those characters: Oz and Razor and Chevy... loved them! The paranormal factor in this one isn't really scary at all.

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