The House at 758

The House at 758By Kathryn Berla4 starsI have read a couple of books by this author now and I always enjoy what I read. Coming of age stories are not usually ones that I would go for but I know this author and her writing so I thought I would give it a go.I really liked the mystery intertwined in this story; I loved all the unknowns about what was so special about the house at 758. I had to keep reading just to find out. I can’t say that I really connected with the characters in the story but I really did feel for Krista, I think from the very beginning it was pretty obvious that there was something holding her back. The author did a great job actually with Krista’s character and her feelings. The story felt very real at times.I loved the introduction of Krista’s Grandfather too; he was definitely someone that Krista needed.Overall another lovely story from this author that is well written. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Sixteen-year-old Krista misses her mother. She isn't ready for family life to resume, but her father has asked his girlfriend to move in. Krista and Marie aren't getting along and Krista sleeps in a tent on the garage roof instead of in her bedroom. She can't bear sharing her home with a woman who isn't her mother. She's still mourning the loss of her mother and isn't ready to start living normally again. Instead she drives to the house at 758 every day, parking in front of it and keeping an eye on what happens inside.Krista's best friend is spending the summer with her grandparents. That means Krista is on her own. She doesn't have any other friends, being social is too difficult. She's surprised when Jake, someone she knows from school, wants to hang out with her. Is she ready to do something fun or will she mess it up because of the emotional turmoil inside of her? To get Krista out of her tent her father asks her to drive her grandfather around during his visit. Krista can't talk to her father or Marie, but maybe spending time with her grandfather and Jake will finally give her a chance to get a grip on her sadness?The House at 758 is a beautiful moving story. Krista is in so much pain, she doesn't know what to do with herself. I had tears in my eyes when I read her story and was impressed by the amount of depth Kathryn Berla has managed to put into it. Krista is a sweet and smart girl, but life is hard. She's desperate and doesn't know how to handle her emotions. Because her father seems to have moved on and forces Krista to do the same it's even harder for her to deal with everything that comes her way. I kept hoping she'd find a little ray of sunshine, so she could start working on her grief.Kathryn Berla's vivid writing makes The House at 758 come to life in a fantastic way. I could feel Krista's pain and loved how raw and real her emotions are. I admired the honest way Kathryn Berla writes about tragedy. The House at 758 isn't gloomy though, there's hope and light in the story as well. When Krista starts making connections with others again, she slowly climbs out of the deep hole of despair she was in and I loved seeing her grow. Her journey is a slow, but rewarding one. The House at 758 is a brilliant story, I was amazed by this book and highly recommend it.

I received an early copy of this book in return for my independent honest review. This well written and well translated book got me thinking about all perspectives of grief from those of a young adult coming to terms with the loss of a parent, the widowed spouse trying to move on with life and also the older generations in our lives who have seen so much and felt grief in all its dimensions. In my opinion this book tackles love, loss coming of age in a easy to understand way that is emotional and believable. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions.Great book for its target audience, but also as a parent it helped me understand how loss affects our children in different ways to us.

i received a free arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review:the plot follows a young girl dealing with the recent loss of her mother and its undisclosed connection to the house at 758, which she is repeatedly drawn to in her attempts to get back to normal.however, despite the title's indication, the focus is not on the house itself. while the event it relates to is the base of krista's motivations, the novel explores her relationships with a new boyfriend, her family, and her visiting grandfather whom she's unfamiliar with. these separate developments help her try to move on from the event two years previous.initially, the book starts off as though the plot will revolve a romance, which i have to admit i had a problem with- it came across as rather instalove-ish, and though i found their later scenes sweet it just didn't have much of a development leading up to it. what i was most interested in, though, was the reconnection between the protagonist and her grandfather which was lovely, and the glimpse we get at his past during the holocaust broke my heart a little.overall, it was a nice quick read to pass an afternoon with.

*An ARC of this book was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.The House at 758 is an enjoyable read, it looks at the longer-term impacts of loss and grief, and moving forward. The book focuses on the main character Krista and how her mother’s death has impacted on her life even after time has passed.It is thought provoking and different from other YA books I’ve read. A lot was packed into 250 pages some I felt may not have been necessary considering the length of the book, however it did not feel rushed.It was nice to watch Krista develop and grow whilst working towards moving past the huge loss she experienced. The characters were well written I especially enjoyed reading about her grandfather, a character we get to learn a lot about, and who takes a prominent role once he enters the book.Overall, I feel this is a well written it’s a story with a lot of truth to it, it embraces the fact life isn’t fair but you can keep going despite it, in that sense it is an empowering read.

A beautiful, quietly moving book about dealing with loss as a young adult.I wish that Krista's grandpa had arrived earlier in the story - I loved their relationship,...