This tale of loss is surprisingly affective. There are many tropes in this teenage tale of grief and depression that could have caused the story to derail, but de Pass pulls them together in a way that works exceptionally well. The more the reader gets to know Cara and company, the more believable they become. I was surprised, given a bit of a rocky start, that I was moved in the end. The Year After You is a smartly written novel with some pretty good character build up. I was pleasantly surprised. ( )

If you just looked at the surface of the event behind Cara's self-hatred, guilt and isolation, this story wouldn't have nearly the impact it does. However reading this is akin to watching the main characters on a giant, slow merry-go-round, reaching for the brass ring every time around, but only moving it enough to see it differently. Meeting new kids at the private Swiss school, doesn't seem, at first, to do anything other than give her a place to hide, but they and circumstances beyond their control, conspire otherwise. What happens for her and the three kids she bonds with is painful and terribly uneven with an end result freeing not only Cara, but Hector and Rae as well. Finely written and engrossing. It's a good choice for both school and public libraries, especially those serving teens who have experienced personal, or secondary trauma. ( )