Before Goodbye - Mimi Cross

Before Goodbye by Mimi Cross
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Music means more than anything to high school student Cate Reese; it's also what unites her with Cal Woods. Devoted classical guitar players, Cate and Cal are childhood friends newly smitten by love—until a devastating car accident rips Cal out of Cate's life forever. Blaming herself for the horrific tragedy and struggling to surface from her despair, Cate spirals downhill in a desperate attempt to ease her pain.
Fellow student David Bennet might look like the school's golden boy, but underneath the surface of the popular athlete battles demons of his own. He's racked with survivor's guilt after his brother's suicide, and things get worse when tragedy darkens his world again—but connecting with Cate, his sister's longtime babysitter, starts bringing the light back in.
As Cate and David grow closer, the two shattered teenagers learn to examine the pieces of their lives...and together, find a way to be whole again.

MY OPINION: ***

This was an incredibly dark book! I mean, think. There were drugs, abuse, inappropriate behavior (not explicit), death, tragedy, confusion. Everything.

I only read this book because I was walking around in the library and looking through the Young Adult side. I say the words "Before Goodbye" and I was like, "Well, let's see what this is about." I read the top half of the blurb and I took it because it looked sad, and I haven't read a sad story in a long time.

This book was not sad. I can see where people might cry, but no tears came from me. I wasn't sad, but the part where Cal dies (not a spoiler) was actually very devastating. But I knew it was going to happen.

Cate was a very confusing character. She feels as if she is responsible for Cal's death and literally goes downhill. She takes drugs, and she tries to forget everything, but nothing happens. It only makes her worse. She stops playing the music she loves, and basically she thinks many suicidal thoughts. I would not recommend this book to many people, especially if they don't like dark stories.

Cal was a much better drawn character, but he died too soon. I felt so bad. He was so talented and smart, and a musical genius, but he literally died before we got to know a lot about him. 

David sometimes got on me. He was trying to be like his brother, mostly because of his abusive father. That part shocked me, but his father still kept on being so rude about David's life. I mean, it's his life, and he definitely is over 18 and he can do his own thing.

David and Cate's relationship wasn't drawn up very well in my opinion. It didn't feel very real, not like some other books. I feel like Cate and Cal's relationship was done better.

Bryn and Rod. OMG. What was that? Rod basically suicides because of Bryn. I could not believe that. How could she live with herself? I mean, Rod was a TERRIBLE person, but what?

Wait, and who was Dale? Did he just randomly show up and have a relationship with Cate and then disappear. So confusing.

Some parts of this book was very confusing. I mean, they had flashbacks without telling people that they were flashbacks, and there were weird scenes that weren't elaborated and were confusing.

I give this book a solid three stars. One of the reason it even got there is because it still kept me reading until the end, and it was a big book that gave me something to do. It was also well-written and the author is a really good writer when it comes to the words itself.

I would not recommend this book to many people, unless you are a mature reader who can easily understand everything and can make very good inferences.

Main Character: Cate and David
Sidekick(s): Kimmy, Laurel, Dale, Cal, Bryn, etc
Villain(s): Drugs, suicide, death, depression, Rod, abuse, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this could happen in real life though it does not mean that it will.