The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda - TLC Book Tour

Paperback: 312 pages

Publisher: SparkPress (May 3, 2016)

Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can’t believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated façade of her life. Will and his wife are fine-as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class).

Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it’s like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple’s second act together-empty nesting-might possibly be the end.

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About Kaira Rouda

Kaira Rouda is a USA TODAY bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary fiction that sparkles with humor and heart including HERE, HOME, HOPE and IN THE MIRROR. Her latest novel, THE GOODBYE YEAR, will be released in May of 2016. Her modern romance novels are set on beaches, including the Laguna Beach series, the Indigo Island series and coming soon, the Malibu series.
She lives in Southern California with her family and is at work on her next novel. After living in Columbus, Ohio, for most of her life, she now enjoys the beach whenever possible.
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Connect with Kaira

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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My Thoughts:

Oh my friends, I have to tell you that this book touched parts of me I wasn't expecting.

I have been talking lately about how hard it is watching my children growing up, knowing that they don't need me as much as they used to, and how much I miss them being little toddlers.  My daughter is a senior this year and next year will be leaving home, moving to another city and going to college.

As parents, we all know this is part of the journey, part of growing up, part of doing our job successfully and reaping the rewards of that as we watch them become responsible, amazing adults.

But there's the other side, the side that cuts straight to the heart. 

This book was so well written and touched on all of those feelings and thoughts that go through the parent's mind, but also brings in the story told from the children's point of view.  The struggle of trying to figure out what to do after school, the fear of leaving home coupled with the excitement of doing just that, and also figuring out exactly what to do in college.

From my perspective, this book brought forth some of my own feelings towards the impending Empty Nest syndrome. 

I thoroughly enjoyed it.