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Lovely, Dark and Deep

by Amy McNamara (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 636 ratings · 167 reviews

A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rejoin it.

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her fath...more

Hardcover, 342 pages

Published October 16th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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Jan 21, 2013 Janice (the_red1) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, feel-the-feels, flawed-character, good-guy-hero, standalone-title

An emotionally heavy read, for sure, but it felt....honest. Real. The author didn't attempt to pretty up the grief process and I appreciated that. I liked the characters, too. They each came with a lot of baggage and yet, I found it very easy to connect with them.

3.5 stars

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Candace (Lovey Dovey Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Debut author, Amy McNamara’s, stunning portrait of a young woman’s grief in the most extreme stage shall touch the heart of every reader. Lovely, Dark, and Deep’s Wren Wells may be a pseudo-recluse living in a secluded area in Maine with her father, but she lays her pain on the table for any who bother to see. The death of Wren’s boyfriend, Patrick, and the many factors that surround his death, sends her life off-course. Living with her sculpting father, Wren hopes to get herself straightened ou...more Debut author, Amy McNamara’s, stunning portrait of a young woman’s grief in the most extreme stage shall touch the heart of every reader. Lovely, Dark, and Deep’s Wren Wells may be a pseudo-recluse living in a secluded area in Maine with her father, but she lays her pain on the table for any who bother to see. The death of Wren’s boyfriend, Patrick, and the many factors that surround his death, sends her life off-course. Living with her sculpting father, Wren hopes to get herself straightened out and back to pursuing her carefully laid out goals. Her time spent out of touch with society: friends, work, and passion, leave her parents worried and her mind close to shutting down. The aspect of living in the small town that Wren didn’t count on, was finding a reason to emerge from the darkness in which she’s shrouded herself.

Wren is strong, even when she feels like hiding away from the world, but she knows that her misery is something that’s physically and mentally holding her back. Characters that are, at least, partially aware of themselves in such a manner are fascinating to read about. Wren walks herself towards moving on from a tragic accident, though not without help, but she pushes readers toward encouraging her, backtracks toward pitying her, then comes full circle to hopefulness that she’ll finally make real progress.

Cal Owens flows into the novel like a knight in shining armor, almost. He has his own story that I wish McNamara could have explained in more detail, because I wasn’t too familiar with the source of his troubles, but overall he added to the path of hope Wren could choose to ignore or follow. Wren and Cal are drawn together by their similarities and differences when it comes to dealing with grief. Wren draws into herself, vowing to remain silent until she can sort through her issues, while Cal pretends his situation isn’t as grave as it really is. His quick temper contradicts the calm he radiates for Cal, molding him into one of the most realistic characterizations of a love interest I’ve seen in young adult fiction.

McNamara’s style of writing is easygoing, yet packs a wallop of emotion. The writing excellently portrays Wren’s flow of consciousness through a variety of sentence length and structure. The dialogue is straightforward, even when a moment of profundity surrounds the speaking character. Knowing that the characters are saying more with fewer words lends the reader a sense of time. It never feels as though a scene is unnaturally long, or that a person in real life would never say so much at one time.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep sends a riot of emotions through me when I just think about Wren’s story. Reading her story is a comfort and an experience, because it is such a possibility. This is truly a universal story that will not only entertain readers who love a sad story that pushes its protagonist toward happiness, but also speaks to the many people affected by grief and other strong emotions.

*ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Also posted on Lovey Dovey Books
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Mar 03, 2013 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aaw-yeah

“The facts won’t change… but you will.”

I do this thing where I pick up one book after another of the same kind. A couple of days ago it was all YA action adventure stuff that had me excited but tired. A bit later I'd shifted to a string of mindless sexy reads (emphasis on the ' mindless' which effectively cancelled out my enjoyment of the sexy.) And now? I'm reading books that rip at my heart, so at this rate, my brain will be mush (from all the sexy-brainless reads) and my heart will be in tat...more “The facts won’t change… but you will.”

I do this thing where I pick up one book after another of the same kind. A couple of days ago it was all YA action adventure stuff that had me excited but tired. A bit later I'd shifted to a string of mindless sexy reads (emphasis on the ' mindless' which effectively cancelled out my enjoyment of the sexy.) And now? I'm reading books that rip at my heart, so at this rate, my brain will be mush (from all the sexy-brainless reads) and my heart will be in tatters from all these sad ones. I don't mind the latter though because it's reads like this that make up for all those hours up at night. And I'm not even sure I liked the protagonist!!! Also, nothing actually happens save seeing Wren work through her grief her way.

And what may look like her running away wasn’t actually her doing so. It’s her being her as she time and again insisted. A lot like COME SEE ABOUT ME, Wren/Mamie’s overcome by loss and unsure about how to go on (or if she even wants to.) One thing she is certain, though, it’s her not wanting all these expectations of “how to be” from others. But pile on eventual realizations on her part about what others are going though on her behalf/because of her… and there’s no reason to like her, but there’s really no reason to dislike her either. She’s sad; they’re sad, and I was sad for her. There’s a whole lot of sad in this one, so sad in fact, that it’s left my heart/ my brain/ MY HEART(!!) stuttering.

Except I didn’t even like Wren because every single negative thing she’s called out on is true. There’s a selfishness to her actions, but it’s a necessary kind of selfishness. The way she separates herself form the rest as well as the way they react as a result, well… all of those things? You can’t actually say she’s unaware because she becomes so eventually. But what she does (and doesn’t do), that’s what’s got her stuck. So even though I didn’t love her, I got her; I got every one of them in fact: her wanting to be, her mother and father wanting her to move on (but getting the message across in such contrary ways,) even the friend who’s confused about Wren’s choices because they’re all written so clearly… imperfections, especially.

Then there's Cal. I could talk and talk and talk about the guy. About her getting pulled into someone else's nightmare, as well as her talk of "ruined people" but get this: there's this balance between the two because he's been where she's at (is still there, in fact)... and I just loved that bit.

3.5/5
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4 likes · like · see review

Nov 19, 2012 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist

I 've sat here for half an hour, trying to put into words how wonderful this book is, but I feel like everything I write just doesn't do it justice. The urge to just shout 'Read It' is overwhelming but I know that won't be enough to tempt you. So I shall try my best to show you just how beautiful this book is while handing you a box of Kleenex in readiness.
This stunning debut novel is a quiet, contemplative story completely driven by the awesome characters that are held within it. The book revo...more I 've sat here for half an hour, trying to put into words how wonderful this book is, but I feel like everything I write just doesn't do it justice. The urge to just shout 'Read It' is overwhelming but I know that won't be enough to tempt you. So I shall try my best to show you just how beautiful this book is while handing you a box of Kleenex in readiness.
This stunning debut novel is a quiet, contemplative story completely driven by the awesome characters that are held within it. The book revolves around the two main characters, Wren and Cal, as their lives intertwine. These two characters appear to be damaged by life, like two young fledgling birds each with a broken wing. The budding relationship is seen as disastrous by some of the people closest to them, but it is obvious they are just the right antidote for the pain that burns inside them. They may not be able to fly solo, but together they manage a beautiful flight.
Wren's is suffering a loss that is so severe, her family are concerned she will never recover. Her pain oozes out of the pages like an open wound constantly weeping as life hits her again and again with memories of the past. I found myself getting so annoyed with her mother, as she constantly pushed her to return to normality. I wanted to shout at her. Does she not realise that grief is a personal journey, not a race to normality and happiness? Grief takes everyone in different ways and cannot be rushed to relieve the awkwardness of others. This book shows how people can often expect too much from people and should learn to deal with their own issues before they invest unwanted time in others.
As Wren's relationship with Cal begins to develop, I felt like I was watching a broken glass in reverse, slowly sticking back together, but in a disjointed way - it will never look the same but it will be able to function normally.
The ending really finalised my love for this book as Wren's existence changed the lives of the people around her. She wanted to hide, be invisible, yet she unknowingly pulled everyone in around her, to love her, to change their own destinies, to become a family. You watch as she changes and becomes stronger - her fight with Meredith, the final break with the past. I've had quite a long discussion about the ending of the book with Casey from Dark Readers, who was struggling to feel comfortable with it. The way I saw it was that finally she was learning to cope with life. She could deal with responsibility again, which she would never have been able to do at the beginning of the book. Her broken wing had finally mended, albeit a little crooked.
This book is the most emotional book I've read all year. It creeps into your heart and silently steals it away. It left me speechless. The words from the song, How To Save A Life by The Fray were instantly brought to my mind. As well as Jenn Crowel's book, Necessary Madness, which ripped my heart out years ago when it debuted. Amy McNamara has the same grasp of human emotion and frailty within this book, that made me cry so much while reading it. I wonder whether the author has felt grief like this because it is so realistic, it would be hard to believe she hadn't.
If you have experienced the cycle of grief as depicted in this book, then be warned you will remember and you will cry. This is a stunning debut that will touch your heart and stay within your memory.(less)

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May 05, 2013 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature-fiction

Story Description:

Simon & Schuster|October 16, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4424-3435-6

A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything – and the connections that force you rejoin it

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend, Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods o...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Brianna Ray rated it 5 of 5 stars

Without giving anything away, I feel that a lot of people who rated this book low ratings have never dealt with blinding grief. I know exactly what it's like to turn into yourself and kind of be selfish with other people's emotions. The pain you feel, the emptiness and the heartache, it's overwhelming, making it almost impossible to even have sympathy or empathy for others. The way she described how she felt was almost an exact parallel to how I felt when my mom passed away.

This book was difficu...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Stephanie A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: illness-and-injury, girl-protagonists, contemporary-ya, grief

Beautiful, poetic, moving novel about grief and the struggle to simply exist post-loss, especially when you were in the middle of trying to escape from what you lost before it happened. Loved the hidden-away setting and the eccentric but intriguing community of artists, but it was the cautiously spun new love story for which I fell head over heels.

Probably on account of the hurt/comfort aspect with him having MS (although it works both ways, with him being instantly drawn to what he recognizes...more Beautiful, poetic, moving novel about grief and the struggle to simply exist post-loss, especially when you were in the middle of trying to escape from what you lost before it happened. Loved the hidden-away setting and the eccentric but intriguing community of artists, but it was the cautiously spun new love story for which I fell head over heels.

Probably on account of the hurt/comfort aspect with him having MS (although it works both ways, with him being instantly drawn to what he recognizes of himself in her raw and vulnerable side) and them finding an awful lot of reasons to curl up and fall asleep together.

But even so, this is a book for which from the first page, I was savoring the atmosphere - I spent a few days with this one, rather than my usual 3-hours-and-done method of gulping down books. The way Wren shuts down, goes mute and/or just wants everyone to leave her to her numb solitude, resonates strongly with me so I formed an instant connection. The book can be classified as a love story, but it's entirely about her gradual return to solid ground, and she is a focal point worthy of focus.

Which is funny, because based on what she tells us about her past, if this had been a book about Mamie pre-accident I would have loathed her for being a Stereotypical Stupid Teen, with extra dislike for feeling suffocated by her boyfriend's expectations of a stable future. But because this is all post-accident-Wren, those choices make it easier to accept her now, to sympathize with her combined grief and guilty feelings because she's not mourning a lost love, not exactly. The circumstances may be tragic, but they transformed her into an entirely different and frankly better person. Maybe that's what's hard about it.

Really, the only flaw in the entire book is the way she keeps praising Philip Larkin's poetry. I read "High Windows." And "This Be The Verse." Distinctly not impressed. "Home" does not make up for these transgressions, so don't talk at me about the literary genius of Larkin unless you want a side-eye.

On a tongue-in-cheek note so I can end this review happy: where are these towns where you are just handed work inside a library? I want to be where these people are! Yes, I get terribly jealous no matter how tragic the circumstances that brought the job to the character. But I suppose, as the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy, I'd put it in a book too. (less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Kim - YA Asylum rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: decent-romance, depression, ya, ya-contemporary

More of my reviews can be found at my YA blog.

FIRST IMPRESSION:
The writing is worth reading. Not a whole lot happens at the start and you can tell that's going to be the atmosphere of the book -- Wren thinking about how depressed she is and possibly not doing anything about it. But the writing, the skill McNamara has, is worth reading regardless.

THE PLOT:
There's not one. Aside from Wren being wrecked and trying to unravel herself and get better. There's not a lot of forward motion. There's a lo...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Kasey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-stick-with-me, favorites

This book is a beautiful portrait of one young woman's grief, but it is not for everyone.

This is a novel for those who have mourned the loss of a loved one, and of the self they were before that loss. It is for those who don't know how to begin a new life after death takes their old one and makes it unlivable. It is a hard book, but an important one for all of us who have made poor decisions in the face of our grief, who have lost the will to live without those we love, but who somehow still mu...more This book is a beautiful portrait of one young woman's grief, but it is not for everyone.

This is a novel for those who have mourned the loss of a loved one, and of the self they were before that loss. It is for those who don't know how to begin a new life after death takes their old one and makes it unlivable. It is a hard book, but an important one for all of us who have made poor decisions in the face of our grief, who have lost the will to live without those we love, but who somehow still muddle through, and make it out the other side.

Wren is self-absorbed, she is angry, she pushes people away, she is at times stupid and self-destructive, but she is SO REAL. She is not a sympathetic character, she is frustrating, but her emotions and experiences, her inability to cope, the way she hurts those who love her, they are so very, very real.

After the tragic loss of her boyfriend, her life is turned upside-down. She loses all drive, all motivation, and becomes consumed by her grief. She experiences guilt and frustration, anger and self-loathing. When other people seek to give her advice on how best to move on with life, she just wants to be left alone, to deal with her feelings in her own way. When she once again sees a friend from her old life, she is torn between wanting to go back to being her old self, more carefree, less heavy, and knowing that person is gone. She knows she should reach out to the people from her old life, that people need her and want to share her grief, but she simply cannot do it. For whatever reason she is too weak, too sad, and can't force herself to care. Wren is honest in a way that very few protagonists are. She is absorbed in her internal world of just trying to make it through each day, of not dealing because she cannot. She feels, and tries not to feel, because feeling is so exhausting, and doing more than that, engaging and living, are just beyond her.

As Wren explores her grief she slowly begins to form new relationships. She never truly "moves on" in the way that other people expect her to, she doesn't get past it and become her old self again. Through her grief she is remolded, she discovers strengths she never knew she had. Wren loses the innocence and levity of her youth, trading it instead for a darkness and a depth of feeling, and of not feeling. The novel does not have a tidy, well-wrapped ending. It is not plot driven. The novel ends because it must, but like grief, it has no real conclusion.

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Feb 15, 2013 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

"I had things I didn't want, and then I lost them. Once minute I was breaking up with my boyfriend, Patrick, the next I was the only one left standing. Empty-handed. A ghost of who I'd been. Broken in a way you can't see when you meet me."
Wren has suffered a tragedy, her first reaction was total silence, not a word said. Her second was to move away from her hometown, her mom and the friends she grew up with to live in the secluded world around her father's studio. In order to survive she's wra...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Wisteriouswoman rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. So mixed I didn't finish it. The first part I liked because there was a bit of mystery and I know what it is like to be depressed.

I especially liked the poetry of it--the short sentences worked for me. At least in the beginning. But the story didn't flow well enough to make me want to read it instead of doing something more productive. Like cleaning house.

Wren seems to be suffering from PTSD which is understandable under the circumstances. So it doesn't m...more I have mixed feelings about this book. So mixed I didn't finish it. The first part I liked because there was a bit of mystery and I know what it is like to be depressed.

I especially liked the poetry of it--the short sentences worked for me. At least in the beginning. But the story didn't flow well enough to make me want to read it instead of doing something more productive. Like cleaning house.

Wren seems to be suffering from PTSD which is understandable under the circumstances. So it doesn't make a bit of sense that she doesn't get upset when Cal drives fast or when people are drinking. Those were things that caused the accident in the first place.

There seems to be a great deal of parental neglect in the story. As a mom who worries about her own child committing suicide, I was surprised that Wrens mom lets her daughter go live with an ex-husband that she knows puts his art above all else. You don't get the feeling that any of the adults feel guilty for allowing a bunch of teens to party at the beach without any supervision. There are plenty of other aspects of the story that should give the adults reason to feel guilt but we never really see that expressed.

Wren is so self-absorbed I can't respect her for the way she treats everyone. Not talking to people can be really cruel especially toward a best friend. She doesn't seem to think about the baby at all. Maybe that is something I'd find out about if I could slog through the rest of the book. She wallows in self-pity for 'wrecking' her own so-called perfect life, but what about everyone else's life?

I might have liked the book more if the chapters were written from different perspectives by the other players in the story. The MS theme was interesting but it would have been better if we could have gotten into Cal's mind to see how he was coping. In some ways he seemed too mature for a college boy. As a parent, I would never leave my college age son to live on his own without help if he was frequently debilitated by MS symptoms. Cal is out in snow country where he could be left without phone service, power or heat. If he wasn’t rich, owning several cars and a fantastic house we wouldn’t go along with believing the situation was even plausible. What does he see in Wren? They are a sad combination. It doesn’t make for a very enlightening book.

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Jan 06, 2013 Donna (Jaevenstar) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-book-challenge, ya, 2013-debut-author

I picked this book up right away and dove in head first. The author's writing style drew me into Wren's story from the first words. I love how the author uses words in ways that capture the raw emotion the main character is experiencing. Having also lost a best friend I know that that loss completely rocks your world and even more so when you were a part of the "calamity". There were parts of the story that hit home and struck an emotional chord.

***The next paragraph may come of as slightly spo...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Voldemortsn0se rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pulse-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 19, 2012 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wren Wells is in hiding. After everything that happened, after her boyfriend died in a car crash while she survived, Wren has shied away from the vestiges of her old life. Her mom may still call her Mamie, but she isn’t really Mamie anymore. She’s just Wren, a quiet girl hiding out in a small town in Maine, trying to piece her life back together. When she meets Cal Owen, though, there’s something about him that forces a connection between the two. He’s also in hiding and, like Wren, has a few se...more Wren Wells is in hiding. After everything that happened, after her boyfriend died in a car crash while she survived, Wren has shied away from the vestiges of her old life. Her mom may still call her Mamie, but she isn’t really Mamie anymore. She’s just Wren, a quiet girl hiding out in a small town in Maine, trying to piece her life back together. When she meets Cal Owen, though, there’s something about him that forces a connection between the two. He’s also in hiding and, like Wren, has a few secrets of his own. But even as Wren begins to hope, that she might be able to have a normal relationship with someone despite her past, she continues to doubt herself—she’s afraid that if she stays with Cal, she’ll just end up hurting him, like she’s hurt everyone else. But, as she comes to realize, she can’t protect herself or Cal from everything and that to live again, she’ll have to open up her heart, to the hurt, but also to the hope.

I really wanted to read this novel before I even know what it was about, since the title is a line from Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” a poem I loved from the first time I read it years ago. But what really convinced me to pick this book up was hearing the author read from the first chapter—just that small snippet managed to capture the musical, lyrical, deeply emotional quality of the story, and I instantly knew that Wren’s story was one that I needed to know and understand. Though it took me a little while to truly get into the story, McNamara’s beautiful writing slowly drew me in until I was inextricably invested in Wren’s journey, in the tragedy from which she was running, her desperation for solitude, her struggles with grief and depression, and her simple gratitude for the kindest human connections. McNamara really captures the intense emotions of both Wren and Cal so well that it would be impossible not to feel for these two as people, not characters. The very internal nature of this story makes it certainly a quieter sort of tale, but it is one with a big emotional impact—and one that will stay with me for a long time.

Lovely, Dark and Deep is a beautiful story for fans of character-driven contemporary stories like Saving June and Speechless, both by Hannah Harrington, and Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Winna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mellow-books, young-adult

Oh, what a precious book.

With a beautiful cover and a lovely title like that, I definitely couldn't resist bringing it to the cashier right away. Lovely, Dark and Deep does not have any synopsis on the back cover except for some blurbs, but from reviews, this book seems to be about lost and grief, right up my alley. The writer also has a degree in poetry, and I expect beautiful prose and a lot of heartaches in this book.

I'm right :) the book focuses on Wren, a girl who lost her ex-boyfriend in a...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Emily Crowe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another YA book that I had high expectations for that mostly just fell flat. Partly because it's written in the first person, present tense (or the "present pernicious," as my friend Rob calls it), it makes the character much less sympathetic and more self-absorbed than your typical teen narrator, even one who has survived tragedy and is filled with guilt.

The short, choppy sentences are probably supposed to indicate Wren's delicate and uncertain frame of mind, but they mostly just serve as exam...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, age-ya, realistic

When I first saw this book in Barnes & Noble, I was taken in by the beautiful cover. The jacket flap didn't give me a whole lot to go on regarding what this book was about, so I stood there and read the first chapter. Still no clue what the whole book was going to be about, but it sounded dark and a little creepy. I was hoping for a creepy, paranormal-ish kind of story. Here's what it's really about:

Mamie, aka Wren, has been living with her artist father since she was in a car accident that...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Jenni Moody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I loved this book. Wren is a great character, and her interactions with others are believable. She's eighteen, spending a year after high school living at her artist father's house in the Northeast. All she wants is time alone to process life as it was and is - two very different variations. At heart she's a photographer, but she's put away her camera. Seeing the world is painful, and she feels like there's a false veneer she was led to believe all her life that has been stripped away.

Poetry is...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Tabitha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: pulse-it, contemporary, digital-reads, young-adult

So, one of my new year’s resolutions is to stop giving books higher ratings that I feel they deserve just because I feel bad about giving ratings less than 3 stars. I know that might not make sense, considering I have no problem ranting my head off about things I hate and have rated more than one novel 1 star. I typically give books that didn’t suit me 3 stars because they probably weren’t bad, I just didn’t care for it. Well starting now, I’ll assume (probably wrongly) that everyone who follows...more So, one of my new year’s resolutions is to stop giving books higher ratings that I feel they deserve just because I feel bad about giving ratings less than 3 stars. I know that might not make sense, considering I have no problem ranting my head off about things I hate and have rated more than one novel 1 star. I typically give books that didn’t suit me 3 stars because they probably weren’t bad, I just didn’t care for it. Well starting now, I’ll assume (probably wrongly) that everyone who follows my reviews has similar tastes as me and would generally agree with my thoughts (or sometimes just likes to see thoughts different than their own) and start rating in a brutally honest fashion. The reviews themselves won’t change, but you may start seeing lower ratings.

So two stars for this novel. It follows Wren Wells as she tries to deal with the death of her boyfriend and the chaos of life in general. After the car accident that left her alive and him dead, she moves from her NY home with her mom to a cabin in the middle of the woods with her artist father to get some downtime. All her life crashes to a halt when she literally stops speaking. She stops seeing her friends, won’t leave the house, has no college plans. Now all she does is sit around her dads house and mope. Literally, that is all she does, that and run.

I started this with mediocrely high hopes (if that makes sense). I expected the story of a girl struggling to get over her boyfriend’s death. I expected to read about someone who WANTED to recover. But that just wasn’t the case. In her mopey moods, she manages to find someone with almost the same attitude towards life that she has adapted. Though the writer plays if off like this dude inspires her to do better, I just don’t see it. Mopey and grumpy with major issues of his own, Cal is far from the perfect leading man. Yeah, he does push her some, but mostly, he lets her do her own thing and gets mad over nothing.

Another reason this novel disappointed me was I HATED Wren. She’s so fucking selfish, I couldn’t sympathize with her at all. After the car accident, she curls into herself and pushes everyone away. She sees them trying to help her and makes fun of them in her inner monologue. She doesn’t try to contact the parents of her dead boyfriend, even though they show obvious concern for her well being, she won’t even speak to her best friend. Then in the “present day” of the story, she is just a bitch. When her dad gets a new art intern, Nick, she mean to him. Nick goes out of his way to try to keep her company or be nice to her, even accompanies her on a run and she fucking screams at him telling him that she doesn’t want or need his company, to go the hell away.

All in all, this book was just a disappointment. I wouldn’t have wasted my time on it if I had known, so I’m warning all of you. Just don’t bother.
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Mar 17, 2013 Jessie Harrell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is not the type of book I would normally pick up, but Simon & Schuster sent me a copy in hardback (probably because I was on the list to get a copy of Touching the Surface) and so I decided I'd give it a try. For what it is - a very dark, but ultimately hopeful story of a girl working her way through tragedy - it was flawless.

Mamie/Wren (she has sort of a dual identity) is holed up in her artist-father's house in Maine, basically trying to disappear after a horrific car crash. I won't g...more This is not the type of book I would normally pick up, but Simon & Schuster sent me a copy in hardback (probably because I was on the list to get a copy of Touching the Surface) and so I decided I'd give it a try. For what it is - a very dark, but ultimately hopeful story of a girl working her way through tragedy - it was flawless.

Mamie/Wren (she has sort of a dual identity) is holed up in her artist-father's house in Maine, basically trying to disappear after a horrific car crash. I won't give you the details because finding that out is part of the story.

Her parents want her to return to normal, but Wren feels like life is pointless. She makes no effort at the expense of those around her. Her only solace is running through the winter woods, and eventually she comes to enjoy her quiet job at the library. Being quiet is how Wren maintains her grip on sanity. When she finally starts to emerge from her funk, Wren realizes how terrible she's been to everyone around her, and feels worse again.

In the midst of it all is Cal. He's a few years older and is sitting out a semester of college because he has MS - the same disease that killed his mom. Despite Wren's terrible attitude, Cal is drawn to her because he understand her pain and her mix of feelings. We don't see romance here in the sense of stolen kisses or unbridled lust. What we do see is 2 broken people who want to be together but don't really know how.

The ending is wonderful in a not-perfect way. I cried many time reading this book. Not hard, just a tear here and there, but it was that powerful.

McNamara has an MFA in poetry, and so this story reads lyrically, almost like an unrhymed poem in paragraph form. Which for me was perfect, because I'm not a huge fan of poetry, but this was amazing. Here's an idea of the writing from a part in the book where Wren's mom has come into town and they're out to dinner.

"I look around the dining room. People seem to be ignoring us. Of course, she had to take me out. Said it that way. had to.

I can't say anything she'll want to hear. I used to be good at it. Toed the line. But I can't ill it off anymore. There's no good answer. Nothing that will make her stop worrying. I've been living. That's the best I've got. Feels like a lot."
(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Katy Upperman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, favorites

Lovely, Dark, and Deep is all of those things: Lovely prose that tells the story of a girl in a very dark place, and the deep relationships she forms as she struggles to find light again. This novel is mature and literary and full of romance that rings so true. It’s a hard read thanks to its difficult themes of loss, guilt, and obligation, but a hopeful read too. I couldn’t put it down.

Because of the car crash that killed her boyfriend and wrecked her life, Wren is taking a “gap year” after grad...more Lovely, Dark, and Deep is all of those things: Lovely prose that tells the story of a girl in a very dark place, and the deep relationships she forms as she struggles to find light again. This novel is mature and literary and full of romance that rings so true. It’s a hard read thanks to its difficult themes of loss, guilt, and obligation, but a hopeful read too. I couldn’t put it down.

Because of the car crash that killed her boyfriend and wrecked her life, Wren is taking a “gap year” after graduation, putting art school on hold. As the novel opens, she meets Cal (who I adore), a college student on hiatus thanks to some serious . As her relationship with Cal sparks and grows, Wren begins to find a happier place, a sense of peace she can’t find with anyone else.

But Wren’s recovery is far from easy. Despite the small surges of happiness Cal brings, she goes through periods of selective silence, runs obsessively during the frigid Northeast winter, and makes some pretty damaging life choices. It might have been easy to become frustrated with Wren — sometimes I did want her get it together already — but she’s so self-aware and honest about her grief, I mostly just longed to make her a big bowl of hot soup and give her a tight hug. Amy McNamara has a beautiful but precise way of describing pain and sorrow. Her carefully chosen words let the reader feel the emotion behind them, and that, more than anything, helped me empathize with Wren.

“So this is life. Love. We spend all this time reaching for each other and mostly we end up hurting each other until it’s over.”
― Amy McNamara, Lovely, Dark and Deep

Lovely, Dark and Deep has a cast of supporting characters who are mesmerizing in their own right. I particularly enjoyed John, Wren’s kind artist father, and Mary, a colorful RISD student in town for a fellowship. Lucy, the local librarian, made me feel all happy and warm, and even cocky Nick, another fellowship student, brought a smile to my face a few times. So… if you like books that are character-driven and complex and gorgeously written, books that ask deep questions, yet don’t all the answers, I highly recommend Lovely, Dark and Deep.(less)

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Feb 27, 2013 Jade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

This.

This is the book that I needed when I was eighteen and dealing with the turmoil of a loved one dying. The book I needed to see that people might use different words or see different things, but that the undercurrent of pain and grief and helplessness and barely existing is the same. It's simple and blunt and packs a punch. It was like living the last eight years all over again, but in a way that finally made me feel okay to have felt that way.

This is the book that I wish that I had been ab...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Sashsyy rated it 4 of 5 stars

BRIEF SUMMARY: Mamie is a girl who just overcome an accident that been keeping her guilty and depressed. She came to her dad's place where it is so quiet, lonely and depressed looking. She went to there in search of peace and time. There, she met Cal where she find out that people are suffering as well. Once Mamie gets to know Cal, she begins to find herself back and forger her shameful past.

At first, I REALLY wasn't sure whether this book is my thing but I thought that why not I step out my co...more BRIEF SUMMARY: Mamie is a girl who just overcome an accident that been keeping her guilty and depressed. She came to her dad's place where it is so quiet, lonely and depressed looking. She went to there in search of peace and time. There, she met Cal where she find out that people are suffering as well. Once Mamie gets to know Cal, she begins to find herself back and forger her shameful past.

At first, I REALLY wasn't sure whether this book is my thing but I thought that why not I step out my comfort zone and give it a try? This book is a total EMOTIONAL-ROLLER COASTER. One second, you'll feell so happy and then depressed the next. I can feel all the emotions that Mamie's feeling and I can say I felt as depressed as Mamie was. *spoiler* TO see Mamie from being so quiet to meeting Cal and actually getting back to talking was infuriating. Part of me just wanna shake her and say "It's not your fault! So wake up!". That just shows how much she had went through. But I love the parts where Mamie began to collect parts of herself along the way when she's with Cal. It made me know how great Mamie was. Easy said, this book swallowed me whole with all the intense emotions. I love the progress she made after meeting Cal. And also the book just made my heart tear cause of Mamie.

Well, this book was awesome, mind you. Een with all the sick/ depress thing. But I guess I wasn't really into it cause it just made me too depressed after reading it. Guess, it's not my thing after all. *spoiler*Anyway, I wished there was more romance between Cal and Mamie after Mamie start being herself more. ): well, that's mostly what I didn't really like.

Okay, after buddy reading this with Zoe an Greta, I guarantee that it's worth your time even if it's not on all priority list. I definitely enjoyed it where I can during reading it! If you love reading emotional roller coaster books, this is the perfect one!
P/s: this is my review! Try it and see if it's true! You'll never know if this can become your must read! Happy reading! :D (less)

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Mar 08, 2013 Nitya Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book... was pretty intense- at least the wording was. The verbal essence of this book had a rhythm that 'rocked me' and left me reading for long periods of time when I dared to. But, boy, it was very, very long.
The main character facinated me. A girl you now little about in the first few chapters starts to unfold and flashback to the lighter and the darker times of her life. Wren/Mamie is or was a typical girl with a cute boyfriend who saw everything through her Camera's lense. You can imm...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Susan P rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: committee, ya-fiction, contains-spoilers

Oh I loved this one! It takes place in a cold and snowy environment that really affects the story, and every time I'd put it down I was surprised to see different weather out my window!

Just before graduation, Wren was involved in a terrible tragedy. It ruined her graduation and her life. She didn't go off to college, she stopped talking to her friends, she no longer had a boyfriend. Even now six months later she is barely still functioning. Because life at home with her mother is too hard, she...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r-complete, read-2013

(Source: I borrowed a copy of this book.)
18-year-old Wren (formerly Mamie) is having a rough time of it. She was in a car accident with her boyfriend Patrick, in which he died, but she didn’t. She wasn’t driving, but she still blames herself for the accident.

Changing her name to Wren (something her dad always called her as a nick-name), she moves in with her dad in an isolated house overlooking the sea, and spends her days in solitude, running or sleeping, or simply watching her life go by. Her...more

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Nov 18, 2012 marion rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, cover-loving, likeable-titles, gorgeous-prose, thats-heavy, winter-wonderland, simple-but-honest, 2012-favourites, chick-lit, new-adult, books-that-hugged

Tips: to be read in a wram bed or peaceful beach, woods, mountain, river with some hot beverage on a winter break (better if you're surrounded by snow).
Book companion: Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Music suggestions: How To Save A Life by The Fray, C'est La Mort by The Civil Wars, On the Flip Of A Coin by Streets, Girl From The North Country by Bob Dylan
Bonus: one, two and three pictures of Maine from Wren's POV.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to k...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Ari J Bookzilla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: clean-read

I fell in love with this cover. The book is not cheap for an e-book, but I figured it would have to be worth it. I wasn't exactly right - but I wasn't wrong either. It's a pretty good read, I enjoyed it even if the writing style took some getting used to.

The story is great, I really really liked it. Both Wren and Cal have issues they have to get over and they help each other through it all. And I actually did like Wren, her grief and the way she dealt with it was heartbreaking and I felt for her...more I fell in love with this cover. The book is not cheap for an e-book, but I figured it would have to be worth it. I wasn't exactly right - but I wasn't wrong either. It's a pretty good read, I enjoyed it even if the writing style took some getting used to.

The story is great, I really really liked it. Both Wren and Cal have issues they have to get over and they help each other through it all. And I actually did like Wren, her grief and the way she dealt with it was heartbreaking and I felt for her loss. Cal is a wonderful character - he had all these things taken away from him and he didn't even fight it, he just gave up on it all. I completely understood why he was being all hot and cold with her until the very end.

The writing style... All these short, snippy sentences were just breaking my reading and it took me forever to read it. I tried to not make a pause after each full stop but it's hard when your brain is trained to do it - and I'm okay with it, really - I get it that maybe the author wanted me to experience what it felt like to be Wren, but she also did it in dialogue with other characters, not just Wren. So I'm not sure if it's just her writing style or good characterization of the main character.

This is Wren's train of thought:

Mary does this. Pops into my room. Asks little questions. I say nothing. It’s eleven and I’m still under the covers.

and then this is something Cal says:

“My dad remarried. They moved to Montreal. Sent us to boarding school. My little brother and me. The place up here’s kind of a family house, for holidays and vacations.”

It's very similar to me, so I don't know.

The ending felt kind of anti-climatic, like just an end of a chapter rather than the story. I kept waiting for the big something to happen, but I don't get it in the end.

I can't say I regret reading it, though. It was a wonderful story and I'm glad I read it, and if you can deal with the way it's written then I'd say it's worth it - which is why I'm giving it a four-star rating (though it's more of a 4.3 or something). I'm looking forward to reading more from Amy McNamara.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Marina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Este libro me destrozo. Se nota que la autora entiende de lo que habla en su forma de escribir el proceso de duelo, el dolor de Wren es casi palpable y su forma de actuar (bastante egoísta visto desde afuera) es lo que necesita en esos momento que uno no puede ni consigo mismo.

"I came here beacuse it's pine-dark and the ocean is wild. The kind of quiet-noise you need when there's too much going on in your head. Like the water and the woods are doing all the feeling, and I can hang out, quiet as...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Kim Purcell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of my favorites of 2012, a truly brilliant portrayal of depression and how one gets out of it. The protagonist, Wren, falls into a deep state of depression after her boyfriend is killed in a car accident beside her. They had just fought and she feels it's her fault. She stops speaking for a while and lives in a hazy fog, unclear of what she's doing, and unable to interact in a "normal" way. She feels like she's on a precipice, always in danger of making a mistake. I really loved...more

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About Amy McNamara

Amy McNamara is the author Lovely, Dark, and Deep (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) and a manuscript of poems, the new head chronometrist. Her poems appear in a wide variety of literary journals and have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is married to the artist Doug McNamara and they live in Brooklyn with their two children.

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Quotes from Lovely, Dark and Deep

“I came here because it's pine-dark and the ocean is wild. The kind of quiet-noise you need when there's too much going on in your head. Like the water and the woods are doing all the feeling, and I can hang out, quiet as a headstone, in a between place. A blank I can bear.” — 17 people liked it

“So this is life. Love. We spend all this time reaching for each other and mostly we end up hurting each other until it's over.” — 11 people liked it

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