Parents' Guide to

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between

By Darienne Stewart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Soon-to-part lovers debate what-ifs in smart romance.

Book Jennifer E. Smith Romance 2015
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

Clare and Aidan have only 12 hours before they leave their town, their families, and each other to begin college 3,000 miles apart. After two wonderful years together, they're down to their last night – and they still don't know whether they should break up or try to stay together despite the looming physical and emotional distance. Clare, the careful, organized planner, is prepared with an itinerary for the night and an argument for why they should split. Aidan would prefer to see where the night -- and their future -- leads them. As they revisit key moments of their past and contemplate what's in store, they grapple with complicated goodbyes to their friends, their families, and everything familiar.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This engaging romance is Before Sunrise for teens, chronicling the final night at home for a likable couple trying to imagine their future -- together and apart. Deciding who you want to be isn't done in a vacuum: The people we take with us -- and those we leave behind -- help shape us. In HELLO, GOODBYE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, author Jennifer E. Smith eloquently captures the strange, bittersweet moment when it feels as if your whole life is ahead of you even as the world around you is crumbling.

There's lots of talking but also a fight, a nighttime swim, a candy-shopping spree, and lots of driving, giving the novel a restless energy. Smith gets teens with a genuine authenticity, and Clare and Aidan soon feel like familiar friends. Devoted romantics will swoon, and anxious kids preparing to leave home may find themselves with a playbook for the changes ahead.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about romances. Most romantic stories focus on the beginning of a relationship. How does this one compare?

  • Does the party, as it's depicted with teenage drinking, seem like the kind of place you want to be? Do Clare and Aidan seem particularly eager to be there? Parents might want to talk with kids about underage drinking in the media.

  • Do you like the resolution of the couple's dilemma, or would you have preferred it to be left open-ended?

Book Details

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