Together We Will Go
- Downloads：4113
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-03 11:31:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：J. Michael Straczynski
- ISBN：1797124978
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Larry H
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The upcoming novel from Babylon 5 creator and Sense8 co-creator J。 Michael Straczynski， Together We Will Go， is a powerful， moving， and sometimes humorous look at suicide and assisted suicide。Mark is a depressed writer who can’t seem to sell any of his work。 He’s at the end of his rope， so he buys an old tour bus and plans to drive cross-country， ending in San Francisco。 He also places an online ad searching for travel companions。But this isn’t just any road trip。 Mark is looking for The upcoming novel from Babylon 5 creator and Sense8 co-creator J。 Michael Straczynski， Together We Will Go， is a powerful， moving， and sometimes humorous look at suicide and assisted suicide。Mark is a depressed writer who can’t seem to sell any of his work。 He’s at the end of his rope， so he buys an old tour bus and plans to drive cross-country， ending in San Francisco。 He also places an online ad searching for travel companions。But this isn’t just any road trip。 Mark is looking for people like him， who have no more strength or desire to keep on living。 At the end of their journey， they’ll drive the bus off a cliff。He gets a tremendous response so he has to figure out who seems legitimately interested in ending their lives and aren’t just suicide tourists， along for the ride， or looking to share the story to the media。 After hiring someone to drive the bus （until its final stop）， they begin picking up their passengers across the country。The people who join the trip are all suffering in their own ways—from chronic pain， mental illness， fatal diseases， loneliness， guilt， addiction。 And as the group grows and makes “bucket list” stops along the way， frictions occur among the group， some have second thoughts， motivations are questioned， and some are even kicked off the bus。 Together We Will Go is a quirky， sad， thought-provoking look at the ideation of suicidal feelings and what drives people to that end。 It’s told in a combination of narrative， text messages， transcriptions of audio files， and emails， and a majority of the characters narrate。 I definitely cared more about some characters than others， but overall this story evokes some real emotion。When you have that many characters and a unique narrative style， it’s sometimes hard to follow， and I definitely found some stories more compelling and powerful than others。 But this book definitely packs a punch and I won’t forget it anytime soon。NetGalley and Gallery Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review。 Thanks for making it available！！ Together We Will Go publishes 7/6。If you find yourself thinking of suicide and need to speak to someone， call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255。Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria。blogspot。com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020。html。 See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria。blogspot。com。Follow me on Instagram at https://www。instagram。com/the。bookishworld。of。yrralh/。 。。。more
Emma-Leigh Pedder
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I want to start by saying this usually is not a book I would usually pick up。 I tend to shy away from more heavy subject matter and I know a lot of others do too， but this book had such an interesting premise I decided to give it a shot。 I’m so glad I did。The book focuses on an unlikely group of people brought together with one goal - to end their life。 The book itself was told with mixed media through journal entries， emails， audio recording scripts， and texts。 I thought this was such a clever I want to start by saying this usually is not a book I would usually pick up。 I tend to shy away from more heavy subject matter and I know a lot of others do too， but this book had such an interesting premise I decided to give it a shot。 I’m so glad I did。The book focuses on an unlikely group of people brought together with one goal - to end their life。 The book itself was told with mixed media through journal entries， emails， audio recording scripts， and texts。 I thought this was such a clever writing device and allowed a lot of freedom for the author to explore different levels of the passengers’ thoughts and emotional states。 The audio recordings in particular were a clever way to capture action-packed scenes or conversations， and not something I’d come across before in a book。What surprised me most about this book was how many funny， charming and beautiful moments I found in this book。 I’m not sure what I was expecting - I knew it would be an emotional rollercoaster， and it certainly delivered， but it also made me smile and made me happy many times throughout。 The relationships formed between the passengers were beautiful to read， and hearing from so many points of view was fascinating。 I think that was the point of this novel - to show that suicidal intent comes from all different places， and hearing every individual story and every reason， I really felt I took something with me from reading it。 This is definitely not a book for everyone。 It took me a little longer to read than usual as I had to put it down a few times， but I would highly recommend it to anyone wishing to open their minds more on the subject of mental health。Huge thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC ❤ 。。。more
Michelle
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CW: Depression， suicide， suicide ideationTogether We Will Go is a story that is supposed to be bleak， it’s about death， after all。 But it’s also about how we live in the time we have left， and so this it rings hopeful。Author J。 Michael Straczynski says it best at the end of the book – this story is an examination of depression and suicide ideation and the feelings involved in that。 Failed writer Mark puts out a wanted ad looking for people who want to join his road trip across the country – once CW: Depression， suicide， suicide ideationTogether We Will Go is a story that is supposed to be bleak， it’s about death， after all。 But it’s also about how we live in the time we have left， and so this it rings hopeful。Author J。 Michael Straczynski says it best at the end of the book – this story is an examination of depression and suicide ideation and the feelings involved in that。 Failed writer Mark puts out a wanted ad looking for people who want to join his road trip across the country – once they reach San Francisco， they will end their lives together in one poetic drive off a cliff。 Each character who joins the crew has a different reason for being there， one has even decided that the rational decision in life is to end it。 And through each of their lenses we see what makes people want to take their lives。One of the characters explains that people leave themselves vulnerable to suicide because they don’t believe they could ever do it。 The character says that suddenly something traumatic happens and they are pulling out a gun， or the pills， and doing it。 Perhaps talking about suicide more， about how people can get to that place， will make people less susceptible。 Or will encourage them to reach out and talk to someone。It’s an interesting thought。 I’ve had a number of people in my life die by suicide， and I could never understand how they got to that place。 In reading this book and the character soliloquies about why they have made this decision， I can sympathize。 When someone you know commits suicide， you don’t get that in-depth exploration of it from them， and I appreciated having that。 It won’t tell me why the people I lost are gone， but it helps me to understand how they found their way there。This book is sad， but it wasn’t as heavy as you’d imagine。 As I said， there’s hope， and there’s some laughter。 Together We Will Go comes out July 6 – will you be reading it？Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery/Scout Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ceecee
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4-5 stars。。。’Together we will go， heigh-ho the derry-o， together we will go’ 。。。。 or will they？？？ ‘By the time you read this， I’ll be dead’， thus says one of those on the suicide bus， the price of admission is to upload your story。 It’s one last party you don’t come back from， a collective last will in more ways than one。 It’s the idea of Mark Antonelli， a twenty nine year old failed writer， who posts an ad， buys the bus， a driver and obtains a disparate bunch of passengers for one last trip of 4-5 stars。。。’Together we will go， heigh-ho the derry-o， together we will go’ 。。。。 or will they？？？ ‘By the time you read this， I’ll be dead’， thus says one of those on the suicide bus， the price of admission is to upload your story。 It’s one last party you don’t come back from， a collective last will in more ways than one。 It’s the idea of Mark Antonelli， a twenty nine year old failed writer， who posts an ad， buys the bus， a driver and obtains a disparate bunch of passengers for one last trip of a lifetime。 It’s told in a variety of ways including texts， emails and narrative which is remarkably cohesive。 It’s a no holds barred look at suicide and assisted suicide which is done realistically and sensitively。 First of all， let’s look at the characters who are on the bus for a variety of reasons ranging from chronic and constant pain， other health issues or because some elements of society have decided they have no use for them except to bully and body shame - they’re all distressing reasons but that punches you in the abdomen。 I like nearly all the characters but especially Karen Ortiz whose descriptions of her pain are fantastic; Tyler， what a phenomenal person he is; I love Shanelle just for herself; Zeke and his hugely overwhelming love for Soldier which makes you cry and Dylan who is a bit of a hero。 As for Lisa， I initially think， let me of the bus please she’s doing my head in but she sort of grows on you！ I like the combination of the darkly humorous with the frustration and anger mixed in with some philosophical thoughts and attitudes on suicide and assisted suicide。 There’s a growing friendship， a bond， a sense of solidarity， togetherness and even love in one case and it’s quite intense as you may expect and a bit surreal in places。 。 It’s absolutely heartbreaking at times such as the statistics on millennial suicides so it’s also designed to shock you but it’s also very thoughtful， thought provoking， surprisingly entertaining for such a dark almost taboo topic and it’s absolutely gut wrenching in others。 Overall， I think this is a brave book but also an important one for a variety of reasons such as being able to talk about the topic openly and it raises issues and hopefully discussions on the rights to free will。 It’s a well written novel that is hard to put down。 With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Titan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Kari
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My Review ofTOGETHER WE WILL GOBy J。 Michael StraczynskiGifted & Published by {Partner} @ScoutPress/ @GalleryOn Sale: 7/6/21******I want to start off by saying I’ve never enjoyed a book more。 EVERYONE needs to read this。 It is so brilliantly written on such a serious topic but with so much fun and humor that you wouldn’t think wouldn’t fit with the topic of group suicide; but it does and it does it so well。 As a 3x suicide survivor， who suffers from depression and anxiety， I laughed so hard but My Review ofTOGETHER WE WILL GOBy J。 Michael StraczynskiGifted & Published by {Partner} @ScoutPress/ @GalleryOn Sale: 7/6/21******I want to start off by saying I’ve never enjoyed a book more。 EVERYONE needs to read this。 It is so brilliantly written on such a serious topic but with so much fun and humor that you wouldn’t think wouldn’t fit with the topic of group suicide; but it does and it does it so well。 As a 3x suicide survivor， who suffers from depression and anxiety， I laughed so hard but never felt more understood。 I consider this to be a literary masterpiece and anyone that has dealt with the difficult subject of mental health can find a piece of themselves in one of the many protagonists。 The characters are all so flawed but likable and have the biggest hearts。 An exploration into the lives of people that tells the story of why they each consider suicide and view it as their only way out of what they feel is pain and an existence that they can no longer continue the journey。******Mark Antonelli feels he’s failed as a writer， disappointed his parents time and time again and just can’t live up to a life meeting others expectations。 Contemplating suicide， he has decided to buy an old bus， hire a driver and place an ad inviting others like him on a final， one way road trip that will drive them right off a cliff with a glorious view。 They will have their pits stops of dancing， partying and mishaps and fun with people who will understand them more than anyone else。 They become like a family。 Each individual has their own reasons for wanting to get on the bus and their own quirks。What is not predicted is the mayhem and some unpredictable moments that will not only make this trip crazy and dangerous but will change some of them before they get to the cliff。 The relationships and love they develop for one another is something so fulfilling that they each deserve and actually gives them more of a chance to embrace life instead of choosing to end it。 。。。more
Deb Beachburgmom
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I was so lucky to receive a free advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster ， any opinions are mine。Wow I was not sure what to expect reading this book。。。。。I was hooked。。。。。。it’s a look into a group of strangers who have come together for the soul purpose of a trek together with the end destination being that of a suicide pact。。。。。。the characters were quirky， down to earth， young， old and the journey they share and emotions of their stories make you want to keep getting to kno I was so lucky to receive a free advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster ， any opinions are mine。Wow I was not sure what to expect reading this book。。。。。I was hooked。。。。。。it’s a look into a group of strangers who have come together for the soul purpose of a trek together with the end destination being that of a suicide pact。。。。。。the characters were quirky， down to earth， young， old and the journey they share and emotions of their stories make you want to keep getting to know them。 It’s a heart wrenching story and deals with a topic that maybe is not for everyone but I’m so glad I read it。 It’s a story that will stay with me for awhile。。。。。 。。。more
B
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Loved it
Kevin Likes
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is about a journey through some dark places。 Some are outside， but most are inside。 This book deals with uncomfortable topics。 Early on you find out that suicide is one。 But almost anything that you can think of comes up。This is a journey novel in epistolary form。 Through the use of many perspectives， JMS deals with how people deal well and deal poorly with circumstances of all kinds。 All that said， this isn't science fiction， it's not horror， it's not a thriller。 It's an investigation This book is about a journey through some dark places。 Some are outside， but most are inside。 This book deals with uncomfortable topics。 Early on you find out that suicide is one。 But almost anything that you can think of comes up。This is a journey novel in epistolary form。 Through the use of many perspectives， JMS deals with how people deal well and deal poorly with circumstances of all kinds。 All that said， this isn't science fiction， it's not horror， it's not a thriller。 It's an investigation of people who have made decisions， and how they feel with each other。 Some of this clearly comes from the author's past （as witness his autobiography）， but that isn't the end off his imagination or empathy。Well worth the ride。Full disclosure: I got this from a Goodreads giveaway。 That does not change my rating。 。。。more
Cindy
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This book explores a difficult topic and the author does an excellent job of navigating it well。 At times heart wrenching; at other times uplifting; always informative and engaging。 The plot is creative and each character is well thought out。 A completely different story than I have ever read before。 I would definitely read more by this author although I wouldn't want to have lived in his head while he was writing this one。 Very powerful read。 It is an added plus if you are reading this book whi This book explores a difficult topic and the author does an excellent job of navigating it well。 At times heart wrenching; at other times uplifting; always informative and engaging。 The plot is creative and each character is well thought out。 A completely different story than I have ever read before。 I would definitely read more by this author although I wouldn't want to have lived in his head while he was writing this one。 Very powerful read。 It is an added plus if you are reading this book while on a road trip， especially if the road trip takes you through Nebraska （I was passing through the same towns as characters on the bus while reading as a passenger in the car driving from Chicago to Colorado;） Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early release in exchange for an honest and fair review。 。。。more
Teresa
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CW TW！！！ This whole story is centered around the topic of suicide。 Please approach with care and caution。Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Together We Will Go by J。 Michael Straczynski。Mark is planning a very unusual excursion。 He has placed an ad for people all over the country to be picked up by a big bus， drive through the US to California， and then right when the beautiful San Fran sun begins to set， drive themselves off a cliff。 But to ride on the bus， there are stipulations， the attendan CW TW！！！ This whole story is centered around the topic of suicide。 Please approach with care and caution。Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Together We Will Go by J。 Michael Straczynski。Mark is planning a very unusual excursion。 He has placed an ad for people all over the country to be picked up by a big bus， drive through the US to California， and then right when the beautiful San Fran sun begins to set， drive themselves off a cliff。 But to ride on the bus， there are stipulations， the attendants must keep a journal telling their story and how they ended up on the bus。 But naturally， during the bus ride， friendships， alliances， romances， and feuds all shape things up， making this a much more interesting ride than any of them could have bargained for。Ok， this book reminds me of the Hunger Games， in that the premise is so disturbing that you can't believe you're reading it。 But also， it's a total page turner that you guiltily keep going。 I was so into this book。 And considering the content and upsetting topic， I actually felt like the author did it respect and justice。 It had me absolutely bawling at one point， and laughing at another。 It was full of heart and tragedy， connection， and utter despair。 It also did not go in the direction I expected， which I also enjoyed。 。。。more
The Bookend Diner
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Thank you， Scout Press， for the gifted copy of Together We Will Go。Genre: FictionPub Date: 7。6。21Star Rating: ☆☆ “As long as there’s even a possibility of being happy for five minutes today， or the next day， or the one after that， then it’s worth hanging on。” Let me first begin this review by saying that if you find yourself experiencing thoughts of self-harm and need someone to talk to， please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800。273。8255。 You are not alone。 I wanted to love th Thank you， Scout Press， for the gifted copy of Together We Will Go。Genre: FictionPub Date: 7。6。21Star Rating: ☆☆ “As long as there’s even a possibility of being happy for five minutes today， or the next day， or the one after that， then it’s worth hanging on。” Let me first begin this review by saying that if you find yourself experiencing thoughts of self-harm and need someone to talk to， please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800。273。8255。 You are not alone。 I wanted to love this book。 It’s been one that I’ve been excited to read about for the last two months but I knew fairly early on that it wasn’t for me。 I should’ve stopped reading but I kept hoping that I could find something to like and something to hang onto but I was never able to。 Honestly， the only reason that I stuck to the story was for two people， Karen and Zeke。 The entire book could have been written from the perspective of these two characters and I would have been thrilled。 Maybe it was the content that was too hard for me to get past but there were some extremely unlikeable characters。 I was also hoping for a book with a different outcome and while there was hope， in the end， it was too late。 Please know that this review is my opinion and I do not want to discourage you from reading this novel but please note that it is an incredibly heavy and difficult story to read。 💚 Kate， Zeke， and Soldier stole my heart ⏺ Formatted in the form of text messages， emails， and voice recordings🥺 Not a book with a happy ending🙅🏽♀️ Not for someone who is currently struggling with their mental health ❌ Suicide， rape， attempted rape， drug usageI can’t really recommend this book to anyone but it reminded me a bit of The Midnight Library and Anxious People。So， enough with that， tell me the best part of your week so far 👇🏼Follow me on Instagram: https://www。instagram。com/thebookend。。。。Follow my blog: https://thebookenddiner。com/ 。。。more
Alison （AlisonInLibraryLand）
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*I received an Advanced Readers Copy of ‘For The Love Of Friends‘ from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review！*The story of Together We Will Go might be centered around suicide， but it’s so full of life。 A road trip is planned across the country with one purpose for everyone who gets picked up on the way- at the end the bus is driving off of a cliff with all of them on it。 As police and family try to stop them， they’ll find out if the journey is worth it。Every character has their reason for *I received an Advanced Readers Copy of ‘For The Love Of Friends‘ from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review！*The story of Together We Will Go might be centered around suicide， but it’s so full of life。 A road trip is planned across the country with one purpose for everyone who gets picked up on the way- at the end the bus is driving off of a cliff with all of them on it。 As police and family try to stop them， they’ll find out if the journey is worth it。Every character has their reason for joining and every one of their stories is given such wonderful depth。 There is no shying away from their individual reasons and stories for getting on the bus and that can make for some emotionally tough moments of reading。 With a bus full of people it would have been easy for characters to get lost but I was surprised by how attached I got to so many of them。It’s not all a depressing story though！ Without giving anything away， there are moments of such beauty and hope。 Together We Will Go is not really a story about death， it’s a story about life and everything that come with it。 Good and bad， loneliness and connections， bodies that can hurt and help。 The dark premise and discussion of many triggers-suicide， drugs， chronic pain， and mental illness-means this story is definitely not for everyone。 If you can safely handle these though， I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Phyllis Bernstein
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This was such a unique plot。 A failed author who is depressed decides he will commit suicide and puts out a personal ad inviting others to join him in a suicide pact。 It’s a strange assortment of characters but the caveat is that they have to write in their journals or voicemails why they want to kill themselves。 This helps the reader get to know the various characters。 This book could have been a real downer， but surprisingly it wasn’t。Warning- if suicide is a trigger for you， don’t read this
Carol
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Suicide is something I have not been exposed to in an up close and personal way， so this really was very informative while showing the human side in addition to facts。A bus will pick you up and you will transcribe your story and reasons why you want to die on the server installed on the bus。 More people will be picked up and when full， the bus heads to San Francisco to drive off a cliff into the sunset together。 The transcription will let their friends and family hear from them after they are go Suicide is something I have not been exposed to in an up close and personal way， so this really was very informative while showing the human side in addition to facts。A bus will pick you up and you will transcribe your story and reasons why you want to die on the server installed on the bus。 More people will be picked up and when full， the bus heads to San Francisco to drive off a cliff into the sunset together。 The transcription will let their friends and family hear from them after they are gone as to why they felt this was the right thing for them。 Simple， huh？ Not so！The group that gathers covers all bases for types of people and for many reasons for wanting to end it。 Some preconceived notions I had were shown to be not so reliable as facts and I learned a lot while thoroughly engrossed in the storyline。 The characters were treated in such a way that you could empathize with them and completely understand why they thought these reasons were enough to pull their own plugs。 That does not mean all were likeable characters， either。Of course there is dissention by some， rightfully so in my opinion， when Mark， the organizer， is found to have kept some important pieces of information from the rest， but how they handle it was nicely done。 The fact that assisted suicide is a felony in some states is also a part of the story。I really enjoyed reading this book， which seems strange to me considering the heavy subject matter， but the author pulled it all together nicely。 I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion。 I'd give it 4。5 stars。 。。。more
sarah
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Mark， a depressingly unsuccessful writer， posts an invitation online for a cross-country suicide road trip。 Aboard an old tour bus with a hired driver named Dylan （who has no intention of dying; he’s quite literally just there to drive）， they pick up hopeless individuals as they journey to San Francisco where they plan to _yeet_ off a cliff to their willful demise。 Written in a multimedia format， this story is dark， hilarious， adventurous， and filled with friendship and love， sometimes all withi Mark， a depressingly unsuccessful writer， posts an invitation online for a cross-country suicide road trip。 Aboard an old tour bus with a hired driver named Dylan （who has no intention of dying; he’s quite literally just there to drive）， they pick up hopeless individuals as they journey to San Francisco where they plan to _yeet_ off a cliff to their willful demise。 Written in a multimedia format， this story is dark， hilarious， adventurous， and filled with friendship and love， sometimes all within the same page。 Through journal entries， emails， and voice recordings， the reader is offered a glimpse into each characters’ unique voice， though some are more fleshed out than others。 There's a notable absence of a first-person narration from Dylan， since only the passengers keep journals as a condition of their participation， which is unfortunate as he's one of the most interesting characters in the story。 Plot-wise， there were a few events that were questionable， though the overall story and the interesting premise were still enjoyable。 Needless to say， this book necessitates trigger warnings for suicidality and assisted suicide， in addition to sexual violence and self-harm。 Though this is not a book for the mainstream （particularly those in vulnerable mental states）， I appreciate that the author didn’t hold back in his discussion of these touchy topics， nor is he exceedingly preachy in a self-help kind of way。 As someone who's experienced suicidal ideation， I really appreciated that this story sympathizes with the accompanying emotions and thought processes， their complexities， and the importance of autonomy。 It’s a perspective you don’t hear too often， but one I’m really glad I stumbled upon。 Thank you to NetGalley， Simon & Schuster Canada， and J。 Michael Straczynski for providing this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Robin
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2。75/5⭐️This book was hard in several ways。 First， Trigger Warning: the book deals with a group of people （12） who are solicited by an online ad to join a cross-country bus ride which promises to end in a collective suicide。 Along the journey and for the price of the ride， they must upload journal entries relating their stories。 Second， I didn’t agree with a lot of the political ideals/posturing of the story， and the language （at least to me） was a bit much。 Third， as the author is a successful 2。75/5⭐️This book was hard in several ways。 First， Trigger Warning: the book deals with a group of people （12） who are solicited by an online ad to join a cross-country bus ride which promises to end in a collective suicide。 Along the journey and for the price of the ride， they must upload journal entries relating their stories。 Second， I didn’t agree with a lot of the political ideals/posturing of the story， and the language （at least to me） was a bit much。 Third， as the author is a successful screenwriter for movies and TV， this felt too much like a movie script to me （in instances I was reminded of The Breakfast Club and Thelma and Louise）。 And I wouldn’t be surprised to see this show up on a movie screen。 I think it would be catnip for Hollywood。 So while it really wasn’t for me， it did have some thoughtful and often poignant moments as this group of strangers became sharers of secrets and souls。 Some will get more out of this than I did， but just be aware that it’s not all light-hearted material （as the book cover suggests）。 Read with care。 My thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for providing me the free early arc for review。 The opinions are strictly my own。 。。。more
Anna
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First and foremost， as you can tell from the synopsis， this is an unfiltered view of suicide and assisted suicide so I can't recommend this book to everyone。 I took a lot away from reading this book。 I loved the way the characters on the bus were extremely unique in appearance， circumstance and past trauma。 The trigger warnings are robust， as each character was experiencing something from bi-polar disorder to chronic pain。 Despite their differences， the characters all found a way to come togethe First and foremost， as you can tell from the synopsis， this is an unfiltered view of suicide and assisted suicide so I can't recommend this book to everyone。 I took a lot away from reading this book。 I loved the way the characters on the bus were extremely unique in appearance， circumstance and past trauma。 The trigger warnings are robust， as each character was experiencing something from bi-polar disorder to chronic pain。 Despite their differences， the characters all found a way to come together and love each other as a flawed group。 Watching how quickly they found love together was so touching。 It was a great reminder for me。I really enjoyed the writing style。 Told through a series of blog posts by each character， it was easy to follow despite the long cast list。 I can't give away much here， but the writing style was extremely important to the plot and twist， which I found very creative。 I laughed and cried multiple times reading this book。 I enjoyed the ride with the group as we found small， beautiful moments along the way。 。。。more
Gina Moltz
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Together We Will Go tackles a tough subject with both empathy and humor。 A group of people planning on committing suicide doesn’t sound fun but this group managed to find fun and love along the way。 You learn the many reasons people believe suicide is their only option。 While you may not agree with these guys， you cannot help but root for them。 This book gives you a lot to think about。
Barbara Schultz
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Marc Antonelli age 29 is a writer and is depressed as he just got and stacks of rejections from publishers。 He places a personal ad reads ~ Looking for “like minded” people who want to take a cross- county trip and are willing to fly off a San Francisco cliff”。Hmm this doesn’t sound like my typical read， however， the saying “Life is a Journey ~ not a destination” had me curious。Although this subject isn’t a read I enjoy， I do like when author tackle tough topics that they offer a resource。 I w Marc Antonelli age 29 is a writer and is depressed as he just got and stacks of rejections from publishers。 He places a personal ad reads ~ Looking for “like minded” people who want to take a cross- county trip and are willing to fly off a San Francisco cliff”。Hmm this doesn’t sound like my typical read， however， the saying “Life is a Journey ~ not a destination” had me curious。Although this subject isn’t a read I enjoy， I do like when author tackle tough topics that they offer a resource。 I was pleased to find at the end of the book that since book dealt with suicidal ideation and depression offered a hot line to speak to someone who understand。 The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273 8255Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for this early release granted to me for my honest professional opinion。Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 6， 2021 。。。more
Zachary Houle
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The initial “J。” in J。 Michael Straczynski’s name might stand for “Jack of all trades。” He is probably best known for creating the science-fiction television series Babylon 5 during the 1990s， but he has also written everything from Hollywood screenplays （such as Changeling for Clint Eastwood） to comic books （such as a run during the 2000s of The Amazing Spider-Man）。 Together We Will Go， Straczynski’s first novel in some 20 years， is another feather in his cap， and it comes with its share of con The initial “J。” in J。 Michael Straczynski’s name might stand for “Jack of all trades。” He is probably best known for creating the science-fiction television series Babylon 5 during the 1990s， but he has also written everything from Hollywood screenplays （such as Changeling for Clint Eastwood） to comic books （such as a run during the 2000s of The Amazing Spider-Man）。 Together We Will Go， Straczynski’s first novel in some 20 years， is another feather in his cap， and it comes with its share of controversy。 The subject of the novel is suicide and is about a group of 12 people planning on ending their lives。 I can say that the book is entertaining and sometimes even philosophical， but some may think the author is trying to make the subject look cool。 I don’t think that’s entirely the point as evidenced by the fact that， at one point early on in this read， Straczynski shoehorns a suicide hotline number into the text。 You know， just in case you were having thoughts about ending your life while reading this work。The book is centered around a thirty-something writer named Mark， who has suffered from receiving one rejection letter too many from a book or magazine publisher。 He decides to end his life and to go out with a particularly big bang。 He rents an old tour bus， hires an army vet to drive it， and then sends out an advertisement on the Internet looking to pick up people interested in ending their lives as well。 Starting from Florida， the idea is to gather people interested in offing themselves from across the continental United States until the bus reaches San Francisco， at which put the bus will be driven off a cliff。 Twelve people （and a cat！） answer the call to board the bus。 One thing， though。 The condition for being on the bus is that you must journal the proceedings to create a kind of long-form suicide note。 Therefore， the novel is mostly an epistolary one， told in journal entries， emails， text messages， and text versions of audio recordings all uploaded to the bus’s server。 （Yes， this is a high-tech bus。） The bus passengers are a practical cross-section of society， from a woman who experiences chronic pain， to a bi-polar drug-abusing neo-hippie， to a non-gender binary individual， to a man with a condition that makes his skin turn blue， to a young college student who treats suicide as a more intellectual than emotional decision， and so on。Read the rest of the review here: https://zachary-houle。medium。com/a-re。。。 。。。more
Sean
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A novel that tackles mental illness and suicide while still managing to include humor and engaging plot developments。 However， I think the main strength of the book is the thought that it promotes through the various viewpoints it shares。 As I am not a mental health professional， I cannot attest to the accuracy of the presented viewpoints; however， regardless of accuracy the novel left me with an increased awareness of the subjectiveness and unreasonableness of mental illness。 I left this novel A novel that tackles mental illness and suicide while still managing to include humor and engaging plot developments。 However， I think the main strength of the book is the thought that it promotes through the various viewpoints it shares。 As I am not a mental health professional， I cannot attest to the accuracy of the presented viewpoints; however， regardless of accuracy the novel left me with an increased awareness of the subjectiveness and unreasonableness of mental illness。 I left this novel with increased empathy for humanity and that alone is a reason to give it a try。 。。。more
Farrah
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Wow， what an outstanding book！ It's important to know that 𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙂𝙤 takes an unflinching look at both suicide and assisted suicide。 It's not a book I would recommend to just anyone but I think those who can handle the subject matter will appreciate it。 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺。 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶 Wow， what an outstanding book！ It's important to know that 𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙂𝙤 takes an unflinching look at both suicide and assisted suicide。 It's not a book I would recommend to just anyone but I think those who can handle the subject matter will appreciate it。 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺。 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴。 So yeah， it turns out to be a very unusual road trip。 Some if the characters form bonds but it's not like most friendships。 These people accept each other's idea to end their lives and want to make it as comfortable as possible。 I came to love some of the characters。 I certainly didn't agree with a lot of their choices but it was very though provoking。 I wondered 'Does the author dare。。。does he ACTUALLY DARE make me care for these people and then make me watch them drive off a bridge at the end？！' Then I thought 'WAIT， am I assisting their suicide by continuing to read this？！ Can I just close the book before they reach their final destination and keep them alive forever？' But that wouldn't work， the end of the book was already written， whether I chose to read it or not。 They didn't want to die alone so I decided to stick with them- no matter what。 I'm sure this will be on my BEST OF THE YEAR list。 ** thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy。 Released on July 6th 。。。more
B。
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I won an ARC of this one in a Goodreads giveaway。 I'm also apparently in the minority in terms of appeal for this book and （as Gen X - so very much not the target audience for this one）。 The best way I can think to describe this book is a Gen Z watered down attempt at writing like Chuck Palahniuk。 Even the attempts at being "hard hitting" or "brutally realistic" feel more like a little kiddo's attempt at a comeback - sure， you can see the point they're trying to go for， but it just doesn't hit t I won an ARC of this one in a Goodreads giveaway。 I'm also apparently in the minority in terms of appeal for this book and （as Gen X - so very much not the target audience for this one）。 The best way I can think to describe this book is a Gen Z watered down attempt at writing like Chuck Palahniuk。 Even the attempts at being "hard hitting" or "brutally realistic" feel more like a little kiddo's attempt at a comeback - sure， you can see the point they're trying to go for， but it just doesn't hit the mark。 。。。more
Donna Foster
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Important and totally worth it to hang in there and read this story to the very last page。
Melissa
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What a great group of characters！ Yes， this is a bit of a "road trip" novel， but it's also a character study。 Almost a dozen people answer a personal ad to get on a bus， take a cross country road trip， and kill themselves upon arrival in San Francisco。 The only catch？ They must journal their experience and upload it to a shared cloud。 The group becomes a family as they travel across the country， bonding in different ways。Some characters you get to know more than others， but every one of them jum What a great group of characters！ Yes， this is a bit of a "road trip" novel， but it's also a character study。 Almost a dozen people answer a personal ad to get on a bus， take a cross country road trip， and kill themselves upon arrival in San Francisco。 The only catch？ They must journal their experience and upload it to a shared cloud。 The group becomes a family as they travel across the country， bonding in different ways。Some characters you get to know more than others， but every one of them jumps off the page at different points in the story。 This book was gut-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time。Mark Antonelli， a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty， is planning a cross-country road trip。 He buys a beat-up old tour bus。 He hires a young army vet to drive it。 He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way。 But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey—upon arrival in San Francisco， they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset， hit the gas， and drive out of this world。The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar， party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one。 We get to know them through access to their texts， emails， voicemails， and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip。By turns tragic， funny， quirky， charming， and deeply moving， Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together， and the relationships that grow between them， with some discovering love and affection for the first time。 But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise， it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as the choice to end it。 The final， unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the decisions awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime。Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Dianne
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Unique。 Emotional。 Unexpected。 Sad。 Happy。 You already know that this book is about suicide so you can't be upset if you read this book and then want to complain！The characters are as complex as their reasons are to end their lives。 I was totally invested and immersed in each character and I actually wish that their book had been longer so we could see the ramifications of those who chose a different path。 The writing is unique since we have a variety of styles-instant messages， journals， reco Unique。 Emotional。 Unexpected。 Sad。 Happy。 You already know that this book is about suicide so you can't be upset if you read this book and then want to complain！The characters are as complex as their reasons are to end their lives。 I was totally invested and immersed in each character and I actually wish that their book had been longer so we could see the ramifications of those who chose a different path。 The writing is unique since we have a variety of styles-instant messages， journals， recordings （they have been transcribed）， and one on one interactions。I am glad that I chose to read this。 I was skeptical at first but soon found myself fascinated with this book。*ARC supplied by the publisher， the author， and ATTL/Edelweiss。 。。。more
Stacy40pages
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Together We Will Go by J。 Michael Straczynski。 Thanks to @gallery @scoutpress @netgalley for the e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Failed writer Marc is fed up。 He buys an old bus， hires an army vet as a driver and takes off on a road trip。 Along the way he picked up many other companions， all getting on the bus with the same intent: to have fun and then drive off a cliff。 Wow， this was such a unique and heartfelt read。 It left me with some complicated thoughts on suicide and assisted suicide。 I wasn’t sure from Together We Will Go by J。 Michael Straczynski。 Thanks to @gallery @scoutpress @netgalley for the e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Failed writer Marc is fed up。 He buys an old bus， hires an army vet as a driver and takes off on a road trip。 Along the way he picked up many other companions， all getting on the bus with the same intent: to have fun and then drive off a cliff。 Wow， this was such a unique and heartfelt read。 It left me with some complicated thoughts on suicide and assisted suicide。 I wasn’t sure from the description if this was something I’d like。 I don’t usually love stories that are made of texts， voice memos， etc。， but it totally worked here。 It still read as a full， connected story but we got everyone’s perspective and viewpoint through many means。 There are many characters but they were easy to remember as we really were able to dive deep with all of them。 Reading this story， you never know how it will end。 Will any of the twelve get off the bus？ Some？ All？ Read and find out。。。 it’s definitely worth picking up。 “Why stick around when you’re not wanted， your future isn’t what you thought it was going to be and every day you’re being elbowed a little further off the planet？”“There’s something nice about being one more rider on a bus that’s taking us all to the same place。”Together We Will Go comes out 7/6。 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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I've shelved this and backburnered it。 The subject matter is too sad to be reading now when the real news is so disturbing。 Maybe later。 It's well written and compelling， but not for me right now。 I've shelved this and backburnered it。 The subject matter is too sad to be reading now when the real news is so disturbing。 Maybe later。 It's well written and compelling， but not for me right now。 。。。more
Natalie
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Together We Will GoBy J。 Michael StraczynskiI must preface this review by saying that I did not finish the book – not because I did not like it。 The proof downloaded kept cutting out and going back to page one， making it hard to read。 This is unfortunate， since this book is probably one of the best I have read in quite a while。The story involves a cast of characters， all of whom， for various reasons， have decided to commit suicide。 The characters agree to sign on for a cross-country bus trip whi Together We Will GoBy J。 Michael StraczynskiI must preface this review by saying that I did not finish the book – not because I did not like it。 The proof downloaded kept cutting out and going back to page one， making it hard to read。 This is unfortunate， since this book is probably one of the best I have read in quite a while。The story involves a cast of characters， all of whom， for various reasons， have decided to commit suicide。 The characters agree to sign on for a cross-country bus trip which will end with a drive off a cliff in California。 What a downer， you say？ Well that turns out not to be true！There are parts of the book that are crazy and parts that are funny。 As each character writes entries into the community database （a requirement to join the bus）， the reader realizes there are many reasons for choosing to end one's life。 The entries serve as multiple narrators in the saga， which makes the whole concept more interesting。I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys the quirky and different。 I hope to be able to read the full book – and look forward to what Mr。 Straczynski comes up with next！ 。。。more
Judy
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