A Thought-Provoking YA Novel: ‘And Then There Was Us’ Book Review

When 19-year-old Coi, loses her mom suddenly in an accident, she’s forced to deal with their tumultuous relationship and find a way to move forward. 

“And Then There Was Us by Kern Carter” is a thought-provoking YA novel that addresses grief, and loss and has elements of the effects of generational trauma. The main theme is how we deal with grief and more importantly how each person has their way of processing loss. 

Coi is an engaging protagonist, who is going through it, as the story begins we get a slight look into her life before it blows up. Living with her father in Toronto she’s attending college while designing her clothing brand. And while it may seem at first glance she has it all together, Coi has been changed by being estranged from her mother, and not dealing with the pain that was left by that. But when she receives a call one night from her aunt that her mom has been in a car accident and is in the hospital fighting for her life, Coi runs to be there, while trying to process how she feels, and before she can even get a grasp her mom passes away. 

As the story unfolds we see how her relationship with her mother left deep-rooted scars, that affect her in ways she’s too afraid to admit to herself. And while the abuse she endured at the hands of her mom was traumatic, she’s now left to figure out how she can get closure from someone who never apologized or showed remorse. 

As a result, many of her relationships are strained, especially those with her mom’s family, including her younger sister Kayla. 

Reading this book took me on a journey, and while I was deeply engrossed in Coi’s story and POV, I felt there were moments when she was acting a little bratty, particularly when dealing with her grandmother, Lady. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Everyone processes grief differently and this story truly showed that we have to give people space to process things in their own way. 
• We all experience people differently. The way Coi experienced her mother, as opposed to her younger sister, Kayla was night and day. I think Coi had trouble processing that because she couldn’t recognize that maybe her mother changed in the years that they weren’t in contact. 
• The author touches a bit on generational trauma when we hear Lady tell Coi a little bit about her experience with her mother. I wished that the author had explored that piece a little more. 

Overall, the story was a good read and had many great elements. One thing that I loved, that you don’t see too much of, is Black single fathers. I loved that Coi’s dad was such a positive person in her life and kept her grounded, and while he had his faults they didn’t take away from him being a good dad. 

Lines I Loved 

• “I know how I feel, it’s just not what everyone wants me to feel” 
• “You moved on,” Elaine says. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s how you survive in this world.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.