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    The How & the Why
    The How & the Why
    The How & the Why
    Audiobook12 hours

    The How & the Why

    Written by Cynthia Hand

    Narrated by Phoebe Strole and Erin Spencer

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    ""Cynthia Hand is the master of pulling at your heartstrings. The How & the Why tells both sides of an adoption story with love, compassion, and care."" —Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to the Lost

    A poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.

    Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.

    But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.

    Alternating between Cass’s search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who placed her for adoption, this emotionally resonant narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina LaCour and Jandy Nelson.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 5, 2019
    ISBN9780062964694
    Author

    Cynthia Hand

    The Lady Janies are made up of New York Times bestselling authors Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. They first met in 2012, when their publishers sent them on a book tour together, and they hit it off so well they decided to write My Lady Jane so they could go on book tours together all the time. Between the three of them they’ve written more than twenty published novels, a bunch of novellas, a handful of short stories, and a couple of really bad poems. They’re friends. They’re writers. They’re fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time. Learn more at ladyjanies.com. 

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    Reviews for The How & the Why

    4.5/5

    87 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A stunning YA contemporary with a beautifully written story and developed characters. A perfect balance of humor and drama. Despite the blissful ending, it felt incomplete and I personally, needed more closure. Even so, The How & the Why is a moving story of family, identity, sacrifice, teenage pregnancy, and adoption.
    • 5/5
      This is the second book I’ve listened to by this author and I love her writing! Left me feeling hopeful and wanting to know more of the story! The narrators were awesome too!
    • 4/5
      Cass always knew she was adopted. Now that her adoptive mother is dying of heart disease, the desire to find her birth mother is increasing. Yet she doesn't want to hurt her parents, who are the best parents a girl could ask for. Her best friend, Nyla, is also adopted but her circumstances are different. She's from Nigeria and her parents were killed in a war.Cass's birth mother lived in a home for unwed mothers which she finished high school. She was only 16 years old. The book alternatives chapters about Cass, with letters S (her birth mother) addressed to her unborn child, "X".Both S and X are great characters and you'll really like them. The story is a good one and will keep you interested and invested. Although heavy subjects, The How & Why is an easy read. Enjoy.