Eddie Whatever by Lois Ruby

Available November 1, 2021

Every once in a while that rare book comes along that really means something to you. The kind of book where you read the last page and then sit in silence for a bit, absorbing the experience you just had. This is one of those books. I wanted to turn right back to page 1 and start all over again.

Eddie Lewin is volunteering at a retirement facility as part of his bar mitzvah project. To say he's not excited about it is an understatement and on his first day he's literally counting the minutes until he'll be able to leave. But he quickly realizes that his initial assessment of Silver Brook is wrong. He finds sanctuary there, he finds adventure, he finds friends, and he learns to appreciate people for more than what he sees and hears on the outside.

There is so much going on in this book that not a single paragraph is missing action, emotion, growth, discovery. Eddie isn't necessarily a flawed person, he's simply a typical, inward-focused adolescent. Throughout the course of the book he becomes a better person and begins to truly become a man as he opens his mind and heart to the people he's helping serve. It was so heartwarming to read about the things he does for people he initially didn't think he wanted to have anything to do with.

To avoid spoilers I'll simply tell you that you need to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.