The How & the Why

By: Cynthia Hand

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole, Erin Spencer

""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.

Awesome for Young and Old

The book has soul; it left me feeling pensive. The two female narrators are Yin and Yang- the syrupy sweet voice of the adopted teen is perfectly balanced with the raspy, cool, and sometimes wistful voice of the mom who gave her up for adoption. The book left me wanting to start writing again, even if it is just for myself. I related to the parents in this novel and it reminded me of the Elizabeth Stone quote, "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." Parenthood can be a rollercoaster with more lows than highs, more tears than smiles, and it requires enormous sacrifice. There are vastly different ways parents sacrifice for their children, but The How and the Why teaches us the greater the love, the greater the sacrifices you are willing to make. It also highlights how much we are strengthened and often transformed when we are on the receiving end of someone else's love and sacrifice.

meh

it wasn't what I thought. kinda confused me the first couple chapters not gonna lie

The two narrators sounded the same

Cassandra’s mom, who needs a new heart, requests that Cass search for her birth mom. Her dad is less enthusiastic. Eighteen years ago S, a pregnant teen writes letters to her baby, X. Chapters alternate between Cass’s POV and S’s letters.

THE HOW & THE WHY is a rollercoaster of emotion that addresses adoption, race, class, family and illness. Cassandra, a high school senior, deals with college applications, costarring in her high school musical, a dying mother and searching for her birth mother with the help of Nyla, her best friend and Bastain, the new kid in school and possible love interest.

I love Cynthia Hand’s writing style and character building. Cass has her share of faults, could be more assertive and on one occasion makes a racist statement to Nyla. She’s also loving, considerate and has a strong moral compass.


THE HOW & THE WHY ended with the type exclamation point I love.

Great story!

I listened to the whole thing and enjoyed it a lot. Parts of it were slightly slow but I’m glad I finished it

it's ok

it was pretty slow but interesting as it went along, the ending is a cliff hanger though.