What do you do after you lose the person you love the most?

Sloane Weber is devastated when her older sister dies by suicide. Talley was a bright light that made everyone want to step closer. Why had she made that unthinkable choice?

The only clue Talley left behind for Sloane is a puzzle - a list of random places and names, along with the phone number of a boy named Adam, who lives in California and claims he didn't know Talley.

A few of the other list items are also in California, though Talley herself had never been there...or maybe she had. Sloane has to find out. She heads west, enlists Adam's help, and together they search for answers. But while Sloane is drawn to Adam, she can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something. And is Sloane ready to learn the truth - about Adam, her sister, or the secrets her family has been hiding for years?

From author Courtney Sheinmel comes an emotional, page-turning novel about the bonds of sisterhood, the imprecision of memory, and the incomparable value of finding something to live for.

The Survival List. Copyright © 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

What people are saying:

"An equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming story about family secrets, the legacies of loss, and the ways we put ourselves back together after we've been shattered. The Survival List shows us how far we'll go to understand the people we love, even after they're gone. I couldn't put it down." - Julie Buxbaum, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things

"Nobody writes about family secrets with the grace, compassion, and intrigue of Courtney Sheinmel. The Survival List is a work of deep empathy, reminding us that we can never fully understand what's going on in someone else's life, but that there is enormous value in trying to find out." - Leila Sales, author of This Song Will Save Your Life

"With delicate balance, Sheinmel illuminates the suffering going on behind the scenes in daily lives that can lead to desperate acts and the hollowed-out aftermath of those left behind." - Booklist

"Though the author intricately portrays Sloane's grief and guilt, her poignant take on the butterfly effect - including thought-provoking references to the Holocaust and its legacy - explores not only suicide and its aftermath, but survivors' capacity to heal. ...This is a sympathetic, thoughtful exploration of depression, suicide, grief, and healing." - Kirkus Reviews