The Design of Goodbye
by Kara Renee
ParentsAdded on January 14, 2026
Description
A choice can change everything.Five lines and twenty-six words are all it takes for Madison Winters’s life to change forever.No one knows her mother abandoned her the summer before senior year with only a letter as a goodbye, and she’s determined to keep it that way.Every night, Madison hides in her mother’s sewing room and focuses on the one thing she has left: designing a four-piece collection for the Harbor Fashion Show.The problem? Her ideas are just as absent as her mother.To make matters worse, she’s assigned high school outcast, Liam Strom, as her math tutor: a boy trying to forget the demons of his past, a boy who leaves her with more questions than answers, and a boy she can’t help but fall for.As their relationship grows, Madison discovers Liam is harboring secrets far more serious than she realized. Desperate to not lose him, and armed with his trust, she promises to keep his secrets safe.But what happens when she’s forced to choose between saving Liam or keeping her promise?
Reader Reviews
(4.25/5) liam is actually the sweetest boy ever he did not deserve how everyone treated him at school😕
Ok. Kara Renee exceeded my expectations spectacularly. At first, I thought, I wouldn't quite like this book. But as the chapters progressed, I grew more invested in the story. Tbh, the characters actually felt like teenagers. That rarely happens in YA as many teenaged characters have a very mature voice. But, I was quite satisfied with the characterisation and plot and the way the author handled themes of trauma.
Be sure to check the content warnings, there is some very sensitive subject matter but the author handled it well and this is a beautiful YA novel.I’m not typically one to have emotional responses to novels but the author, Kara was able to evoke many feelings from me with the way she writes. I chuckled, and genuinely smiled for these characters. But, there were also moments I felt irate, angry, appalled, sad, heartbroken and I hurt for very the same characters that I also felt joy for.This is a