Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
What to Say Next  By  cover art

What to Say Next

By: Julie Buxbaum
Narrated by: Abigail Revasch, Kirby Heyborne
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

"What to Say Next reminds readers that hope can be found in unexpected places." (Bustle)

From the New York Times best-selling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a charming and poignant story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. For fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Niven, and Rainbow Rowell.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

Kit: I don't know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I'm going through. How could they? I don't even understand.

David: In the 622 days I've attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I've never once sat with someone until now. "So your dad is dead", I say to Kit, because this is a fact I've recently learned about her.

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David's blunt honesty - in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit's attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad's tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they'll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

©2017 Julie Buxbaum (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Charming, funny, and deeply affecting all at the same time." (Nicola Yoon, New York Times best-selling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star)
"Heartfelt, charming, deep, and real. I love it with all my heart." (Jennifer Niven, New York Times best-selling author of All the Bright Places)
"Told in the alternating voices of a girl whose world has been shattered and a boy who is the only person in her life who sees her clearly, What to Say Next is about the power of connection and the beauty of compassion. With sensitivity, wisdom, and heart, Julie Buxbaum weaves a story in which loss and grieving are balanced by humor and insight. This novel is so compulsively readable that you'll be surprised how deeply your emotions are stirred." (Christina Baker Kline, author of the New York Times best seller Orphan Train)

What listeners say about What to Say Next

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    329
  • 4 Stars
    91
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    337
  • 4 Stars
    65
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    298
  • 4 Stars
    100
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't Put It Down !!

Oh my god .. OH MY GOD .. that was so so good :D
I think Julie Buxbaum will be on the list of my favorite authors .. I really adored this book to no end and I devoured every word that I couldn't put it down until I finished it .. ahh it feels so good to read such a great book
David is amazing both in representation and in character and I really felt for him and loved him so much .. Kit is a nice person too and both of them has a great dynamic together, most recommended if you want a story about facing yourself and what it means to be you :))

The Narration was AMAZING both of them did a great job to bring the story to life, amazing work, totally worth the credit :D

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Astonishing

"A brillantly delighful, yet astonishing captivation through an intense array of emotional expostions on all levels of the human experience. Just when you think it absolutely can not get any worst or better, it does, and with so much passion, wit, conviction and morale consciousness.

I recommend this novel for anyone who has a heart, mind, or soul 100%."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!

Having a son with Aspergers, this story was especially touching and special to me. I hope there will be another book with this characters. I want to know where they go!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I’ve loved this book so much. David’s point of view brought tears to my eyes, as the mother of an Autism Spectrum teenager I was seeing some of my son in David. Kit was very well written and had great character development. I highly recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Darling

I loved this book. I loved the unpredictability of it and the pace of the plot progression. The characters were relatable, and I enjoyed hearing the story from different perspectives. The performance was great and I really appreciated the difference voice actors for both Kit and David. They were full of emotion and personality and really helped the story come to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

Lately I've run into quite a few books that have been great until the end ruins it so I was skeptical about this one. I am so glad I gave it a chance. This book and the narration done was perfect from beginning to end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A rewarding interesting story

Julie Buxbaum can describe so clearly that you feel like your participating. I listened to this during a long ride then sat in my car and continued to listen once i got home.
I found myself laughing at some of her phrases. Great story, super authoring skills.
I would like to see this as a movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I LOVED it

Of all the books I've listened to this summer, this book topped everything. As a fellow aspie myself, all I can say to the author is God bless you. I don't think I've related to a literary character more than David Drucker, and I don't think I've seen a more accurate neurodivergent perspective in a novel. I absolutely adored the whole story from beginning to end. I just couldn't stop listening.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sweet and Perfect

I loved the story and the characters they feel so real.
The narration was perfect all the way and do not want to change a thing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Listened twice with my kids!

The story is interesting, narration is excellent! We listened to the book when my kids were 10 and 12 (forwarded through a couple of parts), again when they were 12 and 14. The three of us loved it both times. It's not a book of laughter and chuckles (not at all a problem, just what to expect) but captures high school, human nature, unique neurologies just right. Hats off to a talented author!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful