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Book Summary and Reviews of How to Lose Yourself Completely by Peter Bognanni

How to Lose Yourself Completely by Peter Bognanni

How to Lose Yourself Completely

by Peter Bognanni

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2026, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A teen grappling with grief and anxiety is sent to wilderness "adventure therapy," where he meets a group of friends―and a girl from his past―who will change his life forever. With its captivating voice, this novel is perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and John Green.

Ever since Sean's death, Case's anxiety has been spiraling. Sean wasn't just his older brother―he was also Case's best friend. The only person who really got him.

When his parents suggest "adventure therapy," Case is desperate enough to agree. Maybe roughing it in the woods with a group of anxious strangers will help him find a way forward. After he boards the bus, he sees the one person he's been trying to avoid: Diana. Sean's girlfriend.

Once they set off, there is the expected cringey singing and forced sharing. But when their counselor mysteriously disappears, the trip suddenly turns into a journey of survival. This group of kids, with nothing in common but their prescriptions and lack of social skills, will have to band together to make it back home. In the process, they will change each other's lives forever.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Moments of action are anchored by layered depictions of anxiety and resilience, and watching the characters forge bonds and push beyond their perceived limits is both gripping and deeply affecting. It coalesces into a blend of wilderness adventure and emotional healing bolstered by hard-won connection." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A gripping adventure and a deeply affecting exploration of grief and mental health." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Peter Bognanni's How to Lose Yourself Completely is a book to lose yourself in, completely. Through stunning prose, this novel of uncommon depth and astounding empathy will take you on a powerful and hopeful adventure into the human heart that will leave you breathless." ―Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment.

This information about How to Lose Yourself Completely was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Peter Bognanni Author Biography

Peter Bognanni is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His debut novel, The House of Tomorrow, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the ALA Alex Award and has been adapted into a feature film. He teaches creative writing at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Link to Peter Bognanni's Website

Other books by Peter Bognanni at BookBrowse
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