The Leaving Room

Name: The Leaving Room
ISBN: 9781250908087

Amber McBride

Feiwel & Friends · Print & ebook · October 14, 2025

A Young Adult pick for readers exploring The Leaving Room.

YA Romance - LGBTQ+Death & Grief for Teens Novels in Verse for Teens girls

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Who it’s for: A brief, dreamlike novel-in-verse finds room for memory, connection, and hope amid life and death.
Themes: Connection, Memory, Hope
Genres: Novels in Verse for Teens, Death & Grief for Teens, YA Romance - LGBTQ+

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About this book

**NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST!** "Intimate and astonishing."--Jason Reynolds, New York Times Bestselling Author For fans of You've Reached Sam and If I Stay, a hauntingly beautiful, ultimately hopeful novel-in-verse about a girl in between life and death, by National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride. Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room—a place all young people must phase through when they die.

The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along. When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melodee arrives, their souls become entangled. Gospel's seriousness melts and Melodee’s fear of connection fades, but still—are Keepers allowed to fall in love? Now they must find a way out of the Leaving Room and be unafraid of their love. In a novel that takes place over four minutes, National Book Award finalist Amber McBride explores connection, memory, and hope in ways that are unforgettable and poignant.

A Tender In-Between

A brief, dreamlike novel-in-verse finds room for memory, connection, and hope amid life and death.

Come here for

A liminal world shaped by leaving, remembering, and the souls who linger
A tender knot of fear, connection, and love

Expect

Verse carrying an intimate story across four minutes
A haunting mood with an ultimately hopeful turn

Where it sits

YA Romance - LGBTQ+	71%
Novels in Verse for Teens	56%
Death & Grief for Teens	49%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

Novels in Verse for Teens
YA Romance - LGBTQ+
Death & Grief for Teens

Authors: Amber McBride
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: October 14, 2025
Format: Print & ebook
Theme: Connection · Memory · Hope
Reading lane: Novels in Verse for Teens