Reviews with content warning for Suicide - If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude

58 reviews

weminence's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I think the writing for this was fantastic. I think the way everything is built and the way things progress was done amazingly. These people fall apart together in the most real way I can imagine. I cared about the chatlracters and I grew to love characters I didn't think I would. That being said, this book isnt for me. It comes down to spoilery reasons that I will get into. I don't not recommend this book because it is beautiful and has a great message but the way that message is delivered isn't my favorite.

I just cannot love a story that has a character not commit suicide only for that character to die in the end, anyway. Yes, the ending is very open, everyone could've maybe survived but there is no sure answer and so the answer is in someway both endings. I dont hate this story because of that ending, but it makes my enjoyment of the story waver. I don't feel hope with an ending like this one. That is purely personal preference but it is part of my reading of this book, and did affect my enjoyment of the story.

Content Warnings

bryonyindecisivereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“I thought, I would hold your hand through anything. Even the dangerous things. Even the hard things. I always want to be your best friend. For the rest of the summer. For the rest of my life.”

CONTENT NOTICE: This book contains discussions of suicide, mental health and homophobia. There are no graphic scenes of this content actually happening, just awareness of and conversations about it. A central character deals with undiagnosed clinical depression.

I was so tense reading this book. There’s a countdown to the end of the world and the characters are trying to find a way to survive, whilst also trying to live what they have left. It was a very strange feeling to be so tense and happy and sad and hopeful all at once, so props to the author for achieving it.

Avery is a sad character. She’s depressed and lonely and doesn’t know how to ask for help. She’s spent her whole life being bright and brilliant and the best and, when finally left on her own, she doesn’t know how to cope. She doesn’t want to disappoint anyone so she bottles it up and makes it worse. I wanted to give her a hug, but I don’t think she’d take it. She just needed to learn to be loved by those who already love her.

I think the author really carefully created this sense of impending doom. I kind of didn’t want to read on, knowing it was all about to come crumbling down. (I did start reading it on holiday but had to put it down because I was a plane flight away from Sam and then I got really stressed about what I would do if I suddenly couldn’t get home to him because the world was ending.) It was hard to feel any hope at the start, I guess because Avery doesn’t feel it, but you start to feel it at the end.

I loved the family the author created and this overwhelming sense of love that Avery gets surrounded by. Each character was important to her and you came to love them too. However, with the inclusions of flashbacks (still counting down) you had another sense of tension, knowing that Avery couldn’t always feel comfortable in her family.

I was really sad towards the end, but I did really enjoy it. I think the ending was perfect, ambiguous and hopeful and peaceful.

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megpadams's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4/5 stars.

☄️ Avery was planning on killing herself on her birthday-the day the world found out it was going to end. She picked herself up and forced herself on a journey so she could spend the last few days of Earth with her family and her estranged best friend and unrequited love, Cass.

☄️This was a tender but hard hitting look at what happens when you suddenly realise you don’t want to die.

☄️I liked how this book shoved you straight into the action. There was no waiting around for the story to begin, which I really appreciated.

☄️There were themes of mental illness, self acceptance in a Catholic community, the power of friendship and trying to be a good person when the world is ending.

☄️This was a good read but definitely not for over sensitive people (like me!). I was trying not to cry the whole time I was reading and now it’s over I feel a bit hollowed out.

☄️If you don’t like sad endings, this book is NOT for you.

☄️For fans of Adam Silvera and Patrick Ness.

☄️See my StoryGraph review for a list of content warnings.

Content Warnings

kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

hank you Bloomsbury for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked They Both Die At The End and the movie Don’t Look Up, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come Is For You.

What would you do if you only had nine days left to live, not only you but the whole world. In if Tomorrow Doesn’t Come Avery has been battling depression and suicidal thoughts all her life and on the day she decides to go through with it her best friend Cass (who she has been in love with her whole life) tells her there is an asteroid headed for earth and she needs to see her one last time.

At the end of the world Avery learns to live not only others but finally for herself too.

This book was written with such kindness and care for those suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. St Jude also wrote a compelling love story between two best friends and religious trauma. My favorite part of this story was how much love Avery’s family has for each other. They way they care and show up for one another even though it is the end of the world.

My only down side is that cass is Mexican and Indian, and there was one scene where another character was touching their hair with out consent. It was just added and not talked about why that was a bad thing.

Cw
Homophobia
Bigotry
Racism
Suicidal thoughts
Depression
Alcohol
Gun violence
Violence
Suicide

Content Warnings

ameliaj_adams's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you so so much to Penguin for sending me a proof copy of this book!
All opinions are my own :)

I absolutely adored this book! The central romance is so well written, with us seeing flashbacks of the girl’s past friendship with each other intertwined with what is happening in the nine days leading up to the asteroid hitting that builds their relationship so nicely!
Even though we know the ending from the start of the book, it is absolutely heart wrenching and had me sobbing.
The writing is just so beautiful, the characters are so loveable and despite the plot, the book feels so full of hope (which of course makes it all the more sad in the end!).
I would definitely recommend this book, particularly for fans of They both die at the end, All that’s left in the world and Afterlove!

Content Warnings

valerlance's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a precious friends-to-lovers romance, a thoughtful and real depiction of suicidal depression, and a tragic pre-apocalypse story wrapped up in one of my favorite books I've ever read. I believe in and love all of the characters, good guys and bad guys alike. And I adore the writing! This story is simultaneously personal and low stakes and as high stakes as anything can get--the world is ending! I really recommend this read <3

I read an Advance Reading Copy of this book!

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kassiereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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