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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow..... I'm actually speechless. There are few books I've come across that have the ability to make you laugh, cry, cringe and feel just about every other emotion known to man, but this, I'm happy to say, is definitely one of them. It was tragic yet wonderful to see how the heart piercing grief from the death of a loved one affected the characters in this book in so many different ways. As for how they coped with it.... Well they had some unusual methods.
'The Sky is Everywhere' truly captured me as a reader. It is a story ruled by the emotions of it's characters and the unbreakable bonds between them, as they struggle with their feelings.
All I can say is I hope I find love as strong as Lennie and Joe's one day.
'The Sky is Everywhere' truly captured me as a reader. It is a story ruled by the emotions of it's characters and the unbreakable bonds between them, as they struggle with their feelings.
All I can say is I hope I find love as strong as Lennie and Joe's one day.
This is us since my sister Bailey collapsed one month ago from a fatal arrhythmia while in rehearsal for a local production of Romeo and Juliet. It's as if someone vacuumed up the horizon while we were looking the other way.
I wished that I enjoyed The Sky is Everywhere a lot more than I did because on paper, its premise was so promising and I think that the writing was actually quite gorgeous. Lennie's older sister was the one who lit the way ahead for her - Baily was loud, vibrant and larger than life. When Baily collapses and unexpectedly passes away, Lennie no longer knows what's expected of her anymore. On the first day that she returns to school, she meets new boy Joe who's handsome, musically inclined and almost too cheerful for Lennie to stand. Meanwhile, Bailey's boyfriend Toby is also grieving for everything that he has lost, leading to an unexpected connection with Lennie. Lennie is struggling with her feelings for both boys, feeling lost without her sister's presence and gradually learning that her sister's life was more complicated than she imagined.
I believe that the book was a Goodreads recommendation and I kinda get why it was recommended to me. It sounded a lot like Sarah Dessen's books, which have usually been a solid favourite of mine, but the writing was different especially with Lennie's poetry. However, the love triangle between Toby, Lennie and Joe kinda threw me off, maybe because I just thought that Lennie's relationship with Joe was just so incredibly sweet and heartwarming whereas I did not understand Lennie's relationship with Toby.
Spoiler
To me, it seems like maybe grief pulled them together...but it was also mostly like lust? And then as abruptly as their connection grew, both Toby and Lennie decided to break things off, but only after Joe has seen them.Furthermore, many of the characters just felt too "quirky" to be real - such as Lennie's grandma who believes that the flowers in her garden have aphrodisiac powers, her uncle who is said to be some sort of serial wedder and Lennie's missing mother, whose wanderlust supposedly runs in their blood. I wasn't really sure what to make of these characters, although I did enjoy Lennie's relationship with them.
Spoiler
Especially when her grandma's explanation about her missing mother became more grounded in reality, into a moment where her grandma had spoken in the heat of anger and her mother had decided never to return.However, at the heart of the story is Lennie's relationship with Bailey and the anger and sadness that she feels for having lost her sister, especially when it's so unexpected. In this sense, I thought that the writing was poignant and melancholic, even though Lennie makes multiple mistakes along the way.
Idk how she did it but boy is Nelson good at capturing grief. A very interesting read for a heart that gets it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Didn't measure up to I'll Give You the Sun. Way too predictable and too many kooky characters for me. Teens that are hopeless romantic musicians, who adore Wuthering Heights, La Vie en Rose, troubadours...maybe. Everyone in this book is an artist of some sort and there are a gazillion zany details about every single person we encounter. Deep grief and sickeningly sweet romance, filled with poetry, it's all too much for me.
jandy nelson is an icon. never read a book by her that I didn't love.
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AGAGAGGAGGGA so many feels. Jandy Nelson is such an amazing author. and I was with Lennie from start to finish. This book is the perfect coming of age novel, and I genuinely loved every person in the book because they really helped each other grow. agAGAG love this book so much and can't wait to write my spoiler review. The ending kind of killed though. WHY DID IT END THIS WAY!!!
*disclaimer sophomore year review*
The Sky is Everything is by the same author that wrote I'll Give You The Sun which I loved. This book is about a girl named Lennie Walker, a talented musician and geek. She is constantly living in the shadow of her younger sister Bailey, until she dies suddenly. Now she is in the spotlight, and she isn't used to it. She has to handle her life, her sister's legacy, and boys. This book is told in two parts. and I will break down these moments.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The book starts off talking about Lennie's sister dying. Toby and Lennie have an instant connection because he dated Bailey up until her death. It was frustrating because Lennie kept kissing Toby not because she liked him, but because they were both broken people and needed someone else to bond with.
Then Joe enters the picture. Joe is a band geek with her, (lol she plays the clarinet and I have an obsession with the clarinet). He feels connected to Lennie, and when they kiss, Lennie even references the title of the book, "sky is everywhere" when she is kissing him. It's a metaphor for how the sky represents beauty and beauty is everywhere not only in one place. Also Joe called Lennie "John Lennon" and I fell in love at that moment with him! Joe was obviously in love with her. Also the descriptions of Joe drove me crazy. Sarah describes Joe as "having amazing eyelashes. Joe "deflowers" Lennie and Joe always used the phrase, "Quel dork." That means What Dork in french. hehe so cute
but then tragedy happens at the end of Part One. Bailey was pregnant, when she died, and Lennie kisses Toby. Joe sees, and he's upset. That's how Part 1 ends.
Now unto Part 2. Did you grab your popcorn?? Because I would probably replace it with tissues or some of your favorite candy. I prefer Skittles or Sour Patch Straws. Part 2 starts off with Joe ignoring Lennie, and it broke my heart. Even Toby tried to apologize for Lennie, and Joe wasn't having it. He started seeing a girl named Rachel. I have neglected to mention her because she's the jerk that's first chair clarinet and makes fun of Lennie. Then, Lennie finally gets the courage to challenge Rachel for 1st chair, and she gets it(yayay!!). Lennie is trying so hard to be a better person. She gives Joe roses which melted my heart forever, and Joe still said nah man. He even brought up her sister to hurt Lennie further.
Finally, there is a conclusion to the terrible love triangle when Toby says he was always jealous of Bailey and Lennie's friendship and wanted to be viewed as a sibling like yess. Gram even calls Lennie out for being selfish lately. Lennie is though. She sulks around, wanting to get into Bailey's stuff, and shuts out her family when her grandparents are suffering as well. Finally, Lennie writes a letter expressing her love for Joe, gives it to him, and they forgive each other.
The book ends at Bites wedding which didn't do it for me. I really enjoyed this book so much because of how flawed Lennie was. She cared about herself a lot in the book and disregarded others feelings. I loved when main characters are flawed because they are more relatable. It's amazing.
----------------------
AGAGAGGAGGGA so many feels. Jandy Nelson is such an amazing author. and I was with Lennie from start to finish. This book is the perfect coming of age novel, and I genuinely loved every person in the book because they really helped each other grow. agAGAG love this book so much and can't wait to write my spoiler review. The ending kind of killed though. WHY DID IT END THIS WAY!!!
*disclaimer sophomore year review*
The Sky is Everything is by the same author that wrote I'll Give You The Sun which I loved. This book is about a girl named Lennie Walker, a talented musician and geek. She is constantly living in the shadow of her younger sister Bailey, until she dies suddenly. Now she is in the spotlight, and she isn't used to it. She has to handle her life, her sister's legacy, and boys. This book is told in two parts. and I will break down these moments.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The book starts off talking about Lennie's sister dying. Toby and Lennie have an instant connection because he dated Bailey up until her death. It was frustrating because Lennie kept kissing Toby not because she liked him, but because they were both broken people and needed someone else to bond with.
Then Joe enters the picture. Joe is a band geek with her, (lol she plays the clarinet and I have an obsession with the clarinet). He feels connected to Lennie, and when they kiss, Lennie even references the title of the book, "sky is everywhere" when she is kissing him. It's a metaphor for how the sky represents beauty and beauty is everywhere not only in one place. Also Joe called Lennie "John Lennon" and I fell in love at that moment with him! Joe was obviously in love with her. Also the descriptions of Joe drove me crazy. Sarah describes Joe as "having amazing eyelashes. Joe "deflowers" Lennie and Joe always used the phrase, "Quel dork." That means What Dork in french. hehe so cute
but then tragedy happens at the end of Part One. Bailey was pregnant, when she died, and Lennie kisses Toby. Joe sees, and he's upset. That's how Part 1 ends.
Now unto Part 2. Did you grab your popcorn?? Because I would probably replace it with tissues or some of your favorite candy. I prefer Skittles or Sour Patch Straws. Part 2 starts off with Joe ignoring Lennie, and it broke my heart. Even Toby tried to apologize for Lennie, and Joe wasn't having it. He started seeing a girl named Rachel. I have neglected to mention her because she's the jerk that's first chair clarinet and makes fun of Lennie. Then, Lennie finally gets the courage to challenge Rachel for 1st chair, and she gets it(yayay!!). Lennie is trying so hard to be a better person. She gives Joe roses which melted my heart forever, and Joe still said nah man. He even brought up her sister to hurt Lennie further.
Finally, there is a conclusion to the terrible love triangle when Toby says he was always jealous of Bailey and Lennie's friendship and wanted to be viewed as a sibling like yess. Gram even calls Lennie out for being selfish lately. Lennie is though. She sulks around, wanting to get into Bailey's stuff, and shuts out her family when her grandparents are suffering as well. Finally, Lennie writes a letter expressing her love for Joe, gives it to him, and they forgive each other.
The book ends at Bites wedding which didn't do it for me. I really enjoyed this book so much because of how flawed Lennie was. She cared about herself a lot in the book and disregarded others feelings. I loved when main characters are flawed because they are more relatable. It's amazing.