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hellomadalyn's review against another edition
3.0
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love these authors' books, but I'll be honest, I struggled through this one. It was just missing... that extra something that both of their previous books gave me. (Maybe it was the fact that unlike their first two books, TIME OF OUR LIVES isn't a Shakespeare retelling? Who's to say.) In any case, I did really appreciate the family dynamics in this book, and the ending was exactly the kind of ending I love in YA, that I wish we saw more of in this age range.
zbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Another amazing story about finding yourself and learning that it’s ok to move ahead with your life plans, that you don’t always need to be responsible for everyone else. I liked how the authors didn’t focus on just Juniper and Fitz’s relationship, but those between Fitz and Lewis, his brother, and Juniper and her family. The book doesn’t end on the stereotypical boy and girl fall in love and stay together forever. They find that they can forge their own paths while somehow stay connected, whether it’s as friends or more than friends.
booksandladders's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
3.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Content Warning: health decline, discussions of alzheimer's and dementia, familial dynamics that can be triggering. kissing, non-descriptive intercourse, mentions of alcohol consumption, death of a grandparent (mentioned, happened in the past), guilt tripping
I thought this was a pretty meh book. I liked the dynamics and the relationship but it felt a little too cookie cutter for me to really enjoy it. Both of our main characters have a quirky thing they do, a difficult relationship with their parents and siblings, and jump into a relationship way too quickly.
The set up to this and the way they come together felt a little off to me. They went to a party and saw each other, then saw each other again so now they feel comfortable enough to travel together? Juniper, a young woman travelling alone, feels comfortable travelling with a random dude she just met? Either she has no self-preservation or we just had to have some convenience for this to work.
I just felt like because of the time constraint of the weekish long tour of schools that everything else felt really rushed. Especially when Juniper and her boyfriend broke up?? Like where did that even come from. I wish authors would just have the characters be single instead of forcing a breakup the way they did.
There could have been much more exploration of what it means to have change, the uncertainty of the future, and how those two things intersect, but it just didn't happen. It was so overlooked by the whirlwind romance.
This may be one that you're interested in but not all of it quite hit for me.
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Content Warning: health decline, discussions of alzheimer's and dementia, familial dynamics that can be triggering. kissing, non-descriptive intercourse, mentions of alcohol consumption, death of a grandparent (mentioned, happened in the past), guilt tripping
I thought this was a pretty meh book. I liked the dynamics and the relationship but it felt a little too cookie cutter for me to really enjoy it. Both of our main characters have a quirky thing they do, a difficult relationship with their parents and siblings, and jump into a relationship way too quickly.
The set up to this and the way they come together felt a little off to me. They went to a party and saw each other, then saw each other again so now they feel comfortable enough to travel together? Juniper, a young woman travelling alone, feels comfortable travelling with a random dude she just met? Either she has no self-preservation or we just had to have some convenience for this to work.
I just felt like because of the time constraint of the weekish long tour of schools that everything else felt really rushed. Especially when Juniper and her boyfriend broke up?? Like where did that even come from. I wish authors would just have the characters be single instead of forcing a breakup the way they did.
There could have been much more exploration of what it means to have change, the uncertainty of the future, and how those two things intersect, but it just didn't happen. It was so overlooked by the whirlwind romance.
This may be one that you're interested in but not all of it quite hit for me.
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Content Warning: health decline, discussions of alzheimer's and dementia, familial dynamics that can be triggering. kissing, non-descriptive intercourse, mentions of alcohol consumption, death of a grandparent (mentioned, happened in the past), guilt trippingpoppyjessica's review against another edition
4.0
As a secondary school teacher, I am always a lover of reading YA fiction to find the new voices out there to recommend to my students. Even as an adult, I found myself devouring Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka's writing in this book: I am thrilled I have found this pair to read more of their work and recommend the books to my students.
I waited a couple of days after finishing the text to write this review as I was frustrated by the abrupt ending - I didn't want this to mar my thoughts about the rest of the text as I did enjoy the majority of the text. The best part of the journey in this book for me wasn't the developing relationship between Fitz and Juniper, even though I appreciate the central focus is meant to be their impact on each other's lives. It was in their individual moments of introspection I fell for these characters the most, particularly appreciating how they didn't shy away from exploring the emotional angst surrounding Fitz's mother's diagnosis. I most rooted for the developing relationship between adopted brothers Fitz and Lewis; how they both supported, and didn't support, each other finally reaching honesty was my favourite moment in the text.
In a similar way, Juniper's grapple with how to cope with a large very involved family, and the impending separation due to college, was interesting. I have seen other reviews bemoan how quickly she manages to move on from her previous relationship. To the contrary, there is emotional truth here: Juniper is a 17 year old girl in the heady heights of her first love story. She is right to know that college will change her and her relationship irreversibly, something I witnessed time and again at university myself. It may not be the fairytale that readers would prefer to read but it rings true.
Overall, I have given this book four stars, removing one for my frustration at the ending. This is a truthful exploration of a turning point in the lives of these characters and gave me a lot to think about, even though university is a few years behind me myself!
I waited a couple of days after finishing the text to write this review as I was frustrated by the abrupt ending - I didn't want this to mar my thoughts about the rest of the text as I did enjoy the majority of the text. The best part of the journey in this book for me wasn't the developing relationship between Fitz and Juniper, even though I appreciate the central focus is meant to be their impact on each other's lives. It was in their individual moments of introspection I fell for these characters the most, particularly appreciating how they didn't shy away from exploring the emotional angst surrounding Fitz's mother's diagnosis. I most rooted for the developing relationship between adopted brothers Fitz and Lewis; how they both supported, and didn't support, each other finally reaching honesty was my favourite moment in the text.
In a similar way, Juniper's grapple with how to cope with a large very involved family, and the impending separation due to college, was interesting. I have seen other reviews bemoan how quickly she manages to move on from her previous relationship. To the contrary, there is emotional truth here: Juniper is a 17 year old girl in the heady heights of her first love story. She is right to know that college will change her and her relationship irreversibly, something I witnessed time and again at university myself. It may not be the fairytale that readers would prefer to read but it rings true.
Overall, I have given this book four stars, removing one for my frustration at the ending. This is a truthful exploration of a turning point in the lives of these characters and gave me a lot to think about, even though university is a few years behind me myself!
lostintomes's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars -
Who knew a dictionary could make such a fun date night?!
Time of Our Lives tackles all those hard feelings we experience when transitioning to a new stage of life, while putting a spotlight on growth and finding ways to be true to yourself in the moment. The romance was also really sweet! The two MC's played so well together on the page. I loved how they showcased the way all the ordinary things about a person end up becoming what makes them special. It was so good and I felt transported back to those high school days and first love feelings.
"Wonderful doesn't need to last to be worthwhile."
Now while I personally enjoyed this a lot, I can see how people struggle to get into the story. It's slower paced, and while the character development is great, the plot is just not as "fun" or romance focused as their past books. It takes a slightly more serious note, focusing on family, hard choices and inner growth. All in all I liked it but Always Never Yours is still my favorite from their works so far. I love this writing duo and am going to continue to keep reading their books in the future.
Content Notes:
- Sexual Content: kissing, non-descriptive intercourse
- Strong Language: religious exclamations, handful of f-bombs
- Alzheimer's
Recommend for fans of:
- Wintery Reads
- Rainbow Rowell
-
Who knew a dictionary could make such a fun date night?!
Time of Our Lives tackles all those hard feelings we experience when transitioning to a new stage of life, while putting a spotlight on growth and finding ways to be true to yourself in the moment. The romance was also really sweet! The two MC's played so well together on the page. I loved how they showcased the way all the ordinary things about a person end up becoming what makes them special. It was so good and I felt transported back to those high school days and first love feelings.
"Wonderful doesn't need to last to be worthwhile."
Now while I personally enjoyed this a lot, I can see how people struggle to get into the story. It's slower paced, and while the character development is great, the plot is just not as "fun" or romance focused as their past books. It takes a slightly more serious note, focusing on family, hard choices and inner growth. All in all I liked it but Always Never Yours is still my favorite from their works so far. I love this writing duo and am going to continue to keep reading their books in the future.
Content Notes:
- Sexual Content: kissing, non-descriptive intercourse
- Strong Language: religious exclamations, handful of f-bombs
- Alzheimer's
Recommend for fans of:
- Wintery Reads
- Rainbow Rowell
-
detectivelily's review against another edition
4.0
wow a good discussion on the struggles of leaving home and family behind to build your own future?
jessireadsya's review against another edition
4.0
This turned out to be super cute! And I saw some older characters! I just hate that I couldn’t see where Fitz and Juniper ended up!
sotnasck's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was only okay up until the last 10 or so chapters, then it really hit me and I was holding back tears?
I really enjoyed how this is not a story about two teenagers falling in love right before going to college and giving us the classic "I met you at 17 but you're the love of my life" thing. This is about change, and fear of the future, family and home, about meeting people who make an impact in your life no matter how much time you spend with them, about how wonderful things are worth taking that risk no matter how scary.
The characters are very real and relatable in different ways. At the beginning I was more in tune with Fitz, but that changed throughout the book and I got closer to Juniper. But regardless, I felt joy with the conclusion of both their journeys. And how glad I am with that ending... Some might say it's bittersweet, but to me it felt very appropriate and right.
I really enjoyed how this is not a story about two teenagers falling in love right before going to college and giving us the classic "I met you at 17 but you're the love of my life" thing. This is about change, and fear of the future, family and home, about meeting people who make an impact in your life no matter how much time you spend with them, about how wonderful things are worth taking that risk no matter how scary.
The characters are very real and relatable in different ways. At the beginning I was more in tune with Fitz, but that changed throughout the book and I got closer to Juniper. But regardless, I felt joy with the conclusion of both their journeys. And how glad I am with that ending... Some might say it's bittersweet, but to me it felt very appropriate and right.
queens_flame's review against another edition
3.0
So this was my first of these author's books - I had won an advanced copy through Goodreads. For it being my first read by these two, I definitely enjoyed it. I'm very picky when it comes to contemporary and don't often really like them anymore but, this book won me over for these authors and I'm eager to read more of their works.
This novel follows two seniors on their winter break touring colleges around New England and the northeast USA. It was kind of cool actually, when one of the characters came to Wesleyan and Middletown, where I currently live near, as well as UConn. Not too many books shout out to Connecticut so this was definitely fun to read.
I had no problem blowing through this story. It picked up really quickly and took me along for the ride.
The romance was really really adorable between our two main characters. I loved the connection they seemed to have, and how they formed a bond in a short amount of time, and ended up helping each other out as they tried to find their path.
And lastly, I wish there had been an epilogue or something after what happened at the end of the book so I could have seen the choices these characters made. The story felt unfinished. Maybe in the final copy there will be an epilogue, since this is an ARC.
Overall, fans of YA contemporaries will most likely love and devour this story like I did!
This novel follows two seniors on their winter break touring colleges around New England and the northeast USA. It was kind of cool actually, when one of the characters came to Wesleyan and Middletown, where I currently live near, as well as UConn. Not too many books shout out to Connecticut so this was definitely fun to read.
I had no problem blowing through this story. It picked up really quickly and took me along for the ride.
The romance was really really adorable between our two main characters. I loved the connection they seemed to have, and how they formed a bond in a short amount of time, and ended up helping each other out as they tried to find their path.
Spoiler
There was a part of the book where one of the main characters breaks up with their boyfriend, and it was such a weird scene? It happened so fast and without too much emotion, that I kind of wish there had been a bigger conversation, or rather resolution later on in the book for them.And lastly, I wish there had been an epilogue or something after what happened at the end of the book so I could have seen the choices these characters made. The story felt unfinished. Maybe in the final copy there will be an epilogue, since this is an ARC.
Overall, fans of YA contemporaries will most likely love and devour this story like I did!