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msethna's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! What an emotional story. I enjoyed the fact that this book was told from a male perspective. Danny has lost the people in his life that he counted on the most - his dad was killed in a car accident, his sister moved to China, his girlfriend breaks up with him once she gets to college, and then his mom dies after a five year battle with cancer. After graduating high school he decides he needs to take some time to himself and goes to Tokyo, Japan to find solace in all he has lost. Here he learns more about the people in his life than he might have imagined. I will be recommending this one to our librarian to order for our school.
carlylwbug's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like this book was a little slow starting off. I didn't like the unnecessary cursing or the drug use but I guess that's just a personal opinion. The writing in this book flows and in the middle I really fell in love with the character of Kana. However toward the end it sort of became more of a lifetime movie than a well-written novel, and that's not really what I look for in a book.
charmaineac's review
5.0
This book was spectacular, and the blurb did not do it justice.
Danny was such an authentic character. He truly seemed like a teenage boy. In fact, everything about this book felt incredibly REAL. As I was reading, I thought, "This would make an awesome book," only to remember that I wasn't immersed in a real-life scenario, but reading a book already. The pages came to life.
If you consider the plot elements on their own, it sounds incredibly far-fetched. And yet Daisy Whitney managed to weave all the elements together to create a believable story.
I loved every moment. I burst into tears frequently. This will not be a book I forget soon.
Danny was such an authentic character. He truly seemed like a teenage boy. In fact, everything about this book felt incredibly REAL. As I was reading, I thought, "This would make an awesome book," only to remember that I wasn't immersed in a real-life scenario, but reading a book already. The pages came to life.
If you consider the plot elements on their own, it sounds incredibly far-fetched. And yet Daisy Whitney managed to weave all the elements together to create a believable story.
I loved every moment. I burst into tears frequently. This will not be a book I forget soon.
heisereads's review
5.0
Achingly, heartbreakingly, healingly incredible novel. It ripped me apart and stitched me back together one small piece/scene/conversation at a time.
*Full review to come in April closer to the June publication*
*Full review to come in April closer to the June publication*
kickpleat's review
3.0
This is a novel about death and coping and learning how to move forward but there were so many plot sticking points that I just didn't buy. Like this super rich 18 year old who pops pills & has sex on the reg with a sexy doctor. Yeah, because maybe when you're a sexy doctor an 18 year old is so appealing? Also the appearance of the classic manic pixie dream girl who helps to heal the rich kid with her insight and quirky haircuts. Still liked it enough to give it 3 stars, but it also just felt a little too waxen. Though, it did make me want to visit Tokyo in a serious way.
gainzbybrownie's review against another edition
2.0
I Just couldn't, I didn't felt attached to the characters nor the storyline.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
4.0
4.5.
Heartbreaking, aching, and yet utterly hopeful.
Danny's mom, who has toughed out five years of cancer, wants to make it just long enough to see him graduate valedictorian from high school. But before that date comes, his mom dies. Devastated by the loss, as well as the loss of his father a few years before and the loss of his adopted sister who chose to move to China to rediscover her roots, Danny is angry, broken, and confused about what the future could possibly hold. There's also another complication: Holland. She's the girl he'd been in love with forever and the girl who was in every way perfect for him. But their relationship ended much too soon and without any resolution. Danny was left in the dark when she suddenly disappeared from his life.
Faced with big decisions about where to go from here, Danny chooses to figure out what it is that kept his mom going for so long. Why she continued to be hopeful and happy, even though her life was near the end. To do this, Danny decides he's going to fly to the apartment they owned in Tokyo, meet the doctor who meant so much to his mother, and really think about what he wants out of his life.
Along the way, Danny meets Kana, who helped take care of the apartment before his mom died. She's quirky, she's energetic, and she's invested in making sure Danny makes the most of his time in Tokyo. It's not at all romantic -- which is a huge plus in my book -- but rather, it's Danny's opportunity to rediscover the value and importance of friendship.
Maybe most important was the twist in the story. That's Holland's story. The reason Holland disappeared from Danny's life was that she got pregnant. Since Danny had been the only boy she'd been with and their relationship hadn't been going on that long and she had been on the pill, it was a reality she hadn't quite wrapped her head around. What made it worse was when she went into early labor and when baby Sarah died. Danny is the only person not in the loop on this, and he learns about his daughter when going through his mom's things in Tokyo. His mom had known about the baby, but she and Holland both chose not to tell Danny. It wasn't a choice out of cruelty but rather, it was done to protect him because he had already lost so much in his life. And the truth of it was that the entire situation was scary and heartbreaking for everyone involved.
When Danny does get to meet the doctor his mother had invested so much in, not only does he understand the value and purpose of his mom's life, but he has a moment and realizes what value his own is worth.
Whitney handles all of the topics in this book so delicately and powerfully in equal measure. Danny's voice is knock out, authentic, and it is pained. Danny is a boy of action -- his feelings play out in the way he acts and the words he chooses to use. They're not always kind and he's not always rational. But these things happen the way they do because it's how Danny works through his pain and his grief. It's the way he begins to make sense of the world. This is why he chooses to get on that plane and go to Tokyo. It's why he doesn't simply DWELL in the anguish but rather, he works and walks through it, step by tortured step. Where the twist element came in, another author could have pushed the envelope too much, adding simply one more thing to the list of horrible things going on in a character's life. But Whitney introduces and weaves this in so carefully and thoughtfully that it instead amplifies the core of who Danny, his mother, and Holland really are as people.
Danny's understanding of his mother's fight -- and his mother's desire to quit the fight -- comes to a head when he meets with the doctor to whom she claimed saved her and to whom she dedicated so much energy and belief. And boy, did I cry.
The writing in this book is sharp, searing, and noteworthy. It doesn't take a back seat to the complexities of the story nor the complexities of the characters. I give huge credit, too, for how well-done
I've read a lot of grief books, but without doubt, this one stands out. It's so good it hurts to think about. My one big qualm -- and this is such a non-qualm for most people -- is that I HATE the comparison to Forman's Where She Went. Yes, both tackle the loss of a relationship from a male perspective and both were written by female authors, but I think Whitney nails a male voice in a way that Forman didn't quite get. Will readers who like Where She Went like this book? Absolutely. But I think that Whitney's book has a far wider appeal in terms of reaching male readers (and part of the blame on that is in the fact Forman's book has a girl on the cover).
Bonus points for a kick ass pet sidekick in the story.
Longer review to come much closer to publication date.
Heartbreaking, aching, and yet utterly hopeful.
Danny's mom, who has toughed out five years of cancer, wants to make it just long enough to see him graduate valedictorian from high school. But before that date comes, his mom dies. Devastated by the loss, as well as the loss of his father a few years before and the loss of his adopted sister who chose to move to China to rediscover her roots, Danny is angry, broken, and confused about what the future could possibly hold. There's also another complication: Holland. She's the girl he'd been in love with forever and the girl who was in every way perfect for him. But their relationship ended much too soon and without any resolution. Danny was left in the dark when she suddenly disappeared from his life.
Faced with big decisions about where to go from here, Danny chooses to figure out what it is that kept his mom going for so long. Why she continued to be hopeful and happy, even though her life was near the end. To do this, Danny decides he's going to fly to the apartment they owned in Tokyo, meet the doctor who meant so much to his mother, and really think about what he wants out of his life.
Along the way, Danny meets Kana, who helped take care of the apartment before his mom died. She's quirky, she's energetic, and she's invested in making sure Danny makes the most of his time in Tokyo. It's not at all romantic -- which is a huge plus in my book -- but rather, it's Danny's opportunity to rediscover the value and importance of friendship.
Maybe most important was the twist in the story. That's Holland's story.
When Danny does get to meet the doctor his mother had invested so much in, not only does he understand the value and purpose of his mom's life, but he has a moment and realizes what value his own is worth.
Whitney handles all of the topics in this book so delicately and powerfully in equal measure. Danny's voice is knock out, authentic, and it is pained. Danny is a boy of action -- his feelings play out in the way he acts and the words he chooses to use. They're not always kind and he's not always rational. But these things happen the way they do because it's how Danny works through his pain and his grief. It's the way he begins to make sense of the world. This is why he chooses to get on that plane and go to Tokyo. It's why he doesn't simply DWELL in the anguish but rather, he works and walks through it, step by tortured step. Where the twist element came in, another author could have pushed the envelope too much, adding simply one more thing to the list of horrible things going on in a character's life. But Whitney introduces and weaves this in so carefully and thoughtfully that it instead amplifies the core of who Danny, his mother, and Holland really are as people.
Danny's understanding of his mother's fight -- and his mother's desire to quit the fight -- comes to a head when he meets with the doctor to whom she claimed saved her and to whom she dedicated so much energy and belief. And boy, did I cry.
Spoiler
It started on page 233, when Danny understands that choosing the time one lives and the time one dies was the central force of his mother's hope, even in her battle with cancer. It's philosophical without being pandering, and it's spiritual without being spiritual (if that even makes sense). Whitney excels are imbuing the narrative with the Eastern and Western philosophy not only in how she structures the story and Danny's journey, but even in the way that death and life are explored.The writing in this book is sharp, searing, and noteworthy. It doesn't take a back seat to the complexities of the story nor the complexities of the characters. I give huge credit, too, for how well-done
Spoiler
the sex scenes in this book are. There is a great contrast in the sort of sexual relationship Danny has with Trina -- it's one where she is in control, where she calls the shots, and where she gets what she wants and he takes it because he feels so empty and broken from all of the loss in his life. It's not Holland, and it's not an emotional and deeply satisfying act of intimacy. When Danny and Holland reconnect in Tokyo, after laying bare all of the things that were keeping them at a distance, their intimacy is raw, powerful, and healthy. Danny is in it not just physically but emotionally and mentally. And maybe what made it so good in that moment was that almost nothing is said at all about the mechanics. Because that didn't matter.I've read a lot of grief books, but without doubt, this one stands out. It's so good it hurts to think about. My one big qualm -- and this is such a non-qualm for most people -- is that I HATE the comparison to Forman's Where She Went. Yes, both tackle the loss of a relationship from a male perspective and both were written by female authors, but I think Whitney nails a male voice in a way that Forman didn't quite get. Will readers who like Where She Went like this book? Absolutely. But I think that Whitney's book has a far wider appeal in terms of reaching male readers (and part of the blame on that is in the fact Forman's book has a girl on the cover).
Bonus points for a kick ass pet sidekick in the story.
Longer review to come much closer to publication date.