Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Opposite of Always

I just finished one of my first books of the month, a Book of the Month pick from a few months ago, Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds.

Essentially, Opposite of Always is a Groundhog’s Day retelling. Jack, the main character, meets Kate, the girl of his dreams. They could have had a whirlwind romance. But she dies. And while that should be the end, Jack finds himself back to the same day he met Kate. Again and again, stuck in this endless time loop trying to save Kate.

The author, Justin A. Reynolds, is an author from Ohio. Opposite of Always was his debut and it won the Indies Introduce Top Ten Debut Title and became a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Apparently, it’s also being adapted for film.

My initial impression is that while I enjoyed the book, I’m not sure I’m the kind of reader that likes time loops or time travel. I wasn’t sure before, but now I think those are things I’m just going to steer clear of. That being said, the story was still compelling. Particularly because the crux of the narrative lied with the characters.

Jack, the main character, always feels like he doesn’t measure up, especially against his two best friends. Kate is working against an illness she doesn’t want to define her life. Both Jillian and Franny are coming to terms with nontraditional families and troubles with their respective fathers. Through it all, Jack is working on who he is, how he can save his love, and how he can be a good friend. The main lesson, or theme, I took from the storyline was that sometimes instead of fixing the issue, it’s important just to be there and do what you can.

“Don’t be afraid. Take chances. And when those don’t work out, take more.”

For the most part, the book was also well-written. As a YA romance/science fiction, the chapters were short and sometimes, the main character was frusturating in his shallow thoughts and mistakes he made. But hey, that’s being a teenager. I think, perhaps, the main thing that annoyed me about Jack was how quickly he changed from the girl he was pining after to claiming affection for a new girl. It was all very “insta-love” and I really am not a fan of that.

Overall, however, I think the book met my expectations, if a little frusturating at times. I suppose I didn’t have as high hopes for this one and was still entertained. Still, I’d give the book three stars and I’d recommend to those who do like time loop stories.

Content Warnings

heathermarie08's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

What a cute story! The characters are loveable and I found myself rooting for them throughout the book. This story also makes you think how you would react if you were in Jack's shoes. The ending is also quite satiafying.

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bujo_bellel's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring 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

3.5

I quite liked this book, it was rather slow at the start which I think could have been made quicker. I liked the build-up and how it teaches us the morale that time is precious and that we should never give up. I quite like the relationship between Jack and Kate. I really hate the pet name (baby) that Franny and Jillian called each other which is one of my pet peeves. This book was kind-of anti-climatic but it might be because I was reading this book for a long time and thus was in this world for very long.

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peachani's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

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meeklovestoread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Oh my goodness! I'm so happy I finally got around to reading this book. The friendship, the romance, the banter, the importance of family all in one book. Chef's kiss! It was so sweet! I loved almost every minute of it. The representation in this book was phenomenal. Of course, whil the book wasn't 100% perfect for me I'd stil definitely recommend this book to anyone. Oh my goodness this book will have you feeling all the feels.

But it sucks because this could've definitely become a comfort read for me if it weren't for the "3rd act breakup"

the betrayal that Jack commits again Francisco is callous. He literally goes on to date his best friend's girlfriend. I just found it to be so out of character for him. He knows how much Franny has struggled in life and the one person he though he could count on shatters his heart. I also don't like how easily Franny forgives Jack the first he screws up when he goes behind his back to "negotiate" with his dad. And also I don't like how Jillian liking Jack the whole time while she's dating Franny isn't addressed. Like she didn't even stop Jack when he kissed her. It made me look at their relationship differently and like Jillian a little less. She should be honest with Franny with her feelings because given what Franny has gone through he deserves someone that's willing to give him 100%.

I would lowkey like a sequel where we get Franny's story. I really liked his character.

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librariancollections's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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onemorechap's review against another edition

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relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5

➺ 𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔:
Long story short: Jack meets Kate, they fit so well together but life has other plans... Kate has anemia and it turns out they're not meant to be... At least not at the first try, because some months after they start dating, Kate dies in the hospital. From that point, Jack enters a time loop, having to relive the months which led in her death again and again, each time trying to save her.

➺ 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
Through Jack's repetitive failing, we see a multidimensional character who makes mistakes, has his own hopes, and makes his own choices, with all the consequences they may entail. The focus was more on him rather than Kate, and while I wanted to know more about her, I really enjoyed getting to know Jack so well. It was a lighter story that kept me nice company, an easy read that I'd happily get back to! On top of that, I had the chance to do some nice annotating in the book, so if the writing style of the author managed to make me put ink on my book this has to mean something..!

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fromjuliereads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

I really liked this book! There were so many laugh out loud scenes, moments that were so difficult to read. Great characters and fantastic writing!

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