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baoluong's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so imagine Groundhog Day except instead of cheets to romance the girl you are also tasked with saving her life. This book would have totally put me off if it was just Jack being a creepy fucker having the upper hand to manipulate Kate to trust him. Is he really being his authentic self when he knows all the right answers? Think about it how unsettling would it be for a guy to come up to you and know everything about you because he did extensive research? Granted this is the dilemma with the particular trope.
In reality what sets this book apart is how Jack also tries to mend his relationships with his friends and family. If you could see in hindsight where you went wrong, you'd want to keep a hold on of the people you initially let go. These themes encompass the many time loops Jack goes through to finally arrive at the reality he wants to live. My only problem is of course the romance because Jack tries so hard to be with Kate and at some point I don't know if it crosses lines. Is there such a thing as true love and soul mates? In order for this book to work you have to believe in those concepts. Otherwise you come off thinking that something isn't right.
As far as the characters go they have their own individual quirks. I think more so they are a reflection of who Jack is. Each time Jack goes back he isn't the same person, he's lived so much longer then all of them and has the wisdom of someone older. That's kind of sick. I recommend this book for people who don't mind hashing out the same plot scenes over and over again. It goes beyond the three times the charm gimmick and can get very repetitive. Is it worth it in the end, maybe. We all know that happy endings take a lot of work.
I actually like the illustrative concept of stairs and the way the characters come closer to each other each step of the way. The color palette is very lively and complements the skin color of the characters. The typography could use some work as it seems haphazard. Overall it's an interesting cover that made me want to read the book.
If you had one chance to redo a specific event in your life what would it be?
kkoerth613's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book because I love all things Groundhog Day. But it also reminded me of Before I Fall, in which its a very similar scenario of a death and the main character that goes back in time repeatedly, not by choice, in an attempt to save their life.
I love the main character, but I also love that Jack goes through acceptance and develops into the person he is at the end of the book, where he makes the best of everything, and just trying to live his life instead of trying to save everyone.
Good novel, can't wait to read other books by Reynolds.
I love the main character, but I also love that Jack goes through acceptance and develops into the person he is at the end of the book, where he makes the best of everything, and just trying to live his life instead of trying to save everyone.
Good novel, can't wait to read other books by Reynolds.
abbyl819's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book so much! I loved Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which has a similar synopsis, so that is why I was interested in this book. I absolutely loved the characters. Watching Jack try again and again to save the person that he loves and maintain his relationships with his family and friends was so emotional and entertaining. Jack and Kate have such a perfect relationship and they work so well together. There were many lines in this book that I just stopped to read over and over because it was so well written. The way that this book its written, with many sections of Jack talking right to the reader, is very unique and sets this book's narrative apart from many other books, and I thought that it was very well done overall. It is a very easy to read writing style that allowed me to fly through this book quickly without even realizing it.
issianne's review against another edition
3.0
This book was wholesome--both positively and negatively. It's a story about a boy who meets and falls for a girl who is terminally ill and dies shortly after meeting him. He then relives meeting, dating, and everything in between with her. The dialogue was really strong; every character was witty and nothing felt forced. But, there were so many throw away cheesy lines that (though pinned to the corniness of the main character) were hard to read sometimes. The writing is also very quirky so do with that as you will.
middleburybooks's review against another edition
4.0
There is a special art to starting a book by confusing your readers while subtly promising, through competent writing, that it will all make sense in the end. I think this author does it very well in this book.
This story starts with an intense life-or-death situation then backs into a sweet teen drama/romance that explains how we got there. The writing style was consistent and enjoyable throughout-humorous and engaging with just enough tugs on the heartstrings.
Our MC, Jack, is seriously the sweetest. Even when he messes up, I can’t help but root for him.
Solid, enjoyable story.
This story starts with an intense life-or-death situation then backs into a sweet teen drama/romance that explains how we got there. The writing style was consistent and enjoyable throughout-humorous and engaging with just enough tugs on the heartstrings.
Our MC, Jack, is seriously the sweetest. Even when he messes up, I can’t help but root for him.
Solid, enjoyable story.
irisdagmar's review against another edition
3.0
Conflicted. There were parts of this I really liked - interesting mechanic of time travel. But the narrator’s voice was inconsistent and sometimes annoying and unconvincing. He often sounded like someone too young or too old... corny jokes just felt flat.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Second (and third) chance to get love right... Groundhog Day rehash of a teenager's first love.
"All the time travel in the world can't save the people you love." Jack is in love with his best friend Jillian (who is happily dating their mutual friend Franny) when he meets college girl Kate, who instantly gets under his skin and connects with the senior.
Getting to know each other, he realises this may be love. But then Kate dies (this is NOT a spoiler, by the way)... and Jack then finds himself meeting her all over again at the same party and reliving their months together all over again... It's not madness, it's not a dream. So why is Jack reliving the relationship - is there something he should be doing?
A twist on the Groundhog Day repeating-time theme (see recently released Pretty in Punxatawney), Jack's issues with his feelings for best friends, Franny's convict father, Jack's perfect parents (not at all annoying, actually, great role models), all balance alongside his relationship with the lovely Kate. It could get annoying, his constant falling in love with her, reliving the same events, but we see different moments and discussions.
I did wonder how the repetitive angle of this idea would work for Jack - he surely must be attending the same classes multiple times, completing the same homeworks again and again, having the same dinner-time conversations with his parents, but this never gets mentioned. A shame, I thought.
I liked seeing Jack experiment with other realities and fulfilling his fantasies, even though he didn't seem to learn from mistakes and remains a pretty poor friend for many of his attempts. The author manages to keep what could be an incredibly saccharine sugar-sweet love story from becoming overly so, with Jack and Kate remaining likeable and their feelings for each other more sweet than sickly.
Fresh look at the genre and idea, worthy YA read that could make a great film/series.
For ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.
"All the time travel in the world can't save the people you love." Jack is in love with his best friend Jillian (who is happily dating their mutual friend Franny) when he meets college girl Kate, who instantly gets under his skin and connects with the senior.
Getting to know each other, he realises this may be love. But then Kate dies (this is NOT a spoiler, by the way)... and Jack then finds himself meeting her all over again at the same party and reliving their months together all over again... It's not madness, it's not a dream. So why is Jack reliving the relationship - is there something he should be doing?
A twist on the Groundhog Day repeating-time theme (see recently released Pretty in Punxatawney), Jack's issues with his feelings for best friends, Franny's convict father, Jack's perfect parents (not at all annoying, actually, great role models), all balance alongside his relationship with the lovely Kate. It could get annoying, his constant falling in love with her, reliving the same events, but we see different moments and discussions.
I did wonder how the repetitive angle of this idea would work for Jack - he surely must be attending the same classes multiple times, completing the same homeworks again and again, having the same dinner-time conversations with his parents, but this never gets mentioned. A shame, I thought.
I liked seeing Jack experiment with other realities and fulfilling his fantasies, even though he didn't seem to learn from mistakes and remains a pretty poor friend for many of his attempts. The author manages to keep what could be an incredibly saccharine sugar-sweet love story from becoming overly so, with Jack and Kate remaining likeable and their feelings for each other more sweet than sickly.
Fresh look at the genre and idea, worthy YA read that could make a great film/series.
For ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.
ciarafarris's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 because I really liked it but I took like a month off while reading it and the ending was not as satisfying as I was expecting.
rn_dre's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
3.5