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eslismyjam's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book. I requested this book based entirely on the this sentence, "For fans of Far From the Tree, Emergency Contact, and Nina LaCour." It didn't disappoint. If enjoyed any of those novels you will probably like this. Added bonus- (or not depending on your persuasion) it made me cry at the end.
Everett handles quite a lot of tough material very deftly. It could have gotten very muddy very fast as Jessi is dealing with a mom with severe depression, and her surrogate mother, Mel, being "sick" (I assume cancer, but it was never really clarified).
The format of the book successfully keeps the reader engaged but alternating between the present and past and slowly spooling out the details to keep you reading. I won't spoil, but within the first 25% there is a reveal that throws off what you were expecting to happen.
I was expecting a more standard, coming of age, young adult novel, but this actually developed into something of a romance after its initial setup. The conflict between the two characters being grief over their shared loss and impending losses. It is one of those books that you don't find out the big reveal until the very, very end. I often like books that keep you guessing.
One thing that didn't' really work for me though was the representation. Jessi is mixed race, as are the boys, Luke and Rowan, but it felt more like a throwaway attempt at representation than anything real and substantial. I guess it is good that authors are now writing more diverse characters, but I don't feel that it informed much in the book. It was a few sentences at the start of the book and then never really addressed again. It would have been easy to rewrite the book and make all the characters white and not really change the story in any way. Which I guess is both good and bad in terms of representation. There was a small subplot dealing with the prejudice and racsim Jessi's mom and dad faced as a mixed-race couple from the mom's family, but it felt a bit unnecessary.
On the whole, I enjoyed this a lot. I liked both Jessi and Luke and I thought they had a nice character arc.
Everett handles quite a lot of tough material very deftly. It could have gotten very muddy very fast as Jessi is dealing with a mom with severe depression, and her surrogate mother, Mel, being "sick" (I assume cancer, but it was never really clarified).
The format of the book successfully keeps the reader engaged but alternating between the present and past and slowly spooling out the details to keep you reading. I won't spoil, but within the first 25% there is a reveal that throws off what you were expecting to happen.
I was expecting a more standard, coming of age, young adult novel, but this actually developed into something of a romance after its initial setup. The conflict between the two characters being grief over their shared loss and impending losses. It is one of those books that you don't find out the big reveal until the very, very end. I often like books that keep you guessing.
One thing that didn't' really work for me though was the representation. Jessi is mixed race, as are the boys, Luke and Rowan, but it felt more like a throwaway attempt at representation than anything real and substantial. I guess it is good that authors are now writing more diverse characters, but I don't feel that it informed much in the book. It was a few sentences at the start of the book and then never really addressed again. It would have been easy to rewrite the book and make all the characters white and not really change the story in any way. Which I guess is both good and bad in terms of representation. There was a small subplot dealing with the prejudice and racsim Jessi's mom and dad faced as a mixed-race couple from the mom's family, but it felt a bit unnecessary.
On the whole, I enjoyed this a lot. I liked both Jessi and Luke and I thought they had a nice character arc.
nightsh8's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.0
ivannna_u's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
btsandbooklover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
4.75
kaseyvickers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
jess33allen's review against another edition
4.0
This was an emotional rollercoaster that broke my heart and put it back together multiple times. It’s a heavy story full of found family, love, and grief. It hit me hard and I cried.
sshakirahh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
i always describe the experience reading this book as having swung me ( like a ceiling fan ) around my room by my puff and out the window. it’s a story of grief and loss, the romance is still apart of the plot but definitely not a felt like a smaller part of the story. barnes and noble needs their ass whooped for putting it in the romance section but i digress.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent and Mental illness
lelise's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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? No
3.75
carolina98's review against another edition
4.0
I had a blast reading this book. It kept me engaged throughout it and I had a hard time putting it down.I Liked the drama omg I ate that shit up. However there were several things that I for one hate. Here are the reasons why it didn’t get five stars from me.
1. It’s a love triangle between brothers (I hate this trope authors need to stop with the whole both brothers like the same person even tho said brothers are both very different people)
2. Jessie was low key annoying (she kept saying that everything bad that happened to the cohens was her fault. Was also very rude to her mother and just overall didn’t have any character development)
3. It’s also dual time line which I just absolutely hate but I will say it did work out.
4. Communication
I felt like most of everyone’s problems would of been handled better if they were just to communicate and tell the truth about their feelings instead of just letting everything bottle up.
5. How they handled Rowan’s death.
This one goes with the communication one but I felt like Jessi could of benefited a lot from just talking about the death instead of just avoiding the conversation altogether.
1. It’s a love triangle between brothers (I hate this trope authors need to stop with the whole both brothers like the same person even tho said brothers are both very different people)
2. Jessie was low key annoying (she kept saying that everything bad that happened to the cohens was her fault. Was also very rude to her mother and just overall didn’t have any character development)
3. It’s also dual time line which I just absolutely hate but I will say it did work out.
4. Communication
I felt like most of everyone’s problems would of been handled better if they were just to communicate and tell the truth about their feelings instead of just letting everything bottle up.
5. How they handled Rowan’s death.
This one goes with the communication one but I felt like Jessi could of benefited a lot from just talking about the death instead of just avoiding the conversation altogether.
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
Growing up, I secretly adored books with this trope—think 99 Days by Katie Cotugno or The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. Then toss in two sad, beautiful, tragic situations, and you get... me in my current state. I am a sad, shrivelled, snot-filled carcass of a human. When I tell you this book made me ugly-cry, I mean UGLY-CRY.
I love how every little side character had a story, whether that be Willow, Eric, Ernie, Naomi, or Jessi's father. They're all such complete characters. Jessi's mother's story resonated too, and I felt like it shone a light on a Big Bad experience that doesn't get covered enough; stretched out to one of the worst possible outcomes.
And of course, we must talk about the power that Jessi, Luke, Ro, and Mel have over me. When there's so much left to say, and so much left unsaid, sometimes simply chanting, "I love you I love you I love you" really says it all. I want to bundle them up tight and keep them safe and healthy forever.
I was so worried that we'd end on an ambiguous note, but I should've known to have faith in Sarah Everett. The ending hit all the right realistic notes. I think Mel's words (and Jessi's) will stick with me for a long while: I am happy, grateful, well-dressed, brave, and alive.
I love how every little side character had a story, whether that be Willow, Eric, Ernie, Naomi, or Jessi's father. They're all such complete characters. Jessi's mother's story resonated too, and I felt like it shone a light on a Big Bad experience that doesn't get covered enough; stretched out to one of the worst possible outcomes.
And of course, we must talk about the power that Jessi, Luke, Ro, and Mel have over me. When there's so much left to say, and so much left unsaid, sometimes simply chanting, "I love you I love you I love you" really says it all. I want to bundle them up tight and keep them safe and healthy forever.
I was so worried that we'd end on an ambiguous note, but I should've known to have faith in Sarah Everett. The ending hit all the right realistic notes. I think Mel's words (and Jessi's) will stick with me for a long while: I am happy, grateful, well-dressed, brave, and alive.