A review by meghanlew_
As You Walk on By by Julian Winters

emotional 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

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing an arc copy of this book.

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotion. I laughed, smiled, and cried my whole way through. 

First off, I enjoyed so many of the characters, and the author did a fantastic job of showing imperfections in each of them. So much of high school is spent figuring out who you are and how to be that person around there, and the author captured that feeling perfectly for me. The main character also had a good arc throughout the story, yet he was never made to seem overly perfect, which made it all the more real. 

At the start of the book, I thought the whole ‘dare’ concept would not be for me, but I ended up loving that aspect. It was a great way to show character growth in multiple characters, especially by seeing everything from only one perspective. It also showed how each person was more than what people saw on the surface and that often what we see in public is just a mask presented to the world. 

I loved that there were so many different friendship dynamics within the book. Sometimes we outgrow people, and it is okay to move on from someone at any point in time. 

The romance was so adorable that I could not help but smile. Everything related to the romance gave me butterflies, and I was rooting for them the whole time.

Overall, I loved this book and am so glad I got to read it.