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A review by joana_stormblessed
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
3.0
I really like time travel storylines and whilst I knew this wasn't exactly that (it is more of a groundhog day -ish situation), I knew I had to pick it up.
What is it about?
We follow Jack, your average teenage boy who has almost always had it all in live. Even though I don't think this is a super important point to the story line. Jack has two best friends, Francisco and Gillian whom are romantically involved. When Jack first met Gillian he fell in love with her but didn't do anything about it and didn't tell anyone about it. So, Franny started dating her instead.
One evening, Gillian and Jack attend a party that is a cataclysm in Jack's life. At the party, Jack meets Kate and starts a relationship with her. As their relationship develops, Jack finds out that Kate has a rare disease and she dies. This is the beginning of the loop. Jack is sent back to his first meeting with Kate at the party and experiences it all over and over and over again. All in the hopes to find the solution to help Kate in time. He is, of course, the only one who remembers any of the events of the previous loops.
Each time Jack is sent back, he tries different approaches and sees the consequences that his actions have on his family and his closest friends. It is up to him to make sure to help Kate and to also not destroy anything else around him...
What I thought?
I liked the concept of this book. I loved the diversity (Jack and Kate are black, Franny is latinx and I don't Gillian's ethnicity) and the writing in the novel. It was pretty simple writing and it also addressed the reader a few times, and it really worked for this story. It especially worked for the audiobook narration. If you're going to pick this up, I would recommend the audiobook format. The narrator did a wonderful job with the voice-acting.
The book sparks a few questions about "what would you do differently if given the opportunity" and it was all in all a good story. I enjoyed my time with it and recommend it if you're looking for something cute, fun and quick to read.
What is it about?
We follow Jack, your average teenage boy who has almost always had it all in live. Even though I don't think this is a super important point to the story line. Jack has two best friends, Francisco and Gillian whom are romantically involved. When Jack first met Gillian he fell in love with her but didn't do anything about it and didn't tell anyone about it. So, Franny started dating her instead.
One evening, Gillian and Jack attend a party that is a cataclysm in Jack's life. At the party, Jack meets Kate and starts a relationship with her. As their relationship develops, Jack finds out that Kate has a rare disease and she dies. This is the beginning of the loop. Jack is sent back to his first meeting with Kate at the party and experiences it all over and over and over again. All in the hopes to find the solution to help Kate in time. He is, of course, the only one who remembers any of the events of the previous loops.
Each time Jack is sent back, he tries different approaches and sees the consequences that his actions have on his family and his closest friends. It is up to him to make sure to help Kate and to also not destroy anything else around him...
What I thought?
I liked the concept of this book. I loved the diversity (Jack and Kate are black, Franny is latinx and I don't Gillian's ethnicity) and the writing in the novel. It was pretty simple writing and it also addressed the reader a few times, and it really worked for this story. It especially worked for the audiobook narration. If you're going to pick this up, I would recommend the audiobook format. The narrator did a wonderful job with the voice-acting.
The book sparks a few questions about "what would you do differently if given the opportunity" and it was all in all a good story. I enjoyed my time with it and recommend it if you're looking for something cute, fun and quick to read.