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A review by avocadobaby
When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney
5.0
I believe Daisy Whitney has just cemented herself as one of my new favorite, must-by, authors. I got swept up in The Mockingbirds and The Rivals this past winter and thought she handled a very serious topic (date rape) in a very sensitive yet real and compelling manner. Her work is witty and quick and just compelling.
But lord, I was not ready for When You Were Here. Obviously the blurb sounds like sad stuff, right? RIGHT. Geez. This poor kid. His dad dies, his sister abandons the family (more on that), and his mom dies after a long battle with cancer? Recipe for tears right there....and it delivered. I can't recall how many times I cried while reading this, not to mention the number of times I cried in public (re: on the train).
But it's also filled with such joy! Which is of course what the point of this book is. Life is sad, but it is LIFE and we should live it and rah rah rah.
The Details
Story:
Perfect? Really, it was a nicely plotted, tight story with a good focus. The stuff in Japan was obviously the meat of the story, that was his journey, but it was sprinkled with stories from before his mother died that just melt your heart; either about his dad or his relationship with Holland, etc. I just love the details that Whitney chose to include - little bits about his mother or the things that his father taught him that he stilled did and ensured that a bit of his father was always around made me BAWL.
Everything just flowed together beautifully - the events happened in a way that kept me NEEDING more and the pieces of Danny's life and his relationships unfolded naturally. I feel like there was a perfect mix of backstory, without giving too much away, because WHOA, is there a bit of a bomb dropped somewhere in this book.
Writing:
Beautiful, but simple. There were a lot of bits that made me cry and a lot of stuff I highlighted in my kindle. Danny's voice felt true and realistic to me, though what do I know about being a 18 year old boy. It was quick, but super heartfelt without EVER being melodramatic. And seriously, with the stuff that happens, it could have been. It was never terribly angsty either.
That is a fine line to walk when writing about tragedy, so bravo.
Relationships/Characters:
Because I am a romantic and I love a good romance, I have to say, this one does NOT fail. Do not judge Danny and Holland's relationship too quickly, either. There's a lot there and watching it unfold literally took my breath away. I had to put my kindle down at one moment (and you'll know what that is when you read it). They are broken up at the beginning of the book, but don't expect this to be just a tale of a lover scorned.
KANA!!!! She is the best!! Seriously. I love her. I love how she took Danny in and made him start to feel again. But I also loved that there was no romantic interest here. You never feared they would get together or ruin anything. There is not enough platonic boy-girl love in YA, damn it. We don't want triangles!!!
HIS FAMILY. GUH. Obviously the relationship with his mother is the focus and it is beautiful and heartbreaking, especially as he learns more about her final months and the decisions she made. But you get a good glimpse of the relationship with his father and with his sister, and his sister and mother, and sister and father. FAMILIES. SO DAMN INTERESTING.
The only part I found a bit unnecessary was the relationship he had with the older doctor. I get it, but I don't think it was really needed. I guess it's another part of him that shows he is seriously not OK at the moment, but could have done without.
Overall: Forever Love
I love this book so much I want to marry it. Definitely going on the top 10 of books I've read this year so far, and probably will remain at the end of the year.
PS Danny call me when you're older. Maybe.
But lord, I was not ready for When You Were Here. Obviously the blurb sounds like sad stuff, right? RIGHT. Geez. This poor kid. His dad dies, his sister abandons the family (more on that), and his mom dies after a long battle with cancer? Recipe for tears right there....and it delivered. I can't recall how many times I cried while reading this, not to mention the number of times I cried in public (re: on the train).
But it's also filled with such joy! Which is of course what the point of this book is. Life is sad, but it is LIFE and we should live it and rah rah rah.
The Details
Story:
Perfect? Really, it was a nicely plotted, tight story with a good focus. The stuff in Japan was obviously the meat of the story, that was his journey, but it was sprinkled with stories from before his mother died that just melt your heart; either about his dad or his relationship with Holland, etc. I just love the details that Whitney chose to include - little bits about his mother or the things that his father taught him that he stilled did and ensured that a bit of his father was always around made me BAWL.
Everything just flowed together beautifully - the events happened in a way that kept me NEEDING more and the pieces of Danny's life and his relationships unfolded naturally. I feel like there was a perfect mix of backstory, without giving too much away, because WHOA, is there a bit of a bomb dropped somewhere in this book.
Writing:
Beautiful, but simple. There were a lot of bits that made me cry and a lot of stuff I highlighted in my kindle. Danny's voice felt true and realistic to me, though what do I know about being a 18 year old boy. It was quick, but super heartfelt without EVER being melodramatic. And seriously, with the stuff that happens, it could have been. It was never terribly angsty either.
That is a fine line to walk when writing about tragedy, so bravo.
Relationships/Characters:
Because I am a romantic and I love a good romance, I have to say, this one does NOT fail. Do not judge Danny and Holland's relationship too quickly, either. There's a lot there and watching it unfold literally took my breath away. I had to put my kindle down at one moment (and you'll know what that is when you read it). They are broken up at the beginning of the book, but don't expect this to be just a tale of a lover scorned.
KANA!!!! She is the best!! Seriously. I love her. I love how she took Danny in and made him start to feel again. But I also loved that there was no romantic interest here. You never feared they would get together or ruin anything. There is not enough platonic boy-girl love in YA, damn it. We don't want triangles!!!
HIS FAMILY. GUH. Obviously the relationship with his mother is the focus and it is beautiful and heartbreaking, especially as he learns more about her final months and the decisions she made. But you get a good glimpse of the relationship with his father and with his sister, and his sister and mother, and sister and father. FAMILIES. SO DAMN INTERESTING.
The only part I found a bit unnecessary was the relationship he had with the older doctor. I get it, but I don't think it was really needed. I guess it's another part of him that shows he is seriously not OK at the moment, but could have done without.
Overall: Forever Love
I love this book so much I want to marry it. Definitely going on the top 10 of books I've read this year so far, and probably will remain at the end of the year.
PS Danny call me when you're older. Maybe.