A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

A Heart So Fierce and Broken

by Brigid Kemmerer
Published: Bloomsbury, 2020
Pages: 464
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

“Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is not to make any choice at all.”

About the book

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

Review

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been this conflicted about an anticipated read.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken picks up where the first installment left off; Rhen and Harper’s struggle to unify the kingdom and Grey hiding as a stablehand. 

I assumed the book would focus on Grey and Rhen’s new relationship as brothers but it I was surprised to find 95% of the story centered around Grey and Lia Mara, a princess of Shyl Shallow. I’m not necessarily mad about the romance but it took up the majority of the plot. To me, it seemed like the escalating political tension with romance and magic didn’t meld correctly to form a coherent story. I also felt a bit bored at times while reading; the writing didn’t flow like in A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

Though A Heart So Fierce and Broken did contain the same in-depth character development that made the first installment shine, ultimately I felt like the book was just OK. 

The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

The Tenth Girl

by Sara Faring
Published: Imprint, 2019
Pages: 460
Genre: Thriller, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

“Isn’t it kind of beautiful to experience primal fear? To feel your pulse quicken because a pile of well-laid stones catch shadows and carry sound in unusual ways? How often are we so bored and anesthetized by our routines - in our safe surroundings - that we lose all sense of what’s magical about our existence.”

About the book

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored... and one of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence.

Review

The Tenth Girl is a haunting, psychological thriller that combines historical fiction, Patagonia mythology and the paranormal.

The plot is what drew me into the novel: a haunted boarding school in remote South America where, several years earlier, a mysterious illness killed off almost all of the staff and students.

In 1978, the Vaccaro School is reopened and is where Mavi takes a job as an English teacher for a fresh start. Once she arrives, she discovers a sinister building with odd rules; no one is allowed out of their bedrooms at night as it’s unsafe. Mavi attempts to take her job in stride but can’t ignore the change in the other teachers and students… they begin acting like they’re possessed. This, combined with stranger rumors of “The Others,” leads Mavi on a mission to save those she cares about, but the truth could change her very core.

The writing is very eerie and disturbing. The author does a stellar job of painting vivid, hair-rising depictions of this creepy boarding school that obviously holds very dark secrets. The unique setting, 1978 Argentina, and the touch of mythology really makes the book unique.

At its core, the story is about forgiving yourself in order to set yourself free from the guilt and shame that can trap us all and learning to live your life. This revelation is one example of how this book shocked me. I went into The Tenth Girl thinking it was a creepy ghost story but it completely turned me around, upside down and inside out. Along with the general weirdness of the storyline, the novel has substantial character development that requires readers to consider the inner wall he or she may be hiding behind as well.

The promised HUGE twist at the end is one that readers will not be able to guess. It definitely gives me vibes of this one popular horror movie but I don’t want to say the name of it because of potential spoilers. 

The Tenth Girl is crazily original, and I guarantee it’ll be something you’ve never read before. There are mixed reviews for this book; it seems like you’ll either love it or hate it. I really enjoyed it, though I must admit the pacing drags a bit in the middle but then picks back up towards the end. There's also some saying that the mythology incorporated into the novel isn't accurate which that, along with the slow pacing mentioned earlier, leads me to give this a slightly lower rating.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer
Published: Bloomsbury, 2019
Pages: 496
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

“Have you not figured it out yet? The curse torments us all.”

About the book

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Review

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I initially didn’t want to read this book because I thought it’d be the typical, run-of-the-mill YA fantasy that’d be centered on a terrible beast who learns how to love and him and a young woman ride off into the sunset. 

I could not have been more wrong.

What really surprised me in this novel was the focus on character development, not romance.

Harper is a timid young woman used to staying the shadows. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her mother, who’s dying of cancer, and her brother, who is forced to deal with loan sharks following the abandonment of their father. While on the lookout for her brother, Harper is taken by a stranger and transported into a literal fairytale. To save those around her and get back to her family, Harper must tap into her inner strength and project the confidence she didn’t know she had. I absolutely love Harper’s character. Strong, independent woman are among my favorite character types. 

Rhen is a prince who, after spending the night with a mysterious woman with secret powers, is cursed to find a woman to fall in love with him or turn into a terrible, vicious beast who kills everyone in sight. The young prince cycles through hundreds of seasons through which he terrorizes his kingdom and brutally murders his own family before Harper lands before him. The mage who cursed him then declares that this will be his last season, meaning he has to make Harper fall in love with him or be turned into the beast forever. Rhen comes off as arrogant and entitled, though slowly Harper learns that Rhen is in deep mourning for his lost family and is extremely loyal to his people.

What makes A Curse So Dark and Lonely pop is the development of Harper’s and Rhen’s relationship throughout the story. I found this book to be more of a character development than a romance, though there are romantic aspects through the plot. 

Grey was also a great addition to the storyline. He’s fiercely loyal and provides another dimension to the two main characters. 

The ending also reveled a big twist and concluded in a way that leaves readers SHOOK. 

I really enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely. When I finished the book, I rushed over to the library to place a hole on the second installment. Looking forward to diving into it!

Hollow by Rhonda Parrish

Hollow

by Rhonda Parrish
Published: Tyche Books, 2020
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

That moment of absolute clarity, of peace, becomes a weapon in this world which seems to thrive on people's pain and suffering. Not a physical weapon, like a sword or a gun, but a weapon just the same. I feel it. I am it.

About the book

A car accident shattered sixteen-year-old Morgan's family. Now her brother’s dead, her mom's paralyzed in more ways than one, her dad lives at work and her seven-year-old sister Amy tries too freaking hard to salvage everything. What’s more, high school is its own special kind of hell, where her ex-boyfriend delights in spreading rumors that shred her reputation and make her feel like a loser. When she finds an old camera in a creepy abandoned hospital, it seems like her luck is finally changing. And it is changing--from bad to worse. Because of course it is. Each time Morgan photographs one of her classmates they become corrupted versions of themselves. It's like the camera steals their goodness, their essence, and leaves them hollow. Then her sister uses the camera to take a selfie. No matter what the cost, Morgan will find a way to reverse the effects of the cursed camera and save Amy, before her already-fractured family completely self-destructs.

Review

Morgan is an average teenager whose live was changed forever when a car accident killed her little brother and left her mother paralyzed. Several months later, she’s battling with guilt and shame when she finds an old Polaroid camera in an abandoned hospital. Morgan soon discovers that with each photo she takes, those pictured become angry… VERY angry and aggressive, like they’re becoming corrupted versions of themselves. In order to save her friends, Morgan must face her own guilty conscious.

Hollow isn’t a bad book, but it is just OK. I mean, it’s an overall fast, enjoyable read. My main complaint is that the story is slow and the plot is thin. I’m also confused how a photography obsessed teenager doesn’t know the name of the Polaroid camera, but that’s just me being nick-picky. 

The theme of the novel is what liked the most. Morgan must first face her fears and the guilts over the car accident and her failed relationship with Keith before she’s able to save those around her. I feel like this epitomizes the importance of forgiving yourself which is one of the first things I learned in therapy. You can’t control everything that happens to you but you CAN learn to control how you react to it. For this reason, I’m giving Hollow a higher rating than what I was planning originally. 

RATING (out of five puppies)

One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Next

by Karen M. McManus
Published: Delacorte Press, 2020
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

Here's a little advice for the next time we play: Always pick Dare.

About the book

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it's not an app, though—it's a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.

Review

One of Us is Next is a fast-paced, thrilling follow-up to the best seller One of Us is Lying.

Like the first book, One of Us is Next follows a group of students at Bayview High School must play what ends up as a deadly game of Truth or Dare. This is similar to the plot of the first novel in which Simon's blog exposes dark secrets, but in the sequel students must decide between the Unknown Person reveling a secret or completing a dare. 

Though containing some of the same characters as the first novel, new personalities are introduced to the storyline, such as feisty Phoebe and sweet Knox. The narrators are switched between Maeve (Bronwyn’s sister), Phoebe, Addy and Knox. I feel like this structure helps in keeping the story moving along quickly while keeping it interesting. The characters and their relationships amongst each other felt real; I especially enjoyed Knox and Maeve.

The plot, which is appealing, does kind of fall towards the end as the story takes on a hint of unbelievability towards the climax. This issue is the main reason why I rated it four stars instead of five. 

I really enjoyed One of Us is Next and recommend it to those who enjoyed the first book. 

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

The Beautiful

by Renée Ahdieh
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2019
Pages: 440
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Amazon, Goodreads

“My actions speak for me. If you feel them to be heartless and cruel, then so be it: I am heartless and cruel.”

About the book

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien's own lair — the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks — Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose — one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

Review

I’m having a hard time putting together my thoughts on this novel, I’m going to break it up into two parts — what I liked about the novel and what I didn’t like.

I know The Beautiful is going to be compared to Twilight but they are completely different stories. I admit, I loved the Twilight books when I was in high school; the movie series is what ruined the franchise. Don’t go into The Beautiful thinking it’s some high school love story about glittering vampires. This story actually follows Celine, a young French woman travels to New Orleans to escape a dark secret. She accepts an offer to design a gown for an alluring, mysterious woman who takes Celine under her wing and introduces her to an intoxicating crowd of strange, non-quite-human individuals. Death soon follows Celine, and she discovers that beautiful does not mean safe.

The Beautiful is marketed as a vampire novel, but it’s really about evil. The word vampire isn’t even used as a description until the very end. I feel like this gave an added dark element to the storyline. Instead of Celine arriving in a new world and acting all “OMG vampires! How crazy!”, it’s more of Celine discovering that is evil in this world and that she has some wickedness inside herself.

The author does a great job of providing a dark, creepy atmosphere throughout the story while showcasing Celine’s unwavering fearlessness and endless wit.

Such as: 

“You do not belong in this world, Celine. It may be beautiful — intoxicating even — but beauty is a danger to behold, for it often masks the decay lurking beneath. Et ça fini toujours dans le sang.”

And it always ends in blood.

“I am not so captivated by the beautiful, monsieur.” Celine met his gaze without wavering. “For I know beauty is only a moment in time.”

Though I enjoyed the story, and the novel was full of attention-grabbing quotes, I felt there was a lack of character development that could have really made The Beautiful stand out. I won’t get into the ending because I don’t want to revel spoilers but I also felt it was anticlimactic. The lack of an emotional connection to the characters is what ultimately made The Beautiful fall flat for me.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Fountains of Silence

By Ruta Sepetys
Published: Philomel Books, 2019
Pages: 512
Genre: Historical fiction, Young adult
Amazon, Goodreads

"Truth breaks the chains of silence."
Puri puts a trembling hand to her chest. Her voice drops to a whisper.
"It sets us all free."

About the book

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texas oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography — and fate — introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War — as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions admidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Review

Fountains of Silence is one of the biggest page-turners of the year you won’t want to miss!

The story alternates between the viewpoints of Daniel, a young Texan man who aspires to be a photojournalist, and Ana, a poor Madrid maid who works at a hotel catered to rich Americans.

With the story revolving around a teenage boy who comes from a family of wealthy oil tycoons falling in love with a young woman from a poor family, the book is at risk of becoming a clique, but thanks to the rich dimensions of Daniel and Ana, the Fountains of Silence is actually very unique.

Daniel is given added depth by his mother, a transplanted Spanish native who instills in his son the importance of her heritage. This helps steer him away from the typical “rich boy” vibe. Ana is also an impressive character; she is a mature young woman who has to work hard to assist in supporting her family following the murder of her parents by Franco’s regime.

The setting of the book — Madrid in 1957 when it was under the fascist dictatorship is General Francisco Franco also makes this novel stand out among YA historical fiction. It’s clear that author Ruta Sepetys completed thorough research prior to writing this novel; Fountains of Silence shows a glimpse into the true post-war struggles of Spain at that time.

I devoured this book in an entire day, which is saying a lot since it’s over 500 pages. I really enjoyed this one!

RATING (out of five puppies)

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns

by Margaret Rogerson
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2019
Pages: 464
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

There is always more than one way to see the world. Those who claim otherwise would have you dwell forever in the dark.

About the book

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Review

Sorcery of Thorns is set in a world in which books live; they bleed, hurt and are often dangerous, especially those called grimoires which hold spells and other magical information for sorcerers. Elisabeth, a young apprentice librarian who grow up in one of the Great Libraries after be abandoned as a baby, is woken up one night by one of the grimoires breaking free - and becoming a malefict, a hideous monster grimoires transform into when they become defective. She uncovers a shocking, deadly secret that threatens the world she’s always known.

The world is what I love most about this book. I’ve always felt like books were alive to me, that they all hold stories and are just waiting for me to pick them up so they can tell me about it.

The author parallels the importance of literature with the reverence given to grimoires in Sorcery of Thorns. Librarians have dangerous jobs; they are trusted with grimoires and are often exposed to physically threatening circumstances, such as a feisty grimoire who will bite off your fingers if you get too close. I can tell the author really loves literature.

They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice. They sang when starlight streamed through the library’s windows. They felt pain and suffered heartbreak. Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque - but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for, because wherever there was darkness, there was also so much light.

My favorite stories are those centered around badass, independent, sassy women who don’t need no man, and this book is no exception!

Elisabeth is highly intelligent, sarcastic, brave, bold, loyal and the kind of person you want on your side when shit goes down.

Was that a thing people just did - just gave up? When there was so much in the world to love, to fight for? “I cannot,” she said fiercely. “I never will.”

I really loved Elisabeth's character, as well as Nathaniel’s and Silas’s.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Wilder Girls

By Rory Power
Published: Delacorte Press, 2019
Pages: 348
Genre: Young Adult, Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

"We don't get to choose what hurts us” 

About the book

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

Review

Wilder Girls is the YA horror novel I didn't realize I needed in my life until now.

Power's writing is creepy and fantastic. She paints such vivid, gross scenes wrapped in an eerie atmosphere, such as:

He's rotting from the inside out. Tissue mottled with mold, the smell so sour and stinging that my eye is watering. Something scuttles up my jacket sleeve, first one then another, and another, and in the red light of a flare I make out the gleam of a hundred wingback beetles crawling out of the wound.

And:

Some days it’s fine. Others it nearly breaks me. The emptiness of the horizon, and the hunger in my body, and how will we ever survive this if we can’t survive each other?

From the very first paragraph, readers can tell the story is disturbing and sinister. Call me old fashioned, but this is how horror should be: a take all, no survivors, freaky as fuck war zone.

I feel like Wilder Girls makes a statement about sticking together and the importance of friendship. I haven't read many of the other reviews about Wilder Girls, but we as women need to stand together and watch each others' backs. In the novel, the school girls are in survival mode: they stay in their groups and watch out for one another. Without giving too much away, the main characters Hetty, Reese, and Byatt are separated from one another. Through the horrors, illness, and traumas taking place around them, the girls reflect on their relationships with each other. Throughout the story's development, the girls on the island are abandoned, left to fend for themselves, but the one thing the main characters still have is their friendship. And that's a pretty awesome thing.

Wilder Girls is easily one of my favorite books of the year and one I'd definitely recommend!

RATING (out of five puppies)

Legend series by Marie Lu

Review: Legend series by Marie Lu

Published: 2011, 2013 and 2013, G.P. Putman's Sons
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Amazon, Goodreads

“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” 

About the series

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Review

Legend: Legend was an exciting, engaging read, though it doesn't really stand out in my mind in the YA dystopian genre. What I find interesting about the world Lu crafts are the disparities between the nations: the Republic, militaristic and the Colonies, corporate-driven. The Republic is a controlling society that caters to the needs of the rich. They help ensure this by spreading propaganda inaccurately portraying the country as a superpower while also forcing annual trials that determine the preteens' future careers... but, as discovered in the novel, aren't what they seem. June and Day are great as main characters; Lu creates depth to their backgrounds and personalities. The action is great in Legend, for those looking for a fun, quick, entertaining read. My rating: ★★★★

Prodigy: Prodigy starts where Legend leaves off. June and Day become more involved in the Republic's and Colonies's political drama. I didn't like this novel as much as the first one; I think it's mainly because I got irritated due to all the love triangles. I felt annoyed by June and Day constantly being confused by their feelings but then again, they are only 15, which is something I was always forgetting. In Prodigy, readers are really introduced to the Colonies, which functions completely differently from the Republic but still caters to the rich. If I were to rank the novels, I would put Prodigy last. My rating: ★★★

Champion: I didn't really feel the first half of Champion; I felt like the writing was on the dull side and I wasn't into the plot. It really picks up in the second half, and I almost cry at the ending. Lu does a great job of wrapping up the story and June and Day's relationship. I can't say much without giving away spoilers, so I'm going to leave it at that. My rating: ★★★★

OVERALL - Legend is a solid, action-packed series for those looking for an entertaining read. I did get irritated by the multiple love triangles and the writing was a bit dull in places, but overall it's a good series. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy the YA dystopian genre. I don't think those who don't typically read the genre would like it.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Opposite of Always

By Justin A. Reynolds
Published: HarperCollins, 2019
Pages: 464
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Amazon, Goodreads

Don't be afraid. Take chances. And when those don't work out, take more.

About the book

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian. He almost made varsity. He almost got the girl.

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he's falling - hard. Soon she's meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack's curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is... complicated. It is almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate's death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate's there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn't sure if he's losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate's death, he'll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he's willing to do - and let go - to save the people he loves.

Review

Opposite of Always is a cute, entertaining read about a teen who falls in love, only for his girlfriend to die then him being transported back in time to the moment they first met.

Jack is charming and quirky, but I felt like his character was the only character in the book with any substance. I felt like I couldn't immerse into this world, like I couldn't really picture Jillian, Franny or Kate as my friends.

I also couldn't feel the connection between Jack and Kate. I could feel the love Jack had for her but I felt that he was just suddenly head-over-heels in love with him; the interactions they had didn't really have significance or add import to their relationship.

The Ground Hog Day concept was interested, but I ended up feeling disappointed by the ending. This book just wasn't my cup of tea.

I still give Opposite of Always three puppies because it's a fast, easy read that's a good way to pass the time. If that's the type of read you're looking for, then I'd recommend this book. If not, then you can give it a pass.

RATING (out of five puppies)