Scan barcode
A review by anthonylwolf
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
4.0
I found Abbie by pure chance while looking for writing advice on the web, and I decided I would try and join her ARC team to show her my support. I don't think I'll ever regret it.
I should probably start by saying that 100 Days of Sunlight is quite far from what I would consider my genre and my niche—which is why I was surprised to enjoy it so much. But I guess the author is to thank for that: there is much of Abbie in her book, from coloured bookshelves to tasty waffles. Her spirit jumps all around the prose and breathes life into it. This leads to beautiful characters, such as Tessa and her grandparents, Weston and Rudy. It also leads to characters which feel human. And this is definitely the best aspect of 100 Days of Sunlight.
Abbie's book is about Tessa, a teenage girl who becomes temporarily blind due to a car accident. Following this event, Tessa will fall into her own abyss of darkness and self-loathing. Fortunate circumstances will make her cross paths with Weston, a reckless and stubborn boy who has lost his legs and is forced to walk on a pair of prosthesis. Weston will teach her love, beauty, and how to appreciate little things again, in a lovely scenario which sets the ground for an uplifting YA romance..
I loved 100 Days of Sunlight. It was a constant page-turner, thanks to Abbie's incredible storytelling skills. "Then why 4 stars?", you might ask. Because 100 Days of Sunlight, as heartwarming as it is, is far from flawless.
Abbie's style is so simple it helps the story stand out, but at the same time it might be off-putting for some readers, and it occasionally leads to redundant or repetitive statements in the prose. Her characters are all beautiful, but they somewhat lack their own, unique voice; and the structure focuses a lot—perhaps too much—on Weston and his past, at times diluting the plot and slowing the pace of the main story.
But there is ground for improvement. None of this is a major issue, at the end of the day. Despite these little, negligible flaws, Abbie’s book is still enjoyable, fun, entertaining and as heartbreaking as it can be. It made me shudder, sigh, shiver, hope, feel. Which is all a debut novel can really ask for.
In a nutshell, 100 Days of Sunlight is an uplifting journey about love, family, falling down below the ground and learning to rise again. It is all I was expecting from Abbie, and perhaps a little bit more. If you love YA and romance (and I definitely don't), you should give it a chance. And if you don't, do it anyway just as I did. Either way, it will be a journey worth embarking on.
This is just a glimpse of my opinion on the book, anyway—you can read my full review of Abbie's novel on my website! If you want to know more, check it out at http://anthonywolfwriter.com/100-days-of-sunlight-book-review/.
I should probably start by saying that 100 Days of Sunlight is quite far from what I would consider my genre and my niche—which is why I was surprised to enjoy it so much. But I guess the author is to thank for that: there is much of Abbie in her book, from coloured bookshelves to tasty waffles. Her spirit jumps all around the prose and breathes life into it. This leads to beautiful characters, such as Tessa and her grandparents, Weston and Rudy. It also leads to characters which feel human. And this is definitely the best aspect of 100 Days of Sunlight.
Abbie's book is about Tessa, a teenage girl who becomes temporarily blind due to a car accident. Following this event, Tessa will fall into her own abyss of darkness and self-loathing. Fortunate circumstances will make her cross paths with Weston, a reckless and stubborn boy who has lost his legs and is forced to walk on a pair of prosthesis. Weston will teach her love, beauty, and how to appreciate little things again, in a lovely scenario which sets the ground for an uplifting YA romance..
I loved 100 Days of Sunlight. It was a constant page-turner, thanks to Abbie's incredible storytelling skills. "Then why 4 stars?", you might ask. Because 100 Days of Sunlight, as heartwarming as it is, is far from flawless.
Abbie's style is so simple it helps the story stand out, but at the same time it might be off-putting for some readers, and it occasionally leads to redundant or repetitive statements in the prose. Her characters are all beautiful, but they somewhat lack their own, unique voice; and the structure focuses a lot—perhaps too much—on Weston and his past, at times diluting the plot and slowing the pace of the main story.
But there is ground for improvement. None of this is a major issue, at the end of the day. Despite these little, negligible flaws, Abbie’s book is still enjoyable, fun, entertaining and as heartbreaking as it can be. It made me shudder, sigh, shiver, hope, feel. Which is all a debut novel can really ask for.
In a nutshell, 100 Days of Sunlight is an uplifting journey about love, family, falling down below the ground and learning to rise again. It is all I was expecting from Abbie, and perhaps a little bit more. If you love YA and romance (and I definitely don't), you should give it a chance. And if you don't, do it anyway just as I did. Either way, it will be a journey worth embarking on.
This is just a glimpse of my opinion on the book, anyway—you can read my full review of Abbie's novel on my website! If you want to know more, check it out at http://anthonywolfwriter.com/100-days-of-sunlight-book-review/.