Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds

2 reviews

theespressoedition's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“And I suppose the story moral is:
You can die and still live on.
You can be alive but be consumed by death.
The difference between living and being alive is:
Everything.”

After reading Opposite of Always, I knew I had found a new favorite author. When Reynolds announced Early Departures, I immediately added it to my reading list and anxiously anticipated the release date.

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting with this book, but I will tell you that it was full of surprises. 

You meet childhood best friends, Jamal and Quincy (or “Q”), who haven’t actually been best friends in nearly two years. They haven’t even spoken – until an altercation at a party where things get a little out of hand. Shortly after, Q dies (despite Jamal attempting to save his life). Jamal finds himself in an increasingly uncomfortable situation when Q’s mom agrees to have her son reanimated. Yep, Quincy will live again – but only for a short amount of time… and there’s a catch: he’s not allowed to know that he died or the details surrounding his death.

This story was the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. You see, I expected to cry. When reading about a book that covers the topic of death – especially the death of a best friend or parents; really any tragedy – I assume that I’ll be swiping away tears on the regular. What I didn’t expect was the sudden fits of laughter that would follow the tears or even happen while I was still crying. The author did a fantastic job creating an environment that felt natural despite the somewhat “unnatural” elements throughout the book. 

Some of my favorite moments were entirely unrelated to Quincy. Jamal’s older sister, Whit, is a force to be reckoned with. She brings light and joy into parts of the story that need it the most. There is a massive emphasis on the importance of family (the one you’re given AND the one you choose) and it’s incredibly heartwarming. 

I often wonder which is more important in a novel: the plot or the characters. While I typically believe the plot is most important, I really appreciate good character development. One thing that this book definitely does not lack is great character development – but the best part? It also has an amazing plot. It truly is the best of both worlds. The characters and their relationships are believable and relatable.

Honestly, I could continue writing for ages about how this story impacted me in millions of ways, but rather than detailing it all out and leaving nothing to the imagination, I’m just going to plead with you to read it for yourself. You will definitely not regret it.
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fromjuliereads's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a second chance, to say goodbye when you couldn't before?
Wow. The premise of this book had me worried. Let me tell you that this was simultaneously the best and worst time for me to read this book. But it was so good! I love every moment. Even though Jamal could be annoying, I understood a lot of what he was going through. And the other characters were absolutely fantastic!
Things that I loved about this book:
  • THE FOCUS IS FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILY!!! The romantic relationships are never the forefront of the story. They are there, but not the focus of the plot or for the characters. It is so refreshing to see friendship as the main focus of a story. It is all about the friendship between Q and Jamal, and the relationships they have with their friends and family. And how they all create a found family together. I loved their relationships and how they developed through the story. It was fantastic to see!
  • Can I say friendship and family again!?
  • I really liked so many of the characters! It was a little hard to like Jamal at first, as he was so caught up in his own grief through the beginning of the novel, tending to be pretty annoying and selfish.  The best characters are definitely Autumn, Q, and Whit though. I loved their personalities and their relationships with each other!!
  • The premise. It's so unique! The idea of having a second chance, to say goodbye to someone you lost. To have that ideal moment before a person you love leaves you. I would give anything to have had that moment with people I have lost...

The things that I struggled with:
  • As I mentioned above, Jamal made it a little difficult sometimes to like his character. And since he was the main character, that made it all the more difficult to read certain parts of the book since it is all in his perspective...
  • The pacing was a bit off sometimes. At parts it felt more led by dialogue while others were more tell than show. It made the pacing a bit off for me, but it was still a quick and engaging read!
Would definitely recommend if you are okay with the content warnings!
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