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deckleeditproof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Death and Chronic illness
genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Cursing, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Car accident
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
jesse_5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Grief
Minor: Stalking, Abandonment, and Hate crime
micaelamariem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I just finished one of my first books of the month, a Book of the Month pick from a few months ago, Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds.
Essentially, Opposite of Always is a Groundhog’s Day retelling. Jack, the main character, meets Kate, the girl of his dreams. They could have had a whirlwind romance. But she dies. And while that should be the end, Jack finds himself back to the same day he met Kate. Again and again, stuck in this endless time loop trying to save Kate.
The author, Justin A. Reynolds, is an author from Ohio. Opposite of Always was his debut and it won the Indies Introduce Top Ten Debut Title and became a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Apparently, it’s also being adapted for film.
My initial impression is that while I enjoyed the book, I’m not sure I’m the kind of reader that likes time loops or time travel. I wasn’t sure before, but now I think those are things I’m just going to steer clear of. That being said, the story was still compelling. Particularly because the crux of the narrative lied with the characters.
Jack, the main character, always feels like he doesn’t measure up, especially against his two best friends. Kate is working against an illness she doesn’t want to define her life. Both Jillian and Franny are coming to terms with nontraditional families and troubles with their respective fathers. Through it all, Jack is working on who he is, how he can save his love, and how he can be a good friend. The main lesson, or theme, I took from the storyline was that sometimes instead of fixing the issue, it’s important just to be there and do what you can.
“Don’t be afraid. Take chances. And when those don’t work out, take more.”
For the most part, the book was also well-written. As a YA romance/science fiction, the chapters were short and sometimes, the main character was frusturating in his shallow thoughts and mistakes he made. But hey, that’s being a teenager. I think, perhaps, the main thing that annoyed me about Jack was how quickly he changed from the girl he was pining after to claiming affection for a new girl. It was all very “insta-love” and I really am not a fan of that.
Overall, however, I think the book met my expectations, if a little frusturating at times. I suppose I didn’t have as high hopes for this one and was still entertained. Still, I’d give the book three stars and I’d recommend to those who do like time loop stories.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Cursing
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
heathermarie08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Chronic illness
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism
bujo_bellel's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Medical content, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Racism, and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Medical content, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Violence and Infidelity
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
But it sucks because this could've definitely become a comfort read for me if it weren't for the "3rd act breakup"
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Car accident, Police brutality, and Racism
ludmireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn’t enjoy this book as much now.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, and Medical content
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
like, i don't think i actually have any negative things to say. i can understand how kate and jack's relationship has not appealed some people, as it was a bit rushed and he catched real feelings after a night of talking. but i have to say that i am a sucker for romantic cute shit so yeah i absolutely tabbed many quotes throughout the book which made me feel so <333
i know some people did not like jack's friends and i can understand why they did dislike jillian... but franny? i think he owns a piece of my heart, he is such a softie who deserves a better dad tbh.
it was frustrating how jack couldn't fix everything all at once and everytime he thought something was fixed, something else would happen to mess up everything.
so it may not be your favorite book ever but i believe it's pretty entertaining and that you could definitely give it a shot, x
Graphic: Medical content and Chronic illness