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leahegood's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Summary
Jack King has a major crush on his best friend. That's a problem because she's dating his other best friend and they're both great people who are great together. But then Jack meets Kate, and his life changes ... changes more than he initially realizes. Kate might just be the love of his life, but meeting her throws him into an inexplicable time loop that shows him how the decisions he makes might just be the difference between life and death.
My Thoughts
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. It has a lot of good ingredients, most especially one of the most engaging and endearing character/narrator voices I've read in a while. The way Jack expressed himself (aka, the author's writing style for his character) was great, and Jack himself was refreshingly nerdy and comfortable in his own skin. However, I just couldn't get myself engaged with the story.
I went in hoping this would bear similarities to In 27 Days, but the only real similarity is the broad story concept of going back in time to try to prevent a death. That was the first strike against it for me, through no fault of its own. However, I also found a common complaint about time loop stories to be true. The time loop factor made most of the loops feel irrelevant. The stakes are high, sure. But there's enough story left that you know it's going to loop again. I did enjoy the final two loops, but that was after struggling through most of the book, seriously considering DNFing along the way.
Finally, I wish there had been less swearing. I know high schoolers swear, and I get that there's an argument to be made for realism. But..meh.
I'm sure this book resonates with many readers. It just didn't click for me.
Content
As mentioned, there was a lot of swearing in this story.
Romantic content was primarily undescribed kissing, occasionally escalating to making out. Characters routine joke and tease about going all the way (usually through various euphemisms). In a few scenes, characters cuddle laying on a couch or bed.
Injuries and medical content are non-graphic and minimally described. There is underage drinking and even potential implication of underage alcoholism.
Jack King has a major crush on his best friend. That's a problem because she's dating his other best friend and they're both great people who are great together. But then Jack meets Kate, and his life changes ... changes more than he initially realizes. Kate might just be the love of his life, but meeting her throws him into an inexplicable time loop that shows him how the decisions he makes might just be the difference between life and death.
My Thoughts
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. It has a lot of good ingredients, most especially one of the most engaging and endearing character/narrator voices I've read in a while. The way Jack expressed himself (aka, the author's writing style for his character) was great, and Jack himself was refreshingly nerdy and comfortable in his own skin. However, I just couldn't get myself engaged with the story.
I went in hoping this would bear similarities to In 27 Days, but the only real similarity is the broad story concept of going back in time to try to prevent a death. That was the first strike against it for me, through no fault of its own. However, I also found a common complaint about time loop stories to be true. The time loop factor made most of the loops feel irrelevant. The stakes are high, sure. But there's enough story left that you know it's going to loop again. I did enjoy the final two loops, but that was after struggling through most of the book, seriously considering DNFing along the way.
Finally, I wish there had been less swearing. I know high schoolers swear, and I get that there's an argument to be made for realism. But..meh.
I'm sure this book resonates with many readers. It just didn't click for me.
Content
As mentioned, there was a lot of swearing in this story.
Romantic content was primarily undescribed kissing, occasionally escalating to making out. Characters routine joke and tease about going all the way (usually through various euphemisms). In a few scenes, characters cuddle laying on a couch or bed.
Injuries and medical content are non-graphic and minimally described. There is underage drinking and even potential implication of underage alcoholism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Medical content, and Grief
modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pros: The focus on friend-love and friends-as-family was good. Time loop plots are always fun and this was a good example of that.
Less a con, more that it's "not for me": Sometimes the teenagers act like teenagers in a way that activated my secondhand embarrassment hardcore. Less a criticism, more a warning that those prone to such feelings might cringe at a few sections.
Con: Kate was SEVERELY manic pixie dream girl'd in her characterization. That's the biggest factor that knocked this book down a few pegs.
I'd say this is overall a pretty good book and worth reading, but the Kate characterization could've been better.
Less a con, more that it's "not for me": Sometimes the teenagers act like teenagers in a way that activated my secondhand embarrassment hardcore. Less a criticism, more a warning that those prone to such feelings might cringe at a few sections.
Con: Kate was SEVERELY manic pixie dream girl'd in her characterization. That's the biggest factor that knocked this book down a few pegs.
I'd say this is overall a pretty good book and worth reading, but the Kate characterization could've been better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
Cursing: Two f-words that I can remember. Gun violence/hate crime/murder/racism: Occurs in thegenevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
micaelamariem's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
bujo_bellel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-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
3.5
I quite liked this book, it was rather slow at the start which I think could have been made quicker. I liked the build-up and how it teaches us the morale that time is precious and that we should never give up. I quite like the relationship between Jack and Kate. I really hate the pet name (baby) that Franny and Jillian called each other which is one of my pet peeves. This book was kind-of anti-climatic but it might be because I was reading this book for a long time and thus was in this world for very long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
grizzlysnack's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The good things about this book:
- the concept
- Jack's support system
The bad things about this book:
- the execution of concept
- characters
- character interactions & dialogue
This book is very forgettable, to be honest. If I didn't write out the different scenes for this review and journal entries I probably wouldn't be able to tell you anything significant from the plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical content
Moderate: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Gun violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
Part 4 was by far the worst piece of text I've read in a good while. The rest of the book wasn't AS BAD but the rest of it was still badnila's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Time travel in romance stories is one of my least favorite tropes. I never like how it changes the power dynamics and and how one of the characters get complete control over the other, reliving the tile period with knowledge about the second person, which they don't even remember sharing. But Reynolds managed to avoid that trap, and the book was instead a sweet, funny and sad story about friendship, found family and all kinds of love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Death
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is very well written, but I didn't like it as much as I'd wanted to. I'm not sure this is marketed quite right, since the emphasis is on the "groundhog day" trope and I don't think that trope is done well here. It's a new take on the trope, but I'm not sure the take adds anything necessarily worthwhile to the use of the trope itself. And there is acknowledgement of this within the text that feels like a cheap copout that I'd rather have been left out.
This also reads very young. The height of emotion and sense of stakes only works because this is a teenager's perspective, and even then it still strains belief. Ultimately I'm glad this book was published, but it's most definitely not for me.
This also reads very young. The height of emotion and sense of stakes only works because this is a teenager's perspective, and even then it still strains belief. Ultimately I'm glad this book was published, but it's most definitely not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Racism, and Medical content
Moderate: Police brutality and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
I really liked this book! There were so many laugh out loud scenes, moments that were so difficult to read. Great characters and fantastic writing!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, and Car accident
Shooting based on racial profilingcharlee92's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Cheesy YA romance. Cute ground hog day style story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, and Alcohol
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