blakehalsey's review
5.0
This book is beautiful and fun and romantic. Cloudy and Kyle are the PERFECT dual POV couple and I love how complicated they're relationship is. The grief aspect of this book is so real and raw and it was incredible to me how much Ashlyn--Cloudy's best friend and Kyle's girlfriend who died 6 months before the book starts--felt so real to through her loved one's eyes. The road trip, the kitten, the secondary characters--this whole book was a delight.
fatimareadsbooks's review
4.0
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacted my views and opinions below.
This book is so much more than just a road trip; it's an emotional journey of two friends trying to find themselves after a tragedy affects their lives. After Ashlyn died, her organs were donated to others in need, and Ashlyn's mom starts corresponding with some of the organ recipients. Cloudy, Ashlyn's best friend, stumbles upon these exchanges and decides to go on a road trip with Ashlyn's boyfriend Kyle to find closure for both of them. I admit that ever since I read the synopsis, I already predicted what half the book was going to be about. However, that did not make it any less enjoyable. I'm a sucker for road trip books, and this is no different!
There are lots of tangled relationships in this book, making for a very interesting dynamic. I won't spoil... But it's definitely complicated. This was a notably light read, considering the fact that this book was centered on someone's death. I actually felt things while reading this - it's been such a long time since that happened! This was a sad and sorrowful book, of course, but there were also undertones of humor and hilarity which balanced it out really well. I found this to be the perfect read for me.
This book was told in the alternating POVs of Cloudy & Kyle and I equally enjoyed reading both of them. Cloudy was a really strong and sensible (not in the boring sense of the word) protagonist and Kyle was equally as strong. Their dynamic was my favorite thing to read! Their banter and conversations made me laugh out loud. I loved how they both pulled each other out of the proverbial hole they both fell into after Ashlyn's death. Of course, Cloudy and Kyle weren't the only ones affected by her death, there was also Matty - Kyle's cousin - and Zoe - Cloudy's sister. They were all in this emotional journey together.
I felt like this book was more character-driven than plot-driven, focusing more on the development of the characters, and I actually didn't find any problem with that. The book was still as easy to read as ever and it was all just really well-balanced. The writing was very conversational & fun and it totally matched the book's atmosphere. It's what made this such an amazing read.
Overall, this was an emotional book with undertones of light humor. The characters were enthralling and their dynamic was just as captivating. This story explored the depth of grief & sorrow and love & happiness beautifully.
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This book is so much more than just a road trip; it's an emotional journey of two friends trying to find themselves after a tragedy affects their lives. After Ashlyn died, her organs were donated to others in need, and Ashlyn's mom starts corresponding with some of the organ recipients. Cloudy, Ashlyn's best friend, stumbles upon these exchanges and decides to go on a road trip with Ashlyn's boyfriend Kyle to find closure for both of them. I admit that ever since I read the synopsis, I already predicted what half the book was going to be about. However, that did not make it any less enjoyable. I'm a sucker for road trip books, and this is no different!
There are lots of tangled relationships in this book, making for a very interesting dynamic. I won't spoil... But it's definitely complicated. This was a notably light read, considering the fact that this book was centered on someone's death. I actually felt things while reading this - it's been such a long time since that happened! This was a sad and sorrowful book, of course, but there were also undertones of humor and hilarity which balanced it out really well. I found this to be the perfect read for me.
This book was told in the alternating POVs of Cloudy & Kyle and I equally enjoyed reading both of them. Cloudy was a really strong and sensible (not in the boring sense of the word) protagonist and Kyle was equally as strong. Their dynamic was my favorite thing to read! Their banter and conversations made me laugh out loud. I loved how they both pulled each other out of the proverbial hole they both fell into after Ashlyn's death. Of course, Cloudy and Kyle weren't the only ones affected by her death, there was also Matty - Kyle's cousin - and Zoe - Cloudy's sister. They were all in this emotional journey together.
I felt like this book was more character-driven than plot-driven, focusing more on the development of the characters, and I actually didn't find any problem with that. The book was still as easy to read as ever and it was all just really well-balanced. The writing was very conversational & fun and it totally matched the book's atmosphere. It's what made this such an amazing read.
Overall, this was an emotional book with undertones of light humor. The characters were enthralling and their dynamic was just as captivating. This story explored the depth of grief & sorrow and love & happiness beautifully.
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
anniebannani's review against another edition
4.0
this was a very heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet book. i really liked both cloudy and kyle’s characters, although i never quite connected with them in the way i wanted to.
i enjoyed reading it and can’t remember a point where i was bored with it, but i also wasn’t as invested as i probably should’ve been. i did really like the dynamic between the different characters, sometimes things that meant to stir up a certain emotion just fell flat for me.
that said, it was still a solid read and i love arm.
3.5 stars
i enjoyed reading it and can’t remember a point where i was bored with it, but i also wasn’t as invested as i probably should’ve been. i did really like the dynamic between the different characters, sometimes things that meant to stir up a certain emotion just fell flat for me.
that said, it was still a solid read and i love arm.
3.5 stars
nanouni's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading books about road trip during summer because I feel like I'm travelling too and that's why I picked this book.
And I wasn't disappointed.
We are following Cloudy and Kyle who just lost one of the most important person in their life and they can't get over it.
I liked this book because we have their POV, so we can't really understand their feeling and how they are dealing with the death of Ashlyn.
I was good to see how their road trip to see the recipients of Ashlyn help them in their mourning.
It was a predictable book but it was also a good story to make us think about organ donation.
And I wasn't disappointed.
We are following Cloudy and Kyle who just lost one of the most important person in their life and they can't get over it.
I liked this book because we have their POV, so we can't really understand their feeling and how they are dealing with the death of Ashlyn.
I was good to see how their road trip to see the recipients of Ashlyn help them in their mourning.
It was a predictable book but it was also a good story to make us think about organ donation.
hedleyreads's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this
I'm a sucker for a love story. The characters were likeable, and the story was interesting. Even tho predictable it ended the way i wanted it to.
I'm a sucker for a love story. The characters were likeable, and the story was interesting. Even tho predictable it ended the way i wanted it to.
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this story! At first, the premise seemed a little out there and depressing to me. But somehow, this story was sweet and sad and hopeful. I felt like I went through the grieving process with Cloudy and Kyle. In a way, I also felt like the world was getting set to the way it was supposed to be.
There was a lovable cast of supporting characters as well. Lots of sad things going on, but people like Matty and Zoe make it better.
I was inspired by the story of Sonia and Paco as well, and I was surprised that this whole book was based off of their story. It was a nice touch to include them during a pivotal moment in the book!
I'm glad I gave this book a chance. It was such a fun read.
There was a lovable cast of supporting characters as well. Lots of sad things going on, but people like Matty and Zoe make it better.
I was inspired by the story of Sonia and Paco as well, and I was surprised that this whole book was based off of their story. It was a nice touch to include them during a pivotal moment in the book!
I'm glad I gave this book a chance. It was such a fun read.
strawberry_fields_forever's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookmarklit's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! This book had a winning combo of road tripping, a cute kitten, getting over a death, love, friendship, and family feels. Don't know what else to say but keep an eye out for this one when it comes out!
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Full thoughts: So this is a really strong 4 stars for me. Sometimes I think I could round it up because I really loved it so much as I was reading it! The only issue I'm finding is that I finished the book last night and don't feel as much of an impact as I expected. The book is about some generally heavier topics so I expected for the ~feels~ to last me a few days. I know my bookish memory is not great at all, but still. I don't know what it is.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the many, many things I LOVED about this book:
Characters
I loved learning about Cloudy and Kyle. I thought they had an interesting dynamic and I was really interested to see what transpired between them (that led to their current non-friendship). I wish more was fleshed out surrounding that, or at least about their relationship before Ashlyn and Kyle started dating. I guess I just wanted all that spoiler-y stuff to be beefed up more. I didn't feel some of it as much as I'd like to in that situation. Lots of telling and not showing.
Road trip
I love books involving road trips and journeys of any kind. This one had a unique reason (more on that in a second), so I was even more excited. There's just something about being on the open road with someone, going from place to place, that makes me wanderlust-y. What else is new though? I could read a book about any state and want to go there at this point. (Is it obvious my state is super boring?!) But anyways, I looooved the road trip element. The best part was that they brought a kitten with them! Ugh so cute.
Organ donors
The reason for their impromptu trip is to visit three of the seven people who received Ashlyn's organs after she died. These are individuals who responded to Ashlyn's family... and Cloudy stole their emails to try to track them down with Kyle. This topic in a synopsis interested me in the past, but that book ultimately fell flat for me. I loved the discussion of higher power (though I am not religious and usually stay far away from those books) because it makes sense. If I was in their shoes, I would wonder about the afterlife and reincarnation and organ donation. Just a lot of really cool after-death concepts to explore!
Moving on
Obviously this book is centered around grief and moving on from a young person's untimely passing. I thought this was handled really well, and it's nice that the book takes place six months later. Sometimes it can be really hard to read books with "fresh" grief, over someone who very recently passed away. This one had a great timeframe and I really felt their sadness.
Family and friends
I loved how supportive Kyle's dad and Zoe were to Kyle and Cloudy, respectively. They all understood what needed to be done and gave them space to do it. It's not that often that family members are supportive and normal, so this was refreshing. I thought it was a little weird that not as many people were mad when they found out, but oh well. I guess there are some free passes when your best friend or girlfriend passes away so suddenly! (This was a common theme throughout the book - Kyle forgiving Cloudy quickly, his father forgiving him, etc. etc. -- but I still believed it? I was happy to see less drama, honestly!)
So overall, I seriously enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who thinks the synopsis is appealing... because it will totally live up to your expectations!
---------
Full thoughts: So this is a really strong 4 stars for me. Sometimes I think I could round it up because I really loved it so much as I was reading it! The only issue I'm finding is that I finished the book last night and don't feel as much of an impact as I expected. The book is about some generally heavier topics so I expected for the ~feels~ to last me a few days. I know my bookish memory is not great at all, but still. I don't know what it is.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the many, many things I LOVED about this book:
Characters
I loved learning about Cloudy and Kyle. I thought they had an interesting dynamic and I was really interested to see what transpired between them (that led to their current non-friendship). I wish more was fleshed out surrounding that, or at least about their relationship before Ashlyn and Kyle started dating.
Spoiler
Cloudy had a crush on Kyle because they were lab partners. One day her best friend decides she likes him and she doesn't say anything. Ashlyn and him date for like a year while Cloudy dates their other friend... all while kind of liking Kyle still. She gets drunk and kisses him once and their friendship kind of ends. This is all reasonable and not surprising, but she often MENTIONS the guilt about what she did... but I never FEEL it. And it doesn't last very long.Road trip
I love books involving road trips and journeys of any kind. This one had a unique reason (more on that in a second), so I was even more excited. There's just something about being on the open road with someone, going from place to place, that makes me wanderlust-y. What else is new though? I could read a book about any state and want to go there at this point. (Is it obvious my state is super boring?!) But anyways, I looooved the road trip element. The best part was that they brought a kitten with them! Ugh so cute.
Organ donors
The reason for their impromptu trip is to visit three of the seven people who received Ashlyn's organs after she died. These are individuals who responded to Ashlyn's family... and Cloudy stole their emails to try to track them down with Kyle. This topic in a synopsis interested me in the past, but that book ultimately fell flat for me. I loved the discussion of higher power (though I am not religious and usually stay far away from those books) because it makes sense. If I was in their shoes, I would wonder about the afterlife and reincarnation and organ donation. Just a lot of really cool after-death concepts to explore!
Moving on
Obviously this book is centered around grief and moving on from a young person's untimely passing. I thought this was handled really well, and it's nice that the book takes place six months later. Sometimes it can be really hard to read books with "fresh" grief, over someone who very recently passed away. This one had a great timeframe and I really felt their sadness.
Family and friends
I loved how supportive Kyle's dad and Zoe were to Kyle and Cloudy, respectively. They all understood what needed to be done and gave them space to do it. It's not that often that family members are supportive and normal, so this was refreshing. I thought it was a little weird that not as many people were mad when they found out, but oh well. I guess there are some free passes when your best friend or girlfriend passes away so suddenly! (This was a common theme throughout the book - Kyle forgiving Cloudy quickly, his father forgiving him, etc. etc. -- but I still believed it? I was happy to see less drama, honestly!)
So overall, I seriously enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who thinks the synopsis is appealing... because it will totally live up to your expectations!
caledonia's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very cute story, gave me a good cry and allowed all the characters to have a chance to apologize when they did something wrong.
I wish I had a few more details but I'll live.
I wish I had a few more details but I'll live.
islandgeekgirl's review against another edition
4.0
It's been six months since Cloudy's best friend, Ashlyn, died in a bicycle accident. Cloudy's been putting on a brave face for the outside world but inside, she's struggling. Kyle, Ashlyn's boyfriend, is lost and feels like he's falling apart without her. As Ashlyn's boyfriend and best friend, they should be able to lean on each other but after a mistake the year before, they've barely spoken. When Cloudy finds out that Ashlyn's organs had been donated, and her parents have been in touch with a few of the recipients, she does something completely out of character. She takes the letters from the Montiels house and convinces Kyle to go on a road trip during winter break to meet the people who are alive because of Ashlyn. The trip could give them a chance to heal, or it could all be a huge mistake.
I was set to experience a lot of emotions going into this book, just based off the synopsis. There were definitely some tears(okay, more than some), a lot of laughter, plenty of smiles, and a great reading experience. I enjoyed the overall concept but the highlight, for me, was the character interactions and the way everything came together.
The book was told in the dual POVs of Cloudy and Kyle. It was interesting to see both their relationships with Ashlyn through their eyes and we were given a good sense of how much she meant to both of them. They were both compelling characters with very different personalities so it was easy to know which POV I was in at all times. Cloudy was the normally responsible girl, always reliable, but taking off on a spontaneous road trip was something she just had to do. Kyle was a jock struggling with everyone wanting him to return to 'normal' so a road trip out of town seemed like a good idea. The relationship between these two started off as a bit uncomfortable since there was so much history and so much connecting them without them really having talked to each other in a long time, but it slowly became something sweet and important to them both.
I absolutely loved the minor characters in the book just as much as the mains. Cloudy's little sister Zoe and Kyle's cousin Matty were such a huge highlight. Both so concerned for their family members who were obviously hurting and wanting to help but not knowing how. Another huge highlight was the kitten Kyle found in a church parking lot and not only adopted, but brought along on the road trip. The kitten, named Arm for Ashlyn's initials, was adorable and made me want to go track down my own cats for a cuddle. All the characters added something to the story and I loved seeing them get their own little quirks, even if they were only in the book for a couple of scenes.
This book really delivered on all it promised to be. The plot stayed focused on the characters and their journey through the road trip and healing from Ashlyn's death. It was wonderfully written, so many great quotes from this, and the pacing was really well done. There wasn't a time I felt like things had gotten a little too repetitive because they'd stayed in the same place for too long, or that they were moving too quickly and I hadn't gotten a good sense of the people they'd just left.
Definitely a book I want on my bookshelf when it comes out in physical form.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was set to experience a lot of emotions going into this book, just based off the synopsis. There were definitely some tears(okay, more than some), a lot of laughter, plenty of smiles, and a great reading experience. I enjoyed the overall concept but the highlight, for me, was the character interactions and the way everything came together.
The book was told in the dual POVs of Cloudy and Kyle. It was interesting to see both their relationships with Ashlyn through their eyes and we were given a good sense of how much she meant to both of them. They were both compelling characters with very different personalities so it was easy to know which POV I was in at all times. Cloudy was the normally responsible girl, always reliable, but taking off on a spontaneous road trip was something she just had to do. Kyle was a jock struggling with everyone wanting him to return to 'normal' so a road trip out of town seemed like a good idea. The relationship between these two started off as a bit uncomfortable since there was so much history and so much connecting them without them really having talked to each other in a long time, but it slowly became something sweet and important to them both.
I absolutely loved the minor characters in the book just as much as the mains. Cloudy's little sister Zoe and Kyle's cousin Matty were such a huge highlight. Both so concerned for their family members who were obviously hurting and wanting to help but not knowing how. Another huge highlight was the kitten Kyle found in a church parking lot and not only adopted, but brought along on the road trip. The kitten, named Arm for Ashlyn's initials, was adorable and made me want to go track down my own cats for a cuddle. All the characters added something to the story and I loved seeing them get their own little quirks, even if they were only in the book for a couple of scenes.
This book really delivered on all it promised to be. The plot stayed focused on the characters and their journey through the road trip and healing from Ashlyn's death. It was wonderfully written, so many great quotes from this, and the pacing was really well done. There wasn't a time I felt like things had gotten a little too repetitive because they'd stayed in the same place for too long, or that they were moving too quickly and I hadn't gotten a good sense of the people they'd just left.
Definitely a book I want on my bookshelf when it comes out in physical form.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.