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A review by missprint_
No One Here Is Lonely by Sarah Everett
4.0
Eden has always cared about two people a little more than anything else: her best friend Lacey and her longtime crush Will, even if he doesn't know it.
When Will is killed in a car crash, Eden is haunted by the chances she didn't take, the what ifs that she'll never be able to answer. Worse, she realizes that she's losing Lacey too as they begin to grow apart and the last summer before college that Eden envisioned for them goes up in smoke.
Alone with her grief, alone as she discovers that her parents' perfect marriage might not be so perfect, Eden isn't sure who to confide in when it feels like everything is changing. Then she finds out Will set up an account with In Good Company--a service that uses a person's voice, emails, and other online records to create a digital companion.
The Will Eden talks to on the phone isn't real. She knows that. But he also feels like the only person who has time for her now. As Lacey tries to figure out who she is without Lacey, she starts a new job and makes new friends. All with Will cheering her on.
As Eden is drawn to Oliver--Lacey's twin brother--Eden will have to decide if choosing to focus on the future is worth letting go of the last pieces of her past in No One Here is Lonely (2019) by Sarah Everett.
Everett's sophomore novel blends light sci-fi elements with contemporary themes in this story of grief and growth. Eden and Will are Black (as is one of Eden's new coworkers) while the other characters are assumed white.
Eden is completely adrift at the start of this novel. Will and the future with him that Eden imagined was one bold move away are gone. Lacey, a constant in Eden's life for years, acts like their previous inside jokes are immature and wants to spend time with other newer friends. Then, at the worst possible time, Eden ends up in the middle of her parents' marriage when she discovers signs of infidelity.
Despite knowing that In Good Company only offers a digital facsimile of a person, Eden clings to it--and to Will--as she tries to figure out who she is without all of the previous constants in her life. While there are hints of romance as Eden is drawn to Oliver, a friend she was never allowed to consider as more than an acquaintance out of loyalty to Lacey, this is really a story about a girl coming into her own and learning howto be her own best support.
No One Here is Lonely is a thoughtful story about grief, friendships, and learning to love yourself best.
Possible Pairings: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood, This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
When Will is killed in a car crash, Eden is haunted by the chances she didn't take, the what ifs that she'll never be able to answer. Worse, she realizes that she's losing Lacey too as they begin to grow apart and the last summer before college that Eden envisioned for them goes up in smoke.
Alone with her grief, alone as she discovers that her parents' perfect marriage might not be so perfect, Eden isn't sure who to confide in when it feels like everything is changing. Then she finds out Will set up an account with In Good Company--a service that uses a person's voice, emails, and other online records to create a digital companion.
The Will Eden talks to on the phone isn't real. She knows that. But he also feels like the only person who has time for her now. As Lacey tries to figure out who she is without Lacey, she starts a new job and makes new friends. All with Will cheering her on.
As Eden is drawn to Oliver--Lacey's twin brother--Eden will have to decide if choosing to focus on the future is worth letting go of the last pieces of her past in No One Here is Lonely (2019) by Sarah Everett.
Everett's sophomore novel blends light sci-fi elements with contemporary themes in this story of grief and growth. Eden and Will are Black (as is one of Eden's new coworkers) while the other characters are assumed white.
Eden is completely adrift at the start of this novel. Will and the future with him that Eden imagined was one bold move away are gone. Lacey, a constant in Eden's life for years, acts like their previous inside jokes are immature and wants to spend time with other newer friends. Then, at the worst possible time, Eden ends up in the middle of her parents' marriage when she discovers signs of infidelity.
Despite knowing that In Good Company only offers a digital facsimile of a person, Eden clings to it--and to Will--as she tries to figure out who she is without all of the previous constants in her life. While there are hints of romance as Eden is drawn to Oliver, a friend she was never allowed to consider as more than an acquaintance out of loyalty to Lacey, this is really a story about a girl coming into her own and learning howto be her own best support.
No One Here is Lonely is a thoughtful story about grief, friendships, and learning to love yourself best.
Possible Pairings: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood, This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian