A review by seullywillikers
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

I really loved this, up until the big twist at the end. This book really highlights the frustration of not being heard, not being seen, struggling with bullying, and the helplessness of not being believed or being shoved off, especially as a teenager. The writing is propulsive, and it is a great introduction to YA readers of an unreliable-ish narrator. As the reader, you are right there with Claudia in her frustration, her love for her friend, her isolation, and the contradicting feelings of loving your family and knowing that they want what's best for you, while at the same time they don't seem to actually hear you when you tell them that something is wrong. I loved the disability rep, especially with Claudia's

Spoiler

dyslexia

because you don't often see that in books. I also thought that the fakery of the other students/community members during the

Spoiler

funeral

was well done. Having been through something similar, seeing others who never knew, or even worse, actively bullied, the person, it is heartwrenching. This book also serves to show young readers about failures of the system, and for those currently being failed by the system, it will likely be cathartic to see themselves in this book. I really loved this book, a 4 star read at least, until

Spoiler

it is revealed that Claudia is going through some kind of situational amnesia? Where she's older than she thinks she is and she's sort of reliving the search for Monday and everyone already knows that she is dead, and why, and Claudia is having some kind of mental breakdown, and everyone is coddling her, feeding into that delusion, almost like in 50 First Dates lol

it just came off as unrealistic and unnecessary. I like the dual-timeline and jumping back and forth, but I think it could have been done a little differently with a better impact. Overall, I would recommend this book to teens and young adults.