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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I am such a huge fan of Smith's. I was looking forward to this book after reading her others, and it did not disappoint. I love stories that take place over one night, it's just a niche I really like. I think Smith did a great job of using the one night time slot to not only explain character's pasts and inform the reader of who the character is, but also to place the reader in current time with the characters. I felt connected with Clare and Aiden from early on. Even though I didn't feel as connected to secondary characters...I don't think I was meant to, really. I was invested in this book throughout the story, which I find sometimes is hard to do, so I applaud Smith for that. I also really liked the end. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the resolution in this book left me feeling just the way it should have.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Clare and Aiden have been together for 2 years now. It’s the night before they’re both due to leave for college on opposite ends of the country and they’ve got 12 hours to make a decision finally - stay together, or break up. To help make a decision they go back through memory lane.
So when I first started this I did question if it was just to young YA for me, and then I was hooked. I picked this a while ago because I adore Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and saw this one was also made into a Netflix movie as well! And I adored the memory lane journey! And I’m grateful I was never in a position to question these things in a relationship - stay together or break up because of distance. And having read this I am determined that Smith is a writing genius for books set over tiny spans of time. And I need to double check she doesn’t have any other books! 😍
Was not expecting this one to make me cry, and spoiler, i cried a lot
Clare and Aidan dated all through high school, but now they’re leaving for college on opposite ends of the country. Clare has a schedule of things to do for their last night together. At the end of the night, she hopes to be able to make the decision of whether to break up or try to make this long distance thing work.
I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed by this book. I love Jen E Smith’s writing but the plot of this book didn’t really do it for me. Aidan and Clare seemed like real people–and I’m sure this is a situation that many teenagers are in every summer. My only problem is that we as readers are introduced to this couple at the potential end of their relationship. The great thing about reading contemporary romances is that we get to meet the characters before they’re a couple and then watch them fall in love. That’s the part that I like at least. I like having that inside scoop that he likes her and she likes him, but they don’t know it yet. I like that moment when they finally realize what the reader has known all along–that they’re perfect for each other. We don’t get that in this book. Smith tries to give us a glimpse of that by having Clare remember past moments in their relationship as they visit different locations. But they’re just memories. The reader isn’t in that moment with the characters. Because of that, I didn’t feel very invested in the relationship. I wasn’t going, “But, no! They HAVE to stay together! THEY JUST HAVE TO!!!”
That being said, the writing was beautiful as always. There’s something different about Smith’s writing that makes her books feel like more than other books in her category. We’re not reading about fluff here. Her books feel more real and like they have a certain depth that is uncommon.
The secondary characters were all really fun. I liked the two best friends and the group camaraderie felt genuine. I felt like both sets of parents were really well written. Even though they didn’t get much “screen time” they felt like complicated people–not cardboard cutouts. I also liked the premise that this book occurs over a twelve hour period–just one night. I’ve pulled one or two all-nighters and there’s that moment when you realize you have six-eight more hours to your day that didn’t exist before that makes the whole night seem to last forever. I got that feeling from this book.
In the end, I wasn’t so much a fan of this book, but I’m still a big Jen E Smith fan. The autoread will continue.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild. One fistfight.
Sexual Content: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate. The characters go to a party with underage drinking.
I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed by this book. I love Jen E Smith’s writing but the plot of this book didn’t really do it for me. Aidan and Clare seemed like real people–and I’m sure this is a situation that many teenagers are in every summer. My only problem is that we as readers are introduced to this couple at the potential end of their relationship. The great thing about reading contemporary romances is that we get to meet the characters before they’re a couple and then watch them fall in love. That’s the part that I like at least. I like having that inside scoop that he likes her and she likes him, but they don’t know it yet. I like that moment when they finally realize what the reader has known all along–that they’re perfect for each other. We don’t get that in this book. Smith tries to give us a glimpse of that by having Clare remember past moments in their relationship as they visit different locations. But they’re just memories. The reader isn’t in that moment with the characters. Because of that, I didn’t feel very invested in the relationship. I wasn’t going, “But, no! They HAVE to stay together! THEY JUST HAVE TO!!!”
That being said, the writing was beautiful as always. There’s something different about Smith’s writing that makes her books feel like more than other books in her category. We’re not reading about fluff here. Her books feel more real and like they have a certain depth that is uncommon.
The secondary characters were all really fun. I liked the two best friends and the group camaraderie felt genuine. I felt like both sets of parents were really well written. Even though they didn’t get much “screen time” they felt like complicated people–not cardboard cutouts. I also liked the premise that this book occurs over a twelve hour period–just one night. I’ve pulled one or two all-nighters and there’s that moment when you realize you have six-eight more hours to your day that didn’t exist before that makes the whole night seem to last forever. I got that feeling from this book.
In the end, I wasn’t so much a fan of this book, but I’m still a big Jen E Smith fan. The autoread will continue.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild. One fistfight.
Sexual Content: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate. The characters go to a party with underage drinking.
All of the feelings. This book is exactly what a contemporary should be and I loved it. Full review coming soon after I go look at my scrapbooks from high school.
This book was cute and all but it just didn't keep me as interested as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight did. I read this book first and I thought it was good but then I read the second one and wow! It definitely outdid this one. However, it is still a great read.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Check out my full review of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between:
https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2017/03/09/review-hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between/
Good ole Jennifer has done it again! For me, her books are always light and entertaining reads, that are perfect if you’re in a slump or just fancy some solid escapism reading. Just don’t overthink them, or expect anything particularly deep or philosophical, and you’ll be fine.
Unlike most YA romance novels, this book takes place when the couple have already been together for some time. The reader is taken on a whirlwind 12 hour scavenger hunt of sorts, as the couple reminisce about their history while trying to decide if they should stay together, or not (long-distance University life looms!).
While overall I enjoyed this book (it gets a solid three stars, it’s not mind-blowing fiction, folks, but it’s addictive and light, and I usually finish Smith books in one sitting), I’m a massive romantic at heart, and I’m all about making a good relationship work. So when I read anything about a supposedly strong relationship that hangs in the balance because a teenage girl is being angst-y about it, it kinda makes me wanna scream - what, you haven’t heard of WhatsApp, SnapChat, or Skype?!
https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2017/03/09/review-hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between/
Good ole Jennifer has done it again! For me, her books are always light and entertaining reads, that are perfect if you’re in a slump or just fancy some solid escapism reading. Just don’t overthink them, or expect anything particularly deep or philosophical, and you’ll be fine.
Unlike most YA romance novels, this book takes place when the couple have already been together for some time. The reader is taken on a whirlwind 12 hour scavenger hunt of sorts, as the couple reminisce about their history while trying to decide if they should stay together, or not (long-distance University life looms!).
While overall I enjoyed this book (it gets a solid three stars, it’s not mind-blowing fiction, folks, but it’s addictive and light, and I usually finish Smith books in one sitting), I’m a massive romantic at heart, and I’m all about making a good relationship work. So when I read anything about a supposedly strong relationship that hangs in the balance because a teenage girl is being angst-y about it, it kinda makes me wanna scream - what, you haven’t heard of WhatsApp, SnapChat, or Skype?!