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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
There was so much happening in this one night escapade. It took me some time to finish as the stopover scenes were probably too dragging for me. Nevertheless, the whole letting-go-before-it-goes-bad theme was something I can personally relate to and that’s what made me want to see how the story would end.
3.5 stars
Cheesy as fuck but adorable nonetheless
Cheesy as fuck but adorable nonetheless
This book had its ups and downs, but ultimately I enjoyed it even if sometimes the characters seemed to act a little too "high school" for my taste. I wish we'd gotten to know the characters better as individuals, but I guess that's to be expected when the entire book takes place over just a 12 hour period.
This was really interesting and fun to read. I really liked Clare and Aidan and the issues that they faced. Satisfying ending.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First, a huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I'm a huge Jennifer E. Smith fan and I'm always so happy to read her work!
Let's start with a quote that I think sets the tone for the novel, "...she realizes again how entwined their lives are. They're like two trees whose branches have grown together. Even if you pull them out by the trunks, they're still going to be twisted and tangled and nearly impossible to separate at the roots."
As always, Jennifer E. Smith delivers a sweet story about relationships that have to deal with Issues. In this case, it's Clare and Aiden, who are about to head off to colleges on opposite coasts. I'm always a fan of stories that take place in a finite amount of time, and the 12 hours we spend with Clare and Aiden are enough to learn about their past and to look ahead to their future.
I felt like both Stella and Scotty were underdeveloped and were just thrown in as foils to the main characters because there had to be best friend characters. Also, maybe because I've been trying to read diverse books, the lack of diversity in any of the characters annoyed me.
The ending...
Overall I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but it's definitely not my favorite JES, but one I would definitely recommend to people looking for cute YA books. Maybe it's more 3.5 stars, but we'll see on reread.
Let's start with a quote that I think sets the tone for the novel, "...she realizes again how entwined their lives are. They're like two trees whose branches have grown together. Even if you pull them out by the trunks, they're still going to be twisted and tangled and nearly impossible to separate at the roots."
As always, Jennifer E. Smith delivers a sweet story about relationships that have to deal with Issues. In this case, it's Clare and Aiden, who are about to head off to colleges on opposite coasts. I'm always a fan of stories that take place in a finite amount of time, and the 12 hours we spend with Clare and Aiden are enough to learn about their past and to look ahead to their future.
I felt like both Stella and Scotty were underdeveloped and were just thrown in as foils to the main characters because there had to be best friend characters. Also, maybe because I've been trying to read diverse books, the lack of diversity in any of the characters annoyed me.
The ending...
Spoiler
not surprising at all. I mean, I'm glad they will get their second chance and a new prologue, but also I kind of wish they had both moved on and started new lives.Overall I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but it's definitely not my favorite JES, but one I would definitely recommend to people looking for cute YA books. Maybe it's more 3.5 stars, but we'll see on reread.
Not my favorite book by Jennifer E Smith. I would like to know what they decided to do. The ending was too abrupt and I don't know how to feel...
This was a good read, not great. I enjoyed the premise at first: Clare & Aidan are leaving for college, thousands of miles apart, and have one more night together to make lasting memories. But then we find out they are making these memories to decide whether to break up or not and it all just feels kind of tainted. We follow them thru 24 hours as they go to all the places that made up their relationship but I still don't feel like we actually saw their relationship. Clare is clinical and cold at times, kind of hard to like even. Aidan is more laid back and willing to try to make their relationship work but she doesn't seem to want to try. However, she doesn't want Aidan seeing other girls either so it can't really work both ways.
"We keep thinking there are only these two choices:
We either grow apart or grow together.
But maybe we can just kind of each grow on our own, and see how it goes.
And then later, if it's right, we'll come back to each other and start again."
I actually really enjoyed best friends Scotty & Stella a lot more than the main characters. They seemed more real and fleshed-out than Aidan & Clare. I would love to see a follow-up book dedicated just to them. The ending
Blogged at See Jenn Read!
"We keep thinking there are only these two choices:
We either grow apart or grow together.
But maybe we can just kind of each grow on our own, and see how it goes.
And then later, if it's right, we'll come back to each other and start again."
I actually really enjoyed best friends Scotty & Stella a lot more than the main characters. They seemed more real and fleshed-out than Aidan & Clare. I would love to see a follow-up book dedicated just to them. The ending
Spoiler
was predictable but made me happy.Blogged at See Jenn Read!
2.5 Stars
Because that’s how she felt when she was with him—like she’d been a rock her whole life, ordinary and dull, and it wasn’t until she met him that something cracked open inside her, and just like that, she began to shine.
This was a really cute story about high school sweethearts debating on how to continue their relationship to college. They waited until the very last possible moment (cause high schoolers) to decide the fate of their romance, and it made for a cute read. At times, the story felt repetitive with basically the same dialogue happening in various locations. However when the time was right, the book does it hit you in the feels.
Because that’s how she felt when she was with him—like she’d been a rock her whole life, ordinary and dull, and it wasn’t until she met him that something cracked open inside her, and just like that, she began to shine.
This was a really cute story about high school sweethearts debating on how to continue their relationship to college. They waited until the very last possible moment (cause high schoolers) to decide the fate of their romance, and it made for a cute read. At times, the story felt repetitive with basically the same dialogue happening in various locations. However when the time was right, the book does it hit you in the feels.
Jennifer E. Smith is queen of the meetcute. She's full of frothy, fun lightness, and perhaps the only fault I can typically find with her novels is that I am usually left wanting more. Even when she published her novella followup to This is What Happy Looks Like, I wanted to know MORE at the end.
Unlike Smith's other books, Hello is less about the meetcute and more about the cute, bittersweet goodbye. Two high-school loves must make a decision: should they split up since they're moving thousands of miles apart for college, or should they stick it out? They obviously love each other, but they're afraid of ruining something good, something pure with their distance.
One falls on the side of splitting, while the other falls on the side of staying together, but ultimately they know what's best for their relationship, even as they second guess it every step of the way. It's beautiful and honest, and I truly wish more college-bound relationships would consider everything as clearly as Clare and Aidan do.
While this is not my favorite Jennifer Smith book (the aforementioned Happy holds that title), this book has my favorite Smith ending. It, too, is realistic and honest, while remaining true to the characters.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is about the world's longest night for two young lovers, and it's beautiful
Thanks to Little, Brown Books via Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Unlike Smith's other books, Hello is less about the meetcute and more about the cute, bittersweet goodbye. Two high-school loves must make a decision: should they split up since they're moving thousands of miles apart for college, or should they stick it out? They obviously love each other, but they're afraid of ruining something good, something pure with their distance.
One falls on the side of splitting, while the other falls on the side of staying together, but ultimately they know what's best for their relationship, even as they second guess it every step of the way. It's beautiful and honest, and I truly wish more college-bound relationships would consider everything as clearly as Clare and Aidan do.
While this is not my favorite Jennifer Smith book (the aforementioned Happy holds that title), this book has my favorite Smith ending. It, too, is realistic and honest, while remaining true to the characters.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is about the world's longest night for two young lovers, and it's beautiful
Thanks to Little, Brown Books via Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.