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leahka89 's review for:
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
by Jennifer E. Smith
Full review below:
http://southernbredsouthernread.blogspot.com/2015/09/hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between.html
Clare and Aidan are on the eve of the day they leave for their separate colleges across the country from each other. After going back and forth with options for months, it is finally time to decide if they are going to stay together or break up. Unfortunately, that is not as easy as they seem to think. Clare makes a list of all the important places in their life and plans for a full night of going down memory lane so that they can come to a reasonable decision together. Things do not go as planned and they are thrown off course and forced to face a lot more hard decisions than they originally thought. Now it is time to say goodbye to their friends, their parents, Clare’s dog, and finally each other… Will they stay together or break up?
Both of the main characters are pretty likable. I didn’t really feel Clare for a good part of the book because I thought she was being very selfish and making everyone’s life harder than it needed to be, but as I got to know her I was able to understand her more. Clare is practical to a fault and she has this fantastical idea about going away to college and starting the rest of her life. It is hard for her to look at Aidan in California while she is in New Hampshire and imagine their life together. Aidan, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He sees his life and sees how big of part of it that Clare is and can’t image her in it. While Clare is practical and logical, Aidan is whimsical and spontaneous. He doesn’t want to plan out all the details of his life, but instead just see where the chips fall. I loved Aidan and thought he sounded so sweet. My heart hurt for him, as he had to begin to see that staying with Clare isn’t the only option. The supporting characters were great too. I loved Stella and her sass. I love that she puts Clare in her place and makes her realize that her problems aren’t the only problems. Scotty is like a lovable puppy. He makes poor choices but you know he is the type of friend that will always be there for you. I think their story would make for a great spin off story.
The book is very nostalgic in that I think we all have someone at some point in our lives that we have had to decide whether to stay or go (figuratively or literally). Because of that I was able to relate to both characters because I have been in both of their shoes at some point in my life. I think everyone will be able to relate to one of the characters in the book at least a little bit. Everyone has had to make hard choices and sometimes have made the wrong choice and had to live with it. This book is all about weighing the risk and the outcomes and trying to decide what is easier to live with.
Here is the thing with this book, you know it is going to end one of two ways: they break up or they stay together. That’s what it all ultimately boils down to. It ended how I thought, but the second prologue (once you read the book, you will understand) surprised me a little. Usually with these kinds of books, it ends and that’s it. We don’t get a peek into the future because that’s not what the story is about. I liked that we got a little glimpse of how the two fair a few months later. Though it is predictable, it is nothing if not sweet. I experienced lots of warm and fuzzies and closed the book with a smile on my face.
If you are looking for a quick, easy read then I encourage you to pick this one up. I read it all in about two hours and probably could have finished faster than that if I didn’t have to start and stop. Jennifer E. Smith’s books all have the same type of formula for the story, so if you like one of her books then this won’t be any exception.
http://southernbredsouthernread.blogspot.com/2015/09/hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between.html
Clare and Aidan are on the eve of the day they leave for their separate colleges across the country from each other. After going back and forth with options for months, it is finally time to decide if they are going to stay together or break up. Unfortunately, that is not as easy as they seem to think. Clare makes a list of all the important places in their life and plans for a full night of going down memory lane so that they can come to a reasonable decision together. Things do not go as planned and they are thrown off course and forced to face a lot more hard decisions than they originally thought. Now it is time to say goodbye to their friends, their parents, Clare’s dog, and finally each other… Will they stay together or break up?
Both of the main characters are pretty likable. I didn’t really feel Clare for a good part of the book because I thought she was being very selfish and making everyone’s life harder than it needed to be, but as I got to know her I was able to understand her more. Clare is practical to a fault and she has this fantastical idea about going away to college and starting the rest of her life. It is hard for her to look at Aidan in California while she is in New Hampshire and imagine their life together. Aidan, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He sees his life and sees how big of part of it that Clare is and can’t image her in it. While Clare is practical and logical, Aidan is whimsical and spontaneous. He doesn’t want to plan out all the details of his life, but instead just see where the chips fall. I loved Aidan and thought he sounded so sweet. My heart hurt for him, as he had to begin to see that staying with Clare isn’t the only option. The supporting characters were great too. I loved Stella and her sass. I love that she puts Clare in her place and makes her realize that her problems aren’t the only problems. Scotty is like a lovable puppy. He makes poor choices but you know he is the type of friend that will always be there for you. I think their story would make for a great spin off story.
The book is very nostalgic in that I think we all have someone at some point in our lives that we have had to decide whether to stay or go (figuratively or literally). Because of that I was able to relate to both characters because I have been in both of their shoes at some point in my life. I think everyone will be able to relate to one of the characters in the book at least a little bit. Everyone has had to make hard choices and sometimes have made the wrong choice and had to live with it. This book is all about weighing the risk and the outcomes and trying to decide what is easier to live with.
Here is the thing with this book, you know it is going to end one of two ways: they break up or they stay together. That’s what it all ultimately boils down to. It ended how I thought, but the second prologue (once you read the book, you will understand) surprised me a little. Usually with these kinds of books, it ends and that’s it. We don’t get a peek into the future because that’s not what the story is about. I liked that we got a little glimpse of how the two fair a few months later. Though it is predictable, it is nothing if not sweet. I experienced lots of warm and fuzzies and closed the book with a smile on my face.
If you are looking for a quick, easy read then I encourage you to pick this one up. I read it all in about two hours and probably could have finished faster than that if I didn’t have to start and stop. Jennifer E. Smith’s books all have the same type of formula for the story, so if you like one of her books then this won’t be any exception.