I really liked parts of this - it was clever and funny and sweet. But there were also places where I felt like "did I miss a chapter?!"

4/5stars

Yo I REALLY enjoyed this!! this was the perfect fun, fast-paced YA contemporary I needed to get out of my little funk after the Astro concert (plus the addition of senioritis lol) that was turning into a reading slump.

This has my FAVORITE trope in it - reliving the same time period over and over and over again.

I loved our characters - though, it was pretty weird having the love interest have your name lol (it felt very "y/n" fanfiction to be honest)

I love the fact that parents - whether they be shitty parents or really amazing parents - were a very big part of this book unlike 99% of YA who just disregards the existence of parents.

Again, this was super fun, super fast-paced, and I would highly recommend to people who love contemporaries but also anyone who sometimes avoids them because that "reliving the same time period over and over" is just enough of a twist to make things very fresh and fun.

So inspiring, lighthearted but heartbreaking at the same time.

The Opposite of Always is an own-voices story about a 17-year-old boy named Jack. Jack meets a beautiful college girl named Kate at a party. They instantly hit it off and stay up all night talking. Their relationship begins to blossom and Jack finds himself falling for her. But then Kate doesn’t show up to his house for Prom and tells Jack she can’t see him anymore. THEN, a few weeks later, she calls Jack and tells him she’s in hospital. He rushes to her bedside and she say’s she’ll be okay. When Jack is back home, he gets a call, Kate has died. In a state of panic, he falls down the stairs. There’s searing pain and then suddenly, Jack is back at the party where he first met Kate. Is he losing his mind or does he have a chance to save her?

This book was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions! I truly struggled to put it down. I fell in love with Jack and Kate and the first time she died, I cried. Kate dies multiple times during the book and it still hit just as hard every time! I got more and more frustrated and wanted to leap into the book and throttle Jack on multiple occasions!

Told in first person POV, The Opposite of Always was a great read. The timeline wasn’t completely linear but I knew where I was the entire time. The same scenarios are played over and over again, and if not written well, this can become tedious. That wasn’t the case for The Opposite of Always! Justin A. Reynolds kept me in suspense and captivated with every word. The story explores loss, family dynamics, friendship, love and time travel! I adored this book and highly recommend you pick it up. PLUS IT’S YELLOW!

Audiobook
Excellent & clever in so many ways.
Movie? TV series? I'm on board.

Review Copy: Purchased

When I read the summary for Justin Reynold’s debut, I knew I had to get this book. What I didn’t know was that I would absolutely fall in love with it. If my schedule would have allowed it, this is one of those novels I would have stayed up late to finish, so invested in Jack & Kate’s story. There were many times I laughed out loud, shook my head at some of Jack’s decisions, had my heart break for him, but most of all, just loved the wonderful human being he was.

At it’s heart, Opposite of Always is a romantic comedy with a slice of science fiction-ness mixed in. And I loved it for it. Jack is just an average geeky teenager in the last few months of his senior year when he meets Kate, who is just as geeky, during a college visit. They immediately connect and the journey their relationship goes on (at least the first time) is filled with such sweetness that you fall in love with both of them. I loved that both of them were kind of awkward, were a bit nerdy, and had a fun sense of humor. I related a lot to Jack and Kate because of that. Their relationship was sweet and very real because Jack was so open, both to her and the reader, about what he felt and it was so refreshing.

So, I fell in love with both Jack and Kate’s budding relationship, then Kate dies. I won’t reveal what she dies of, but it hit me in my heart as I’ve taught students who experience what Kate does. I was so impressed with Reynolds for including Kate’s condition in this book because it’s one that I haven’t seen before and feel like kids who have the same condition will see themselves in this book.

Lastly, despite Kate dying repeatedly, and Jack getting more and more frantic with each trip back, Opposite of Always is a deeply touching novel. Aside from Jack and Kate’s story, it focuses on family with Jack having a wonderful relationship with his parents (whose romance is also very cute), and explores friendships that are on the cusp of change. This novel has so many layers to it that will have the reader think, but also let the reader release a chuckle now and then.

Clearly other’s think this book is awesome too, which is why it is being adapted into a movie. I, for one, can’t wait to spend my money to see Jack & Kate on the big screen. But don’t wait for the movie, read the book and fall in love like I did.

I think this book was very enjoyable. I liked that it was contemporary but with a twist to it. Jack is such a love able character. He is funny, sweet, and cares about his friends and family so much. I like that Jack is flawed. He makes a lot of mistakes that I think a lot of people make and that made him very relatable. I also thought it was great that his friends weren’t just pushed to the side. I find that happens a lot, especially in contemporaries. They were main characters that didn’t fall to the side because of the romance. I also enjoyed that there was no stupid jealous couple stuff despite the love triangle. The only thing that I think lacked was Kate. I think their love was strong but I felt like I didn’t really know her. She was funny but I still felt like I had zero clue what she was like by the end of the book. Other than that the book was funny, sweet, and a great debut novel.

Do you ever finish a book and want to immediately be friends with the author? That’s how I feel about Justin A. Reynolds. He wrote this novel with so much heart and humor that it’s hard not to feel fondly about the book.

The protagonist Jack has a really fun narrative voice. He’s a really likable characters, who is flawed and sometimes a train-wreck, but endearingly so. His friendships are so realistic, which I really enjoyed. And ah Kate- she’s adorable and entertaining and strong. I loved her. Honestly, the cast of characters are so warm and fuzzy. And Jack’s parents are seriously the most loving, forgiving, yet real parents.

I really love the that Reynolds captured the excitement of senior year. The time of college visits, prom, and graduation really take the spotlight in this book. He does a great of integrating that buzzy energy into the storyline. Even though Jack lives it over and over, he still has so much enthusiasm and happiness about the milestones each time. I think many of us still think fondly about that happy, secure time in life when you know everything is about to change.

At some points the dialogue felt a little off and not totally realistic to me. Granted, Jack is self-proclaimed “cheesy” so that might be part of it. It also got a little tiring to read the same storyline over and over again. However, I really liked how Reynolds tied in a lot of important issues like incarceration rates and shootings of young males of color into the storyline. The students lives were connected to big life issues.

This book is a quick read, hilarious and tear-jerking. It’s worthwhile and warm-hearted.