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A review by madis95
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
3.0
**3-3.5/5**
So this isn't bad by any means, and as a debut novel it's a really nice indicator of the talent and ability of Reynolds. I enjoyed it for the most part as it was a quick read with an interesting/intriguing premise and I'm on a contemporary kick at the moment. I also really enjoyed the friendship trio and the family dynamic, but I was disappointed in how little those relationships got attention.
Jack makes a lot of mistakes with his friends during each re-do of the four months he's known Kate, and it takes him to the very end to finally, wow, get how he should treat other people. And that got old. The book itself was too lengthy, in my opinion, for the same kinds of things to keep happening. It could have been at least 100 pages shorter. And if it was the same length, more scenes with the friends and family were needed because that's the real growth that younger people need to see, especially when having your first relationship. Completely disregarding that dynamic in favor of a really unrealistic romance was lame.
Because the romance was really bizarre. Kate was cool; funny, nice and sweet, but Jack's obsession with her after 2 minutes of meeting her was just strange. And then he falls in love with her shortly thereafter and it was really just...not a healthy portrayal of romance, for one, and then just annoying to constantly have Kate be the center of every single thing in the story. It got old and tiring to read the same thing about her as thought by Jack just in a new round.
Overall: it was good, but not great. I'd recommend it because the writing is nice and flows well, and there's a good bit of humor and wisdom inside it. But it was lengthy and too focused on the romance when other aspects of the story could have really helped elevate it.
So this isn't bad by any means, and as a debut novel it's a really nice indicator of the talent and ability of Reynolds. I enjoyed it for the most part as it was a quick read with an interesting/intriguing premise and I'm on a contemporary kick at the moment. I also really enjoyed the friendship trio and the family dynamic, but I was disappointed in how little those relationships got attention.
Jack makes a lot of mistakes with his friends during each re-do of the four months he's known Kate, and it takes him to the very end to finally, wow, get how he should treat other people. And that got old. The book itself was too lengthy, in my opinion, for the same kinds of things to keep happening. It could have been at least 100 pages shorter. And if it was the same length, more scenes with the friends and family were needed because that's the real growth that younger people need to see, especially when having your first relationship. Completely disregarding that dynamic in favor of a really unrealistic romance was lame.
Because the romance was really bizarre. Kate was cool; funny, nice and sweet, but Jack's obsession with her after 2 minutes of meeting her was just strange. And then he falls in love with her shortly thereafter and it was really just...not a healthy portrayal of romance, for one, and then just annoying to constantly have Kate be the center of every single thing in the story. It got old and tiring to read the same thing about her as thought by Jack just in a new round.
Overall: it was good, but not great. I'd recommend it because the writing is nice and flows well, and there's a good bit of humor and wisdom inside it. But it was lengthy and too focused on the romance when other aspects of the story could have really helped elevate it.