It was sometime last year that I heard about Opposite of Always for the first time by stumbling on someones Insta Live session where they were talking about it. Since then the book has been on my mind and when I got approved to read it on NetGalley your girl was OVER THE MOON! So my biggest thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for agreeing I should be reading the book before the general public.
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
5 out of 5
Published 4 April 2019 by Pan Macmillan
You can order a copy from Amazon, Waterstones
Free copy in exchange for an honest review
Blurb: When Jack and Kate meet at a party, he knows he’s falling – hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.
But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.
Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind.
Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.
My thoughts: I love the idea of time travel. I watched a film a few months ago, sadly my fish memory doesn’t remember the name of it, but it went something like this:
It’s the main character’s birthday morning. She wakes up, goes to school, has an amazing day and even better there’s a party happening in the evening where everyone is invited to. The party is a success, but on their way home the car they’re in crashes and kills everyone. But that’s not the end. The girl wakes up to an alarm and the same morning is happening again.. so she needs to work out what to do differently to get out of the time loop.
Opposite of Always is very similar in it’s context. A perfect mixture of The Fault in Our Stars and Groundhog Day. But it’s also so much more than time travel. In fact there’s not even much emphasis on it. Reynolds has hit the nail on the head of what’s it like to be a teenager, the daily struggles and worries and he has written it all in an easy, humorous way. It’s hard not to like the book!
To have a story that’s simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, moving, smart and most of all memorable is a breath of fresh air among the thrillers that I normally reach for.
Jack Attack, Jack King – my absolute hero.
