Opposite of Always
Author: Justin A. Reynolds
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 457
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★
When Jack meets Kate at a party, he knows he’s falling – hard. It’s almost happily ever after, until six months later Kate dies. And this love story should end there.
But Kate’s death sends Jack back in time to the moment they first met, giving him the chance to try to save her this time.
When a choice he makes turns deadly for someone else, Jack has to work out what he’s willing to do – and let go – to save the people he loves.
My thoughts
Overall reaction:
Jack Ellison King. King of Almost. He almost made valedictorian. He almost made varsity. He almost got the girl . . .
When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favourite bands, Jack knows he’s falling for her. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over. But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because 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. 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.
For me, this story was a refreshing delight, and a very fun read. The novel very much focuses on love, friendship, time-travel and allows readers to contemplate what they might do if we suddenly had the power to go back in time and alter the future in some way.
The author does a great job in keeping things interesting along the way, despite the fact that much of the book is basically re-living the same moments over and over again. It was a really interesting concept - that he keeps reliving the same few months of his time with Kate. Jack thinks it is because he is meant to save her, but as we see the events unfold 4 different times we notice how every choice Jack makes changes everything around him and affects those he loves.Despite this repetition, the writing had me gripped and emotionally invested enough to enjoy every second along the way. This is a very character driven story and I loved that!
The story includes an array of wonderful characters that feel authentically funny and likeable. I thought the exploration of Kate’s character was particularly great, as we get to know her in so many ways and understand her more and more as Jack connects with her in each version of time. She is not defined by her illness and she does not dwell on it or feel sorry for herself. I felt this was such a wonderful take on a character suffering with a serious health condition, and her quiet strength made her a likeable and worthy match for the narrator Jack, who I just couldn’t help but love. He is sweet, smart and very funny - a really charming lead character that I was routing for throughout.
I liked all of the dialogue between the characters, and here the writing is especially witty and fun.Reynolds really successfully uses these moments between characters to examine friendship, love, and how far one is willing to go to save those important relationships.
The writing was playful, quirky, emotive, heartfelt and funny. Even though there are also some very sad moments, I mostly couldn’t help but have a smile on my face throughout the book.
Opposite of Always is heartfelt, authentically funny and certainly one of the most enjoyable YA fictions I’ve read in a while. It is a thoroughly entertaining read that had me gripped from the very first page. The book was a definite page-turner with a very sweet romance at the heart of the story.
All in all, this was just so enjoyable! Justin A. Reynolds successfully portrays the meaning of second chances, the choices we make, true friendship and real family bonds, encouraging readers to think about the moments that make life worth reliving. Without wanting to give anything away, the conclusion made the story feel whole, and I felt it was the perfect ending to this emotional story.
I think I’d definitely read any future books by this author. If you liked The Sun is Also a Star, or Every Day, you’ll definitely enjoy this one too! Plus, I love the cover!
Overall reaction:
