Seriously this is one of my favorite books ever! And this is a super delayed feedback because I didn’t know what NetGalley was back then. But considering I’ve read this multiple times and have digital and paper copies of my own and may have purchased a few for friends I’m comfortable giving feedback years later.

The characters by far are what make this book. Allison and Steffi are super sweet best friends that had a rocky childhood in the foster system. Although Allison’s “dad” Simon is super adorable and incredibly thoughtful from driving Allison to college to the weekly care packages, Allison still doesn’t have the emotional strength she needs to accept Simon as family. That comes from a chance encounter where Allison and Esben bump into each other. From the instant Esben helps Allison scoop up ice cubes from the dropped coffee she knows. His tanned arm, his smile, and the scent of cookies and love. After that encounter this book will kill you with happy and incredibly sad moments. I managed to smile through this book even as I ugly cried in the middle of the night trying not to wake up my family.

What an emotional time. I can honestly say coming out from reading this book I was not expecting it to be like that at all. As someone who suffers from Mental Illness I am always open to reading any book that may touch on the subject in one way or another, despite the type or what kind of trauma it may be from. So while I can't relate to Allison's history I could really relate to a lot of her feelings and thoughts and the inner workings of her being through out this book. But what I thought would be mostly about overcoming past traumas and growing as a person, while we did end up getting that, was a heart-wrenching story about finding yourself and how important it is to put faith in others to help grow as a person. 

I just want to touch on things lightly because I really do not want to give anything away when it comes to the end plot of this story, but if you're an easily emotional person like myself I have to warn to please have tissues by your side while you are reading at least the second half of this book. I have not full on sobbed while reading a book like I did while reading 180 Seconds in a VERY long time. To be honest I kind of picked up on what was going to happen from about the 30% mark of the book and just knew what the ending twist to move the story would be. What I didn't know was how much it was going to affect me and how hard I would take it, despite knowing what would happen.

This book is such a beautifully told story of Allison and gives so much hope that despite how we may be feeling now, despite what we may be thinking now, despite the anxiety the depression the isolation, everyone has a chance at a different life and we are all capable of finding people that will understand us and help us to become the person that we were meant to be. I really read this book in less than 24 hours after taking years to pick it up because I could not put it down and I had to know how things were going to change and what would happen next. Some parts definitely flew by for the timeline and I wish there was a little more, for lack of a better word, a little more meat to some parts of the story, but I can understand how things moved to align the timeline to where it needed to be for the plot points. I highly enjoyed this read, much more than I expected, and am very upset with how long I waited to finally pick this up.

Going through my netgalley account and just found the section of books titled Archived, not downloaded. I apparently requested and was approved for this book but I never DLd it and so did not read it. I appreciate the approval and while still interested in the title I am not sure when I will get to read it. If/when I do I will be sure to post a review on Instagram, goodreads, storygraph, and Amazon.

There is a place where true innocence and raw reality collide to create an experience which is cathartic, gut-wrenching, and soul-cleansing. That place is Jessica Park's 180 Seconds.

There is a simple beauty in the magnificent chacracters of Ebsen and Allison that touched so many places in my heart. They are both so honest and so very opposite in personality. Their interaction is as unexpected as it is incredible to behold. The magic created by a three-minute social experiment is unforgettable.

The way in which Jessica Park cuts to the essence of what makes us flawed and human is quite amazing. However. the way in which she finds the heart of what makes us brave and immortal is truly humbling.

180 Seconds opens the eyes to all things beautiful and bad that a lifetime can offer us. It also offers an unfailing promise that no matter the depths in which life plunges us, there is always a chance for redemption if we are only brave enough to fight for it.

It didn't feel very original and I felt a lack of development from the characters and the romantic plot-line left a lot to be desired. Also, apologies for this late (and short) review. I didn't realize it was still sitting in my "give feedback" shelf and this one wasn't wholly memorable enough for a longer review after all this time.

Allison has been a foster child her entire life, until she is adopted as a teenager. She meets Ebsen, a social media star and fellow classmate, during a social experiment at school. During this experiment, the two stare at each other for 180 seconds and their lives are changed. Used to having to protect herself emotionally, she finds it hard to let go and completely fall for Ebsen.

This was a quick read for me. I enjoyed reading how Allison was able to change with the encouragement of her inner circle and how she allowed Ebsen to help her let others in.

What a delightful, heart warming story. A great story for young adult readers and adults alike. You will fall in love with the honesty of Park’s main cast.

This review will most likely be fangirling and incoherent. It BLEW my MIND. Not sure how it registered to me as sweet and sad and "I'm not crying, you're crying", rather than, "wow, that was SO sweet I now have diabetes". Usually I'm a tad on the cynical side, but this book was perfectly balanced for me. I absolutely loved it and was crying, laughing, more crying, laughing through the tears, etc.

It was also a great palette cleanser after I read a really sad true crime book. It wasn't just the true crime book that made this one seem so great, because it had that affect on me before I had to put it down for Lent.

I'm not going to get into the plot or anything, I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I 100% recommend this book if you like books that touch your heart and your tear ducts, in both a sad and happy way.

5, yeah I cried but loved it, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape and Two Lions Skyscape for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Thank You for the opportunity to review this book. Sorry, I attempted to read this book. However, I couldn't get in to it. So, I was unable to finish reading and reviewing it.

This was a fluffy, cute book which I really adored. I loved the characters and could feel myself nearly crying a couple of times. I'm glad at how it all turned out in the end; not just the romance, but also the growing relationship between Allison and her adoptive dad, Simon.

Really enjoyed this one and appreciated the timely topic for schools. Jessica Park is a master of well-rounded character and there is tension on every page.

Three minutes. 180 seconds. How much can your life change?
I LOVED this book.
Such a neat idea.
This is a story of love, loss, friendships old and new and a journey to finding happiness.
It’s paced well and written beautifully with gut punching scenes that forever stay with you. It teaches us that sometimes it’s scary as hell to let someone in, but that it’s okay to.

Like Jessica Park's other books, I sped right through this. I think I've read all of her books and will continue to pick up anything she writes.

My e-reader was out of commission and I was unable to finish this title, and many others. I cannot provide an honest review for this title.

“YOU CAN’T REACH WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU UNTIL YOU LET GO OF WHAT’S BEHIND YOU“- from ‘180 Seconds’

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss a new book by author Jessica Park called ‘180 Seconds’, which was provided by ‘Skyscape’ and ‘Two Lions’ for review. Jessica Park grew up in the Boston area and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has also previously written several books entitled ‘Clear, ‘Relatively Famous’, as well as the series ‘Left Drowning’ and ‘Flat-out Love’. This review will be spoiler free, so if you’re ready let’s find out whether you should add this book to your summer TBR or if 180 seconds of your time is more than this book deserves. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!

‘180 Seconds’ is about a college junior named Allison who lived within the foster care system until she was adopted at the age of 15. Due to what she experienced as a child, Allison is not comfortable forming strong bonds with people, which includes her adoptive father Simon. The only person that Allison feels truly close to is her childhood best friend Steffi. All of this begins to change when Allison unwillingly participates in a social experiment conducted by social media star Esben Baylor. The 180 seconds that this experiment takes sends Allison on a path to discover what love and friendship mean to her, as well as the realization that sometimes the strongest people hide the darkest demons.

Personally I really loved this book as a whole. Immediately we are introduced to a cast of interesting characters that show new layers the further into the story you go. Allison is a relatable, interesting protagonist that we see tremendous growth from throughout the course of the novel. Esben is also an interesting character that at first glance appears to be the stereotypical perfect love interest, but is later shown to have much more to him.  However one of my favorite characters had to be Allison’s adoptive father Simon. He is our diverse character in ‘180 Seconds due to the fact that he is gay however, Jessica Park does an amazing job to show that Simon is also fun, funny, and above all an amazing father (seriously this guy has a superhuman amount of patience). Although I did thoroughly enjoy this book, there were a few places here and there where the book lagged a bit and I felt myself skimming the pages a bit until the story picked up again. Although this didn’t happen often, I did have to knock my rating down from 5 to 4 smiley faces because of this. Also, this book does mention sexual assault twice in reference to two of the characters’ backstories so if you are triggered by this please proceed with caution. In conclusion I would say that this book is definitely worth the read due to its interesting mix of fun romance and deep emotional topics.

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It just was a cheesy standard young adult romance. I didn't really find anything special about it or the characters. Just felt kind of meh about it all.

Jessica Park's book highlights the best of humanity. My heart beats for the characters in her books. I loved everything about 180 Seconds. It drew me in and connected me from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book. Read it. Your faith in humanity and LOVE will undoubtedly be restored!

A TOP PICK FOR 2017
180 Seconds is quintessential Jessica Park. It has the same essence as Left Drowning. Which totally had me squealing with delight. (Left Drowning is one of my all time favorite books ever.) 180 Seconds had me feeling a whirlwind of emotions from the first page to the last. Despair, sorrow and ultimately love all engulfed me.

Allison is a young beautiful girl who grew up in foster care. For most of her life she was made to feel unloved and totally rejected. As a result she hides from the world. I automatically connected to Allison. I felt all her despair, awkwardness and loneliness. I just wanted to hug her. A surprise encounter with a social media star, Esben Baylor changes both their lives in a matter of a 180 seconds.... Esben is like the Robin hood of 2017... A modern day super hero. He has such a pure heart. He steps out of the box and does wonderful things to help people or even just to put a smile on their face. This story reminded me of just how good the world and people can be.... As perfect as Esben seems, he has a past he's still dealing with as well. Seeing him and Allison's relationship forming was beautiful. Especially seeing her transform and view the world differently... ultimately both of them needing each other. I had butterflies and feels! I loved everything about this book. At times it was a difficult read and down right heartbreaking, but I promise it is worth it.

Side note: Wait till you meet Simon and Steffi. Simon is Allison's adoptive father and Steffi is her best friend. You will fall hard for these two. They project so much love and loyalty, it's hard not to love them. Jessica did a phenomenal job making them loveable and essential players in this story.

I received this in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

I was unsure whether or not I would like this one. It is not my cup of tea, normally, but I found that I kind of liked it. It was relatable on many levels and you can't help but root for the romance. If you like YA contemporary and romance, you might really enjoy this one. It's light on the romance element which is perfect for someone like me.

This is about Allison, a new college student with a painful past who is struggling with anxiety and just trying to get through school unscathed and unnoticed. She is dragged into a social experiment where she must make direct eye contact and be completely silent for 180 seconds with Espen, a classmate and internet celebrity.

The story was a little slow in parts which is why it took me a while to read and why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Still a pretty good read, nonetheless.

Skyscape and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of 180 Seconds. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Adopted from foster care at the age of 16 by Simon, Andrews College student Allison Dennis has a hard time making connections and trusting people's sincerity. Her best friend Steffi, who grew up in foster care as well, is the only one who have been able to scale Allison's walls. A chance encounter with fellow student Esben Baylor turns Allison's life into a whirlwind and all it took was 180 seconds. Will Allison be able to let go of her fear of being rejected and finally live her life?

This sweet romance does have a bit of realism to it, especially in regards to the foster care system. 180 Seconds touches upon subjects that will resonate with YA readers, such as self esteem, heartache, love, and trust. The author does a good job of portraying Allison's anxiety and self esteem issues at the beginning of the novel, but the book takes a quick turn to being just another YA romance and realistic fiction. I would recommend 180 Seconds to the target audience of YA, as the book is definitely geared towards those readers.