Weston and Tessa each have a disability, but Tessa's is hopefully temporary and she doesn't know about Weston's. They meet when Weston answers an ad to help Tessa, and their friendship surprises both of them. The writing is sometimes cheesy, but the story is heartwarmingly lovely as it also shows what it's like to be different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

What happened to Tessa is, in her opinion, probably the worst thing that ever could happen. It was is a shopping trip gone wrong – before she even reached the mall. The collision left her suffering temporary blindness – and now she's going to be stuck in the dark for 100 days. An avid poet and blogger, she's not sure how she's going to cope. But then her grandparents put an ad in the paper for a typist – hoping that if she can keep writing poetry, her mood might lighten. Tessa hates the idea, and makes them pull the ad. But then Weston turns up.

Weston likes that Tessa can't see him. It means she treats him like a normal human being – even though he feels like the absolute opposite. But as the days tick by, will he be able to tell Tessa the truth about himself? Or will the re-gaining of her sight be the end of their friendship?

I LOVED this book. My main complaint is that I wish it had been longer! I think the idea was so fresh and original, and devoured it in a single sitting! One evening, in a tent, with a wonderful book and beautiful scenery all around me - couldn't have been better!

"...the unknown is something to look forward to."

One of my favourite parts of this book were the bits revolving around Tessa's poetry and blogging. First of all, it was highly amusing to see Weston striving to keep up with Tessa's quick talking and trying to figure out how on earth blogging worked. She was pretty determined to get rid of him, and so spoke as fast as possible, then made him read the poetry back to her and picked it apart. But he didn't get annoyed or upset, just kept pushing on. It was a pitting of two very determined people, and was certainly entertaining to read!

"I feel like a disruption in Tessa's perfect little world of order."

Another one of the many lovely things that made this book so good was how it was split into five segments – segments named after the five senses. Each segment's cover page had a lovely little doodle relating to the events contained within – flowers for 'smell', for example. The reason for this splitting was Weston's approach to helping Tessa – he wanted to show her that sight wasn't the only thing worth living for – and so, dedicated himself to immersing her in a world of experience. From sneaking flowers into her bedroom to buying her a journal, he was the sweetest supporter any injured person could ever dream of having! (I want a Weston! :P)

"She still has four other senses, four other ways to find the beauty in the world."

Just in case you were wondering what else is amazing about this book – here's something else; how much Weston understood what Tessa was feeling – and also how caring and understanding her grandparents were. Everybody around Tessa didn't stop to be angry or upset with her when her sorrow led her to lash out at them – they were all just bundles of kindness and love. Her grandparents spent their time trying to help Tessa and do the best for her, and as I said before – Weston dedicated himself to making Tessa's 100 days more easy to survive. And I could see their relationships getting closer and tighter throughout the story. Having to fight for things makes people stronger together – and that is certainly true of this book.

"I could choose to be happy, to be stronger, to be me - regardless of everything - and there was nobody standing in my way."

There's one last thing I need to mention – and that is how BEAUTIFUL the cover of this book is. It takes all these little snippets of the story, and weaves them into the colourful, incredibly pleasing cover. I think I could just sit and look at the cover for hours!

"I want to throw a rock through this window, to shatter the view of a world I can no longer see."

This book was touching, heart-breaking, and incredibly special. I can't wait to own a physical copy, and I eagerly anticipate enjoying more of Abbie Emmons' work!

*I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.*

3.5-4 Stars

100 Days of Sunlight was a light YA read. It was sweet and had a few “real” moments that I really enjoyed. The characters were fun to follow and I enjoyed their teen dialogue! Innocence at its best!

This is the first book I’ve read by Abbie, it was written well and the storyline was unique real. I love how real life tragedy was intertwined with a positive ending. I think this is a great book for teens to read!

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons is the story of Tessa Dickinson, a 16-year-old poetry blogger who is in a car accident and loses her vision for 100 days. Her life is turned upside down and she is unable to the one thing she loves most, write poetry for her blog. Her grandparents, wanting to help, put an add in the local newspaper for a typist to transcribe her poetry for her. Cue Weston Ludovico showing up on the Dickinson doorstep, a fun, optimistic boy her age, who is also a double amputee. Weston knows that he can help Tessa, but he has one stipulation: no one can tell her about his legs. Weston helps Tessa overcome her anger and her fears around losing her sight, but Weston has his own fears about how Tessa will react when she finds out about his missing legs. As the return of her vision becomes more and more imminent, Weston has to decide whether he wants to vanish or to finally allow himself to be seen.

I’m not typically a huge YA reader, but I absolutely devoured this book. It was funny, touching, and heart wrenching at some points. The pace of the book, while slow at the beginning, was still moving along quick enough to keep me reading.The book has some Christian undertones but they weren’t overbearing and mostly related to the fact that Tessa’s grandfather is a minister. I thought the main characters were complex, fleshed out characters, and generally found their whole story to be touching. The flashbacks worked wonderfully and were a positive addition to the story.

Abbie Emmons did a wonderful job with this book and I can’t wait to read more from her.


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.



Will be posted on Instagram (@mkb_reads) as review before 7/31/19

I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall it was a very interesting idea. Loved the disability representation and seeing how it is to go through the struggles the characters had. While I thought Tessa and Weston were cute, the romance didn’t really hit the mark for me. I know the timeline takes place over 100 days but since the book itself went by pretty fast (and there were a lot of flashbacks as well) it felt rushed for me as I was reading. It seemed like they went to being in love very quickly. The writing was a bit cheesy at times too. I don’t think it was a bad book, and I since it’s the author’s first book, there’s definitely time to grow and expand in their writing style. Overall this is a pretty easy read, cute and sweet, and I look forward to seeing what other books the author comes out with.

I had a hard time rating this one. I kept going back and forth between a 2 and 3 stars, so it's somewhere between there.

I have a full 15 min section (yikes) talking about my thoughts on this book in my June reading wrap up video on youtube, so if you want a more in-depth review, feel free to check there, but here's the sparknotes version:

Let's start with the good stuff.

* CUTE! This had some genuinely adorable moments and I laughed aloud several times.
* gotta love that representation
* beautiful cover
* love the premise
* easy to read - read it pretty fast

On to the not so great stuff:

This isn't a bad book. And that's what was so frustrating to me - this book easily could have been better.

First of all, I could tell the book was self-published. I tried to look past that, but it was so distracting to me that I had a hard time staying in the story. There's obviously nothing wrong with self-publishing, but I couldn't help but think more editorial work on this would have made all the difference.

So my main problems were:

* the quality of the writing
* the balance of summarizing vs. scenes in the writing
* it comes across as a "message" book and tbh it kind of felt like it was lecturing/trying to shove the message down my throat at times
* didn't realize it was going to be super religious and that's just personally not my jam
* both of the main characters drove me NUTS
* Weston is a stalker tbh and I hated how he acted like he knew everything and knew what was best for Tessa and wouldn't take no for an answer
* motivation for his actions felt lacking - more like he was just doing it for the plot
* Tessa's attitude made it really hard to like her
* the cheese. Some parts felt so cheesy I was cringing
* the ending felt rushed
* the beginning starts with a dream / backstory / reflection with Tessa telling us what happened instead of just showing what happened

I really don't want to come across as hating on this book - that is not my intent at all. I still enjoyed reading it and thought some parts were done super well.

But I also think it could have been better and needed more work before publication.

*shrugs*

Excuse me, I've been emotionally gutted and don't know how to recover. Don't mind the use of caps, exclamation points, or any grammatical errors brought on from the emotional wreck the novel, 100 Days of Sunlight, brought me. Thank you.

OH MY GOODNESS MY HEART!!!

jidajfeawlhfe times a thousand

I knew this story was going to be amazing, but be still my heart because it wasn't prepared. From the time I met Tessa, I loved her. She was so very much relatable in how she expresses her struggle mentally and through conversation to those around her. I found myself aching and then rejoicing in her story of overcoming.

And WESTON!!! As much as this was Tessa's story, it was equally Weston's and if you're like "I dare you to make me cry, author," she'll make you tear up through the whole book or sob straight through. I would say your choice, but Weston's is a gut wrencher. Not only is it incredibly inspiring to the people around him in this book, but to me too. Talk about being a role model as a character!

I am incredibly excited that this story is in the world as its powerful and makes an impactful even if you don't want it to. It will make you laugh, cry, roll your eyes with a smile ten thousand times BECAUSE (SPOILER) ALREADY!!!!! (Should I add more !!! for emphasis?) Plus, poetry that just makes you want to snap your fingers until they ache.

Yes, I was mindblowingly moved by this debut story and just want to go out and be a ray of sunlight for someone else. I don't want to give up in Life and don't want others too either.

This is an excellent contemporary novel that I recommend if you want a fantastic romance, a story of overcoming, and need some sunlight in your life.

*(I received an ARC from the author via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own and was not required to write a positive review.)*

I'm so glad I requested an eARC of this book (and was approved).

If you know me, then you probably know that I'm a fantasy gal through and through. But I like to sometimes dip my toe into different genres to discover something new to love.

This is such a feel-good book even though it does tackle some difficult themes. I believe though that this book is best if you don't know anything about going into it. I'll tell you a few general things I loved about this book and you can go read it yourself. (But since I also know that not everyone likes to go into a book blind (<s> pun not intended </s>) I'll tell you more at the end of this review.

The writing style and tone of this book is, as I already said, very humorous and light and happy. Just like the cover honestly. And I had a smile on my face for basically the whole time I read this. I flew through it, too. Read it in just 2 sittings.
The characters are both headstrong, stubborn and lovable. And the families around them are so warm and kind and supportive.

the beginning of the book was especially amazing and really surprised me (I had completely forgotten what the book was about) and I could really relate. This book is supposed to give you hope and I think it manages that pretty well.

Another thing I liked about the writing style was how visual it was. I could see everything in my head and it fit the book perfectly.

That's all I'm gonna say without telling you what it's about. So if you like not knowing much about a book .. stop here and put it on your tbr!

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For all of you that prefer knowing more, here we go.

Tessa had a tragic accident and loses her sight temporarily. She suffers from PTSD and is angry at the world, at herself. She had a blog for poetry and now that she is blind she has neither the inspiration to write anymore nor can she really do it alone. Her Grandpa placed an ad for someone to type for her. She is <i> not </i> happy with that.

Insert Weston. He reads the ad and although he doesn't really fit any of the criteria he decides he will help Tessa. Even though she clearly doesn't want his help. Because what Tessa doesn't know is that he gets her. More than her Grandparent could.

The book is told from both their perspectives which I loved. And we also get to see what happened to Weston 3 years ago and how he coped.

I really appreciate the optimism of this book, the positive outlook and the tone. I really enjoyed my time reading it. But I sometimes wish it would have been more in depth. The beginning was amazing in that regard. I absolutely loved that! But it started to morph a little into the 'general YA contemporary' category. Which isn't necessarily anything bad. As I said, it was a fun time reading it.

There is a scene is this book were Weston talk about not giving up and I do agree with that sentiment, but he also says that it is your fault if you stay down when life throws you down and I don't really appreciate the blame here. It takes a lot of strength and effort (which the book does acknowledge) and mental energy to do that. I don't think phrasing it that way is very helpful. (Especially for mental health issues where blame often is already a huge part of the thought process)

Other than that though I really liked the message. Weston is incredibly strong and I loved how he talked to Tessa. How unapologetic he was to lure her out of the darkness.
I loved how he taught her to see the world anew.

Coming out on the 7th of August, the story revolves around Tessa, a poetry blogger, who lost her eyesight for 100 days due to an accident. Completely shattered and upset, Tessa loses all hopes and becomes rightly pessimistic and angry. To help her, her grandparents arrange for a help to write her poems and post them, to put her back in the light. When Weston arrives for the job, he is determined to help her see the bright light of life. And it's a story that unfold next, a story so beautiful and hopeful! .
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I loved the characters so much. Being a writer, I could relate to Tessa and her fears so well. Weston completely stole my heart with his optimism and positive outlook on life, and the way he helped Tessa to see the brighter side to life. Weston stole my heart right from the first time we were introduced to him. He was stubborn and too hopeful, but we later learn why. His story is emotional and heartbreaking and yet full of hope and sunshine. Weston is a person who turns the negativity into something good and positive, someone who has learned from his mistakes. In all, Weston was just a boy who wanted to be normal and not his disability.

100 Days of Sunlight is a romance but it's nothing ordinary, no insta love. The sparks don't fly on first sight. There is stellar disability rep, subtle and just magnificent! It is a story of hope and sunshine, and to never give up no matter what. It's beautiful and amazing and you all need to pre-order this book asap!!!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the e-arc of this book. All views expressed are fully mine.

In the 'about the author' section at the end of this book, it says that "there is nothing Abbie (Emmons) likes better than writing (and reading) stories that are both heartrendering and humorous, with a touch of cute romance and a poignant streak of truth running through them."

That is exactly what she achieved with this book. I devoured this book in one day. It is easy to read and the characters are likable (if not a little too mature and awesome for high schoolers!)

However, I can't ignore the one little nagging part in my head that was triggered while I was reading this book. I know that it is just a book and that it is a YA romance book, but I really wanted Tessa to find strength in herself, for herself and not for a boy. I mean boys are fickle and yucky! :O) Do it for yourself Tessa!

Other than that little aside, the book was a cute, fun romantic read. I like that the story was about two people came together to make each other stronger.

My other thought while reading was that this would make a great movie!!! I look forward to reading about future plans on the 100 days of sunlight website!

Thank you to NetGalley and Abbie Emmons for providing a copy of this book for my reading pleasure!

I was so excited to read 100 Days of Sunlight because it came highly recommended from one of my best reader friends. And I have to say, it did not disappoint. It was a cute contemporary romance with a unique premise, and featured some very lovable characters. Although the plot initially seemed a bit dark, the sunlight came beaming in as the novel progressed. It was a heartwarming story of learning how to move forward after tragedy strikes, and emphasized an important lesson for us all: that human compassion can change lives.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
The story centers around Tessa Dickinson, a sixteen year old poetry blogger who has just been in a car accident with her grandmother–an accident that the doctors say will leave her blind for the next (you guessed it) 100 days. She’s feeling pretty depressed because, you know, she can’t see, so her grandparents think it would be a good idea to hire someone her age who can help her continue writing poetry on her blog. Things get a bit crazy from there, and the situation leads her to meet a guy named Weston who wants to help. He wants to be there to help Tessa be optimistic about her new life until her sight returns, but with one condition: Tessa can never know what makes him different. The thing is, Weston’s not just a regular kid Tessa’s age. Well, he is, except for the fact that he’s missing a pair of legs. As Weston helps Tessa see the light in the dark, he’s able to experience something he hasn’t been able to in a long time: meet someone who sees him as he truly is, not as someone with a disability.

WHAT I LIKED:
The overall theme of the book. I feel like a lot of times I need stories to remind me that no matter how hard it is or how insignificant I feel, my actions and the kindness I attempt to show through them can really have an impact on the people around me. This was definitely one of those.
I liked that there was depth to the plot in the sense that it wasn’t all cutesy romantic scenes; the scenes of her continuous struggle with blindness were so impactful, along with the flashbacks to Weston’s journey with his amputation.
The family dynamic. It was nice to have a young adult character whose family (even if it wasn’t immediate) was an integral part of her life, especially because it’s something that isn’t seen too much.
The poetry. Tessa’s perspective was written so well; I really believed that I was in the mind of someone who was a poetry blogger, because that’s how I imagine a poet might think. I loved how Emmons included Tessa’s poems in the book as they were quite enjoyable to read and made Tessa’s passion for writing much more striking.
I loved all of the light and dark metaphors! I’m sure some people might have thought they happened too frequently and became a bit cheesy, but there were some really beautiful moments like this one, and I personally love flowery metaphors 😀
“Besides, no one has ever seen the light by being told there are darker places out there.”
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Weston’s introduction: I wasn’t really a fan of the way Weston was introduced. I loved his character and all, but he seemed a bit overeager and suspiciously invested at first, and Tessa’s grandparents’ immediate acceptance of him was, in my opinion, a bit unrealistic. They let him go into a room alone with their blind granddaughter moments after they met him…I just don’t see that happening in today’s world, or at least anywhere I’ve lived.
Weston’s character depth: Although we got to know Weston a good deal more than other contemporary love interests as a result of the flashbacks, I would have loved to see more of his flaws. It was obvious he was struggling with how people saw him which led to one of the conflicts at the end of the novel, but other than that he seemed to be unrealistically perfect in every way.
The homogeneous writing style. The story was told through both Weston and Tessa’s perspectives, but both were written in the same poetic style so much so that I don’t know if I would be able to tell who said something between the two if I was given a random quote. I mean I loved the sentence “my brothers were like individual rays of sunshine,” but it sounded like something Tessa would say, not Weston.

I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT:
There seemed to be a big emphasis on making sure we knew Tessa was different and special because of certain qualities she possessed (being a poetry blogger, not wanting to post about her life on the internet, etc.). The thing is though, everyone’s different and special in their own ways.

OVERALL

An inspirational example of the impact of human compassion, 100 Days of Sunlight comes out on August 7th of this year, and I highly recommend putting it on your TBR if you’re in the mood for a sweet & different contemporary romance 🙂



Imagine your a 16 year old girls who has just lost her sight. Who has be plunged into darkness in more way than one. This is what happens to Tessa in this story.  Tessa is struggling to comes to terms with her disability when Weston comes along. He has a disability of his own, but Tessa can't see that, and he uses his experience to bring her out of the darkness and teaches her there is more than one way to see.

This is a story of growth, a story where two people save each other from their own barriers.

If you like A Fault in Their Stars or Everything, Everything you are going to love this! It is grasping from the outset. Each chapter lures you in more. You get tangled within the relationship. You get heartbroken from hearing the thoughts of Weston about his disability. And you feel joy when Tessa sees past it all!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read....and will definitely be reading it again soon. It is written so it's easy to read and the storyline is simple, slightly predictable but one that keeps you reading and engaged.

100 Days of Sunlight is about Tessa who is temporarily blind after a car accident. When her grandparents put an ad out for a typist to help her blog, Weston answers. Tessa thinks he has no idea what it's like to be handicapped and is miserable from the start. What she doesn't know is that Weston has made her grandparents promise not to tell her that he is an amputee. Weston gets to be treated like a normal person and Tessa is taught to enjoy life with her other senses.
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At first I wasn't into it, I thought Tessa was super angsty and it was irritating that the author kept repeating words and phrases, in order to be more dramatic/meaningful. I get doing that once or twice, but it was all the time. So I got used to reading one line and skipping the rest.
BUT THEN.... about halfway in where they start hanging out with each other and friendship and crushes start to form it got way better. I didn't understand when people kept telling me it was a cute story, until I got to this part and through to the end. I'd like to reread it knowing how it's going to end and see if I still don't like the beginning.
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Thank you @netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review.

The story opens on a tragic note. Tessa, 16-year-old poetry blogger, is involved in a car accident that causes her to lose eyesight for a minimum of 100 days. The condition is transient cortical blindness. Of course she is terrified that her vision may never return. But her thoughtful grandparents hire a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging.

Weston is a teenage boy with a bright smile and no legs. He understands why Tessa feels helpless, angry and afraid. He is eager to be her typist under one condition—keep his disability a secret from Tessa. After all, she cannot see his body so why tell? He sees an opportunity to be treated like a normal person and not a sob story.

Everything kept in the dark comes to light. As the two teenagers grow closer, time is ticking. In less than 100 days, Tessa's sight will return and Weston has to either quit or overcome his fear of being seen. The cover may be bright and joyful but the content is sensitive.

I put this new novel in the category of young adult heartfelt stories. Abbie Emmons' debut novel rightfully stands on the shelf besides Rainbow Rowell, John Green and Kim Holden. It tugged at my heartstrings at just the right moments. It is written so well that I couldn't help but sympathize with both main characters. Imagine if...

Happy Early Pub Day, Abbie Emmons! 100 Days of Sunlight will be available Wednesday, August 7.

LiteraryMarie

This is an absolute cute story. I liked Tessa from the beginning and felt for her, I don't know what it is to lose your sight, even for a few months, but I can say from her narration how hell it was and I was glad when she started thinking more positive, thanks to Weston. For Weston, at the beginning I didn't really like him and if I were Tessa I would have yelled at him too. But then we learn how he lost his legs, and more importantly, everything that he did after to get better, to give trying, to not give up, and I kind of admire him and how strong he was. “There's nothing you can't do.”

But for the long time it took Tessa to warm up to Weston, it took waaaaay much less for them to start liking each other romantically, and I would have liked if it were more gradually, not really “I'm a boy she's a girl we'll fall in love”, it's like after establishing they were friends and Weston could help her, the crush jumped immediately into the story, but since the book wasn't that long it's understandable the development of their feelings wasn't quite as expanded as I prefer. But once they were both aware of their own feelings (but not of the other's) it was really cute to read about them spending time together.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The version I read may differ from the final book, so if I quote something, it might be changed once the book is ready to be published.

It took me quite some times to decide how many stars I wanted to give to this book. I liked it, I really did, but at the same time, something felt off the whole time. That’s why I decided to stick with a ‘neutral’ rating (on my scale) and I gave it three stars.

When I first started to read this book, I was sure that I was totally gonna love it or totally gonna hate it, but in the end, it was an okay read and I enjoyed my time while it lasted.

It was a cute romance with a plus, which was the two main characters both had some kind of disability. The problem was, other than blindness and amputation, both of them were very flat and cliché, to my eyes. They actually also looked quite alike, just Tessa was a girl and Weston was a boy. They had some different passions, of course, but they weren’t anything I didn’t see before. Poet girl and sporty boy. Sure Weston being such a sports person without legs was inspiring, but that was it.

I can see why everyone seems to like this book because it really isn’t a bad book, but from where I stand, it’s not a masterpiece either. Somethings could have been handled better, first of all — as I was saying — the two main characters. I actually liked Weston’s best friend more than I liked him.

Something that really bothered me (it made me want to smash my Kindle on the ground) was the misuse of the term ‘OCD’, just to indicate when someone was really tidy. OCD is not something to joke about and I didn’t expect such indelicacy in a book about disabilities. I know that it was used only in Weston’s chapters, so it was “him” who was careless and wrongly used the term, but the author herself could have avoided it. More and more people are beginning to use the term OCD when they are talking about tidy people (or even themselves) and it is just as wrong as when people say they are depressed or bipolar because they are sad or have mood swings. So, yeah, it really really bothered me.

I appreciated an episode in the second half of the book, where Tessa is alone at Barnes & Nobles because Weston needed to go to the bathroom, and a jerk tried to abduct her (presumably to take advantage of her, since she is blind). But then again, Tessa was then shaken and everything, but it was not as important as her being deeply in love with Weston. I get it that not every book must be heavy on topics like this, but the book actually made it pass as something less relevant than all the other things. This particular slip made me decide to lower my rating (I was thinking of 3.5 stars initially).

Overall, it was an enjoyable read even if I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style. It felt too poetic sometimes and not enough some other times. I think the way 13-years-old Weston expresses himself is also quite unrealistic, but what do I know about how people talk after they have been in an accident and have their legs amputated.

So, yes. Three stars is my final rating. I think that the author could improve a lot and I am still curious to read her other books if she is going to publish them.

Tessa was involves in a car accident which has left her temporarily blind. The doctor has told her it could take up to 100 days for her sight to come back. Of course she feels miserable, so her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper appealing for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging.

Then Weston appears. He wants to help Tessa because he knows how she feels, but he will only help her if no one tells her about his own disability. So, because she can’t see him she treats him with contempt, screaming at him to get out. This makes Weston feel good as he is being treated normally again. However Weston doesn’t give up easily and keeps coming back and Tessa soon grows close to him. But what will happen when her sight returns? Will she still feel the same way when she sees him for the first time?

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book, however, I’m glad I did because it was SUPERB! I loved the characters, especially Weston who I thought was so strong and independent. It is written beautifully and with emotion. I think this would make a great film!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The concept behind this book is quite unique and I was interested to read it to see if it held up to my expectations. Luckily for me, it did! Its a very emotional read in my opinion, even though you tell yourself it will turn out alright you still empathise with Tessa and Weston throughout. I love the direct approach Abbie Emmons takes to disabilities, it is one we should all try and emulate in society, and the certainty that they are not insurmountable. Without sounding too 'typical reviewer' its a page-turner and I recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary, thought-provoking, novel with a good heart (love the cover too!).

I think it's an okay written book and the cover is pretty. There are problems I had with Emmon's attempt at being poetic (Tessa writes a poetry blog) and she has Tessa use phrases like "intricately simple" and "I can smell the fragrance of midnight in the air." Which okay, fine, but it comes off as trying too hard in my opinion.

I mostly have issues with the portrayal of people with disabilities, which is a huge aspect of this book.Tessa is blind (temporarily) and Weston is an amputee. Emmons' portrayal of disabilities seems woefully unresearched and unrealistic. There is little effort to capture the process of physical therapy or any other type of aides for people who are blind or people who are learning how to walk again. And sometimes I found the language and messages portrayed in this book to be insensitive, even if it wasn't on purpose. It makes me wonder if Emmons ran this through a sensitivity group. I know this is an "indie" publication (her words) and maybe she didn't have that at her disposal, but you would think that she would have reached out to the blind community or to anyone who is an amputee to see if they could give her feedback. She's online-savvy, so I think it wouldn't be too difficult to find someone.

Other than that, I think the character development is poor, both Tessa and Weston are unlikeable, and there are a lot of unrealistic things going on, like constantly referring to the camera that Tessa and Weston use as a Polaroid when it's a Instax Mini which is actually Fujifilm. There's lots of <strong>unrealistic dialog</strong>, mostly in the form of not capturing authentic child dialogue (Weston has several younger brothers and he's also 13 for a lot of the book).

Lastly, I will say that even though this is told through two perspectives, Tessa and Weston, the majority of the book is actually about Weston, both his present age and flashbacks to when he first loses his legs. That's fine, I guess, but Tessa feels really diminished because of this. Most of the book is actually spent in the past, and not Tessa's past, so her character feels so much more underdeveloped than Weston's.

I would not recommend this book. I'm really disappointed in it, because I was expecting a lot more and it really missed the mark for me. Perhaps it'll be successful anyway, because I know Emmons has a lot of supporters, especially from her YouTube subscribers. I also find it a bit weird that she includes a message from herself at the end of the book stating, "I'm an indie author so I love and appreciate every reader who takes the time to give my book a good rating. ;)" First of all, okay that's fine, you're an indie writer. But I think it's a bit questionably to ask for a "good rating." I would hope that Emmons would want constructive feedback, and not just solicit positive reviews.

"100 Days of Sunlight" is a lovely contemporary book that follows 100 days in the life of Tessa, our main character, that following an accident has become temporarily blind. She needs help with her blog, in which she writes poetry, so her grandfather writes an announce on a newspaper in order to find her a helping hand, that comes in the shape of Weston, a boy her age that lost his legs due to a terrible event.

I immediately requested this book on NetGalley because I love YA contemporary books and the summary really intrigued me. And can we talk about that cover? It is stunning.
This is a debut novel, and even though I don't follow Emmons on YT, I came to know that she published this book herself, so she has my whole respect.

In the first part I have to say that I wasn't really drawn by the book. The summary seemed like nothing original, and something I've read a lot of times in other YAs, but after a while the book started to take pace. I grew invested in the friendship blossoming between Weston and Tessa, and how the two of them together really felt like themselves for once in their life.
I was so much more invested in the part that took place 3/2 years before Weston met Tessa, though, I found it really emotional and deep.

The relationship between the two main characters was a little bit too fast for me. I get that they're sixteen and they feel all a little too much, that's the naive and wonderful side of that age, but I find it to be a little bit too quick.
After a while though, I became to sense the connection between them, and I loved how Weston was such a gentleman with Abbie.

Another thing is that this book has a mild Christian theme in the background. I was not botered by that at all, even though I usually don't reach for Christian fiction, but I just wanted to point out that this choice provides the reason behind some actions and the way some topics are dealt with.

One thing I really enjoyed was how the author deals with the sensitive themes in this book. She writes about them with delicacy and sensitivity, and for that I really admire her work.
So yeah, maybe it was not the most original book, but it was good and it kept me entertained for the whole week I've read it. I wish Abbie Emmons the best for her work and a marvellous career.
I'll pick up something by her for sure, in the future.