After being involved in a car accident, 16-year-old blogger Tessa Dickinson loses her eyesight for 100 days. Dealing with post traumatic transient cortical blindness and PTSD, Tessa is locking herself into her room not wanting to deal with the outside world and her blog. Tessa's grandparents can't help but wondering if the best thing she can do is to get back into writing poetry for her blog. But Tessa is not happy at all with her grandparents decision to place an ad in the local newspaper.

Enter Weston Ludovico, who happens to be in the room with his father-editor of the newspaper, when Tessa's grandfather calls to pull the ad. Curious about the ad and Tessa, Weston, who understands better than anyone how afraid and angry Tessa is, thinks he might be able to help her. With her grandparents approval Weston is allowed to visit Tessa and help her with her blog. But Weston has one condition: no one can tell Tessa about his disability.

I loved the writing style of this book, with each chapter alternating between Tessa's and Weston's point of view. As we learn how Weston's disability has formed him, we read how Tessa is slowly opening up to Weston's “obnoxious optimism”. They grow closer as Weston helps Tessa 'seeing' the world through her senses, adding a new layer to her 'sight' with every sense.

This was such a lovely read, making me reconnect with my own senses. A perfect read for the summer!

I really enjoyed this book- it had well-written main characters and a sweet slow-burn romance. What really struck me and made this book unique and not your stereotypical YA romance (though maybe it actually is) was the fact that Tessa and Weston, the two sixteen-year-old main characters who (you guessed it) slowly fall in love is that they're both disabled, at least temporarily.

Tessa, the female main character, got hit by a drunk driver and temporarily lost her sight completely for around a hundred days. Weston has prosthetic legs after (stupidly, I might add) trying and failing a horribly dangerous stunt. Teenagers, you know? The premise of this book involves Tessa, a poetry blogger prior to her accident, not wanting any help to publish her poems and continue blogging (since she obviously can't by herself) and Weston, our stupidly sweet and optimistic MC continuing to help her until he starts teaching her about her other senses.

A main theme in this book that was creative and well-written was the whole idea about using your other senses. Emmons was right- we tend to take our senses for granted and only use our sight. Tessa, through losing her vision, learned to rely on and appreciate other senses- smell, hearing, taste, and touch. The book was divided into five parts: Smell, Hearing, Taste, Touch, and Sight. 

The writing was smooth and neatly done. Abbie Emmons really made you love the characters. Some might think Tessa is ungrateful and plain rude, especially compared to Weston, but I do think that she was just reacting to the circumstances around her- I mean, she was blind, okay?- and afterward with Weston's help she learned to be more patient and enjoy the world in all its glory.

Weston, that dearie, is sweet and compassionate towards Tessa, yet you can also see that sometimes annoyingly stubborn side of him. His character was well-developed and those two sides of him were merged nicely and didn't seem out of place. It was really nice to read about his accident and the time-travel; jumping back a few years. Weston was an interesting and lovable male protagonist and I really liked the fresh perspective on life that he brought- one lesson that anyone can learn from 100 Days of Sunlight is from Weston.

He never gave up. Weston took whatever life threw at him and dealt with it. He cursed in life's face and spat at the feet of everyone who doubted him. Weston is a truly inspiring protagonist and can teach us all a lesson.

The reason this book lost a star in rating was because Tessa's character seemed like a fairly typical teen girl in the YA romance genre. Most girls are written the same way, and although it was quite nice to see her throwing fits and standing up for herself (even if she was wrong), she mostly fit the label of a stereotypical teen girl.

Also, there was a scene that almost edged into sexual harassment and poor Tessa reacted accordingly and was shell-shocked and frightened. I personally think that that incident was glossed over and Tessa and Weston should have talked it over and he should have comforted Tessa instead of brushing it in the closet.

This book, although really nicely written and with interesting circumstances, lacked racial diversity and queer representation completely. We have two white, straight, cis-gender protagonists who are blonde and blue-eyed. One is Christian, one is atheist. I mean, how much more stereotypical can one get? I wish Abbie Emmons had written other sorts of people into it because we all deserve to see ourselves in books.

Other than those three reasons, 100 Days Of Sunlight was a great book and everyone who enjoys YA romance should grab a copy as soon as it releases, on August 7th this year!

This story was very enjoyable to read. Weston – a teenage wounded hero – seemed more fictional than real sometimes, but, all in all, proved to be a unique, genuine character, a reckless, broken boy, full of charm and light.
Weston is an adorable youngster, a Beta hero with a savior complex. I think I liked him even more when he’s interacting with his brothers and parents and his friend Rudy, than in the romantic context, which seemed a bit too fluffy sometimes. But I really loved what I could see in this boy of the kind of man he will be, and I wish the author, Abbie Emmons, would write his story as an adult.
I felt that both the hero and the author downplayed sometimes the real issues and the gruesome struggles of living with this disability, focusing instead in the ways Weston tried to reinvent himself by, paradoxically, trying to stay the same and be seen or perceived in the same way after the accident.
There’s a terrific description of the horrifying accident and the further process.
Weston is such a brave boy that delaying the revelation until the very last pages felt a bit at odds with his personality.
Tessa is sort of a regular girl facing a difficult experience.
Some aspects of the disability feel too general or not clear/not addressed: I was wondering if a blind person wouldn’t hear something different in a double amputee’s gait when, for example, climbing stairs? Or why not be practical and use a shower chair. And how it's so difficult at the first time but becomes so easy afterwards (climbing stairs, baths).

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So first off, I have to say, I LOVE Abbie for her awesome YouTube content. Literally every video she makes on there is jam-packed with great information and motivation to write and chase your dreams! You can tell she has a way with words, and you can tell that she's extremely passionate about her craft.

When I found out she was publishing a book, I was excited but also a little skeptical. I'm not very well-versed in the indie publishing world, but I have read a couple self-published works, and I'll be honest, they weren't all that great. So, though I really enjoy Abbie's video content, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I got approved to read this book.

Also, side note, I'm not the biggest contemporary fan. I mostly read YA fantasy, sci-fi's, dystopians etc. with a little dash of contemporary thrown in every once in a while. Typically, when I read contemporary, I find them to be kinda cheesy and silly.

This story was not that.

I was honestly blown away by how good this story was, especially for a debut. Like I INHALED this book.

This story follows one of our main characters, Tessa, who recently has gotten into a car accident and has temporarily lost her sight and is rightfully struggling to accept this. Cue Weston, our other main character, who comes into Tessa's life to show her that it's okay to be afraid and angry, but it shouldn't stop her from living. It also helps that he's experienced his own trauma that lends a hand in him being able to understand where Tessa's fear is coming from.

One of the things I really loved about this story was the dual perspectives. I'll admit, I liked Weston a lot more than Tessa, but I think that was a little bit intentional. Tessa is struggling in real time, while Weston has overcome his demons and is using his past to help Tessa with her present as well as her future. Weston is there to bring Tessa into the light (see what I did there lol).

Another aspect I found extremely strong in this story was Weston's past. I was SO invested in his story. Reading about his past, knowing already what was soon to come, was heartbreaking and I can say without a doubt he felt REAL. I felt like I knew this boy and I felt for him so hard. And I loved seeing the family dynamics and how each of his siblings dealt with the trauma as well as Weston's own learning curve. I think one of my favorite scenes was the speech he gave in class. He was NOT his disability.

Lastly, the romance was VERY organic. I feel like contemporary romances usually jump straight to love-at-first-sight and kiss by page 8. This, again, was not that. The relationship between Tessa and Weston blossomed beautifully throughout the novel, and I really appreciated that Abbie took her time working them out.


100 Days of Sunlight was incredibly realistic, sad, heartbreaking, annoying, empowering, and just all around a great story.

I think Abbie literally crushed it at her debut, and I'm super stoked to read the next thing she puts out into the universe.

I read 100 Days of Sunlight as an advanced copy. Tessa was in a car accident and loses her sight. Doctors believe it is transient and expect her sight to return in about 3 months. She’s withdrawn and struggling, until a boy shows up at her door who can relate to what she’s going through and helps her rediscover the world. ⁣
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I loved this YA book and I’d give it a 4/5! I liked the transformation of Tessa’s character and the strength of Weston. It is a debut novel from Abbie Emmons and will be released on August 7th. Keep an eye out for it! ⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in a single day—I couldn’t put it down. It tells the beautiful story of Tessa, a teenage girl who has lost her sight, and her unlikely friendship with a teenage boy named Weston who has a secret of his own. Weston, we learn, lost his legs in an accident a few years back, and is constantly treated differently because of his disability. In Tessa, he finds someone who—for the first time—treats him like anyone else, simply because she cannot see what is “wrong” with him. I loved seeing the relationship between the two grow, and I poured through the pages waiting to see what would happen in the end. It’s a beautiful book for anyone who has ever felt different from everyone else—and anyone who has ever fallen in love.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! Tessa is suffering from temporary blindness as the result of a car accident. When a boy answers her grandparents’ ad to help her type her poetry until she regains her eyesight, she is not happy about it. But unbeknownst to her, Weston has a pretty good idea about what she’s going through: he lost both of his legs 3 years before. Told in both Tessa and Weston’s perspectives, 100 Days of Sunlight is a lovely YA romance that shows what a healthy relationship looks like and how teens can help each other overcome adversity. 5/5 stars!

What an inspiring story! The way this story was written makes it impossible not to love. The characters were well developed and the story line was realistic.

Tessa is struggling with the blindness that resulted from a car accident, and she is pretty angry at the whole world because no one could possibly understand what she's going through. She used to write poetry and run a popular blog, and she can't do either one of those things if she can't see, right? Enter Weston, a relentlessly optimistic guy her age who offers to write down her poetry for her and be her eyes on her blog by helping her answer comments. He's not scared by her defeated attitude in the slightest; annoyingly, he seems to look at it as a challenging game. Slowly he helps Tessa "see" that the world still has a lot of beauty in it if she allows herself to enjoy her other senses. Their friendship flourishes and turns into more. But Weston is hiding something kind of major: he has 2 prosthetic legs. Tessa doesn't know his story and can't see him for herself. For once, he is treated just like any other person and not like a kid without legs. When her sight returns, though, will it change the way she feels about him?

Ok, this book was really well done. The present-day story is interspersed with some jumps to the past to see who Weston was before his accident and what happened to him. These are timed just right to explain something going on between Weston and Tessa, and it deepens the reader's understanding of both characters. The supporting cast is really wonderful, too. Weston's best friend, Rudy, is the kind of pal every one needs: there when you need him, goes along with crazy ideas, but there with the tough love at critical moments. Also, Weston's mother is a badass Boymom who is all about comics and introduces her sons to her favorites. I couldn't love her more.

There are a lot of beautiful themes here, including the lesson that relying on the support of family and friends doesn't make you weak, the importance of learning to accept what life throws at you while continuing to fight to be yourself, and the value of getting out of your own way and letting yourself be loved. These are deep but important messages for YA, and they were handled really well. I was impressed that this was the author's first book. I'll definitely be checking out what she does next!

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

Even before I started reading this book, I was prepared to give it three stars.

*cringes* okay, okay, don't kill me, but if there's a looooot of hype about a book, I usually won't care for it.

The truth? *I l o v e d this book.* I mean, first of all, I looooove how the cover ties everything, every lil' bit of this book together. Ahhhh *happy sigh*

I was completely prepared to give this baby 5 whopping stars. But...there were two things that kept me from it.

1. The language.
Wait, did anyone see what just flew past? *looks out into the front yard* oh, that was just 3/4 of a star that just flew out the window.
Honestly, if I'd known how much swearing was in this book, I might've passed it up. I get it that most people use cuss words without a care. I, however, am not one of those people. Really, is it *necessary* to have so much cussing in a book? I don't like swearing, but add to that God's name being used frequently and flippantly retracted pleasure from the dialogue for me.

2. The romance.
*another quarter of a star jumps out the window*
So, the romance was actually pretty adorable. Until you contemplate the fact that these two people are 16 yrs old. SIXTEEN, PEOPLE. I know this opinion is kinda unpopular, but . . . I don't like. XD Thankfully, there wasn't a huge amount of romance, which is what kept this baby from being docked down another star.

What did I like??
-UM WESTON HELLO PEOPLE. Ahhh he was so amazing! And I could seriously relate to him more than I could to Tessa. I mean, I'm not exactly handicapped, but I totally got his suck-it-up-buttercup, don't-let-others-know-how-I-feel attitude. I mean, I really, *really* wanna wash his mouth out with soap. But otherwise he's fabbb. AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS BROTHERS LIKE YASSSS PLEASE <3
-The writing style was o n f l e e k. The story wasn't fast-paced. At all. But somehow I kept reading . . . and reading . . . it was so engaging!! Ahhhh, Abbie's writing voice was so good . . . I could go on reading it forever.
-The plot!! Can I just express how much I AM IN LOVE WITH THE PLOT?? It's so genius!! Executed so flawlessly . . .

arc received from netgalley!

I’ll be honest, I originally requested this arc mainly because the cover stood out to me. It turns out, the story is just as beautiful. I also love how you start to notice little things on the cover that relate to the story like the waffles, the carnations, the polaroid, the yellow ukelele, etc

I was hesitant to go into this because I often find myself being let down by books dealing with illness and/or trauma. But this one was just written so beautiful and Abbie was really able to express the emotions these two characters were going through.

Weston was a SWEETHEART. I don’t believe he has a mean bone in his body. He’s incredibly optimistic and despite Tessa snapping at him and purposely being mean to him, he continued to show her kindness and help her because he knew the pain she was enduring. I’m not a fan of flashbacks, but his story was so intriguing and I admired how hard he worked. The relationships he had with both Rudy and his brothers were so wholesome, my heart melted.

I found Tessa annoying at times, but I feel like that was intentional. You can’t really blame her since you aren’t going through what she is. I can’t imagine losing my sight and not knowing whether or not it will come back. And to have this stranger walk into your life and demanding to help you doesn’t quite help.

Tessa and Weston shared SO many cute little moments in this. The romance didn’t make me cringe at all, and was actually adorable. Tessa falling in love with Weston’s personality rather than his looks just made me love them so much more.

Overall, this was a fantastic debut, and I hope to see more of Abbie Emmons in the future!

Tessa could see until a car accident makes her blind, hopefully temporarily but she suffers PTSD from the impact and her life suffers as she rarely leaves her bedroom, can't even write her poetry or update her blog.



Then her grandparents put and ad in the newspaper for a helper to type for her, queue Weston.



Weston knows what disability can cause you to feel, he lost his legs below the knees in an accident two to three years ago before meeting Tessa.



As he helps Tess he opens her up to the world around her again using her other senses, smell, taste, hearing, touch and so uses flowers, foods, instruments and Polaroids for her sight to see when or if she recovers.



This book is amazing, the chemistry the pair have is fiery but sweet and understanding. They remind me of Augustus and Hazel from The Fault In Our Stars. As a book debut it's so developed and emotional the depth is immense and a truly addictive, beautiful read.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

“100 Days of Sunlight” is a beautiful, inspiring, young adult novel about two teenagers, Tessa and Weston. Tessa was in a car accident causing her to temporarily lose her vision, and we soon learn Weston has to overcome adversity of his own. The two teens form a relationship and help one another in ways they never thought possible.

This is a book that will warm your heart, and you will not want to put it down-I finished it in a day. I will definitely recommend this book to my 8th graders next year for their independent reading project. This novel is a story of love, family, hope, and optimism. It inspires you to push through hard times and rise above the things that bring you down, a definite 5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I will start off my review with a disclaimer: despite being smack dab in the middle of the target age range for young adult fiction . . . YA is SO not my thing. That being said, I did still enjoy 100 Days of Sunlight at its core, even if the genre may not be my favorite ever.

First off, that cover! Well done, Ms. Emmons! It's stunning! I feel like so often indies cheap out when it comes to cover design, but it's clear Emmons put a lot of time and thought into her cover, and for that, I give her kudos.

Let's get onto characters. Y'all. Weston is adorable. I want him for a little brother! I loved his humor, his "arrogance," his optimism and take-whatever-life-throws-at-you-with-joy attitude. This dude is amazing. (Despite his potty mouth . . .) He was definitely my favorite character. Tessa, also, was a very well-rounded character, and while I struggled to relate to her and the way she handled certain things, nonetheless I think a lot of people will relate and empathize with her. The supporting characters of Weston's brothers (adorable!), and Tessa's grandparents and friends were a sweet addition.

The storyline, while not fast-paced, moved along at just the right pace and kept my interest from beginning to end. Emmon's writing style is unique and enjoyable. She tackles some tough topics in this book, and I think she did a pretty decent job doing so.

All that being said, there were some aspects of 100 Days of Sunlight that I did not like.

For one, the language. I know there's a lot of differing opinions, even among Christians, whether or not language is appropriate in fiction. And we don't need to go into my opinions on that right now. But for me, in this book, most if not all of the swearing was SO unnecessary. And there was a lot of it. More than I expected, which was disappointing. And this is being marketed as secular fiction (to my knowledge), so that gives it a little more leeway in my opinion, but still, there was just. so. much. swearing. That took away greatly from my enjoyment of this book.

My other main complaint, and this coupled with the swearing is what docked a star plus off my rating. The romance. Okay, okay, I know I am largely in the majority with this, but I. don't. like. teen. romance. There. I said it. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a sweet romance storyline, but I just don't do teen romance. So, considering the fairly prominent romantic storyline in 100 Days, there's another reason I didn't enjoy it as much. Honestly, I think this would have been that much more unique if the relationship between Tessa and Weston was kept platonic. There are boatloads of YA romances out there, but it's rare to find a YA WITHOUT romance. But again, I don't know if that's a negative as much as just my thoughts. If you do enjoy teen romances, then I'm sure you will enjoy 100 Days.

All in all, I think 100 Days of Sunlight is a very promising debut, and I am excited to see where Emmons will go next with her writing career! This author shows a lot of promise. If you love contemporary YA, teen romance, deep storylines, witty characters, and WAFFLES, definitely check out 100 Days of Sunlight!


FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for promotional purposes from Netgalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

This story was beautiful from the beginning to the very end.

I thought it was a real page turner and I couldn't wait to see how it would all end.

The story was heartfelt and I could "see" and feel the characters with their struggles.

The author did a superb job of creating some fantastic characters that were believable and she really brought them to life for me.

No hesitation in giving this one 5 stars - I loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough

What if you couldn’t see? What if someone couldn’t see you? Does it change how you judge people, judge the world? 100 Days of Starlight is a teenage love story, but it is also a story about resilience and learning to get back up when knocked down by life.

A car crash leaves Tessa temporarily blind. Now Tessa refuses to write her poetry or leave the house, so her grandparents place an ad for a helper. Weston sees the ad at his father’s paper just before it’s pulled from publication and decides Tessa is someone he can help. As a double amputee, the idea of someone getting to know him without seeing him is very appealing. At first reluctant to work with Weston, Tessa pushes him away in every way she can, but he doesn’t give up - determined to show her that life is about more than what she can see.

The chapters, split evenly between Weston and Tessa, focus almost entirely on their interactions. We don’t learn a lot about their lives outside of what is happening between the two of them - Tessa, mostly because nothing else is happening. Fortunately, half of Weston’s chapters take us back three years ago to the time of his accident and subsequent duel amputation, filling in backstory and giving readers a better idea of his life and motivations.

The first person narration places readers directly alongside the main characters. It also gives readers direct access to their thinking and, sometimes false, ideas. Tessa’s thoughts about being blind and how depressed that makes her, how she thinks that makes her pathetic are not exactly inspired or uplifting. Nor does it reflect in any way the true strength and abilities of those with visual impairment. 100 Days of Sunlight is not a book that starts out by promoting an ‘I can do anything, this doesn’t change my life’ attitude. Just the opposite in fact. Tessa is sad, whiney, and yes, while I understand it’s hard, it takes her some time and lots of help from Weston to come around to a more positive way of thinking. This book has to start with a sad, whiney character because that’s what gives us the character growth.

Weston is sort of a boy wonder. Positive, a great brother, strong and determined. His chapters reveal his doggedness and desire to take the hard road. He did, at times, sound like a therapy room’s motivational poster, but there is no denying his great attitude.

100 Days of Sunlight, with themes of positive attitude, acceptance and resilience woven throughout, is a fun teenage romance.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

100 Days of Sunlight! A very cute and quick read. First, the book cover art and the color is what caught my eye. Which I’m sure is what the author was trying to do, and doing it herself... amazing job! The book description HOOKED me. I knew it was a book I had to read. The good that I liked about it is the characters stories, It makes the characters more mature for their age, especially Weston. I’ll have to admit that Weston wasn’t a favorite character of mine, but I had to see how he dealt everything at the end. The downside, in my personal opinion was that the whole story felt very very rushed. It makes sense because of...100 days. But I wish there was a little more going on. Really good story and amazing job to the authors first novel!

This was a sweet book filled with hope and the reminder that you can see a lot even when you can't see ... when you choose to.

Emmons pulls us into the little moments of life that could be enjoyed when using to all the senses, which most of us miss out on because we're so focused on those in front of us and how they see us or what they think of us. It's a way of looking out and drinking in every bit of beauty rather than expecting others to give us drinks, in a way.

Re the love story, yes, it's totally predictable and the guy is a bit too good to be true, but it doesn't get in the way of a teenage girl growing up and looking beyond herself to grow into the person she really is. Worth reading.

100 Days of Sunlight is a quick, easy read that left me smiling. This contemporary YA novel tells the story of Tessa, a homeschooled blogger that is left (temporarily) blind after a terrible car accident. She meets Weston, who also experienced a terrible accident and loss of his own, and together they come to understand what it means to be happy. The story line has a nice flow (with flashbacks to Weston's life before Tessa) and is full of hope, despair, acceptance, friendship, love, and family.

I can see teens gobbling this one up! Great debut novel from Abbie Emmons!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this title.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
It was amazing.
It's one I'll be reading again and again; I feel so fortunate to have read it.
Weston is the perfect character for this story. His experiences have made him grow up, and yet he is still a funny mischievous teenager. His story is tragic, and born out of an accident, as some tragedies are. The fact that he is able to face life the way he does makes everyone else's problems pale in significance. The additional side characters (the family on both sides) are so supportive it brought tears to my eyes on more than several occasions.
Tessa is a perfect match for him. The way she's acting is exactly how someone in her situation would. How these two grow together and become familiar is just beautiful.
I savoured every moment of getting to know these two.