True to the premise, 100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant story about healing and getting back up when life goes sideways. The characters felt realistic and we get to know them personally as the story felt really reflective. However, it also made the story filled with monologues and felt deeply intimate. For a debut though, I think this is great and I would surely read the author’s subsequent releases!

This was such a heart touching story. A truly beautiful story with characters that soeak to your heart. Be prepared to shed a tear or two. I loved it.

Thanks to Abby Emmons for the ARC of 100 Days of Sunlight. I started reading and didn’t stop until I was done. What a wonderful story! Congratulations on a great book! I loved Weston, a young, handicapped teen, who has the courage to not let his handicap rule his life. He is brave, considerate, and kind to everyone. When his newspaper father receives an ad for a secretary for a blind female teen, Weston answers the ad, despite the fact that the ad was pulled before anyone could answer. He knows what it is like to be different and feels he can help Tessa work through her fears of being temporarily blind and live her best life, even though she wants nothing to do with him. Weston is the perfect guy for her in so many ways. I loved this book. I can already see a movie in the near future!

I loved this book so much! It was a storyline like no other! Typically Young Adult books all have a similar theme but this one was decidedly different. Sure there is a girl and a boy but beyond that the issues that the teens are dealing with are not the normal stuff that teenagers or young adults deal with. The emotions that came up with me while reading it were sadness, worry and feelings of sorrow for some of the choices that the characters made. If you like YA books, this will be a refreshing book for you! I will recommend it to all who will listen!

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons is a wonderful, intense book about young adults dealing with their physical disabilities. Tessa lost her eyesight when a drunk driver crashed into the car she was riding in. Doctors are optimistic she will get her sight back in a few weeks. Weston lost both his legs, and understands what Tessa is feeling, and wants to help her. I enjoyed the unique situations in this book, and watching the characters grow. I found this book to be a quick read, and highly recommend it.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

This was a really great young adult novel. Two teens with handicaps find a way to help one another. I felt the characters were realistic and was especially impressed with how the author depicted the kids as mature, intelligent people. I am sure this book will appeal to preteens as well as teens.

I absolutely adored this lovely, charming, breathtaking, amazing, spectacular, stunning, wonderful book! I'd run out of adjectives explaining how great this book was! I read it in one sitting. I couldn't, nor did I want to, put it down! It's sunshine, it's pain, it's heartache, it's laughter. It's everything! Abbie Emmons writing was just effortless. She created two beautiful characters that I fell in love with almost instantly. She writes the characters with such authenticity. I feel anyone dealing with any handicap, disability, obstacle, setback, etc, would have felt genuinely represented. The story unfurls so beautifully. You are taken on this journey with Tessa and Weston. You are experiencing the sensations right alongside Tessa. I know it may be taboo to say as a bookworm but I WANT TO SEE THIS ON THE SCREEN! I want it so badly to become a series or a movie. I want this story to step out of my imagination and come alive in front of my eyes. I adored. I loved. Nothing else is left to say!

Picked this book because of the unique settings and it didn't disappoint! I thoroughly enjoy the story and love the characters :)

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A cute YA read for when you need something cute. It’s a great debut and the author shows a lot of promise.

I thought real hard about how I would rate this. I was really excited to read this book, I fell in love with the cover first, and when I read the plot I just knew I had to read it. However, there are just too many things that disturbed me about the book. Beyond the writing or the story itself are a number of problematic things I just can't brush off.

The best thing about this is the really cute romcom plot with the potential of emotional depth. It has successfully made me feel the feels like the first time I fell "in love" in my teens. I also liked Weston's friend Rudy's words of wisdom though they may sound a bit preachy at times.

As for the things I did not like: first off, the attempt at poetry did not really speak to me. I thought it didn't really help the reading experience and at some parts even intrusive or repetitive. I also did not expect the religious content. Themes centered on faith is not a problem for me as long as it is used solely for characterization or world building, but the way it was written here just made me feel uncomfortable.

But those are mostly personal preferences. Let's move on to the more problematic themes - 
* The lack of consent: 1) Tessa's grandparents deciding to hire an assistant without consulting her first 2) Weston getting Tessa's info and going to her house without her permission 3) Weston barging in Tessa's room without knocking--happens multiple times 4) nonconsensual first kiss

* Romanticized violence: Weston and Rudy loves to beat each other up as a hobby. This in itself is not a very healthy bonding activity for friends, and when Tessa learns about her reaction was just "And now that he’s revealed he knows how to punch people, I feel especially safe with him."

* Weston's treatment of Clara: He completely ignored her feelings, and even "gifted" her to his friend Rudy and I quote "Clara's not going to break up with me unless she has someone else to go out with." This one really made me mad. No girl deserves to be treated that way.

* Disability representation: Some of Weston’s decisions while he's supposed to be on rehab felt too unsafe for me. I think it was all very convenient how he recovered so quickly, but I just can’t believe that could happen by just “believing”— you also have to trust your doctors and therapists, especially since it was your reckless decisions that got you in that situation in the first place. Being this irresponsible and rewarding it as being a success is a dangerous message to throw out there.

Weston is also highly-priveleged, in the way that he can just so easily decide to buy a new set of prosthetic legs which are supposed to be "very expensive" but he "doesn't care". It’s not too realistic, or rather it comes from too narrow a perspective. Overall I felt the disability elements were used more for the plot, and was not really for the representation.

So yes, it is mostly cute and fluffy but I just can’t give it a 3⭐️ rating at this point when there are these little details that are so problematic. Weston and Tessa also felt like 2-dimensional characters most of the time. I really think it could have been a great read with more work put into it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know those books that you don't really want to like, but you do? Not because they're bad, but because the genre or the premise or the general feel isn't something you typically go for? That's how I feel about this book, in a nutshell. I don't particularly enjoy YA contemporary extensively anymore. Yet somehow, I came across this book and convinced myself to read it. I wondered about it a bit at first, but ultimately by the time I finished, I was giggling like a mad schoolgirl with glee.

The first thing I noticed is that 100 Days of Sunlight doesn't seem to have a traditional publisher, which I'm pretty sure means it's self-published. In a way, I feel like I owe a bit more to the author to review it, because they don't have that support from an established publishing house. However, that doesn't mean that it's less good than any book that does. I would even argue that it has made the author try even harder to write a good novel, and it does feel that way. It was clear to me at the beginning that the author had a detailed, well-planned outline and was very much trying to follow it step by step. There's a bit of a lack of polish that a traditional publisher would bring, but it's hardly noticeable (and only if you're looking for it).

As much as I love the premise in the summary, I was a little unimpressed with the grandparents at the beginning, especially once I realised how appalled Tessa was at the idea of the newspaper ad. It did feel a bit invasive and controlling. That being said, I also didn't really enjoy how everyone seemed to have a different idea about what was best for Tessa, without actually asking her how she felt. This eventually extends to Weston too, and is honestly probably my least favourite part of the book overall. Especially at the beginning, the way he was written like he knew everything about Tessa already. I think this is the trouble with writing a book in two different perspectives - just because the reader is aware of everything happening to both people, doesn't mean they know that much about each other. It might be a pain to read about Tessa explaining everything in her life to Weston after we already heard about it from her perspective, but that's better than your main love interest acting as if he was lurking about all along. He also acts as if he had the right to be there. To know Tessa's story. To be a part of it. By ignoring her desires and doing the bidding of her grandparents, he is contributing to the concept that she is not capable of making her own decisions, or that she does not have the mental capacity to do so. Which was quite frustrating and not a good opening to one of your main characters.

Anyway, that was all something I found within the first few chapters. It actually scales down a bit after that and becomes less noticeable. I just found it a bit uncomfortable that no one seemed to be considerate of Tessa's feelings. But over the course of the book I found myself caring less and less about the minute details, and focusing more on the cute storyline and inevitable romance subplot. It's a cute contemporary YA romance. Not everything needs to be analysed out the ying-yang (that being said, I did do a double take when there was a slight reference to a meme, and even more shocked when I realised I was capable of recognising meme references in fiction).

Let's talk about Tessa though. I loved Tessa. I thought she was a great character with a great character arc over the course of the book. She starts out angry, and rightfully so. The sense of sight is the sense I would least like to lose, out of all the possibilities. She's vulnerable and can no longer do what she loves, which is writing poetry. Not only that, but as a blogger whose friends are mostly found through the internet, she can't communicate with them. She's not just vulnerable because she cannot see, but she is socially isolated as well. I love the fact that she is using Siri to ask questions about the time or the weather. But she was also written to serve a purpose at times, which felt a bit frustrating. During the first section of the book, Weston brings her flowers that are fragrant so she can begin to experience the world through her other senses (I will go into detail about how cute I think that is in a sec). At one point she makes a comment about what is the point of flowers if you cannot see them, which I feel is just a disservice to her character. I get it, you want to emphasize the fact that she needs to overcome this hurdle, but you don't have to make your characters dumb to do it.

But I promise things get better!! About halfway through the book, it gets ADORABLY cute. Largely because Tessa is starting to come out of her shell and rely upon Weston to share the world with her and become her eyes. There's one part where they go out for coffee, Tessa's first outing after her accident, and she realises that he didn't get himself a coffee so that he could not just hold her hand, but also her coffee so that she still had a free one to explore and feel things. How cute is that?

So each section is based on one of the five senses, and how Weston helps Tessa through her blindness by strengthening these other senses. Which is impossibly adorable. By the time they get to touch, I am head over heels and reminding myself that Weston is only 16 and I am an adult and should he really be making me feel such things? Which is bonkers, because remember how I felt about him at the beginning? Don't worry, he still does have a few moments that are insufferable (but that's mostly just a side effect of being a teenage boy). And then there's also the self-deprecation and how he essentially abandons Tessa once she gets her sight back because he doesn't think he is worthy of love because he has no legs. On that note though, there is one part I found chuckle-worthy, which is when Tessa realises he is hiding something. It's his legs, Tessa. It's because he has no legs. Anyway, of course they end up falling in love with each other despite Tessa's anger issues and Weston's lack of legs, and there's an incredibly heartwarming reuniting scene where Tessa finally sees him for the first time. And she bursts into tears and heartfelt declarations of love (what I do especially love about that scene is even though it's about Tessa realising Weston's disability, it's not actually mentioned in writing, like at all? Which was just kinda cool).

Despite all the things and grievances I clearly did not enjoy, I did finish this book, which says a lot, because that's not always a guarantee. And honestly, most of the things I pointed out are probably not important to the average reader. So, should you read this? Yes, probably, especially if you enjoy suppressing your inner teenage squealing when you realise how much you also wish you had a cute boy to teach you how to embrace life through the senses and why couldn’t my teenage years involve that kind of cuteness?

This one is sweet and makes you think. Well written characters who you want to root for. Excellent pacing pulls you in to this adorable book. It's sad but so hopeful.

Honestly, I am buying this book for myself, for my library and probably for all my friends’ birthdays for the next 3 months after it officially comes out. This book was AWESOME! I haven’t read a book this good in a long time.
Yes it does have some sweet innocent romance in it, mostly towards the end. But it has everything I could ever want in a sweet romance. It’s called, relationship building. Yeah. LOVE IT!!!
Tessa is temporarily blind due to a car accident that caused swelling up against the visual cortex area of the brain. For the next 100 days she has to figure out how to navigate life without the use of her eyes. She considers it to be something of a sentence that she just has to endure. She can’t write her poems, or maintain her blog, or keep up with the group of friends she made online. Her life is on hold for 100 days and she’s miserable. She’s scared. No, She’s terrified. What if this is the rest of her life? What if all the doctors are wrong?
Trying to help her move passed her temporarily blindness, her wonderful, caring grandparents decide to put an ad out to find someone who can transcript Tessa’s poems onto paper and blog. Someone who can also help her reply to the comments and help her keep up with her friends. So they call a newspaper and place the ad, only telling Tessa after they have already done it. Tessa goes mental on them, as any teenager would, I think, and they pull the ad before it can be printed. But that doesn’t mean is wasn’t already seen.
Enter Weston. Weston’s dad owns the paper and he over hears the conversation to have the ad pulled. So Weston presses for information, finding out it is for a newly blinded teenager. Sweet talking one of the staff members, Weston gets the information from the ad and decides to head over to her house. He convinces Tessa’s grandmother to let him speak to Tessa. Tessa explodes on him too and it’s the best thing Weston has ever heard, someone treating him like he’s just another person. Because Tessa doesn’t know what everyone else knows about Weston, she can’t see him.

Seriously. This is a beautiful teen romance that starts out as a appreciate-hate relationship. Turns into an appreciate-appreciate relationship, which turns into a full friendship which then turns into mutual crushing and finally full on love-love. It’s a rare bird. It’s beautiful.
It covers two topics not one really writes about, the emotional ramifications of going blind (even if it just temporary) and the ramifications of becoming a double amputee. We need more books like this one. We need books that help people relate to other people who are living realities the rest of us can’t possibly fully understand and hopefully will never experience for ourselves. We need books that we can feel these experiences through vicariously. Why? Because I believe it makes us far more sympathetic to people who are in these types of situations. It even reminds us that yes, just because they have these handicaps, it doesn’t mean they are their handicaps. It’s a great message! Everyone should hear it.

Age range: 13+
Triggers: car crash (vague), tempted…luring I’d call it, sudden blindness, amputation of limb (experience leading up to and upon awaking from surgery)
Other: some ‘course language’ (Weston and his best friend are teenage boys, come on). Words like pansyass, damn, etc.

This was a great YA novel about a young girl who loses her eyesight for 100 days, not knowing if she will experience eye sight ever again. This had a similar tone of "Everything, Everything" and "The Fault in our Stars". Would recommend.

This book was sad and beautiful. The more I read it the more I loved it. I recommend it highly to anyone and everyone

This book wasn't meant to be for me.I wasn't really feeling the characters, the plot, or the writing. I dnf at 20%. I really tried to read this book like three time, couldn't get into it.

Tessa is a 16-year-old girl who was in a car accident which leads her to losing her eyesight for 100 days, but it's not guaranteed that she will get her eyesight back. She has to learn how to live in a world she once knew in a different way. She lives with her grandparents. Tessa has a poetry blogger (its something I've never read in a YA book and loved!) So, her grandparents put an ad in the local newspaper looking a typist to help her keep up with her blog. But when Weston shows up Tessa is not wanting help but what she doesn't know is that Weston understands what she's going through better than most. This story and cover really do go hand and hand; I had a blast seeing how each photo is reflected in the story. Weston and Tessa's relationship grows at a steady paced that grows with the struggles and personal growth of Tessa herself.
I read this before I knew that Abbie Emmons was part of AuthorTube but I am now a fan of her, and I can see how her writing advice is played out into her book. I enjoyed her writing style and the way her book flows. 
The story is heartfelt but really it is a book about hope! Refinding yourself, family and overcoming struggles.


(The review is also ran in Double the Books Magazine for October 2019)

“100 Days of Sunlight” is the debut book by Abbie Emmons. I had no clue that she was a blogger until recently and will definitely have to go check it out but alas, that’s not what we’re here for. I admit, I didn’t know what to expect with this book. I mean, sure, I read the synopsis but still. Up until recently, I really didn’t care for a lot of contemporary books.
This was a very cute read. I really didn’t feel any way about the main character, but Weston! Loved him. There were some parts that were rushed where others were slow. The ending was a little rushed in my opinion. Overall, this was a good read with a very original plot.

* I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Two characters that experience loss, a road to recovery, and their search for hope. It's slow burn and really takes the time to dive into what it's like to lose the very essence of you and overcome it. The support systems were great and hopeful. My only negative was the language. Now, call me a hypocrite, but there was just TOO much swearing in this book. I understand it's YA but still, it became excessive and not entirely necessary most of the time.

100 Days of Sunlight has to be one of the sweetest, most uplifting books I have read in a long time. I found myself smiling throughout and crying happy tears at the end. If you are not a blubbering mess when you finish this book, I don’t want to know you.

Tessa is a teenage girl who, after being in a car accident, is temporarily blind. It is supposed to last close to 100 days, hopefully. She is resentful, sad, angry, all the things you can totally understand. She is a writer of poems which she blogs. Her loving grandfather thinks that finding her someone to help type out her blog would be a good thing for her so he puts an ad in the local paper for a young girl to come and help. Tessa is angered by it and has him not run it. When he calls the paper to cancel, the owner’s son Weston finds out and he puts himself in the job. Tessa is unsure at first but there is something about Weston that she likes. Through the other senses, he opens up her world again. Weston falls in love and he is waiting for the day to come when she can see again, he is happy and yet he dreads it. He has his own secret that will be revealed.

This couple is one of the cutest couples ever. Weston is a kid with a lot going for him. He doesn’t let the word “can’t” into his vocabulary. Watching as Tessa opened up again was so joyful. There were just so many little things that added up to make this a very enjoyable read. I think I needed it in this world gone crazy. A book with characters who are kind, love each other, and cherish life, what more could you want?

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this wonderful book.