Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this Advanced Copy of Four Days of You and Me. I love Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series and was so excited to see she wrote a stand-alone book. I enjoyed watching Lulu and Alex's relationship develop over the course of four years in high school. The characters were very real to me. I see them in my own students and how they change over the course of high school. This is a perfect light-hearted romance and just what I needed during COVID-19!
Great story and characters! Moved a little faster than I had anticipated, there was not as much conflict as I was expecting. Alex was a great Kenneally love interest, and their relationship made me heart warm. It was also nice to see the relationship progress over a number of years, and see their maturity progress with it.
I Sadly DNF this book. It wasnt my cup if tea at all I didnt gel with the chractures at all. It felt the wrong was banish and full of Tropes and insta love. I had high Hope's for this book and it just fell flat very disappointing Read for me
I've been reading different books by Miranda Kenneally, drawn in by the strong characterizations, friendships, and of course HEA and love stories. So, upon seeing she had a new book coming out this May, I knew I had to read. Her books are my ultimate guilty pleasure YA romance reads. And this book did not disappoint. It's so juicy yet grounded, I absolutely love it. From the very beginning, I just want to know all the gossip and I couldn't stop reading; I needed to find out what happened next. The book takes place across Lulu's four years of high school, based around the class trips at the end of the year, which somehow always brought her and Alex closer and closer. Of course, not all was revealed during the present time line, the book seamlessly wove in flashbacks to fill in the missing gaps of Alex and Lu's love story. And seriously, I need an epilogue or a sequel like right now. Like, I cannot stop squealing, it's absolutely adorable and so easy to get sucked into.
This was a very cute, quick YA romance. I liked the second half better than the first. Both characters were very young and selfish and actually pretty realistic in the beginning and it was nice to see their growth over the four years the book covers. This is mostly fun fluff with interesting locations and a happy ending. I recommend it for those looking for a quick escape with a YA couple that clearly has chemistry and some really great supporting characters. But definitely seemed to have a different, lighter feel than her Hundred Oaks series, which I loved.
FOUR DAYS OF YOU AND ME was such an enjoyable read that I finished it in one sitting. Miranda Kenneally uses an interesting conceit – following a relationship over four years on the same day. While she rounds it out with some background chapters, the main action of really does seem to fall on those individual days. It’s a credit to Kenneally’s skill that the story still feels fully fleshed out.
While I enjoyed Alex and Lulu’s relationship – I actually really enjoyed how the other characters had relationships that grew over the course of the four years as well. It added weight to the passage of time. It’s a pretty straightforward YA rom com, so using the “one day over four years” framing kept it fresh. It was fluffy, it was fun – this was literary cotton candy and I enjoyed every bite.
*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Four days takes place over four years while the main characters on school trips for high school. They go through a lot of stuff that many teenagers do. Making tons of mistakes, fights, and generally missing the point.
I liked the time jumps and how they learned to come together even if it was a TON of bumps in that road.
If you want a story where the characters act like adults, don't learn, and don't make mistakes skip this. It's messy and real. Perfect for teens.
Lulu and Alex couldn't be more different. She's a nerdy artist, graphic novel author, and staunch vegan who won't stop campaigning to get her high school a garden to grow healthier food options for the students. He's a cool jock whose whole life is baseball and working at his family's Greek restaurant. They first clash when they both run for freshman class president and continue to butt heads through the school year until their class trip...when their chemistry starts to create a whole different kind of friction. Each year on their school trip, their relationship is at a different point. On-again, off-again, madly in love and broken-hearted. By the end of their trip to London two weeks before graduation and everyone going off to different colleges, will Lulu and Alex be together forever or separated for good?
This was a fun, easy read. The voice matures as the characters do throughout the book, and I liked seeing both figure out what was most important to them as time passed...what mattered to them at the end was very different than what they were dealing with in the beginning. This is a sex-positive book, too, where the characters take their time and respect each other's feelings about what feels right physically. I also liked the openness and inclusivity when one of the friends comes out. I will say that there isn't a lot of depth to these characters. They're pretty cookie-cutter and readers don't learn that much about them beyond what's obvious on the surface. However, I feel like this works just fine for a fluffy YA read.
I liked this debut, and I'll be interested to see where the author goes from here!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**
This is SO MUCH FUN!! I love Miranda's books and this was SO good! The characters are cute and fun and this was just SO cute!! I love the way its told, going in between the present and past
This is a cute and very heart-warming story, following two loveable yet flawed characters. Enemies-to-lovers is always a favourite trope, and the execution through the 'one day every year' added a refreshing spin. I especially liked the diversity of the location and context, and how we got to see how these characters changed and grew. Highly recommend this book.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.”
You know that phrase “some people are destined to be together?” For Alex and Lulu this happens to be the case, at least every May 7th. Each year on this day their class goes on a field trip and each trip they find themselves drawn together. Some years it brings them closer and others it tears them a part. One thing is for sure, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.
I’ve really been enjoying YA lately. It’s light, happy and fun. Basically everything the world is not right now. 😅 This is one of those ‘finish in one sitting’ books. I was so anxious to see what would happen the following year that I could not put it down!
I have two negative thoughts about this book- the very beginning and the very end. I was confused on the timeline for the first 10% of the book but after that I thought it flowed very smoothly! I also wish that she would have made an epilogue so we could get a glimpse of the characters in college.
Other than that I was a huge fan of Kennally’s work and I will definitely be looking out for more by her! ♥️
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you netgalley and sourcefirebooks for a copy of this book! You can look for it on 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟓𝐭𝐡! (Very fitting that this one comes out in May 🤩)
I loved every piece of this book! I usually don’t like books that flip back and forth between different times and books that span several years can be boring. However, this book did both of those things and it was executed perfectly. Every single character was lovable and the growth all of them experienced over the four years was clear and well done. The book was diverse had had feminist themes without trying to prove itself. I really loved the characters, the settings-really everything about it!
First off this book was so cute! It consumed all my intention when I was reading it. I do have to say I might be little to old to read this since, some of the characters actions in this book did drive me a little crazy. But the romance between Lulu and Alex was so swoon worthy.
First half: 1 star, Second half: 3 stars
I did not like this book. The writing was simplistic, bordering on juvenile, Lulu was so self-centred and unlikeable, Alex was pretty annoying. The only characters I really liked throughout were Max and Ryan, but side characters can’t carry a story. The main thing that really ruined this book for me was the short chapters and multiple flashbacks. This book was pitched as the same day across four years, but flashbacks were used a lazy way of showing the relationship progression rather than leaving clues and explaining through context. I also found it difficult to jump back and forth between the timeline, even with it written out as chapter headers. I honestly would have just preferred a linear plot with a different title.
As Lulu and Alex matured, this definitely got a lot more bearable and, dare I say it, cute, but since I almost DNF’d twice, I can’t give it more than two stars.
This is a pretty straight forward romance with yearning/angst. I think the format of this book weakened it IMO. Because we only got glimpses of Alex and Lulu’s relationship over the 4 years, we didn’t get the full scope of it. I also couldn’t emotionally attach to the characters for this same reason.
So, this was good, not definitely not great. I don’t really feel the need to read anymore from this author.
oh my Gosh that's it!?? it was like a cliffhanger finish... so what happens next????
I love the chemistry between Lulu and Alex..
I like the progress of maturity between the two characters as well as their friends. It was like I am surrounded by friends too..☺️ I wish the author gave me a glimpse of their college life. How will they make it work? How's the LDR? it left me with questions rather than contentment...😅
I loved everything about this book! I was drawn into the story from the very beginning with the meeting of the main character and her love interest. All of the characters are well-written and relatable, which can be rare for contemporary YA books. The timeline was different but easy to follow, and it kept the book exciting the whole way through. My favorite aspects of the book were the strong main character and the fact that it was sex positive. I think it is so refreshing to read a book with a strong female main character that isn't afraid to stand up for herself. I will definitely recommend this book to all YA readers and will be buying my own copy on release day!
Four important moments captured in four different chapters. Lulu, an inspiring artist and graphic novelist, and Alex, a baseball star destined for greatest. Enemies, to friends, to lovers. This high school romance is all over the place, which is pretty realistic. The craziest part of this story is the expensive field trips these kids go on!! Anywho, the story is sweet and funny but ends on a cliffhanger.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this book! I have always been a big fan of Kenneally so I was excited about a new book from her. It took be a while to get into the layout of the book, the back and forth present to past. My biggest problem with it is that I wanted more. I thought the ending was a little abrupt and would have liked to have seen an epilogue, maybe on May 7th of the next year to wrap up everything better. It seemed some of the biggest conflicts in the book were not completely addressed by the end, such as Lulu and Alex going to different schools, her not telling him about it, Alex hurting his arm, and Lulu's book. They were just kind of dropped by the end. I wanted more to see how the story wrapped up.
Even though this book isn’t entirely about a sport, like every other story by the author it has his magic. To be honest, I had to force myself through the first couple of chapters to get into the book, but once it got me, there wasn’t any way I couldn’t put it down until I finish it.
‘Four Days of You and Me’ has all the whole package of an excellent Y/A story, friendship, romance, growing up and learnings, with a particular concept, that I think is the key for this story’s success, It’s told through entire high school experience. No one year, no one season, with this book, we have the opportunity of living the life of the characters and their adventures for four years.
I love the writing, it’s so powerful, I feel everything, anger, depression, sadness, euphoric and happiness. Lulu and her gang are fantastic, I laugh and cry with them. Alex, on the other hand, gets on my nerve more than once, but with every page, I start to understand him and kind of like him. Still, the author has created better male characters in the past.
Another thing it doesn’t convince me well, it’s the idea of the antagonist comforting the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good example and great learning, but for a reader like me, that it needs to feel everything like it is real, this situation doesn’t work, maybe with some more explanation. And what about children deciding on their healthcare over teachers, the only thing I could think at the moment was liability. However, those are small details that anyone can overlook and just appreciate a well-done plot.
I really enjoyed the reading, especially when it helped me to bring those memories of my high school years, the feeling of having the best time of my life, the longing at the end and those friends that I might or might no seeing again, but that always were going to be important in my heart.
100% Recommended
Best phrases:
“When I was younger. I wondered if happily-ever-afters were realistic. Were they a myth? I still don’t know the truth. A friend could choose a different path. A lover could leave. Family can change their minds, there’s only one thing I know for sure. … No matter what we’ll find our way back.”
I received an ARC from Sourcebooks through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.