My high school students will love this book! For YA lovers, this book is the next big thing.

I loved Five Feet Apart, and so did my students, so this was an easy pick for me. I was immediately drawn into the story of Kimberly and Kyle, who on the surface appear to be the perfect, all-American couple. They're enjoying all the high school rites of passage, preparing for college, and living their best life. Then tragedy strikes.

I had not read any other reviews before picking this book up, so I wasn't prepared for certain plot elements and twists; I didn't realize it was going to have some fairy tale elements to it. At first I was a bit put off by this but honestly, it was so beautifully done, and so sweet, I can't find fault with that at all.

I won't give spoilers, or even hints at spoilers, but I will say that all of the characters are so well drawn, I can't see how any reader could keep from identifying with them. The author deals with some pretty heavy themes of guilt and depression in a sensitive and deft manner.

I'll absolutely stock this novel in my classroom library and I know it will always be checked out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really, really wanted to love this book. With every passing year, I find myself longing more and more for the comfort I used to find in YA, but the stories are so frequently cliched that I am frequently left disappointed. This novel was no exception. I didn't like the main character, I thought that the novel was over dramatic, and the emotions felt "forced" rather than authentic. I think that this is the kind of story that may translate better on the screen.

Though I didn't necessarily love the story, I do admit that it is a compelling read, hence the three star review. My students will probably eat this up, but, sometimes, I just get tired of these seemingly lofty but ultimately generic stories that pander to a pre-established audience rather than trying something new.

So many great characters I would definitely recommend this for students all the emotions felt like a roller coaster

Rachael Lippincott does it again! I loved Five Feet Apart so I knew I had to request this one. I truly never knew if Kyle was awake or asleep and the ending had me in tears!!! This book caught my attention from page 1 and I read it in less than a day. Have already recommended it to friends!

I debated on whether or not I wanted to leave a review, because I don't like to leave anything but five stars. I know how hard it is to write a book, let alone have it make it to the point of publication. The writers are good at their craft and the premise of the story is extremely intriguing, especially in times like these when the world is trying to process all sorts of grief.

That said, I couldn't finish the book. The depiction of what it means to have a brain injury is simply irresponsible. I have raised a daughter with a brain injury, and there is so much that is overlooked in this story. The things he says to himself is harmful to those who might be reading this for self-representation. I would never want my daughter to think the things he did about herself. I get self-deprecation and grief, but there has to be something or someone to balance that out. Like I said, I didn't finish the book, so maybe there is some revelatory moment as there usually is in a YA novel, but I couldn't handle one more all-a-brain-injury-is-is-delusion-and-hallucniation. Plus, there is no way on this earth that a parent of a child with a brain injury would ever let them leave the house unattended. If they did, they would deserve to be investigated.

Out of respect to the writers, I will only post my review here, and that's only to keep my review percentages up. Thank you for letting me try and read.

Kyle and Kim. Kim and Kyle. It's high school graduation night. Kyle cannot wait to give Kim his special gift but she is acting odd. As he approaches her it starts to rain. They run to the car and begin to argue. She is breaking up with him! She says that they need time apart to explore themselves without each other. It's raining hard. Kyle pulls over and while they are fighting a bright light is coming towards them.

Kyle wakes up in the hospital. Kim is dead. Kyle has to recover from his injuries and the loss of Kim. He hides in his basement bedroom feeling guilty and alone. He ignores all his friends call and texts. He sees the ghost of Kim. He dreams of the accident. But slowly he starts to venture out but only to places that he can walk. He finally gets up the nerve to visit Kim's grave. While there he meets a girl visiting a grave. Marley.

Marley is there the next time he goes to Kim's grave. They start to form a friendship rooted in their shared grief. but it blooms into something more. Kyle starts to realize that Kim might have been right about breaking up. He is starting to fall for Marley. Slowly at first but then fiercely. They both begin to heal from their grief and grow closer. They are in love.

Then Kyle wakes up in the hospital. Kim is alive! The last year of his life has only been a few weeks in a coma. It has all been a dream. Or has it?

I really enjoyed this book up until the end. I couldn't quite suspend reality and embrace the ending.

This is a story that is so hard to categorize, except that it is a definite YA enjoyable read! A little bit of high school angst, mixed with lifetime friendships and a love story or two (or three) surrounded by a fantasy vibe. A little too YA for a middle school overall, but such a different storyline. An engaging read for most YA readers!

From the beginning if the story, I was hooked. I had difficulty putting the novel down as it told a beautiful love story. I felt as though the second half of the novel felt a bit forced. I enjoyed him pursuing the relationship he had during his time in the coma but twist at the end felt unnecessary. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Kyle's long time girlfriend, Kimberly, breaks up with them on their way to the pond after a graduation party, but they don't make it, the car is destroyed along with Kyle's whole world. He wakes up with a broken leg, a traumatic brain injury, and the grief and guilt that comes with knowing Kimberly is dead. It is a long road to healing but it helps he has found someone like himself that understands his guilt, Marley. Marley becomes his whole world as the year progresses. But neither will see what is to come, will Kyle lose Marley forever?

This is a great book with twists and turns that will keep you on the roller coaster ride till the end of the book just to see what happens next. You will be up way past your bedtime reading this book, and I hope you all will like it as much as I do.

This review will appear on my blog on Sept 29th.

Kyle had it all. He was the star quarterback with the head cheerleader girlfriend. A play went wrong and ended football for him. Fast forward to the end of the year at graduation. Kimberly, his girlfriend breaks up with him, they end up in a horrible accident and she is killed. Now Kyle must figure out how to move on when his whole life revolves around his plans with her.
Opinion
I really liked this book. Kyle was in a funk for a while, like anyone would expect. What you wouldn’t expect is him meeting a girl at the cemetery while visiting Kim’s grave. This tale was a good rebuilding story for Kyle.. He goes through many stages of grief while mourning Kim and feeling self pity for his injuries.
There is a major point in the story that rocks the core of it. I think this part is an overdone trope and almost gave up on the story. However, with a significant amount of story left, I figured there must be something I was missing. As I continued, I was right. The redemption to the trope is well worth sticking with it. I actually ended up liking the ending way more that I was expecting to if the trope didn’t happen.
Overall, it is a great young adult love story.

Interesting look at love and living through grief-stricken eyes. Teens will be drawn to the fairy- talesqueness of this story and understand that life can still be worthwhile after loss.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kyle and Kimberly were graduating from high school and getting ready to go to college together. A tragedy happens. Kimberly was the character that I most identified with and her start was devastating.

I was anticipating All This Time after reading Five Feet Apart and was ready for another sad story dealing with trauma and grief. I enjoyed the beginning learning how Kyle struggles to cope with loss and survivor's guilt after a tragic accident. I didn't expect the twist halfway through and had other theories that proved to be incorrect. I was convinced his new friend and eventual love interest was a figment of his imagination. By the end I was quite confused and unsure what to think. I suppose as readers we need to suspend our disbelief, but it seemed far-fetched how everything unfolded. Perhaps a younger audience would appreciate the magic and romance.

Before I requested this I didn't even realize it was the same author that wrote the book, Five Feet Apart, a book I haven't read. I wanted to read this particular book because the cover is beautiful and the blurb just pulled me in. I don't know why books about grief always make me want to read them. 🤷‍♀️ There were some elements to this book that I did enjoy but once I got to about 70%-75% I kind of lost interest in what I was reading.

Kyle is the main character of this book and the point-of-view throughout the book is his. The parts about his grief were beautifully written and it was easy to feel his pain. It was interesting to see his development play out but I definitely preferred him more in the first half of the book than the second.

The other characters were fine but I also felt like their development lacked. Kimberly and Marley are pretty important to Kyle and because of that I would have liked more from them. I understand it was Kyle's story but because of certain plot twists, I also think Marley should have been given more especially in the last 20% of the book. To me, they were more or less there to drive the plot.

As for the romance, it was a miss for me. I didn't find myself really caring about the relationship. They become friends because of grief and Marley does help him to move on but their relationship seemed to move rather quickly. The timeline could have played a part in this because to me it felt like only days had passed, but then they were talking about it already being a year. The timeline wasn't explained very well until you hit a certain point but by then it was already too late to unconfuse me.

Where I really struggled was the second half. The second half of the book feels rushed and there isn't enough time for things to fully develop. Kyle becomes obsessive and does some stalker-like things. I don't think this is a way to portray a romance, especially to teens. It may seem cute but it's not.

Overall, there were good moments. I liked the writing about grief but what I liked wasn't enough because the bad definitely overshadowed.

Thank you NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for honest review.

This was an engaging YA romance novel with some twisty turns. Kind of like those Rollercoasters that climb and climb before sending you off and by the end you might have a little whiplash from all the turns it takes. Ridiculous metaphor aside it kept me interested and engaged and wanting to go back for more.

A story of the all-american boy who has had quite the string of set-backs coming to a real awakening and self-discovery through an unexpected new friend.

I feel like this would translate well to a movie and after Five Feet Apart this could head down the same track.

The cover for this book is so meaningful to the story and perfect, couldn't leave that detail out once I connected it!

One thing I cannot shake bothering me is how much the author goes back and forth between calling the main character's gf Kim and Kimberly. Minor details but this one bugged me every time, pick one or have different people use different ones but not rotating at every mention like it seemed...rant over.

I have never read anything by these authors and I was very excited to get my hands on this novel! It tells the story of a boy who is an accident with his girlfriend. There is a major twist in this book which I did see ahead of time, but I did enjoy reading this novel

This isn’t a bad book, it’s just not one for me.

I went into this book super excited. Although I haven’t read anything from these authors previously I went in with high expectations. The synopsis made the book sound heartbreakingly amazing and honestly? That cover is so beautiful that I assumed I’d love the story underneath. However, that wasn’t the case.

Initially I was hooked onto this book. The shock and grief in the beginning was beautifully written. But, at some point things changed for me. I stopped connecting with the story and as I began to predict the plot to almost perfection, I lost touch. I think the biggest issue with me for this book was simply the plot. It pulled on tropes that I’m not a fan of and the romance felt inauthentic to me as I disconnected from the story.

It wasn’t a horrible book, or poorly written. It did have an interesting concept and touched on hard topics in a good manner. However, this just wasn’t the book for me. I personally wouldn’t recommend it, but I feel like other people with different reading tastes could enjoy this one much more than I did.

Thank you very much to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

All This Time is a great young adult book. The story is told beautifully from Ryan's point a view and I finished it in a few days. Once you start reading you feel like your part of this story. I really can't wait to read another book by Mikki her writing is amazing.

The book caught my interest from the first page, but later on I found myself skimming through. I didn’t care for the book that much. I thought the beginning up until the car crash well written but when his recovery started I lost interest. I also had trouble with the main character. He’s only 17, but he’s fallen in forever love not once but twice at his age? Although there was a major surprise in the book that was good, the writing and the concept seem so very formulaic. There was no doubt about where the plot was going and what would happen. I loved the cover.

ALL THIS TIME is everything to love about YA, and more.
Sweet and sad, believable and mysterious.
Romance, tragedy, loss, hidden feelings all make an appearance.
The characters are compelling (and I am not typically all that interested in the quarterback and the cheerleader!)
The writing had me hooked from the start, and I forgive the author for deftly confusing me when that was the goal.
The publisher provided this book for an honest review.