Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some Other Now was described as a must-read for fans of This is Us and it definitely serves up an emotional punch! We follow Jessi, growing up and figuring out who she is in dual time periods -- we'll say Before "The Big Bad" and After.

Jessi has always been viewed as an honorary member of the Cohen family, fitting in right alongside Luke and Rowen (Ro) and considering Mel, their mom, as a second mother. As time moves on however, Jessi finds herself both in the middle of the family and slowly being pushed aside.

I really liked how author Sarah Everett portrayed growing up, finding love, and navigating family issues in Some Other Now. There are some side stories that kind of bogged down the plot, and the ending was a bit rushed. Be forewarned when picking this up that it does deal with tough topics and will be an emotional read!

Content Warnings: Terminal Illness/Cancer, Mental Health, Death, Grief

Overall, this is one incredibly poignant and heartfelt read that looks at the effects of tragedy and trauma on one young life.
Be prepared for this one to be high on the drama, but it works wonderfully with the character development arc and pulling the reader's heartstrings mercilessly.
Jessi is an incredibly sympathetic character. I felt emotionally tied to her almost from the first chapter, and every detail that got revealed of her past and how it was affecting her present only made me want to see her find happiness all the more. The Cohen family are all great and seeing how they all react to tragedy in such different ways gives Jessi and readers a further chance to explore all the emotional angles of the story.
My only complaint might be that I'm not sure her relationship with Luke is entirely healthy if they don't get some pretty heavy psychological/therapeutic help and the example it might set for younger readers, but that's me bringing the real world into fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the early read!

My "one minute I was happily making waffles, then the next I was FULL ON sobbing" 4 star review!!!

"I'm really happy that we're all here. Here tonight, and here at all."

There is a lot to unpack in this story. There is no simple way of describing it. It's complex and emotional, and so worth the read. I don't know how to review this so I will summarise some of the reasons why I loved this book:

-It's a wonderful reminder that family runs deeper than blood. As Jessi's mother is suffering from postpartum depression, her best friend Ro's family feels more like her family than her own. Jessi just fits in with them so effortlessly and Ro's mom, Mel, sees as her own. Mel is nurturing, kind and wise, and owns a bakery. (She inspired me to get up and make waffles but then I ate them crying. Please read the book to understand why.)
-The story switches from a "Then" and "Now" perspective with an unknown event that has caused them to drift apart. There is an element of mystery and Everett does a wonderful job at keeping the reader engaged as they peel off the layers and find out what led them to this Now.
-Fans of childhood friends to lovers and fake dating trope will love this!
-Jessi spends time with this elderly man at a care home who is cranky, mischievous and so funny, and reflecting on it now, I realise that he may be an older version of her.
-Everett came through with the swoony kissing scenes. Somebody get me a fan!
-Stories around friendships are so pure. I love learning about their traditions. In Some Other Now, Jessi and her best friend Rowan have these 999 emergency shed meetings where they "share hard, awkward truths that are too fragile for sunlight." Any time one of them uses the code, they know it means serious business.
-There are so many wonderful lessons in this book. I loved Mel's perspective about life: "I want to spend it happy and grateful and well-dressed and brave as I possibly can. It's hard but you lot make it easier."
-You WILL cry. "Two broken, angry, tired souls whose love destroyed more than it fixed."

Some Other Now deals with love, loss, cancer, depression, grief, forgiveness, heartbreak, hope, lies, survivor's guilt and redemption. Get your tissues ready. Perfect for fans of This Is Us!

Really amazing book. I was really impressed with the characters and the plot. Sarah did a really good job of making the reader feel strong emotions.

This book promised to be a YA This Is Us in literary form and it definitely delivered. Some Other Now was an absolute emotional rollercoaster and I was happy to be along for the ride. You’ll get all the feels from this captivating read about family, both found and lost.
The story follows Jessi Rumfield, a teen who has always felt closer to Mel Cohen than to her own mom, who spent most of Jessi’s childhood deep in depression that led her to be absent from her daughter’s life. Mel and her sons, Rowan and Luke, became the closest thing to family that Jessi ever knew. After Mel was diagnosed with a terminal illness they called the Big Bad and Rowan began to pull away from his best friend Jessi, nothing was the same again. Now it’s Jessi’s summer after high school graduation, and Luke has turned up after months of silence, asking Jessi to do him a favor: pretend to be his girlfriend to make Mel, who is nearing the end of her life, happy. Except the last time they were together, Jessi and Luke’s relationship ruined everything.
The plot plays out in an alternating timeline between then and now, with flashbacks to the past that connect to events in the present. It was really interesting to see how things unfolded over the course of the book. I liked getting little breadcrumbs in the “now” chapters and kept me engaged until I learned what actually happened in the “then” chapters.
This made it a fast read because I was so invested and so curious to know the full story.
I really enjoyed the romance aspect. It was a mix of the friends to lovers and fake dating tropes which are always fun to read for me. While the romance was one of the lighter plot lines, a lot of this book was super intense. There were a lot of heavy topics covered like depression, terminal illness, loss and grief. This is not at all a light and fluffy YA contemporary but it was still so wonderful to read because I was so connected to the characters and their experiences.
Some Other Now was a really emotional read. It was touching and poignant, yet beautiful and hopeful.
Thank you so much to netgalley, HMH teen and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

“Not yet okay and not exactly hopeful, but completely alive.”

Advertised as having a similar feel to the TV series This Is Us, Some Other Now definitely delivers. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, much like the TV series. Sarah Everett has built a complex two-timeline story that will not leave the readers indifferent as they follow Jessi before and after the event that teared up the relationship she had with the Cohen brothers and their mother.

Jessi was a little girl when she became a part of the Cohens. With her mum struggling with severe depression and her dad also being absent, Jessi found herself spending most of her days with Ro, Luke, and their mother Mel, who became like family for her. Mel is the mother figure she never had, Ro has always been Jessi’s best-friend, and Luke, his smart and nerdy older brother. However, when Mel is diagnosed with a terminal illness, things start to fall apart. Jessi wants to be there for them since they are practically family, but Ro starts to push her away. At the same time, she starts to get closer to Luke.

A year later, Jessi keeps herself busy with two jobs and volunteer work as a way to cope with her past actions. Luke despises her which is why she finds it shocking when he asks her to fake-date to bring some happiness to his dying mother, and driven by her guilt, she accepts.

The flow between the two time periods is something that works really well in this book. The author did a great job of not giving the reader all the information at once so they remained engaged. Everett successfully managed to slowly give just the right details in a way that there is still a cloud of uncertainty as it makes the reader wonder what happened between Jessi and the Cohens that caused their relationship to fall apart and that kept them separated for a whole year. And, even if for some it could be easy to guess the twists, it will be very hard for the readers to take their eyes away from the pages. The writing itself is also wonderful and portrays the feelings and emotions of the characters really well and it does so in an honest and delicate way, thus helping the reader connect further with the characters.

Some Other Now offers a bunch of multidimensional and well-rounded characters. Every character has their flaws, none of them are perfect, but at the same time none of them are portrayed as unforgivable either. The author managed to capture the character’s feelings so well that it is so easy to connect with them and root for them. Even the supporting characters don’t feel flat and add some depth to the story. The relationships between the different characters are also a strong point, whereas they are familial, friendly, or romantic, they all feel authentic and realistic. The way Everett shows the characters stories and the way the plot unfolds is done in a very beautiful yet heartbreaking manner. Certainly, this is an author to look out for.

With themes of depression, terminal illness, loss, grief, alcohol abuse, love, second chances, survivor’s guilt, race, family, acceptance, and self-hatred, this book is definitely on the heavier side, which is why it’s probably better suited for an older YA audience; maybe those who are the same age as the characters in the book (final year of high-school/first year of university). That aside, the author managed to find the perfect balance between the emotional and hard moments and the sweeter, happy, and funny ones.

There is a lot to unpack in Some Other Now. All these themes shape the characters in a way that the reader will get to understand why they are the way that they are and why they behave a certain way. The reader goes on a journey with these characters, especially with Jessi. One sees her grow immensely as the story unfolds, how she lets go of some of her toxic habits to become a better version of herself, she is willing to work to accept herself and be okay with herself. The book pinpoints the growing pains of recovery and how some attitudes can affect our lives. It also portrays how hard it is to apply one's advice to one’s own problems; whilst Jessi tells a character to stop pushing other people away, there is no denying that she herself has done that, but that’s how real life works. There are a lot of important and meaningful lessons of emotional growth throughout the book.

Along with all the tough topics the book deals with, it is also significant to point out that the novel's leads are Black. This is a story that does not revolve around oppression, although it is discussed. Whilst unfortunately there’s always going to be people who hate on others for the colour of their skin; these types of stories show that, regardless of the colour of people’s skin, everyone is allowed and deserves to have a family, a love story, and friendships as well as to do things and live life like everyone else. Throughout the past few years, we’ve started to see more books that show that there’s more than one Black narrative, which is important, and we can’t wait to read more of them.

All in all, whilst Some Other Now is still quite a sad and heavy read, it also offers powerful messages of hope and moving on from grief. It’s not your typical coming of age YA novel. It’s a story narrated in a split timeline that deals with some heavy and complex topics that the author handled in a very delicate manner. A pleasant yet poignant read where the heartwarming moments are mixed perfectly with the heartbreaking ones. This balance will give the reader a break from all the crying, because yes, you will probably cry so bring some tissues!

'Some Other Now' is a quiet and emotional journey of a girl trying to pick up the pieces of the friendships and family that managed to shatter over the course of just over a year. Main character Jessi's life, like in the book's narration, has been split into "Then" and "Now". It's through these two disjointed periods of her life that the story of how things ended up the way they did becomes clear. It's a story of guilt, grief and loss, but one of love too. Romantic love, motherly love, and the fierce love of friendship too. Love that Jessi is convinced she doesn't deserve anymore. I really enjoyed the way this book tackled a lot of difficult questions and conversations and how no matter how flawed these characters were, the story reminds them, and the reader, that they are not the sum of their mistakes and that life must go on, even amidst and after terrible things. It's a really meaningful story and one that I think will resonate with a lot of readers.

Jessi is a truly authentic character. While she has many likeable qualities. she's also a bit blind to the ways in which she hurts others, and her flaws - deifying Mel, failing to see how her self-absorption affects others - are realistic, if frustrating to the reader. I also appreciate that not everything feels completely wrapped up neatly in the end - it might be a bit messy, and that's OK.

I really, REALLY wanted to love this. This Is Us is one of my favorite shows, so of course I had to request a book that was pitched as it in reader's form. Unfortunately, this fell extremely flat for me. I couldn't connect with Jessi or even find it in me to care what was going on with her, and though I loved the back and forth between the past and present, there was simply something missing for me. Maybe I put too much on the This Is Us aspect of it, or perhaps I wanted to love it so much that it ended up disappointing me. Whatever the reason, this did not capture the magic that it promised, and though I'm grateful for the eARC, I just simply did not enjoy this.

This book was.... absolutely AMAZING. Gut-wrenching, brutal, emotional and beautiful. I am a tear-soaked mess after finishing it.

Sarah Everett is just a genius. Her writing is consistently beautiful, and her books have become ones I desperately look forward to. Some Other Now is no exception. Everett is a contemporary writer that I don't see mentioned enough, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre.

The characters steal the show in Some Other Now(let's be real though, Everett's characters always steal the show). The way their stories are shown, the way it all unfolds, is heartbreaking and beautiful. Definitely have tissues handy for this one. It's not all sadness though. This book offers a beautiful portrayal of hope, of finding comfort and moving on from grief.

If you haven't read a Sarah Everett book, please keep this one on your radar(and also pick up her other books. They're all incredible, trust me).

This is a really heart-wrenching and heavy book. Even with the description I was expecting it to be a bit lighter because it is YA. Overall I still think it fits the YA genre but probably better suited to the older end of YA or New Adult because of the overall heavy themes and the characters being in the final years of high school/starting college. That bit of disclaimer aside I found the book to be very well written and dealt with the guilt and grief the characters deal with in a way that felt honest and realistic. The characters are well written and kept me glued to the page. I also thought the way the story unfolded revealing bits of the past as the present timeline moved forward worked really well. It was an interesting way to show the character development and piece together what had happened. Overall it was an enjoyable though heartrending read.

I want to buy copies of this book and put them in the hands of some of my students right away. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems & no matter how well we think we understand a situation, there is always some unseen element that provides another layer of truth. This book wrestles with that theme while handling the topics of death, family, friendship (in many forms), mental health, and love in thoughtful & mindful fashion. I’m sure highbrow readers will find flaw with the underdevelopment of some characters & a few other bits, but I know that my readers will be entranced by the story within just a few pages & those problems won’t matter. Now I need to investigate what else Sarah Everett has written! This was one that I had to finish in one day. It was that good! #SomeOtherNow #NetGalley

Wow this was such a good book. I love the themes of family and the relationship that Jessi has with both her parents and the Cohen family who is like her surrogate "found" family. The way it was written with glimpses of the past interspersed throughout the present really worked with revealing information at critical moments. I love how much Jessi grew and the lessons she learned from both Mel and her other relationships. I found there were so many sections that spoke to me as I was reading. I highly recommend this book.

Every now and again, between reading heavier dark fantasy books, I love to pick up a nice contemporary book to read something a bit more grounded in reality. While this book wasn’t the typical lighthearted and fluffy contemporary that I’d normally reach for, it was incredibly realistic and well written. The dialogue, characters, and overall plot where quite believable (and heartbreaking!) I really liked how the story was broken into sections of Then and Now, which work quite well to reveal the big event that split the story in two. I was constantly compelled to keep reading to find out what happened.

As I’ve said in basically all of my #ownvoices reflections, it’s so refreshing and heartwarming to read books where the characters’ blackness isn’t necessarily the main focus or point of conflict. While there’s definitely an important place for books like that (think of books like Dear Martin and The Hate U Give) there are a lot of times where I just want to escape real world issues and read something with great black representation, but also where race isn’t the main issue. In my own life, my race is often a part of me bit of an afterthought unless it’s brought to the forefront of my mind by other events in the world. It’s like how most of the time you’re not aware of the fact that you’re breathing until someone calls your attention to it. It’s just who I am!

All in all, I’ll give Some Other Now 4/5 stars!

3.5 Stars
I loved this book but there were some parts that didn't quite make any sense to me. Like the scene a little later in the book that cause the main conflict that we are introduced to in the beginning of the book. I don't understand why the main character reacted that way to her best friends she was had no feelings for him. I did appreciate the fact that the author addressed how mental illness can negatively impact family members without putting any fault on the person that is suffering. I did like the romantic dynamic between Jess and Luke for the most part, but I do think that the way Luke treated Jess when they just started fake dating was a bit much. I loved the family dynamic between Jess and her mother when her mother was recovering and the dynamic between Jess and Mel.

That's All I Got, Danielle.

I don't know how it happened, but by the end of chapter one, I knew two things. One, I was already wishing the best for the Cohens (Mel, Ro, and Luke) and Jessi, and two, this book was going to make me cry. (and it did)

The characters really shine in this novel. They all felt authentic and well-rounded. I was actually surprised how there isn't a single character that is portrayed as irredeemable or wholly good. (I mean Willow and Brent lean towards the latter, but they still didn't feel like they were flat characters) The relationships were on point, too: from Mel's mother-figure role to Jessi to Jessi & Ro's friendship to the dynamics of the Cohens and Jessi's parents. All the relationships felt real.

Additionally, this book is told from two perspectives: Jessi's Then & Now. The flow between these two time periods worked really well, as I was anxiously reading to find out what exactly happened to cause that separation between the past and present.

In conclusion, this book tells Jessi's story as she tries to navigate her Now & Then, as she struggles with past actions, her mother-figure's sickness, fake-dating the one that got away, among other things. The thing I like most about this novel is how easily I connected to and rooted for the characters, especially Jessi. It was one of those books that I could not put down until I reached the end.

Thank you to HMH Teen and #YALLWrite for this NetGalley ARC. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this!

✨Some Other Now thoughts✨

Thank you to @hearourvoicestours and @hmhbooks for the gifted galley of Some Other Now by Sarah Everett @heysaraeverett!

Some Other Now publishes February 2021 and this ended up being the read I needed at this time! Book slump? What book slump? I started it and couldn’t stop picking this one up. I took this photo while my girls were in their morning pre-k sessions and I snuck a few chapters in to myself.

I loved the flipping between thenand now! I just had to find out what happened to Rowan, why Luke was so angry with Jessi and I needed more wisdom from Mel.

There’s a lot to unpack in this one. For instance, mental illness, what I believed to be postpartum depression that was never acknowledged, excessive drinking in a teenager just to name a few at the forefront of the story. I saw the train wrecks coming a mile away but I felt like a helpless child as well.

When we don’t talk to others about what we’re feeling, when we keep things bottled up, we run the risk of making things worse. I’ve never seen a situation not turn around with communication and yet we don’t do it for whatever reason often enough, well enough, if at all. Words left unsaid bug me to no end but it is so common and I wish it wasn’t.

Favorite Quotes:
“Not being the best at something doesn’t make you stupid. It makes you human.”

“I don’t know if I will ever be okay with me...But I decide right here and now that I have to try.”

“Being all someone has and caring about them counts for a lot.”

“Be nice to yourself.”

Favorite Character: Mel! She wasn’t perfect by any means but I loved her. I loved her wisdom.I loved her nurturing spirit despite all she was going through and I love how she stepped in for Jessi with open arms. Sometimes it just takes one person to be there.

When this book releases, buy a copy and give it a big ole hug. It’s not the easiest book to read as it comes with some content warnings: dealing with depression, death, terminal illness, alcohol abuse and grief but understand they were all treated with care.

So happy to have Some Other Now sent to me!

#bnjreads #bookishthoughts #bookish #someothernow #saraheverett #HMHbooks #diversespines #youngadult #YAReader #bookstagram #bnjreadsreview

I loved reading this book!!! It's stunning !!
Beautifully penned down. It's emotional and close to my heart! Whether you're sixteen or sixty, you'll fall in love with Luke, Ro, and Jessi's story and you'll keep coming back for more. Really enjoyed!!!

This was a fantastic and cute read that did not focus on the black struggle which I can truly appreciate. However, I felt that even though it did not focus on it, I felt like their could have been details that solidified that the characters within these pages were people of color. For example, it could have been a detailed about Jessi doing her hair or the way others viewed her. However, I did appreciate how Everett was able to explore different relationships throughout this book. She explores the importance of having a true and dependable support system and being able to forgive yourself and figuring out who you are.

I loved how I was able to go on this journey with Jessi on her path of self discovery. Traveling between her past and her present made me truly understand her but I wish it made me understand the other important characters. I felt as if I was only able to get a sense of who the characters were through Jessi and not who they were on their own. It is like I could only see them through Jessi's lens and they didn't have their own personality.

Overall, I truly did enjoy this book, even though there were a few faults. I found this book to be cute book of YA Contemporary.