The twists and turns in this book kept me reading! As Cam navigates the summer after high school and the natural changes that accompany graduation and all it entails, he also has to confront his own demons while he recovers from surgery: his girlfriend Alison is comatose after an accident. Balancing lighthearted moments with heartwrenching one’s, this book will appeal to teen readers who are just beginning to understand the complications of growing up.

This was a wild ride!! I didn't really know what I was getting myself into before reading and it was very interesting! I don't think it's really my type of read but I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I had so much fun with this one. Great character development and an addicting writing style. I couldn´t put it down and can highly recommend it.

I really genuinely enjoyed A Heavy Dose Of Allison Tandy by Jeff Bishop. This story follows Cameron who tears his ACL playing basketball. At around this time, his ex-girlfriend Ally ends up in a car accident that leaves her in a coma. Cam begins taking medication to deal with the pain after his knee surgery and he starts seeing Allie — who is also comatose at this time. Meanwhile, Cam’s best friend Chevy and Chevy’s girlfriend are trying to help Cam move on and come up with a list of girls who could be good possibilities for Cam to date and may be compatible. But, the Ally that Cam sees sure does have a lot of opinions. Oh, and this whole time, Cam doesn’t go to visit Ally in the hospital. But we also see why exactly the relationship between Cam and Allison Tandy ended.

One of the best parts of A Heavy Dose Of Allison Tandy was the friendship between Cam and Chevy. While Cam is dealing with his visions, Chevy is trying to navigate an open relationship with his girlfriend for their first year of college and having regrets. Cam helps Chevy through this situation though. I also liked the different events that happen in the book – like the Senior Skip Day Olympics. The pacing is really well done too. Yeah it’s an audiobook and I didn’t get to read super fast or anything, but I just mean the story kept me interested and invested. I did see on goodreads that there may be a sequel? If so, I am totally onboard to read. The audiobook is narrated by Robbie Daymond and is 9 hours and 55 minutes unabridged. I loved it.

I liked this book, but for me the end was kind of lackluster. I wanted a bit more from the characters once Allison woke back up. I'm not a huge fan of paranormal type stories, but this one kept me interested all the way through. I would definitely read more from this author because the writing style was enjoyable for me. Overall I'd rate this around three and a half stars which rounds up to four!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I wanted to love this book, and while I really enjoyed it, it's not my favorite. It kinda fell flat for the most part.

Wow, this book really got me in the feels. I ended up getting a gifted audiobook copy, too, and truly loved this story. For a YA, this is pretty heavy. No pun intended with the title there.

This reads so quickly and is really an addictive story. I loved how the MC developed, character-wise, over time.

A very strong read.

As far as YA novels go, this one didn’t give me the feeling of wishing I had this book when I was growing up, which for me is what I want to feel when reading YA to consider for staff picks or just having at my bookstore. It was fun and at times very heavy, but all together it didn’t feel like it got to where it needed to go.

This book has everything, it's compelling, engaging, nostalgic, forward-looking, and manages to be both genuinely funny and profoundly sad. Highly recommend if you're looking for an emotional heavy-hitter with all the nostalgia of a John Hughes movie and all the humor and modern sensibility of a young-adult novel written by a young-adult author.

I haven't been reading a lot of YA lately but this one was really good. Really well written, a ton of snark (my favorite) and heart wrenching at the same time. I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this book but honestly it was fantastic sums it up. If the synopsis sounds good go check it out!

I really enjoyed A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy which has so much to offer! Moments of intense heartbreak, paired with laugh-out-loud moments combine to make a compelling and engaging story. Honestly, this feels like a cult classic movie (sixteen candles, breakfast club type) that I will recommend to everyone from now on.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
TW: alcohol & drug use, car crash, and medical trauma (coma)

“So I’ll ask again: Where is the worst place to run into an ex? The answer? Anywhere.”

The summer after senior year should have been a time for Cam to party and hang out with his friends. It should also have been a time for him to win back the love of his life, Allison Tandy, who'd dumped him so brutally the year before. But it quickly becomes clear that this summer is going to be worse than a failure for Cam. It's going to be a tragedy. Ally is left comatose after a terrible car crash, then Cam tears his ACL in a basketball accident. The operation leaves him in agony, confined to his couch and ruminating over the fact that his ex may not survive. But when (after taking his medication) Cam starts seeing Ally, he starts to think: 1. He may be headed for a complete mental breakdown and 2. This summer might just be interesting afterall.

I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS WAS A DEBUT!! Wildly entertaining, this novel had me laughing, crying, and questioning my life decisions! Never in my life did I expect that I would absolutely adore and relate to a novel with a white, straight male protagonist so much! Cam’s inner dialogue was one of my favorite parts of this story and his dark sense of humor had me laughing out loud. Touching on topics of sex, love, friendship, and growing up this story was thought-provoking and captured my entire heart. This is the first book in a series and I need the next novel NOW!! And can we talk about this cover, wow!

I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a heartfelt yet hilarious YA read filled with lovable characters and an oddly relatable story, fans of John Green and John Hughes movies, and anyone who loves Taylor Swift because this whole novel felt like one of her songs (specifically Exile)!

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Penguin Teen.

The summer after senior year should have been a time for Cam to party and hang out with his friends. It should also have been a time for him to win back the love of his life, Allison Tandy (Ally), who'd dumped him so brutally the year before. But it quickly becomes clear that this summer is going to be worse than a failure for Cam. It's going to be a tragedy. Ally is left comatose after a terrible car crash, then Cam tears his ACL in a basketball accident. The operation leaves him in agony, confined to his couch and ruminating over the fact that his ex may not survive. But when (after taking his medication) Cam starts seeing Ally, he starts to think: 1. He may be headed for a complete mental breakdown and 2. This summer might just be interesting afterall.

A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy interrogates how much control we really have over matters of love and life. This book was quirky, intriguing and full of emotion. The plot was unique and I enjoyed the realistic idea of senior student life, the parties, the relationships. Ally's sarcastic dialogue was a perfect fit for Cam's habitual lying, which is seen in the way he narrates experiences. The dialogue in general was done well and it was able to achieve an effortless air of humor and sadness that goes along with the relationship struggle of being in high school. I loved all the characters, and however they are young, the book took on a deeper tone and I truly enjoyed reading it.

Rating: 3.5/5

3.75 stars

In this book we follow Cam. It is the Spring semester of a senior year and hes ready to have a great time; however, two things happen: one his ex girlfriend, Ally, gets into a car crash and ends up in a coma and two Cam gets into a "basketball accident" and tears his ACL. After his surgery he is left in pain so his doctor prescribes him some new medication which while helping with his pain also causes him to hallucinate Ally. Together they go on this little adventure of sorts.

This book was very reminiscent of the young adult novels I read in high school. The dialog was fun and realistic. It also reminded me of my high school experience having these difficult conversations with my friends and boyfriend at the time.

The story felt a little underdeveloped/not clear at timesm I wish it was about 50 pages longer. Some of the serious topics were handled a little too lightly for my liking. Also I'm still thinking about that Band-Aid scene.

Overall I think this book would be good for high schoolers or those who have just graduated high school.

CWs: drug use, sex, underage drinking, car accident, blood, razor, visual and auditory hallucinations, jokes on suicide

Alexa, play Exile by Taylor Swift.

I am so upset with @jeffcab4cutie . How dare you leave us with such a cliffhanger?!
I almost threw my book across the room, but the cover is by far my favorite of this year so I couldn’t do it. Maybe even my favorite book so far too.
How is this a debut?! I’m literally shocked by this.

A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy is so chaotic, I must have said WTF a few times. I knew I would have a hard time reviewing this book. It was so unique, I feel like my words can’t do it justice.

The inner dialogue of our MC Cameron is one of my favorite parts about this story. I tend to stay away from books with teen male MCs, I usually can’t connect with them. Cameron was such a funny character I found myself laughing throughout.
I got so many John Hughes vibes from all the characters. I loved every single one of them.

While this book has its funny moments don’t assume it’s a lighthearted book, it’s definitely not! I cried a ton, there’s so much emotion in this story.

This book is not for everyone. You have to have a dark sense of humor to enjoy this. There’s the usual stuff teens get into like weed, sex and just normal teen boy talk.

There’s also some magic/supernatural element to it or maybe not. We really don’t know and that’s why I’m hooked and need the next one asap.

I have so many thoughts but hate long reviews, just go buy it right now. I promise it’s so worth it!

Thank you @penguinteen for the gifted book!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for sending me a gifted copy of A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy!

Oh. my. God. WHAT? I just noticed the #1 after the title -- we're getting a SERIES? Or at least a second book?!@! BLESS.

Also, let's take a moment to appreciate this book cover. Gorgeous. Absolutely perfect.

But, to the point, wow. This book was a full-on good time. It was laugh-out-loud funny & the casual conversational flow from the narrator helps move the story along & puts you in it. By the time I finished, I was convinced I was actually BFFs with the main character, Cam, and that he was telling me the deets on seeing (& talking to) his ex-girlfriend everywhere but at the hospital where she lays in a coma. I thoroughly enjoyed this & will definitely be reading any future works from Jeff Bishop.

You tell me something is like John Hughes and I’m here for it! Summer of Senior Year should be the summer of parties before college, but for Cam he wants nothing more than to win Alison Tandy back. But sadly this summer is a tragedy. Alison is in a coma after a car accident and Cam tears his ACL in a basketball game. And after taking medication, all Cam can see is Ally which leads to more breakdowns.

This story is a heavy dose. Life is messy and complicated and dulls out a lot of hits. The story is well rounded and developed and shows sides to depression not all think of. The sarcasm and inner dialogues were hilarious and I really felt like I was watching a John Hughes film dolled out

4.25⭐️ I cannot describe how well written this book was, the characters, the plot, literally everything was incredible. I connected with Allison and Cam right away, especially Cam. I related to him a lot because of how strongly he feels, and how much he need closure. I think anyone could see themselves in Cam or Allison because of how developed they both were. Even the side characters like Chevy and Lisa were well written. I definitely recommend this to anyone how wants a funny yet heartbreaking story to read!

Have you ever read a book that just hits you and leaves you wanting more? That was me with A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy by Jeff Bishop. This debut YA novel, which comes out July 12th, mixes reality with a touch of the supernatural to weave a gorgeous, moving, and funny story.

Wow wow WOW was this book one of the best books I’ve read in a while! I absolutely adored Cameron’s narration. It made the story that much more relatable and entertaining, especially when he spoke directly to the reader. The supernatural element gave this YA coming-of-age contemporary novel a fun twist that will have you flipping the pages to see what is going to happen next.

However, this book isn’t just about teens ending high school and one guy still dealing with the breakup with his ex from months earlier; it’s about first love, heartbreak, and living life despite knowing things could go wrong at any moment and weaving your way through the unpredictable. This story is so much deeper than two exes trying to get over one another and Bishop really makes you feel invested in the story and I’m not ashamed to admit that I bawled like a baby during certain parts of the story.

Simply put: I adored this novel and I’m very happy that a sequel seems to be in the works! For anyone looking for a unique and fantastic YA book this summer, READ. THIS. BOOK!

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.