Ethan and Rebecca met eight years ago when Ethan came to live with his grandparents next door to Rebecca. As quickly as Ethan would arrive, he often left again, never saying goodbye but leaving a flower on Rebecca’s windowsill.

When Ethan arrives this time, it’s been four years since he’s visited last. Having left to care for his mother who often struggles with addiction. A lot has changed in those four years including Rebecca’s world as she knew it. Two years ago, the same accident that took her father’s life also made her wheelchair bound. Ethan isn’t prepared for the new challenges that face him in spending time with Rebecca, but will he stick around long enough to figure them out or will he disappear at the drop of a hat if his mother reappears?

This is a great novel, and I would definitely recommend it to others. Teens face all sorts of challenges, many that they shouldn’t have to deal with at a young age—Ethan and Rebecca are no different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #EveryTimeYouGoAway

Thank you Net Galley for letting me review this book and give my honest opinions. I have mixed feelings about this book. I love that this book has a character that uses a wheelchair. I think this is the first book I have ever read where the character has a physical disability like this. There are plenty of books out there that talk about mental disabilities. So way to represent! I also like the representation of those that struggle with a family member in drug rehab. I like the theme of “you can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore to be happy”. My one complaint about this book is that it did drag and I felt the story could have been told in fewer pages.

This was amazing and so well written. It talks about hard subjects and was dense. The main characters seemed flawed which made them feel real.

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley from the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own*

I can’t read an Abigail Johnson book without having a cry! I honestly felt all of the emotions in this book. It was such a moving and well written story. It’s both beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking.

Ethan and Rebecca grew up as neighbors and have been friends since they were kids. They have been in and out of each other’s lives and had to deal with a lot of hard things. There was a slow burn love story, but it was so much more than that. It was about the power of hope after a lot of loss.

If you love powerful contemporary romance, then I think you will love this one too! Just give me all of Abigail’s books please!

Well this book is heavy. Rebecca and Ethan’s lives are intertwined through the years of him coming and going with his mom. Both of their stories are tragic and yet hopeful. I did shed some tears at the end, really good read.

This book was a sweet healing journey of grief with childhood friends to lovers. I love books by this author that I’ve read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Ethan and Rebecca met 8 years ago and were instant best friends. And then Ethan had to leave with his mom. It's been four years since Rebecca saw him and since then she's been in a terrible car accident that's left her wheel chair bound and Ethan has been dealing with his mother's drug addiction. They have to learn to navigate each other again.

A story of redemption and acceptance that sucked me in right from the start.

This was a lovely story about two teenagers who have faced trauma in their life and are facing those challenges together. Told in alternating timelines, this story lets the reader get a full picture of their relationship and its evolution. Another beautiful story by Abigail Johnson. Thank you for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story was boring and I would not recommend this book. I could not relate to the main character in this book. It came across as boring at certain parts of the story.

Always an emotional treat from this author.

This book is a bit different from her other books. both Rebecca band the author are in wheelchairs.

Ethan met Rebecca years ago after she saw him move in with his grandparents.
He didn't stay though. He came and left a few times.

Rebecca is coping with the aftermath of a deadly car accident that took her fathers life and put her in a wheelchair.

when Ethan moves back again they struggle with reconnecting and communication.

Ethan has always felt responsible for his mother which is why he leaves so many times.

This book was realistic and brought out many emotions.

It is about grief and forgiveness too.

Just wow.


absolutely selling n this one!


Thanks to the author, publisher and net valley


4 stars

Rebecca and Ethan have both been through their fare share of grief. Will it tear them apart or bring them together? This is such a sweet and emotional story of friendship, healing, forgiveness, and love.

Ethan and Rebecca met eight years ago. Every time Ethan's mom would try to get clean again, she would drop him off at his grandparents. And then he would be gone again ... until the next time.

It has been three years since the last time Ethan left, and a lot has changed.
Both dealing with their own issues, Ethan and Rebecca have a push and pull relationship that left my head spinning.

Look I remember what it was like being a teenager, I remember the angst and the rollercoaster of emotions, and I am all for reading about it.
But this one was too much. I felt like this whole book was two characters taking turns being mad at each other.

A second chance romance where the MMC and FMC meet again after both going through tragedy/obstacles on their own. I'm always a fan of real life events being obstacles characters face and grow from. Ethan would stay with his grandparents when his mom was unable to care for him. Rebecca lived next door. They were friends who could have been more. Then 2 years after he left his grandparents she's in an accident and ends up paralyzed. When Ethan returns, she fears too much has changed between them.

I'm not usually a YA/NA reader, but I love books with disability rep and decided to give this one a chance. It was a great read.

If you can handle grief and a little soul searching, trauma healing read this one.

Ethan and Rebecca go through a lot to get to the end of this book and the place they end.

It is a story that takes places over an extended time and each time the grief and the real life gets even more real.

This is definitely a second chance, we worked through life to get here story and I truly think you will enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Abigail Johnson and Inkyard Press for this ARC. Rebecca and Ethan have spent splintered time together over a span of years, first as children and now as teens. Rebecca is now in a wheelchair, and Ethan is still worrying and searching for his mom. Both have demons and difficult relationships with adults in their lives. Finally, they have to decide, are they in this together or are they done with each other.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

This was a beautifully written story about guilt, family, childhood trauma and friendship starring characters who feel extremely real and vulnerable. The progression of Ethan and Rebecca's relationship was understated in a way that a lot of YA relationships aren't, and I truly appreciated the development that happened. There were definitely parts of the plot that lagged, making the pacing of the book a bit odd because the chapters were short, which usually quickens the pace. For the majority of the book, I also just wanted to scream at the characters to actually talk to each other because the lack of communication was astounding. Overall, this was a heartfelt, authentic story that I really enjoyed.

Hmm. A combination love story and comparing trauma. The ways that the people closest to us hurt us the most. That sort of thing. I think it's the obvious direction of the plot that I struggle with the most. Yes, there's a lot of back and forth and will they/won't they. We know how it's going to end and I sort of wish it had taken a different path.

Rounded up to 3.5 stars.
I so appreciate a book that has depth and authors that are willing to address heavy topics. I especially love when authors like Abigail Johnson write about these topics from a personal place, like the disability representation in this story comes from Abigail's own experience. Yes, this is a second chance romance, but it's not meant to be a light-hearted story and I love it all the more for that. The journey through heartache, sorrow, grief, forgiveness and acceptance make it a beautiful story that I think the young adult audience would resonate with and find comfort in. Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Here I am, once again, trying desperately to find the words to review a book that made me sob uncontrollably but nothing I think of can do this book justice

Ethan and Rebecca’s story is one of loss, trauma, letting go of guilt, and ultimately learning to live for yourself. While there is a childhood friends to lovers romance tied up in this story I think that ultimately the healing that happens for these characters is the most important and my favorite part.

This is told in a multiple POV between the two MCs with several flashbacks to the past which I think really helps us see how their friendship has grown over the years, despite the fact that Ethan always ends up leaving to go back to his mother.

CWs: child abuse/neglect, substance abuse, death of a parent, physical trauma