Every Time You Go Away

Wow! Blown away! This is my favorite young adult novel of the year! There's so much here to relate to, and so much for nondisabled people to learn from. I am recommending this to everyone!

I have been a huge Abigail Johnson fan for the last few years and I was so excited to be able to read her newest book on NetGalley and leave a review! As always, she had my hooked from the start and in tears several times throughout the story. More than any other author I have read, Ms. Johnson has an uncanny way of opening your mind and heart to the difficulties so many go through every day. In past books that was the repercussions of crime on the family of the perpetrator as well as in the family of the victim, the repercussions of infidelity and divorce on children, and of grief and loss on families. I have found myself thinking about these things in a new light and with more compassion because of her books. This new book was no exception, and in a way she herself has direct, personal experience with. One of the main characters becomes paralyzed as a teen and has to use wheel chair, something Ms. Johnson also has to do. The every day physical, mental and emotional challenges she has to overcome was heart rending and made me so much more aware of what those who use wheelchairs have to go through every day. Things like the width of a doorway or the legs under a table! Things I have never thought about. The other character is dealing with a mother who is shackled by addiction and his guilt and feelings of responsibility are so moving and humbling. Both characters have so much brokenness and grief and are so raw. Every book she has written has dealt with these themes, but she always approaches it in a new and thoughtful way. I loved the story and devoured it in a few days (as a busy mom that’s quick for me!). I am a 36 year old mom and wife and I only discovered her books a few years ago. But I admire her writing and emotional honesty and the vulnerability of her character’s so much. And her books are PG which is so rare these days! It is another thing she has never wavered from and something I really appreciate because I can recommend them without any qualms. Well done Ms. Johnson!

Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson is one of those books that is difficult to review because it's so utterly beautiful.

Abigail Johnson managed to write something unlike what I expected and yet exactly every thing I could have hoped for in a book.
I feel like all my words are inadequate to express how wonderful this book truly is.
This YA book had me laughing and tearing up along with Ethan and Rebecca.
This book filled me with both sadness and hope. Johnson managed to get so many emotions into one book and yet it was all just right, it wasn’t too much.
It was just what was needed.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Inkyard Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every Time You Go Away is like receiving the warmest hug from a friend you haven't seen in a while.

Abigail Johnson's writing is immersive and relatable. I enjoyed reading Rebecca's and Ethan's personal journeys and the difficult paths they traveled on. I liked being able to read about Johnson's personal experience, in the Foreward, before reading Every Time You Go Away. I feel like it added more depth to the characters and their stories.

I liked the back and forth point of views of Rebecca and Ethan, and their past decisions. I was blown away by the storytelling and the character development.

The only nitpick I have is with the pacing. Other than that I adored this book, its cover, and the chemistry between Ethan and Rebecca is heartbreakingly tender and bittersweet.

4.75 stars

This book is intense and beautiful. I had tears in my eyes multiple times because it's just so real. Though I'm not disabled in the same way, reading a book about someone with an acquired disability written by someone with the lived experience meant a lot because certain thoughts and feelings the character had were still relatable. Both MCs have had a lot to deal with in their 17 years and their journies together and individually are emotional and gripping. I requested this book because there was a character in a wheelchair on the beautifully designed cover, so I didn't have a ton of expectations going in about the story itself and it knocked my socks off.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC! The book releases Dec 5/23. My review lives on my Instagram story highlight called ARCReviews.