Hello bookworms! Welcome back to another month, and another book. I hope you all had a great break for Easter if you were able to and ate lots of chocolate 😊.
This month, we will be looking at All This Time, which is by the same writers of Five Feet Apart, a review I have done previously (here is a link to read that one: https://www.girlguidinglaser.org.uk/news/book-of-the-month-five-feet-apart-by-rachael-lippincott-mikki-daughtry-and-tobias-iaconis). Ever since I heard that the authors were releasing another book, I was desperate to read it. Luckily, I got it as a Christmas present, and read it in February. Here are my thoughts on the book.
This book follows the life of Kyle, a teenager. After his girlfriend Kimberley, his seemingly soulmate, dies in a car crash, we follow his journey not only physically, but mentally, as he heals his wounds. He meets a girl called Marley, who is also struggling with a loss she blames herself for. As their friendship blooms, and they strive to try and mend each other, it all seems too perfect to be real. And it is…
I didn’t want to give too much away of the book, but that is my summary of the blurb provided on the back. I’ve read books partially similar, but this one was definitely a first-time read of the story. The moment you think it is getting better or that it all seems positive, another obstacle comes in the way that confuses you even more. You’re always on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next drop.
This feature, alongside the fact that it is a first-person narrative, makes you feel like you’re in Kyle’s position. You don’t know what will happen or how it will happen, so you spend the whole time by Kyle’s side living it all. The chapters are short, my favourite kind, and really help to connect you to the story, breaking up the book as well as forcing you to read on. The number of times I told myself ‘it’s only a few pages’, and then reading on for another half an hour!
The book isn’t too big, but there is a lot going on in it. The story sticks to only a few characters, that you get to know quite well, but also surprise you very frequently. It’s an easy book to get into, but a hard one to leave: I sat there wishing there was more or another book. It left me in a state of not just shock but confusion – some of the stuff was hard to get your head around.
As always, there isn’t a lot I can say to criticise this book. The only thing I can say is that the ending confused me a lot, but I think that was on purpose. It takes a huge plot twist that takes you a while to get use to (I’ll try not to spoil too much), and will leave you quite shocked, wondering what had happened. But you do end up learning this alongside Kyle and try to get used to it. I wouldn’t really call it a criticism, but it is definitely something to look out for.
So, there are my opinions on All This Time! As always, I recommend you read it: it is such a lovely book that both conforms to romantic young adult stories, as well as completely break stereotypes surrounding them. I loved reading it, and I’m sure I’ll reread it in the future.
Don’t forget that if you have a book you want to share and talk about, that you can write a blog and tell The Hive. I would love to hear them. Here is a link to find out more: https://www.girlguidinglaser.org.uk/challenges/report-for-the-hive.
Happy reading and I’ll see you next month! 😊