Justin A. Reynolds
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Released: March 5, 2019
Pages: 451
Publisher: Tegen Books
Overall: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting & World-building: 3/5
Emotional Investment: 2.5/5
"Remember me, remember us, as a time of day."
This was so cute I don't know if I'm nauseous or jealous. Justin A. Reynolds you just successfully wrote a book that ended my reading slump.
Quick Summary: Jack and Kate meet at a college party and it's like fireworks are bursting. They instantly connect over cereal and their connection is almost palpable. But as their relationship finally starts heading in a good direction Kate dies. That should be the end, but Jack wakes up the next day at the same moment where he met Kate for the first time. He keeps reliving life from that moment on till when she dies. Jack is now on a quest to prevent her death and on the way learns how actions come with consequences, and honesty is the best policy.
When we meet Jack, he is in love with his best friend, who also happens to be his other best friend's girlfriend. Awkward? Totally not. But he meets Kate and his life definitely takes a turn towards the better. Jack was a good character to read. He was a typical highschooler with a normal lack of confidence and an unhealthy need for love. He essentially makes a ton of mistakes in this book that he eventually learns from. His biggest theme that I enjoyed was the idea of how you can do the right thing and still get negative results. The unpredictability of love is also a recurring idea as each time the reality resets nothing ever happens completely the same.
Kate was a cute character. She had so much personality and I personally loved how Jack and Kate bonded over cereal. It was the most random thing ever. She was all about to live in the moment and because of that, she had fewer reservations on how to live. Jack and Kate are your typical YA couple with all their cute romantic ideas. It didn't have showstopping chemistry but that probably wasn't the point.
I loved all the side characters so much, except Jillian. Jillian felt boring but everyone else, especially Franny were the cutest people in the world. They had so much support for Jack no matter all the dumb things he did. The only thing I was on Franny's side for was when in loop #4 Jack did a bad thing. He did a thing that I would never condone: cheating. That made me upset. Other than Franny, the parents in this book played a big impact. Jack's parents were ultimately always supportive but called him out on his bullshit. Franny and Jillian's parents were neglectful, and Kate's parents were so overprotective they really told Jack to break up with her to not cause her stress (lmao).
Now as much as I loved the characters, the plot was very slow. I think because of the repetitive nature that comes with a time travel book I got very bored very fast. The same events kept happening and the ending became predictable. And don't get me wrong that could have totally been the point but it just felt like it was dragging. This also made the first half of the book take me like two days to read. Keeping to this book was the most amount of work I've done in like four days. Also, this book is very Young Adult. I haven't read a proper young adult book in so long that this felt almost surface level (not necessarily in a bad way). It was just missing all the intrigue, betrayal, and angst I was used to.
Nevertheless, this was a good easy read to officially start my spring break off. I recommend this book to anyone newly getting into reading young adult and needs a heartfelt light read.
Quotes
"All the time travel in the world can't save the people you love"
"Don't be afraid. Take chances. And when those don't work out, take more"
"Love is knowing the bad is there but choosing to appreciate the good"
"I think blushing isn't something you see. It's something you feel."
"The thing is, you don't forfeit your whole world to prove your feelings to someone. You bring your worlds together. You get more world, not less."
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