The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Author : Jandy Nelson
Genre : Contemporary
Published Date : March 9th 2010
Publisher : Dial
Pages : 453
Awards : ABA Indie Next Book, Junior Library Guild selection, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), BCCB Best Book of (2010), and many more.
Source : Bought
Rating : ✿✿✿✿✿
From Goodreads :
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey.
But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two.
Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.
This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.
Get a Copy : [AMAZON] | [BARNES&NOBLE] | [INDIEBOUND] | [THE BOOK DEPOSITORY]
Review
The first thing that hooked me up to this book was obviously its cover. The heart was striking against the blue sky, and I was just finished reading Twenty Boy Summer when I found this book, and I was in the mood for another sweet YA book, so this book totally made it to my TBR list.
"I don’t know how the heart withstands it."
—Lennie
The Sky is Everywhere told us about the life of Lennie Walker, as she coped
up and lived every single day in ignorance when her only sister, Bailey, died
from a sudden arrythmiac. Her life was just stopped the moment Bailey stopped
breathing. And when a new Joe Fontaine moved to her town, suddenly her life's
gear started to turn once again. They seemed to click with each other just
perfect, a clarinetist Lennie and guitarist Joe. But when Bailey's boyfriend,
Toby, came to her to seek solace and Lennie found herself became comfortable
grieving and kissing with Toby, what would she do the her 'the-only-one' Joe
Fontaine, and with her life that seemed to fly away more and more everyday?
The one thing that I really loved about this book was especially its strong
voice and plot. I loved how Lennie was able to narrate this book with a real
teenage's feeling and angst. It was not just another soulless monotone, but a
real sentence with feeling and just like a personal diary. The plot was
perfectly paced too, not to fast for this kind of story, but not too slow to be
boring either. I also love Lennie's poems at every chapter's beginning. I think
it was such an unique and perfect way to tell us about how her life was before
Bailey was gone. It was true, sad, and full of feeling.
Lennie Walker, our main character, was well developed and it was very easy
to sympathize with her. Her personality was very balanced, having a good traits
as well as a fatal bad one, such as selfishness, and also believable.
Joe Fontaine, our other protagonist as well as Lennie's counterpart, was
actually a bit flat. His personality was okay, witty, funny, and all that. But
he didn't have any obvious flaw and his past was not too solid either. But I do
love how he seemed to fit perfectly with Lennie's life without being too cheesy
or seemed to be forced.
Bailey, Lennie's now-deceased older sister, was described in such a great
was it was very easy to imagine how she was when she was still around. Her
personality was very well-developed too, and I love how she would act
impulsively but care for the people she loved as well and tried to do her best
for them.
One character I found quite interesting was Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. I
love how his grief seemed so real and believable, and I loved how he decided to
cope up with it in such a realistic way. And beneath his dark demeanor, he
actually had a kind heart, and it was portrayed nicely in this book.
One thing I'm not quite fond of this book was its secondary character, like
Lennie's grandmother and uncle, and her best friend Sarah, or her love rival
Rachel. It wasn't like they were undeveloped and just flat, but rather not finished
enough. Their concept actually seemed very interesting, but their personality
was floating around with no solid uniqueness.
Overal, if you would like to
read a sweet YA novel about teenage's life, love, overcoming grief and loss and
change, and ultimately finding the new happiness in an unpredictable place, you
should definitely try this one.
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4 comments
I do like sweet YA novels about grief -- especially with authentic voices. I think it's hard to write an authentic teen voice so I appreciate your review mentioning that!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really love it when the narrator voice was strong and unique. It totally helps us to believe and enjoy the book :D Thanks for your feedback !! I really appreciate it !
DeleteThis was my first contemporary book, and it paved the way for a new love of the genre. And it stands today as my all time favorite contemporary, and just an all around favorite. Amazing characters, wonderful story line. Just an all around beautiful story, and I can't wait to reread it!
ReplyDeletei love this book this book is one of my favorite books by Jandy Nelson
ReplyDeleteA comment from readers make us happy, really!
This is also an award-free zone, but thanks for your consideration!