Early-Departures

This story is so different from anything I’ve read before. It was heavy, but very touching. I didn’t want to put it down. I had to know how it would end. It turned out to be bittersweet, but I loved it. The writing is amazing and the storyline is very creative.

I love to read and usually go to the library, but since the pandemic started I\’ve been treating myself to a few new books. So with that being said this is my first Amazon review of a book. 🙂 But anyways, I really really enjoyed it. I loved how dorky some of the characters were (many laugh out loud moments), and I feel like I grew closer to them as I continued to read. I like how this book incorporated a sci-fi theme of Q being reanimated, it\’s not something you see often in African American teen novels. I feel like I was a little confused at the beginning of the book but once I kept reading everything all came together. I\’m 22 years old and also have dealt with the loss of several loved ones, so I could definitely relate to a lot of what Jamal went through. I\’m probably a little older than the intended audience but I often enjoy learning from characters that are younger than me. There\’s a lot of messages in this book that are so important. You\’ll laugh and cry a little. 10/10 would recommend. I can\’t wait to read it again when I get the chance.

No spoilers here, but this teacher will be buying copies for our classrooms. This book has it all – love, laughter, and tears.

This is the latest offering by Justin A. Reynolds, an author whose work I always enjoy. It\’s difficult to classify this book…I was thinking maybe magical realism? But on second thought, I think I\’d go with contemporary with a touch of sci-fi. So the story follows a young man named Jamal. He once had a best friend named Q (which was short for Quinn), but we learn right away that somehow Jamal blames Q for his parents\’ death two years earlier and hasn\’t spoken to Q since the funeral. Now Q resents Jamal and feels abandoned by him, so we have a very messy relationship dynamic. So one night, Jamal is walking by the water, and he hears a cry for help. He dives in to rescue the person, and of course, it\’s Q. He begins dragging Q to shore but ends up losing strength on the way. He makes it, but Q is unconscious but alive. Jamal heads to the hospital, where he learns that Q has died. But that\’s not the end of our story because, you see, there is a new technology that would allow Q to be reanimated — that is to say, to be brought back to life with no memory of his death or of what happened to him. But there\’s a catch: he\’ll only be alive for a short time: a couple of weeks max, maybe only days, and once that time has passed, he\’s gone for good. Jamal discusses this possibility with Q\’s mom, and she agrees to have the people in charge of this technology — it\’s not the doctors at the hospital — bring Q back to life. But there is a stipulation: nobody is to tell Q that he died nor that his days are numbered. I love redemption stories, and that\’s kind of what we have here as Jamal has one more chance to make things right with Q. What\’s interesting is that in so doing, Jamal ends up creating a new type of family that supports him and surrounds him with love. I thought this aspect of the story was incredibly moving. So we have a significant focus on friendship and family in the novel as well as forgiveness. My huge takeaway from this story was how we are all on limited time with the people we love, and now is the time to focus on making these relationships and the moments of our life count. So imagine how you would do if you only have a few days left? We definitely see the importance here of \”seizing the day.\” But I will say that this story is incredibly sad, so be sure to have tissues handy. This is kind of like \”They Both Die at The End\” by Adam Silvera in that we know how it\’s all going to turn out, and I knew there\’d no way I wouldn\’t tear up at the end. The book is beautiful, happy, and heartfelt but also, of course, heartbreaking as well. I loved this story. I loved the entire premise of this story where a grieving young man gets a second chance to say goodbye to someone he lost and maybe even make up for some of his mistakes. This story certainly provides a lot to think about and contemplate, such as how forgiveness can not be expected or assumed but only hoped for and, of course, the importance of living life to the fullest now because…you never know. With that in mind, it\’s a reminder not to waste our time being angry and resentful with others. I remember a speaker once said that being angry about something that happened in the past is like investing in a mausoleum – it will never pay off. This may be one of those books that I\’ll need to reread at some point. It totally surprised me how it wasn\’t really about death, but instead was a celebration of life, friendship, and family. Another new favorite book by Justin a Reynolds. I love this author!

This took me a minute to read this because even though I love Justin Reynolds, I am not a huge fan of sci fi and I was kinda worried how this would go. And of course I had nothing to worry about. Yes it was sci fi, but it was paired with his writing style, Black Boy Feelings (because it wasn’t always joy), and so much more. Jamal’s ex best friend Quincy almost drowned, but Jamal couldn’t let that happen. He tries saving his life, but he wasn’t fast enough. Jamal dies. But the doctors find a way to bring him back to life, but only for a short time. Jamal takes this as his chance to make things right with Q. Can they make things right? I LOVE when contemporary books are told from a male POV. Most of the ones I’ve read show a different side to males than what they show on the outside. Especially in the Black community. From most of the men/boys I’ve encountered, they don’t always like to show emotion with anything, so for those books that show it, I always end up liking them so much more. Not only did the characters show their emotion, but I ended up doing it too. I mean, did you read the synopsis? Reanimating someone who’s been killed? That you want to make things right with? That is actually connected to a very traumatic event to begin with? Yeah, I was crying all up and through this book lol Justina Reynolds knows how to write a tear-jerker man. The ONLY reason I didn’t give this a full rating is because it felt too much like his first book. The reanimation felt like in his first book that had the groundhog day feel. It wasn’t the same where the same events kept happening, but it was still the same where Q came back to life. It was good, but I still wanted something different. I wanted to see what else he could do. If you’re wondering about this book, don’t worry anymore. Just go out and read it. Make sure you have tissues because it is a punch in the guts, but I still think it could be enjoyed by anyone. Justin Reynolds is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

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