Opposite of Always

The premise of this book was super interesting. I loved the idea of a guy in love going back in time again and again to try and save his girlfriend, who for mysterious reasons, died.

I especially loved the beginning, the first chapter where he’s in his PJs and sneaking into a hospital with a needle in his arm, and you have NO IDEA what’s happening but you know it’s bad and you can just sense his desperation and grief and hysteria. That was fantastic. A really great beginning to a book that, unfortunately, just went downhill from there.

Like I said, the concept is cool. The execution…not the best.

I had a few issues with it:

– He fell in love really quickly.
– He was ready to disconnect and throw away all that he loves and cares for, and distance himself from his family and loved ones for a girl he just met.
– Why would she go playing with this boy’s heart knowing she has a terminal illness? When are we going to stop with that storyline, it’s getting so old.
– The illness factor was extremely dragged to the point that it got annoying. Like why was it such a big secret?
– She has a terminal illness, with no known cure, why would he assume he could save her…over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again? Like…why?
– Giving the character an illness was such a bad move in my opinion. It would have been more interesting if she died for other reasons…hit by a car, or drowned in a lake, or poisoned, or choked on a carrot stick or something. It would’ve made going back in time over and over again a lot to save her a lot more feasible.
– The going back in time eventually got old halfway through the book. There’s only so many time a person goes back to live the same exact thing before you get bored of it. It was like reading the same story 5 or 6 different times with a few differences.

Overall…I think there were several aspects that could have definitely been executed better.

Oh no, another disappointment. I also started this book last year, in December I think, but I put it down. I really want to like this author so I give this book another try. This is such a compelling and good storytelling, the way the author unravels Jake and Kate’s story is wonderful. Sadly, it didnt work for me. I think because I kept being annoyed by the way this book treats disability/chronic illness. Kate doesnt get to have autonomy or a say, shes the love interest and not even the protagonist of her own illness. Because Jake knows what will happen, he takes decisions away from Kate and I found it so frustrating. He keeps pushing to know about her illness, he goes behind her back to get her treatment I mean, he constantly makes decisions for her. I dont know, I didnt think this was romantic or cute. By the end, I was so annoyed with Jake and I didnt really care about him and his story.

Time traveling and romance are two genres I like but never fully felt represented in, until now. Seeing blerdy Jack and Kate warmed this blerds heart and filled me with nostalgia of my own experience in High School, minus the time traveling. This book is about appreciating the best things in your life and learning not to take them for granted and I think thats a valuable lesson to be learned.

Guys!!!! This was so good!!!!

I’m so freaking glad I liked this book because I met the author at a signing and he was awesome and we fangirled about our mutual favorite movie, About Time, which this book definitely has some similarities to. From then, it was super high on my TBR, and I finally read it a few months later! (Which is pretty good for me because many of my books stay on my TBR for years lol)

It was so good!!!!

It was funny, meaningful, and adorable. I freaking love all the characters. Jack and Kate have amazing chemistry and I ship them so hard. Jack, Franny, and Jill’s friendship is so sweet and wholesome. And I love Jack’s parents omg. It was just such a unique story that was so well executed and needed to be told. So glad I read this one, and I highly recommend it!

Smart and witty. Love that the book addresses a disease so prominent, yet a subject too rarely broached. The author does a fantastic job of leaving readers reflective on many levels, using all of the characters effectively so everyone has a true purpose when they’re on the page and not just there adding to a word count. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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