Opposite of Always

by Justin Reynolds

Paperback, 2019

Status

Checked out

Due 13-04-2023

Call number

813.6

Genres

Publication

Macmillan Children's Books (2019), Edition: Main Market, 320 pages

Description

Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Humor (Fiction.) Young Adult Fiction. HTML: "One of the best love stories I've ever read." �??Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give "Read this one, reread it, and then hug it to your chest." �??Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green. When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he's falling�??hard. Soon she's meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. But then Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate's death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate's there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn't sure if he's losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate's death, he'll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he's willing to do to save the people he lo… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Hccpsk

So this is the Groundhog Day of YA novels...if you have no idea what that means, A.) Go to Netflix right now and get educated and B.) the main character continues to live the same day over and over again. In The Opposite of Always by debut author Justin Reynolds, it’s more like 6 months than a

day, but the concept remains the same. Of course, our hero—senior in high school, Jack—wrestles with typical YA issues like new love, friendship, parents, school and prom as he re-spawns back in time, but he also deals with some deeper conflicts. Reynolds writing is particularly engaging and funny, and much of the dialogue feels very Aaron Sorkinesque (again...Netflix). The Opposite of Always is a no-brainer for readers of Becky Albertalli, Nic Stone and other readers who enjoy contemporary dramedy YA.

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LibraryThing member ewyatt

This is a Groundhog's Day-esque kind of romance. The first chapter starts with the main character going back in time to try to save his girlfriend's life. The next chapter starts with a meet cute and blossoming love story. I thought Jack, the main character, was quirky and likeable. Until the story

started dragging for me. The cause of Kate's death was held back from the narrative. And while I liked the characters, the story lost steam for me and bogged down with the repetition. Maybe it was because I was in audiobook and couldn't skim to new content.

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LibraryThing member oddandbookish

I received this book for free free as part of an Instagram tour (Storygram Tours specifically) I did to promote the book.

This was such a fun YA book!

I absolutely loved the premise. The time loop aspect was so interesting. I liked how you saw the consequences to Jack’s actions throughout every go

around.

In a way this book is kind of sad because the love interest is continually dying. But at the same time it is still full of hope.

I loved the characters. Since this book is a time loop you spend a lot of time with them and get to seem them react to different scenarios. I loved the friendship between Jack, Jillian, and Franny. They were so supportive of one another and were like a tight knit family (most of the time).

The only downside to the book is that it is a bit repetitive because of the time loop. Luckily, after a few times through, it does not rehash the same events.

Lastly, this book is Own Voices which I loved. The book even mentions the importance of it. The main character states, “I’ve always loved reading. But there aren’t a lot of books about kids like me. And I just think every kid deserves a book that looks like them” (pg 34). Amen to that!

Overall, I really enjoyed this YA debut!

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LibraryThing member fingerpost

This book started out so well, and by the end it just fizzled into a disappointment. Justin A. Reynolds writes well. That is definitely to its credit. But the story didn't live up to his skill with words.
Basically, it's sort of "Groundhog Day" if the script had been written by John Green. Jack

meets, Kate, the girl of his dreams, they hit it off, she gets along great with his other two best friends, Jillian and Franny (short for Francisco) who are dating. But it turns out Kate has sickle cell anemia, and she's dying from it. In fact, she does die from it. But Jack wakes up sitting on the steps where they originally met four months earlier, ready to run through it all again. And again, and again, until he gets it right. Just like in "Groundhog Day."
(Note: To Mr. Reynold's credit, he does have Jack, our narrator, acknowledge the similarities between his story and the classic Bill Murray movie.)
The book is on the long side for teen fiction, and by Jack's third run through the same four months, the story is growing old. He changes it up each time of course, but on the third round, Kate almost becomes a side character as Jack steals Jillian from Franny, which seemed to me 100% out of character for Jack, making this whole episode unbelievable. In the end, nobody seemed to have really grown or changed as a result of the events of the book.
Well written, but a completely forgettable story. I would give Justin Reynold's another chance if he writes another. But if I do, I sure hope he has a story that lives up to his knack with words.

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LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell

In Opposite of Always, Jack meets Kate at a party and it's fireworks from the start. But then Kate dies. Instead of that being the ending, Jack gets sent back to the steps where he meets Kate and they do it all over again. He wants to save Kate's life, no matter what, but Jack soon finds out that

every action has a consequence.

I just never really made a connection with this book. At first I didn't like the main character - I sometimes struggle with male YA voices and them coming across as whiny to me - but then it was the fact he didn't seem to learn anything from his previous times (he would mention how he did this, but then in the next go around, he just did a variation of that same thing), then it was just... missing something.

I did like Kate... sometimes... but otherwise I just wasn't that big of a fan of anyone else in the story.

I was also annoyed at the ending. Not to ruin anything about it but I was just annoyed with it.

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LibraryThing member deslivres5

I believe Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds came up on my recommendations after I read another similar YA romance/time travel/Ground Hog's Day inspired title See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
I am glad for the rec! I really enjoyed them back-to-back.

While the premise and even covers

are somewhat similar, the events in this title are more heartfelt/exposed/raw/dire and less sweet/huggable.

The ending of this one was a bit confusing/meta to me, hence 4.5 instead of 5 stars. But I did feel deeply for the learning curve/arc(s) of Jackie as the novel progresses.

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