Opposite of Always
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4.2 • 89 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
“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 loves.
He’s stuck in a loop of grief and hope, but how many times can he try to save the girl he loves before he loses everyone else?
A Heart-Wrenching Time Loop: Jack keeps reliving his meet cute with Kate, hoping to find the one timeline where she lives. But changing the past is never that simple.Laugh-Out-Loud Meets Cry-Your-Eyes-Out: Full of witty banter and Froot Loop-fueled deep talks, this story balances laugh-out-loud humor with the devastating realities of love and loss.A Powerful Story of Black Love: A fresh, funny, and deeply moving contemporary YA romance featuring two unforgettable Black protagonists trying to find their way to each other, against all odds.High-Stakes Choices: When saving Kate puts his own best friends, Franny and Jillian, in danger, Jack must confront the impossible question: what is one life worth?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ask African-American high school senior Jack who he is and he'll tell you: he's an only child, and the king of "nice try" and "almost." Unlike his best friend Franny, he never makes the team. And he doesn't get the girl because he's in love with his other best friend, Jillian, who's dating Franny. But Jack does learn from his mistakes, and he has lots of opportunities to try again when he finds himself in a time loop. It starts when his first girlfriend who is already in college and into him despite his corniness dies of sickle cell anemia, which Jack didn't know she had. He plummets into a do-over, and then another, but for everyone else, it's always the first time. Watching Jack scheme to save Kate at any cost, including ignoring his friends, betraying Franny, gambling, and lying, is both touching and worrying for the reader. Though Kate feels a little too perfect and Reynolds, an #OwnVoices debut author, occasionally hits the message (about loving people while they're around) a little hard, he also creates an enormously likable character who is doing the best he can and then some. Happily, the book's blend of humor and heartbreak wins out. Ages 14 up.)
Customer Reviews
BEST BOOK EVER.
Most definitely my favorite book. Tells an amazing quirky love story with a sci-fi twist. Opposite of Always is a funny, warm hearted book that I recommend 10/10.