Book Review- Opposite of Always

Title: Opposite of Always

Author: Justin A. Reynolds
Published: 4th April 2019
Pages: 464
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance


Rating: 4.5/5

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.
He almost made valedictorian.
He almost made varsity.
He almost got the girl . . . 
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. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.
But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because 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. Beautiful, radiant Kate. 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—and let go—to save the people he loves.-Goodreads

I received an ARC of this novel from Pan Macmillan in return for an honest review.
I’m trying to read much more diverse teen fiction, and especially those written by authors of colour, and I was very excited when this novel landed in my lap. Also the movie rights have just been optioned too, so obviously loads of others are loving it too!
This novel is narrated by Jack, who is an excellent narrator. He sounds like a real teen protagonist, with the worries and attitude of a teenager, which Reynolds must be commended for writing so well. It is crucial that teen fiction accurately portrays teens and teenagers voices because they are the main consumers of these books, and should be represented accurately within them.
I loved the relationship between Kate and Jack a lot, they were both such joyful, likeable characters who had such great entertaining banter and were so humorous, it was so fun reading about them! The rest of the cast of characters were just as fun. The adults were well-developed and nuanced but still felt accurate and realistic. Jack’s friends were so well written too, and the novel was just packed full of banter and witty dialogue, it was a breeze to read. 
The only element of the novel I wasn’t sure about going into reading it was the time travel. But I was pleasantly surprised! It actually adds a nice, different twist on the normal YA contemporary romance in teen fiction, and I enjoyed this different slant in the novel.
The only part of the novel that slightly let me down was the ending. It felt a bit rushed to me, after all the effort the author went to in describing the 2/3rds of the novel, it just felt to me that he was trying to wrap everything up too fast. There was no answers/solutions really offered, and the time travel was never explained at all, which irritated me! If he had spent just a little bit more time expanding the ending and keeping the narrative going in the same way throughout, the novel would’ve felt more concise.
Overall, despite the ending letting it down a bit, I really enjoyed this novel. I don’t read much contemporary teen romances, but I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend it!


You can buy the novel from the Book Depository here (affiliate link)


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