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The Sky is Everywhere
The Sky is Everywhere
The Sky is Everywhere
Audiobook7 hours

The Sky is Everywhere

Written by Jandy Nelson

Narrated by Julia Whelan

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Jandy Nelson's beloved, critically adored debut is soon to be an Apple TV+ Original Film starring Jason Segel, Cherry Jones, and Grace Kaufman.

“Both a profound meditation on loss and grieving and an exhilarating and very sexy romance." —NPR

Adrift after her sister Bailey’s sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey’s boyfriend who shares Lennie’s grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. One boy helps her remember. The other lets her forget. And she knows if the two of them collide, her whole world will explode.

As much a laugh-out-loud celebration of love as a nuanced and poignant portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her makes for an always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable read.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 9, 2010
ISBN9781441820174
The Sky is Everywhere
Author

Jandy Nelson

Jandy Nelson lives in San Francisco. She's a literary agent, a published poet and a devout romantic. She has degrees from Cornell, Brown, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her at www.jandynelson.com.

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Rating: 4.02906976744186 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lennie is a bright high school girl and talented musician. Her mom left her when she was one with her older sister Bailey and her quirky Gram and uncle. When her sister, a college actress, dies suddenly of a heart attack, Lennie’s world is turned upside down with grief and love for a handsome, new, ultra talented band-mate. She is, however, confused by her sexual attraction to her deceased sister’s boyfriend, who seems to be the only one who understands, as they reach for each other to try to hold on to her sister. Readers of this young adult novel will root for Lennie and her larger than life family, as she fights her grief and loss. Along the way readers will be totally engaged as Lennie realizes that she might not have known her sister as well as she thought and as her illusions about her absent mother are shattered. She also learns a lot about herself along the way. This book is recommended for young adults, especially those dealing with a loss, their sexuality, and those attempting to find their identity.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lennie’s life is shattered when her older sister Bailey dies suddenly. Now faced with the scary realization that she doesn’t know who she is without Bailey, Lennie also finds herself torn between two very different guys. Toby is Bailey’s boyfriend, with whom Lennie feels a powerful connection of sadness and loss. Joe is the new boy at school, a genius musician whose megawatt smile makes Lennie feel like she can be someone she never was. Can Lennie reconcile the past with the present, her sister with herself, the girl she was with the girl she can be?To an extent, I can understand why THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is one of the most highly praised books of 2010. The poetry and the way it makes the characters seem to ache with loveliness….It’s easy to be hypnotized by what the book presents. But I seem to be one of just a handful for whom this book did not work.Good things first. Nelson’s writing really is a work of art. She effortlessly twists words, emotions, and descriptions that are so common in YA lit they’re practically cliché into ribbons of beauty that you just want to remember forever. After all, how many books about teenage girls grieving after a loved one’s death have been written in the past year alone? And then how many have been written by a poet?However, there was just something about Lennie that had me not connecting with her. I really had to wonder, most of the time that I was reading this, what about her was attractive to not just one, but two guys. Toby and Joe are reasonably well-rounded characters: Joe is a genuinely swoon-worthy musician character, while Toby’s angstiness is slightly harder to swallow. But either the love triangle aspect of this book felt contrived to make Lennie more desirable, or else Bailey’s death feels like a merely convenient premise to work Lennie’s romantic troubles.For me, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is yet another victim of the assumption that a sympathy-inducing issue can turn a book into a five-star classic. The writing is beautiful, and even the examination of the characters’ different ways of dealing with grief was good. I just didn’t feel a connection to Lennie, and thus, to the rest of the book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is, quite simply, stunning. Magical, hilarious, heart breaking, passionate, real...seriously. It has captivated me and left me a slobbering, stuttering cheeseball in its wake. I have so much I want to say about it, but at the same time I want to keep all my thoughts to myself and say only that this might be the best book I have ever read...or very high up the list anyway. Within two pages, I had a huge grin on my face. Within ten pages I had probably laughed about seven times. Within twenty pages I already had a long list of quotes in my head I wanted to remember. By page fifty I had gone between laughing and crying so many times that my head was spinning. I did not get up, look up or think about anything else for the three or so hours I spent reading this book. I felt these characters, they might as well be real people. Within a few pages I felt the absence of Bailey like I'd known her for years. Seriously, get yourself to the bookstore. Don't walk, RUN. Buy this book and prepare to fawn at my feet for the rest of time for convincing you to do so. I don't know what to compare it to because its like taking one of the myriad of YA fantasy novels out there and saying it is "like Harry Potter" simply because its in the genre. If you're a fan of Sarah Dessen you'll love it. I've been trying to find something to tide me over until her next book is published. Now I'll be reading the Sarah Dessen books I haven't gotten to yet to tide myself over until Jandy Nelson writes something else. Have I made my point? :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lennie's older sister Bailey died suddenly, leaving Lennie, her gram and uncle Big reeling with the loss. A month later, she returns to school a different person, lost in sadness and loneliness. She doesn't know how to live without her sister right beside her. Lennie finds Toby, Bailey's boyfriend, just as broken as she is and they become close. About the same time a new boy in school, Joe, is showing Lennie some attention. Great characters. Lennie's voice is humorous, real, heart-touching. Her poems are beautiful and add so much to the story. It's a well-written masterpiece. there is a lot of making out. a lot of talk of sex. drinking. smoking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I do not know what took me so long to read this book. I thought the book would be a light read. You know, where the story mainly focuses on the romance, while the death of the sister is only thrown in to add depth and angst to the main character. This was definitely not the case in The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. This book reminds me of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. If you have read both books, you would find my comparison odd. The story lines of both books are completely different. The comparison is due to how both books unequivocally terrify me. How they make it feel impossible to breath at times. It is the probabilities and possibilities both books present to me. How they push my worse fears in my face and make me confront them. The Sky is Everywhere is written so beautifully you feel the grief of the main character, Lennie, in every word on every page. The supporting characters are all wonderfully written, believable and enjoyable. However, Lennie is the one who makes you keep turning the pages and hoping for her heart to heal.Yes, there is a romance in the book. Yes, there is focus on the romance between Lennie and Joe. But ultimately, this is a book about loss. And how even though one may never fully recover from such a loss, one can eventually move on and find some normalcy in life again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved the poetry and the realistic depiction of a self-centred but heartbroken and confused teenager. Beginning to think that every YA book written nowadays has a bit of an obsession with death, though...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lennie has always lived in her older sister Bailey's shadow, or so she thinks. This arrangement has always worked fine for her, until Bailey dies unexpectedly. Lennie deals with her grief by shutting out the world she knew, her friends from before Bailey's death. The only person who understands her loss is Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. His attention, along with the dazzling affection of Joe, a new kid in town who never knew her as Bailey's little sister, are the only two people she allows in her life for the time shortly after Bailey's death.Beautifully written by poet Jandy Nelson, this book explores identity, grief, and the dizzying effects of young love.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    17-year old Lennie Walker is devastated when her older sister Bailey suddenly dies. Bailey had practically been Lennie's life and she had been content in her sister's shadow. Now in addition to the overwhelming grief she feels, Lennie's life becomes more complicated. She must find out who she really is and what and WHO she really likes.I LOVED this book. I have not liked a teen novel this much since Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl and Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why. Like them, this author gets the confusion around relationships and sex that many teens have trouble navigating. I highly recommend this book to older teens and adults.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The sudden death of her sister leaves Lennie an emotional mess. The Sky is Everywhere is the story of how one 17-year-old copes with the overwhelming weight of her grief. Author Jandy Nelson did an amazing job capturing the conflicting feelings in the grief of a sibling, making it very easy to sympathize with Lennie in spite of her moody teenage ways.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lennie is reeling with grief after the sudden death of her older sister. She has to figure out how to build her life when she has always defined herself by her relationship with Bailey. The girls lived with their grandmother after being abandoned by their mother. One of the ways Lennie deals with her grief is through poetry which she writes and leave all over town. She's also a romantic and falls head over heals for the impossibly handsome, musically gifted Joe Fontaine. The book is rich with emotion and quirky likeable characters. An enjoyable read, tinted with a bit of magic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Death seems to pop up a lot in YA lit lately. In my experience those books are some of the best, because it seems that grief takes the reader to a whole new level of emotional connection. The Sky Is Everywhere is a perfect example. I'm an only child. I don't have a sister who's also a best friend. Yet throughout this book I could clearly feel and understand Lennie's grief, something that was very heartbreaking.I don't even know where to begin about the characters. They were all so unique and all of them had such personality. They just jumped off of the page. Being in Lennie's head wasn't always easy, but it wouldn't have been right any other way. Even though she made mistakes, I always rooted for her, and I always hoped that she would redeem herself.The plot isn't something that jumps out at you, and it's not meant to be. It's the journey of a mourning girl who comes to accept what happened to her sister and also to discover who she is. The pacing is great, the breakthroughs come at the right times, and the heartbreak is so perfectly placed. Can you tell that I'm gushing yet?The romance is so perfect. Lennie is torn between two guys. The one that she knows that she should stay away from but is drawn to, and the one who makes her smile again. She's drawn to her sister's boyfriend, who understands her grief, feels the same pain. But the other one makes her forget, helps her heal. Which to choose? You'll have to read to know how it all plays out.I loved this book. It was so perfect that I can't think of one thing that I would change about it. Go read it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    WOW. this book blew me away. It was soooo good! Now one of my favorites! Lennie, (such a cool name) is an amazing character. Joe was awesome (total book crush) and all the other people brought something. This writer is amazing. She put grief, betrayal, and growing up all into the best love story i have ever read. I recommend this book to everyone, it now has a special place in my heart.And.... i want a joe for myself.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found that it was a bit confusing at some parts.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I won this book from a contest Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay and Where She Went, a while ago. It's signed by Jandy Nelson, which is incredibly cool. The book had been in my TBR list for a while and I was so excited that I won it. And it was amazing, let me tell you.For some reason I seem to be drifting towards books where the main character has someone close to them die. Not sure why but I think that this is a storyline that can be done uniquely every time. This book is just tugs on the heart strings as the reader travels with Lennie through the months after her sister has died. She is trying to not fall apart and hold things together and finally she finds someone who she can share her grief with: Toby, her sister's boyfriend. Toby is just as grief-stricken as Lennie is and when she is with him she can just put down the walls she built around everyone else and just be exactly what she is: sad. But when Toby kisses her Lennie is filled with mixed emotions again. She feels as though she has betrayed her sister but st the same time, she isn't feeling anything at all when she is kissing Toby.And then Lennie meets Joe, a new guy at school who doesn't know her as The Girl Whose Sister Died. With Joe, she has no reminders of her sister and can just go back to living an almost normal life.The cast of characters of this book was so rich, I loved all of them. Lennie's grandmother was so lovable, I wish she was my grandma. And I wish I had an eccentric Uncle Big like Lennie has. Joe was the perfect guy and Toby was so beautifully heart broken. And then there is, of course, Lennie who has so many emotions she leaves scraps of poetry written on receipts, napkins, etc all over town in an attempt to pour her feelings out onto paper. A great read that I recommend to anyone who loves Contemporary YA.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Couldn't really identify with it and was way too heavy when I was wanting something light, but it was really well-written, and there were some nice insights throughout. The self-deprecating, self-centered narrator/main character was really annoying, while all other characters were pretty great. At least she did seem to come around at the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book. I can see how some would describe this book as beautiful. That's kind of weird, calling a book beautiful, but I couldn't help thinking of that as I read some of Lennie's words. I guess some people cried while reading it but I didn't. The only book I've gotten choked up on was The Book Thief. But that was expected since Rudy was so charming. Um, yeah, not at all related The Sky is Everywhere!I stayed up until 2 am to finish this. My hubby got mad because I had the light on and was too caught up to get up and switch the big light for my book light. I really didn't like the first half of the book. I HATED the love triangle (after I finished the book I read the synopsis and saw that it was mentioned there. Whoops! The consequences of not reading the flap and just reading based on recommendations). With all that said, if I ever have to read a book about love triangles, this is how I'd like for them to end. Wow! For a while my rating was really low, but the sticking around to the end was worth it. My husband read a few lines and said he was going to throw up from all the cheesy sap. What does he know? It made me want to keep reading.I felt bad for Toby. At times I thought he was taking advantage of Lennie but as you read you discover that his grief is real. He's just as confused and messed up as Lennie. Joe was a sweetheart. He was so in love. I almost wish this was an audiobook so I could hear him play. I'd also love to meet the rest of those Fontaine brothers.Sarah was a good friend who stood by Lennie and kept her grounded. Gram and Big were great family for her to have. I really wanted to see Big's moostawsh. In the end I was glad I finished it. I loved the little bits of Life that Lennie left around town. It's definitely not for young teens, more for young adults. There is talk about sex, major kissing, and drug use to ease grief. I'm still glad I read it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'm just going to come right out and say it, I read this book solely for the cover. Seriously.Unfortunately, it came at a bad time for me. Well, not so much for me. More like it came at a bad time for...it. I imagine, in a perfect world where I hadn't chosen to read The Sky Is Everywhere between If I Stay and Cracked Up To Be, two books with moderately similar concepts (hey, someone's dead/missing! how do we deal with it?!) that I enjoyed a considerable amount more than this book, I would like it better. But it's not a perfect world, and I did read it between those two books, and so, mostly, I just found it annoying.My main complaint about this book is the author's inability to write dialogue that doesn't involve a run on sentence lacking any consideration for subjects or conjunctions. Thirty pages in I wanted to stop reading simply because of the way characters talked. I have never heard anyone in real life eradicate completely relevant words from their sentences the way the characters in this book do, much less an entire community of people. It's like, just come to life out of the pages so I can slap you, please.Furthermore, Lennie is just obnoxious. I truly did not understand the "half of our hearts make one whole of her heart" crap that was her excuse for fooling around with her dead sister's fiancé. I feel like "oh, my sister's dead, I don't know what I was thinking" was a sorry justification for her actions, especially after she clearly states just as much, and then does the same stupid thing again. The whole thing just didn't work for me and I hated Lennie for it, which I'm not sure was the intention.But just so this review (rant?) isn't all bad, I will say that I liked the resolution with the poems that are "found" throughout the book. And the general idea that "the sky is everywhere." Honestly, I think the story was mostly good, but then the characters had to came along and ruin it by being annoying and stupid and poor users of the English language.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    LOVED IT!!! Jandy Nelson breaks your heart and brings out giggles and smiles.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    WOW! Opening this book is like opening a music box. A magical music box, filled with an opera’s worth of charming melodies. The mood of the book overwhelmed me from the first page to the last. The voice in which this is written made it so easy for me to relate to Lennie. Although she is shell-shocked following the sudden death of her sister, her internal dialogue allowed me to really get a sense of who she is. And she’s pretty amusing, especially as she navigates the world of love and lust. “Let me just unsubscribe to my own mind already, because I don’t get any of it,” she reflects when confused about her interactions with Toby. And after a powerful, yet non-kissing, moment with Joe, she’s again thrown for a loop. “Whoa – well, that was either the dorkiest or sexiest moment of my life, and I’m voting for sexy on account of my standing here dumbstruck and giddy, wondering if he did kiss me after all.” The entire book is filled with moments like this. This is one of the few times I’ve read a book that I felt I knew the character well enough to feel like I was reading a story as told by a friend. Scattered throughout the book are thoughts and poems that Lennie writes in various spots in town. Some are written on any nearby paper product (a to-go cup, a French exam), others on benches or trees. These are beautiful glimpses into her pain and confusion and healing, and as I read I couldn’t wait to get to the next snippet she left floating around in the world. Within these poetic interludes and the story’s prose lurks some of the most evocative imagery I’ve seen in YA lit. I was a little leery about the love triangle coming into the book, afraid that the relationship between Lennie and Toby would be a too-obvious situation to use as a means to create tension. While it does create tension, it plays out as believable for the story and the characters involved. Love’s power to mourn and heal and reach out and forgive, sometimes simultaneously, is the core of this story, and this story is out of this world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lyrical poems interspersed throughout beautifully crafted text. Lots of great imagery and metaphors, but things do get melodramatic and introspective which will appeal to some readers but not others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It feels like I’ve been going on a negative ranting spree attacking whatever book I can. I’m a picky read, I get that, but even I get a little weary of what I’m posting! Like dang, home girl needs to stop trippin’. (Okay please accept my sincerest apologies for that last sentence; I have no idea where that came from.) Rants are easier for me to write, positive reviews ehhh not so much, but I’m going to suck it up.The Sky is Everywhere was the last book to have gotten five stars from me on GoodReads, which was back in December (yes that is 3 whole months back). Jandy Nelson enveloped me in warm fuzzy feelings, grief, and recognition. Her writing was stunning, her prose was moving, and her characterization on point. However I will admit not everyone agrees with me. Heaven forbid all teen readers are connected to one brain. Lauren (from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf) for example could not get into the narration and while I do believe it can be a little strong at times, I still fell in love with this novel.Firstly I wanted to cover the author’s use of poetry. I love it as much as Sonya Sones’s work and Lisa Schroder’s contemporary fictions. By the time I finished the novel my mind thought: “If Nelson were to write a prose novel I would definitely buy it”. She is concise when choosing her words wisely and making her point across yet is able to continue this heavy onslaught of grievance. She can write about the most meaningless thing but I will still love it, it seems.Secondly I love Lennie and Joe. I love them separately, but I love them together. I don’t, however, love Lennie and Toby together. Lennie and Joe are harmonious and sensual creating a rainbow with every tint and value in between. Lennie and Toby gives off the color brown—dirty, muddled, and only one (if not two different tones) emotion. I had trouble understanding how grief turns into such a palpable, high-strong lust.Okay Joe needs a paragraph on his own, that’s how much I loved him. He’s easygoing, he’s comfortable, he’s new yet he’s soft like a worn childhood blanket. You feel like cuddling with him. You’re more than tempted to drag him everyone and show off. Yet despite those years he’s still sturdy. Joe doesn’t let his feelings overpower his brain, which deserves a ‘thank goodness’ all on its own.Overall: The Sky is Everywhere is an intensely rich novel that leaves this reader extremely pleased for this debut author!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a sad, touching novel, written in prose that speaks of a girl's grief over the death of her sister and the process of learning to love again without the fear of being hurt. I loved this book and it touched me; I stayed up late into the night simply stunned by this novel and thinking about the powerful words winding through its pages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was another one of those books that everyone told me I had to read but I just never got to. Fortunately I won it in a giveaway and someone in my book club just happened to be raving about it the day it arrived in my mailbox. I did not think it would live up to the hype but it was an unbelievably moving story. Lennie's grief was so crippling that it was painful to read about and yet I was sucked into the maelstrom of feelings swirling around inside her and could not put the book down. After suffering the loss of the sister whom she thought had no secrets from her one surprising revelation after another come to light and leaves Lennie staggering wondering what other secrets her sister had been hiding.Enter in Joe. It's funny he is described as having one of those smiles and presence that makes everyone around him smile and I found myself smiling and laughing despite the sorrow you feel for Lennie. I could feel the joy coming off the pages whenever he was around. I absolutely adored him and his brothers. I had a harder time processing and understanding Lennie's relationship with Toby. At first I couldn't understand what was driving the two of them together until I really tried to put myself into her shoes and imagine the depth of grief and craving for comfort she must be feeling.This entire story was just amazing and touched my heart. It is one of the few books I have read and decided to add to my keeper shelf. Thanks to everyone who suggested I read this story and if you haven't definitely go check it out!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lennie, 17, is absolutely devasted after her older sister's death. She withdraws from her grandmother and uncle, who raised her and her sister after their mother left, and begins writing poetry on scraps of paper that she leaves around town. But soon new boy Joe catches her attention, yet she's also drawn to her sister's ex-boyfriend, the only person she thinks truly understands how she feels. Caught in a love triangle, she slowly figures out what she wants and how to deal with Bailey's death.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book...was simply beautiful. Full of emotion without feeling manipulative, lyrical and yet not a bit overwritten, and the kind of deep, natural humor that makes the sadness all the more powerful. All that and a beautiful love story!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is amazing. You read it you finish with about 400 or so pages, but when you finish, its only been a few days. This book is not a waste of time, as a girl looses her sister and gets lost in a journey of lust ,love and sorrow. She writes poems to express her feelings. Great read.. PS. dear Chris, you are NOT gonna read my review
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Such a great book! I never wanted this one to end. It was sad but wonderful, I absolutely recommend reading this.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When Lennie loses her sister Bailey, everything she's ever known has changed. She's left to deal with her grief silently... but not for long. Before she knows it, two boys stray along her path. There's Bailey's ex-boyfriend Toby, who's longing for the relationship he lost with Bailey, and then there's Joe, a musically talented genius with a smile that makes everything better, if just for a second. Fighting past the haze of sadness that's threatening to rule her life, Lennie must sort out her complex emotions and choose the boy that will help her most.I loved this book. Not only was it beautifully written, but it struck a chord deep in my heart. Everything was described perfectly, and I could feel Lennie's pain as if it was my own.This book was gorgeous, eloquent, and absolutely poignant. It's a haunting story that will stay ingrained in your memory forever should you choose to read it. I would recommend it to anyone, but most especially to avid romantics - it's almost guaranteed to force a few tears out of you. :)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    17-year-old Lennie (short for John Lennon) is in shock after her older sister's sudden death. She has always been Bailey's companion pony; as Bailey lived life to the fullest, Lennie preferred to read Wuthering Heights 23 times, not try out for first chair even though she knew she could win it, and make-believe romantic scenarios about her mother who deserted the girls 16 years ago. Now lost without her sister, she suddenly finds herself lost in a love triangle with Bailey's fiance and a cute, fun new boy in band who not only plays every instrument on earth, but is very good looking and likes Lennie. The only way to try to make sense of things is to write poems about Bailey and toss them to the wind, bury them or hide them. Filled with teenage angst and interspersed with poetry, Nelson does a good job of portraying the complexities of teenage life. High school girls who love a good love story and don't mind heartbreak along the way will enjoy this book. Some sex and underage drinking come up. This 275 page book is currently on the list of the 25 nominees for the 2011 Teen's Top Ten list.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lennie Walker has always been the girl in the background; not the one in the spotlight. And she doesn't necessarily get thrown into the spotlight after her older sister, Bailey, dies so much as she just doesn't have anyone to "hide" behind anymore. This is her story of loss, grief, and ultimately acceptance.This story was exactly what I was needing. It wasn't necessarily a feel-good kind of story but one that touches your heart in so many ways, especially if you have ever lost someone with whom you were close. The feelings and thoughts that Lennie has mirrors so much of what grief is like when someone dies - I mean, it was just so palpable. Then, enter confusion in the form of Bailey's boyfriend. They understand each other's grief but mistake it for..love? Okay, not love but they cling to each other in the hopes of keeping Bailey's memory alive. And really, I just wanted to scream at Lennie and tell her she was being an idiot (because she was). But, you know, she grows throughout this book and she comes to her own kind of nirvana.Did I have some issues with the story? Yeah, sure. The whole Toby thing was strange, but I could sort of understand it. Did I think that Joe and Lennie get too close, too soon? Yep. But the rest of the story was just so good that I was willing to overlook these small details.I would recommend this book for fans of Sarah Dessen and especially fans of Gayle Forman's If I Stay and Where She Went.