The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Review: This is a wonderful YA debut. While there were times when I wanted to slap Lennie for her stupid decisions, I couldn't help but grow to love her by the end of the book. I mean her sister's dead, but she's fooling around with her sister's boyfriend. As bad as that sounds, there was a reason to it. I was completely a Lennie-Joe shipper throughout this book because I liked where this relationship was going. Forget the blurb on the back of this book because it is so much more than Lennie just juggling with two boys. It talks about her mother who has gone missing for a reason she doesn't know why. Loss, grief, love, and hope--they are all present in this wonderful novel along with many surprises, wove together in a beautiful, poetic, and heartbreaking way.

One aspect I really enjoyed from this book were the short poems Lennie wrote. Each time I saw them, I saw more of Lennie's world and life with her sister. If you have have a warmer heart than me, they might even be sad enough to make you shed some tears.

The title for this novel and the pacing fit the book perfectly. Jandy Nelson is a wonderful author, and if her debut is this amazing, I can't wait for what she has in stores for us next. This book comes out March 2010. Definitely going to think about buying it.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Didn't really get into it until about twenty pages in. The introduction to the characters was really captivating.

The Middle: At this point, I wanted to knock some real sense into Lennie. Why, Lennie? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!!

The End: I have never seen ---or loved-- such a short and adorable epilogue before.

FTC: Received this ARC from a trade with Kelsey from The Book Scout