Sometimes we question his choices and motives, and sometimes we root for him, making him likable and frustrating in equal measures. They’re the kind of friends that will cheer you on when you’re doing well, but will also call you out for doing bad things or making poor choices.Īnd Jack is one of those YA characters, who makes a lot of poor choices.

Jack’s best friends Jillian and Franny are fun, supportive, and full of zest. If you like squads like the gang in Simon Vs or the What If It’s Us squad, then you’ll like the characters in this novel. Justin Reynolds uses the time loop concept as a catalyst for the plot, and it works well.Įach time Jack goes back, events change and more of the mystery surrounding Kate unravels, which keeps the plot engaging. So a story where one character gets to relive-and attempt to change-a section of time over and over again (in effect, creating parallel versions of events) was a definite yes for me. I’ve always found the idea of parallel words interesting. I’ll admit it, I wasn’t really into it. But I can pinpoint the exact moment that changed: when the time loop section kicked in. Plot and pacingįor the first 25% of the story, the pacing was pretty slow.

But Kate dies.Īnd suddenly Jack is back at the beginning, meeting her all over again, caught in a time loop while he tries to save her life. While visiting a prospective university/college with his friend Jillian, he meets Kate at a party, and begins to fall for her. Jack King is your average YA high-schooler and this is your average YA contemporary. 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. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. Even if that means believing in time travel. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.īut this love story is. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. 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. CWs: Death, chronic illness, racism, racial profiling, shootings

The opposite of always is