Monday’s Not Coming audiobook

Extremely touching. This book strikes a beautiful balance between a sweet story of friendship and profound story of loss and confusion. Review to come!CW: racism, homophobia, substance use, abuse, domestic violenceI absolutely adored this story for it's strong message of friendship. Claudia and Monday have such a deep connection. All of the flashbacks containing scenes of Claudia and Monday persevering against bullies, making sense of who they want to be, and just sharing genuine moments of an innocent childhood friendship warmed my heart. The author did a fantastic job of creating two complex characters with a strong relationship, which enabled the story to be as impactful as it is. I also loved the bit DC black culture incorporated into the novel through go-go music! Claudia and Monday love this subgenre of funk/r&b/hiphop that originated in the DC area. Claudia's passion for this music added a sweet, passionate layer to an otherwise gritty story. It helped to lighten the mood, expand on the setting, and introduced me to a gene of music that's pretty cool.My biggest gripe with the novel was the non-chronological timeline. This story jumps around between "Before" "After" "1 Year Before the Before" "2 Week After the After" etc. I personally found this decision to be confusing and unnecessary. This format is a fantastic tool for many novels, but I don't feel the author succeeded in what she was trying to do. I understand the reasoning for this creative choice, but it did feel like it served no significant purpose. I would have enjoyed the novel more if the timeline had been better structured. My only other issue was one of the final plot twists of the story. I believe this story would have been much stronger without the addition. For me, it was just not explained well and starkly stood out compared to the well-developed story that was established. Despite the charming theme of friendship, Monday's Not Coming is tragic and devastating. It's intensely gripping, but deals with some vivid imagery that's hard to process. I'm not only referring to the violence of this novel, but just watching a young girl be so concerned about a friend and have almost no one take her seriously caused a constant lump in my throat while reading. It's emotional and hard-hitting, which makes it such an instant recommendation from me. If you're looking for a young adult contemporary to make you feel deeply and think critically about the world we live in today, Monday's Not Coming is a novel you won't want to miss. I received a copy of this book from Harper Teen for a promotion unrelated to this review. I had no obligation to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

A painfully intelligent tale of child abuse, love and best friends with a few complications but if we ignore them it was WOW, SIMPLY WOW.If you read the synopsis there is this comment by Laurie Halse Anderson "mesmerizing punch in gut" ACCURATE ! Before we begin here is trigger warning :- child abuse / homophobic comments / depiction of poverty / verbal abuse/ bullying/ torture / anxiety / trauma / parents neglect It's important to tell because I don't want any of you to experience any anxiety or emotional pain! Because I felt emotional pain so bad, I cried like literally cried my eyes out , it was so emotional and painful to see these 14 year old kids going through so much ! Plot The novel follows the story of two best friends more like soul sisters Claudia , a middle schooler suffering from dyslexia and Monday( it's a name of character and her siblings are April, Tuesday and August ), child of single household mother who is suffering from issues , Monday is smart in all aspects of life like studies, boys, partying everything !But when in year 8 Monday didn't came to school after summer breaks Claudia starts searching for her and everyone seems to act strange and nobody tells her where she is? Chapter titles It's first time I am talking about chapter titles , but the way the chapters are named it waa so innovative and creative , like I was really impressed by the revelation which will lead to discovery of why the chapters are named this way . Writing I really really liked her kinda solid way of expressing the feelings of characters. I liked how she used the specific verbals of region like use of some indegionus slangs and words. Why it is a really good y/a genre? This is something I wanted to talk about this book is so painful that while reading it my heart felt heavy and weak, it really touched me like some events of abuse were horrendously painful .I felt that Claudia was naive like my heart was shattering when she was pulled from track , like when she was going in right direction and something bad happens to her and she is again pulled back to her bubble and Monday omg right from the starting I knew something was wrong but you have to keep that burden in your heart till the end to know it ! Apart from being a really good y/a mystery book , it also give a glimpse of romance both toxic and healthy , like there were so many parallels , examples of good parenting and bad parenting , I really like how this book covered a wide range of genresThe book give us insuring lessons that are unrelatable to people but they are important to know!!I would highly highly recommend this book !

First 5 star book of the year. This was really hard to read at times but WOW was it incredible. Tiffany D. Jackson does hard-hitting contemporary like no other.TW: child abuse/neglect, miscarriage, pregnancy complications, homophobia, slut shaming

** 4.5 stars **I don't know if I'll be able to write an actual review using words. I'll try but until then I leave you this. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.Me before reading Monday's Not Coming:Please please please please PLEASE don't let this ruin me.Me once I started reading:Damn. Tiffany D. Jackson ain't easing into this?!Me getting confused by the Before, Before the Before, After, One year before the before:Wait...so does this before chapter take place right after the last before chapter?Me when shit starts to hit the fan:OH no. no. no no no no I CANT Me wanting to hug Claudia:Me when the details came out:Me at the end:DAMN. WHAT A READ.TIFFANY D JACKSON. WOW

This is my first book from Tiffany D. Jackson, and I’m super impressed. Lately I’ve been avoiding all things YA, but I’ve been recommended this book so many times I finally decided to listen to the audiobook, and I’m so glad I did. This story is heartbreaking and touching and so powerful. We follow this young girl named Claudia who’s best friend Monday goes missing, and she is trying to figure out why it seems like nobody cares.I was really intrigued by the mystery of where Monday went, but I also just really adored their friendship in this book. I also had a friendship like this in high school where you’re just really close with one person and your friendship is all consuming and without them you feel lost and like you lost a part of yourself too, so this hit really close to home in that aspect of it. This story is getting a lot of criticism because of the amount of time the author spends developing this characters in flashbacks as opposed to building the mystery, but I thought the flashbacks were great and only made me care so much more about the characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style she did with the chapters going: ‘before, after, before the before,” because it made it a little confusing at times but since I was listening to it on audio it didn’t bother me as much as it probably would have if I read it physically. The ending was shocking and I know I probably should’ve seen it coming but I didn’t, and I was nearly crying listening to the audiobook while I was driving. I can’t wait to check out more books from this author!

How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone? Allegedly scrambled my brain with a spork. Monday's Not Coming went for my heart instead. I haven't had a case of the post-book sads this bad since I finished Living Dead Girl. The book hangover is going to be real.Monday's Not Coming isn't a perfect book. The timelines can get confusing. The big twist didn't have quite the impact that Allegedly did. But the emotion beneath it all rang clear, and that's what made the book for me. Red flags.Not blush red, orange red, wine, or ruby red. No, bloody red flags. Did you see them, Claudia? Did you?Did you see any red flags? With a ripped from the headlines flare, Tiffany D. Jackson's sophomore novel has a lot of solid, potent hits. I know nothing about being a black girl growing up in DC, but the story feels real and tangible. Jackson's writing is beautiful, cause duh, I knew it would be. It's often painfully real. Claudia, her mother, and Ms. Valente all felt like spectacularly clear characters. Even if I haven't lived it, I could still feel them through the pages (or Kindle, in this case). "I want you to take a good look at this board," Carson said, his voice hardening. "Over the last few months we've had dozens of girls around here reported missing, close to fifty in one week. Alleged kidnappings when most of them just run off away from home 'cause they can't do what they want.""But shouldn't you still be looking for them anyways?" It's very much a story of failure, of cracks in an already broken system. How do you move on in life when your best friend in life is suddenly gone? Should you move on? Adolescence is hard enough without having to fight for your friend when it feels like you'll always be fighting alone.Really, the story's only big drawback for me is the timeline. When you have "before" "after" and "one year / two years before the before", it's pretty easy to get lost. It would really pull me out of my immersion when I had to pause and say, "wait, what? where / when are we right now?" And some of that is clearer later on and some isn't. But it could definitely prevent some people from getting into the book at all.Overall I'm so pleased with Monday's Not Coming, even if it did make me cry. Tiffany Jackson will continue to be an author I'll keep an eye on, (although not literally - I'm absolutely terrible at stealth).Quotations taken from digital review copy and is subject to change.Big Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for letting me read a drc!

There aren't many books out there that make me cry, that make me feel so incredibly broken. I shouldn't be surprised that Tiffany D. Jackson was able to do it with this book. She's one of the best writers in the game out the moment who deserves all the respect in the world. TW: homophobia, child abuse, miscarriage, slut shamingMonday's Not Coming is an intricate book. A book that focuses on two very heavy subjects: the unexplained disappearances of Black children and the broken system that often allows the children to slip through the cracks. The story takes place from the perspective of Claudia who worries when no one begins to notice how her best friend Monday has disappeared. As Claudia attempts to solve the mystery of her missing friend, the story unfolds layer by layer bringing the reader to a devastating conclusion. This is no easy book to read and while I, as a reader, had a small suspicion of what the story was about there is no way I could have imagined the way in which Jackson would craft this story. Although it can be quite hard to find the beauty in such a devastating story, I really appreciated the complexity of the relationship between Claudia and Monday. Their friendship is beyond the average relationship. They are soulmates, two individuals destined to be bound to each other. It is the very core of their relationship that makes the story even more heartbreaking. One interesting component of this book is that it refrains from the typically structured timeline. It is told in the "before", the "after," the "year before the before," and what appears to be a month by month timeline. For a lot of readers, this manner of structuring the story is confusing. However, I found it to be interesting especially with the plot twist. In a lot of ways, I feel like this isn't a book that can be read once to fully grasp its purpose. In my opinion, the confusion is an intentional writing tool to help the reader really empathize with Claudia's experience. Another interesting aspect of this book was the writing. I truly believe that Jackson is one of the best YA writers in the game. This is extremely evident in this novel. Claudia has this fascination with colors and while that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is extremely relevant to Jackson's character development and the lens through which Claudia sees other characters. In fact, I believe that the use of color is also utilized to portray the complex trauma that Black women often face. This trauma fundamentally changes them as people. The changing of colors while describing these women is extremely important to understanding how often Black women and girls go unnoticed while facing drama. While reading this novel, it never ceased to amaze me that Jackson was able to beautifully write something that would ultimately be so heartbreaking. I caution readers to understand that there isn't much that you can do to prepare yourself for the ending. It's sad to realize that the reality of this book is the reality of so many young black girls and women. Naturally, Jackson is an autobuy author for me and I can't wait to dive into more of her books. I highly recommend this one.

TW for child abuse, miscarriage, homophobiaThis was one of the hardest books I've ever read and it was heartbreaking as Claudia went on a journey of trying to find out what happened to her best friend, Monday. The narrative structure was very interesting and I didn't really have that hard of a time following it until the end. We would jump around Claudia's life from before Monday went missing to after and then in between. There was something that happened at the end that made the timeline harder to follow and I do wish at that point that I had picked this up physically instead of on audio so that I could pay closer attention to what time we were in. That is honestly my only complaint about this book, though. Other than that, this book is a very dark, raw story that takes a look at how society does not give these Black girls who are disappearing the justice and time they deserve. My heart broke for Claudia and Monday, especially seeing as what happened to Monday happens in our real world and it is our own fault it is happening. Be emotionally prepared to read this book because it will hit you in the gut and you won't be able to stop thinking about it any time soon.

Absolutely breathtaking book. This had me crying. Literally, I am so shook. I loved that I stumbled upon this book as Tiffany D. Jackson is now one of my favorite authors. This book had me feeling so many emotions and truly worried about how children are treated in their own homes now. I just want to take them all and love on them. As a Mom, this one was hard to read the ending. I cried, a lot. The author's writing style is absolutely going to put you in a trance. This was my first book I've read by this author but I will absolutely be reading her other books now!

I really liked this. While it does contain mystery and thriller elements, this felt more like an exploration of community relationships, classism and respectability politics. As well as the major issues that this book draws attention to, some of which are spoilers, but the obvious one is the lack of attention paid by authorities to missing black girls. This is a real issue with devastating community consequences. I was very over protective of my teenage daughter as a result.

I swear, I haven't been this continuously anxious since watching HBO's "The Night Of." This book filled me with dread, and maintained this dread almost all the way to the end. This is a story of Claudia who is searching for her best friend, her only friend, her soul sister, Monday. Only, it seems, nobody cares about Monday - not her parents, not authorities, not the school. Well, they sort of care, but every request to check for Monday's wellbeing simply falls through the cracks. Beyond that, it is a story about loneliness and a complex friendship, very well done.Listening to Monday's Not Coming also renewed my disdain for another YA mystery that I'd just read with my book club - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - where this teenager is running around cracking cold cases, confronting criminals, uncovering new evidence all while indulging in a white savior fantasy. In Monday's Not Coming, Claudia knocks on every door, tries to involve every adult she knows, just to be stopped by negligence, non-disclosure policies or plain bureaucracy. It was heartbreaking, and it was realistic.I think this novel is slightly over the top, and one of the twists should have been dropped and would have probably made this a better book. But even as it is, it is a very strong novel that introduced me to a new author whose works I am excited to follow.

I have feelings !!!4.5/5TW: child abuse, child neglect, PTSD, death of a child Wow. This was intense. Claudia and Monday are best friends, they do everything together. They love to dance, Monday does Claudia’s hair, Claudia does Monday’s nails. They’re basically sisters, they’re inseparable. Claudia spends summers in Georgia with her grandma and she and Monday always write letter back and forth over the summer. The story steers with Claudia arriving home after the summer and Monday hadn’t written to her all summer. She immediately is asking where’s Monday and no one has any answers and no one seems to care. I always a nagging feeling while reading this but couldn’t figure out what exactly happened to Monday. This was super fast paced, I think the short chapters really helped with that and I read it in 2 days. I loved that Claudia had such supportive and loving parents but they still had rules and expectations for her. I love that there was a love interest that was a smart and kind young man and not a jerk. I loved Claudia and Monday’s relationship and how they looked out for one another. Besides trying to figure out what happened to Monday, watching the emotions that Claudia goes through is so heartbreaking and stressful. It made me so anxious to turn the page because I didn’t know when she would be let down again or find out something disappointing. I loved that Jackson weaved in happy moments with Claudia and Monday with the sadder, stressful moments of looking for her. The narrative structure really kept me on my toes because it was present, past and past past if that makes sense. After finishing I have this sinking feeling in my gut because while this is a fictional story, so much rings true to real life. I don’t want to say more because the journey of this story is so important. Just be mentally prepared to read it because it can be a lot but I think it’s a book worth everyone’s time.

What a powerful book about a painful topic. Monday’s Not Coming follows Claudia, a young Black girl living in Washington D.C. whose best friend Monday goes missing. The story describes Claudia’s sorrow about Monday’s disappearance and her search for the truth about how her friend vanished. I think this book did a great job of addressing several important issues: the lack of attention paid to the violence inflicted upon Black girls, love in friendships and grief about friendships, and the impact of gentrification. Claudia has a distinct voice, the plot is tense and felt worth following, and Tiffany D. Jackson touches on topics of disability too. While the book’s shifts in timeline didn’t always make much sense to me, the overall importance of the topic and the consistent quality of writing kept me invested and impressed.

Monday’ Not Coming was utterly devastating, gripping, dark, intense and it messed with my mind on multiple levels. The various relationships and characters in this were superbly written, with voices brilliantly human and real. This had my heart beating 1000x a minute and breaking in equal measures. I will say that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the structure of the book and therefore found the timeline a little hard to follow at times. There were also some potentially harmful plot points, which was definitely a shame and I personally didn’t think those narratives, and the language used along side those, added too much to the story but those things aside, I think this is an incredibly poignant, relevant and important novel and one which was a rollercoaster from the first page and one I throughly enjoyed.TW: homophobia, ableism & fatphobia/body shaming, abuse, domestic violence

a stroke of genius. Tiffany D Jackson has easily become one of my faves

I read this book in 4 hours. It was so good and sad, I even cried. I was not expecting that plot twist at the end. Such a good book.