Early Departures audiobook

"I'll always be with you, I'm everywhere you are."I am officially a puddle of mush. If there is one lesson I took away from this book, it's that we should make every moment count, because we never know how long we have with the people that we love. Sure, that's easier said than done, and "living life to the fullest" sounds like one of those sayings people have plastered on a piece of reclaimed wood hanging in their kitchen, but there is so much truth in these words. While reading this book, I was reminded that yes, we all screw up from time to time, and we don't always make a point to focus on the important things in the day to day grind, but perhaps if we made more of an effort to prioritize people and relationships, there wouldn't be quite as many regrets on both ends when people pass. Gripping, with swells of emotion and unexpected suspense, Early Departures took me by surprise, and I highly recommend anyone with a heart, whether you're a teenager or a grandparent, to give this quietly powerful novel a read. *Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

Thank you Katherine Tegen Books for the gifted review copy!When I say Justin A. Reynolds is one of my favorite authors, I mean he's one of my favorite authors. No questions asked. I read Opposite of Always last year and it was one of my favorite books! This was definitely no exception. I've come to expect two things from Justin A. Reynolds. A lot of laughing and a lot of crying. I mean I finished the book I ended my day happy and sad all at the same time.The book is contemporary but has a bit of a sci-fi feel to it as well. I'll admit one thing. I loved Opposite of Always so much that I added this book as soon as I saw it without even really reading the synopsis. Like I had a faint idea but nothing really concrete. And there I am, reading the book and then I get hit with this little sci-fi moment and I'm a little surprised and all intrigued. Anyways, this was a very wholesome story. We've all had those friendships that we wish had gone different and what do you do when you get a second chance?Jamal had to address a lot of things in this one. It wasn't easy to have gone through what he has and it consumed him in a way. I was really rooting for him and Q to reconcile. There were so many scenes that I absolutely loved. Jamal is such a sweet person and him and Q being friends just made my heart squeeze. The story was incredibly sad and I teared up way too many times for it to be normal, but it was also a very beautiful story. I finished the book feeling sad but also content. I'll be honest I still don't have enough words to describe this book and my brain hasn't processed everything yet. There's so much about finding family and realizing the people who always have your back. There was so much growth and love and that's honestly all I wanted. I will add one last thing, if you want a story that captivates and makes you feel everything then this is it. Please do yourselves a favor and add this on Goodreads and pre-order a copy!

If it's anything like Opposite of Always, I'm here for it.

“How are we supposed to leave the past behind, if it doesn’t leave us too?” Thank you to Epic Reads and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.I... honestly don't know if I've ever cried so hard while reading a book. When I tell you I was bawling for the final 40 pages, I mean literally, tears were streaming down my face so hard, I had trouble reading.But, to be clear—it was in the best way possible. Early Departures was emotional, raw, thought-provoking, and so worth reading. “Sometimes it’s the things that don’t happen that haunt us hardest.” ❧ Characters - Definitely the strongest part of the book. Jamal was a very believable main character with a solid voice, and my heart really ached for Q; their dynamic was so real, and I loved how their friendship persisted through their ups and downs. Autumn, Whit, and Ms. B were wonderfully-written characters as well.❧ Writing - So unique. Justin A. Reynolds's writing shone from the very first page and kept me gripped until the end. Every sentence was masterfully created, and there were also so many gems of life wisdom sprinkled in, making the narration sound that much more authentic—I'm really impressed.❧ Story - Ouuuch. This story really got to me. It feels weird to say I enjoyed it when it actually reached into my body and twisted my heart, but that just shows how good it was. Jamal's journey and inner conflicts were so honest and true, and the sprinkle of magical realism was the perfect way to explore a thought that everyone has had (or will have) at some point in our lives—what if I had another chance to say goodbye? The messages throughout the book explored this beautifully❧ Story pt.2 - Okay, so my rating might technically be a 4.5 or 4.75 stars, because I was really unsure about the whole reanimation thing for the first part of the book. The story got pretty technical/clinical with some of the details, which I felt took away from the whimsicality of the magical realism aspect a little, but I did get into it eventually. And everything came together by that ending, which just truly obliterated me to the point that I really can't even go back and complain. :) Overall: Early Departures really made me think about best friendship and the time I'm spending on this Earth and many other philosophical things. Like I said though—in the best way. Jamal and Q's story will definitely stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend, but have tissues prepared!

How do you live your life if you knew you only have a few days left on earth?In this book, Jamal Anderson has been angry with his best friend Quinn for 2 years after a call from his friend led to the death of Jamal's parents.When an accident occurs in which Quinn passes away, the world of Jamal and Quinn's mother falls apart. In the hospital, they discover that there is a place called the Center in which they revive or reanimate a person for several days so that their loved ones can say their goodbyes.Jamal sees this as an opportunity to fix things with his friend and also be able to say goodbye to Quinn.This book was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. It is a reminder of the little control we have in life situations and that despite everything we must live the best we can without any regret.As Quinn says: "We only get a finite amount of time, don waste it with regrets, don't waste a second".4 stars for meThanks to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

this book was so good!!! the way that the chapters were written in like a ‘countdown’ format (it started on chapter 100 or so and ended on chapter 1), and the entire concept of the story were so well written. my only complaint is that the first half of the book was kind of confusing and i didn’t really know what was going on until the middle, but that may have just been because i was reading fast. solid 4.5/5!

Beautifully written and brimming with raw emotion, Justin Reynolds has once again proved his stories, characters and talent to be true gifts to the world.

My first book from Justin Reynolds and I am a fan! I was pleasantly surprised on how amazing this book was. I read this book without first reading what it’s about and I stayed away from early reviews. This book tackled the subject matter of loss and grief with a speculative twist and scientific element to answer theoretical questions about life and death, bending the stages of grief, and a creative plot that addresses families, friendships and love. The writing was beautiful and deep, characters complex - a fantastic contemporary YA read I highly recommend!

Another amazing book by Justin A. Reynolds that I read in a day! His writing is so funny and so interesting that I can’t stop reading it. I feel like I can really connect with the characters and his writing is a just a little bit outside of reality that it keeps me guessing. Can’t wait to see what he puts out next!

Jamal and Q used to be tight, to the point where they made videos together as a comedy duo. But then Jamal's parents died, and he blamed Q. Now, two years later, Jamal sees Q drowning and tries to save him. Though he fails, the doctors say they can reanimate Q for short period time in an experimental procedure so he can say his good-byes. Q's mother doesn't want Jamal to tell Q that his life is going to be cut short (again), but Q doesn't remember drowning, and he's confused about why Jamal wants to make amends. Because Jamal does want to make things right... but how can he be honest with Q about his feelings but now about why?My coworker was telling me about this book and it sounded so fascinating - a lot like Adam Silvera's books where it's a contemporary story with a slight sci-fi twist to it. I loved how this was all about friendship and how fluid friendship can be, how strong even after something that seemed to have destroyed it. I think I was expecting it to be a lot heavier and darker, considering that it involves death and a sort of Frankenstein-esque experiement, but because Jamal and Q are comedians, these elements are handled lightly, and retains the focus on recapturing a past friendship and remembering the good times. The concept was great and really hit home in a lot of ways.

Super lovely. Its an amazing examination of grief, depression and forgiveness. With such a heavy topic Mr Reynolds treated these topics with care and tenderness. I was able to both cry and laugh and in the end my heart was filled with love.

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight Ah, it's another book in which I don't know how to do it justice because it was that fabulous, but again, I'll do my best! Early Departures is such a beautiful story of family, friendship, love, and loss. It was seriously one of the most moving books I have ever read, frankly.Jamal has been through it. He's currently living with his pregnant sister after his parents died in a tragic car accident. He's alienated from his best friend, Q, because Jamal blames Q for his parents' accident, and in turn, Q feels abandoned by Jamal. It's so, so messy, because both young men have been through hell and back, and they need each other more than ever.And then, at a random summer party, Q drowns. Jamal tries his hardest to save him, but by the time they get him to the hospital, it's too late. Only, Q's mom is given an option: Bring Q back, but only for a few days, or weeks at most. And as most moms would, she accepts. But here's the catch: Q won't remember the moments before his death.So, Jamal, his sister Whit, his girlfriend Autumn, and Quincy and his mom set out to make Quincy's remaining time the best it can be. At first, it's only Quincy's mom and Jamal who know the truth, and the others are just so glad to have these best friends reunited that they're game. And as lies do, this one overwhelms Jamal at times.But ultimately, Jamal realizes that while he has lost a lot, he also has a lot, too. He is finally ready to share memories and traditions he'd had with his parents, and he finds a new family in this group of people who love him so, so fiercely. And while he is all too aware that he'll lose Quincy again soon, he now has so many beautiful memories to take with him. It's a journey for Jamal, a healing journey, that teaches him that he is still very much alive, and while he will always hold those who have passed close to him, he also has a lot of living people who will be there for him unconditionally. Bottom Line:  This is such a wonderfully emotive and moving book; and while I cried (hard), I smiled in equal measure. A true gem.

This book feels like a friend finding you alone and lost, taking you by the shoulders, and shaking you awake. You awaken from a long, dark and all encompassing daze of sadness, only to find yourself crying with joy in a warm, loving hug that eventually, although it has saved you from despair, has to end.*** to any concerned friends reading this review, I am not the said person in despair, I’m being hypothetical, im all good tucked up in bed in my Star Wars pjs with a peppermint tea thinking how fab this book was, don’t sound the alarm ***I am clearly very emotional about this book, MUCH like I was after finishing the Opposite of Always.As always with Reynolds’ reads, I feel at the ripe age of 25 that I’m hella old, and no longer understand how teenagers speak to each other. When did I stop relating with teenage characters and start relating to the PARENTS instead!? Tragic scenes.Full of absolute cheese moments in a way only Reynolds writing style can get away with, the story was interesting and warm and loving and heartbreaking all at the same time. Pick this book up!

I’m going to start this review with a warning, get the tissues at the ready. You will need them. You will definitely need them. I did. I needed them. A lot of them. Forever Ends on Friday is a book that I really enjoyed. There’s a lot to connect with, with wonderful characters and a heartbreaking story. It’s the kind of book you pick up and struggle to put down. One of the highlights of this book is the connection between the characters that Justin creates. They are so sincere and heartfelt. I loved the friendship between Jamal and Q, like I said you can really feel the connection between them. But there’s also the relationship between Jamal and Autumn. Jamal and his sister, Q and his mum. Honestly they all had such depth to them. They really grounded the novel. Forever Ends On Friday deals with really heavy subject matter but its all dealt with, with real honesty and emotion. There are some really emotional moments, which I know you’d expect from a book surrounding death, but because you really grow to care for the characters it makes it worse. If you’d like to know where I ugly cried (yes obviously I ugly cried) it was the conversation between Q and his mum. Oh I’m was so sad! So, so sad. But please don’t think you’ll read this book and be depressed after finishing it, there’s at times some real light-hearted ness to the book. With the romance between Jamal and his sister and Jamal and Autumn, they provide some real funny and sweet moments. It will also have you asking yourself some questions, would you bring someone back from the dead if you could, for a short while? Would you tell them what happened and they didn’t have long left? I know it’s something I’ve been thinking about after reading it. Forever Ends On Friday is a really enjoyable contemporary, with a hint of sci-fi that I really enjoyed, that will tug at your heartstrings and remind you what truly important in life. You’ll treasure your friends and loved ones after this. I can’t recommend this book enough. Thank you so much to Amber at MyKindaBook for my gifted copy, in return for an honest, unbiased review. And thanks for having me on the blog tour. It’s out now.

**A huge thank you to Pan Macmillan for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review. “We were better than blood because we’d chosen our brotherhood. Because we kept choosing, time and again.”“It’s confusing — how your heart holds your love and your hurt in the same chamber.”This book has taught me to grasp every moment and to just live life to the fullest with no regrets. It reminded me of how little control we have over situations in life. I love love love that the focus of this book was the friendship. It was kinda refreshing actually – the whole second chance at friendship instead of the usual second chance at a romantic relationship. The romantic relationships were there but it was never at the forefront of the story. I also really loved the found family that was created between Jamal, Whit, Quincy, Autumn and Quincy’s mom. I liked pretty much all of the characters. They were amazing yet flawed which made them very real. One aspect of the book that didn’t quite sit right with me was how lightning quick it took to mend the friendship between Jamal and Quincy and how they seemed to instantly go back to normal after not being friends for two years! Another thing I found a little unrealistic is how quick Quincy came to terms with dying and just accepted his ill fate after thinking it over for what seemed like less than an hour.Forever Ends on Friday is a great exploration of depression, loss, grief and forgiveness. Overall it was a unique and interesting story that was heartbreaking, warm and also heartwarming at the same time. “... Carpe Diem is, and will always be, about family. And family isn’t only what you’re born into. Some family you’re given, and some family you choose.”“But the best way to make things right is to ask the person how you can. And then follow through on that. You’re only helpful to someone if what you do actually helps. Otherwise you’re just making yourself feel better and that’s what ice cream’s for.”

This book is the perfect combo of punch-you-in-the-heart feels, pacy plot, and sharp, vivid characters, with a light sci-fi element that ties everything together. I couldn’t read it fast enough.