What Happens Now

by Jennifer Castle

Ari, working to overcome depression, enters into a summer romance with Camden, a boy she has long admired from afar.

• ISBN10: 0062250477
• ISBN13: 9780062250476
• Publish Date: 7 June 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

She watched him from afar for an entire summer, and dreamed of what being with this fun and fancy-free boy would be like. When the two finally connected, there were sparks, and Ari was finally getting her opportunity to live out those dreams, but as expected, real life did not mimic fantasy life.

Ari had been dealing with her mental health, and was still learning about herself and her depression. I appreciated her struggle, and all the time and effort she put into trying to understand it herself. Her backsliding and self doubts were realistic, and it was great to see her actively working through her issues in an honest way.

I also loved the idea of embracing The Possibility. Crawling out from her depression was not easy, and it was a daily struggle for Ari, but she showed this willingness to take chances and try new things, and there may have been setbacks and failures, but she began to see the positive takeaways from it all. That showed a lot of growth and maturity.

There was also an exploration of complicated family dynamics. Ari was part of a blended family. She had a rather wonderful step-father, a half sister, who was somewhat high maintenance, but adoring, and a mother, who was emotionally distant. The road to understanding her mother was rocky and frustrating, but I did accept that it was an important part of Ari's healing process.

In-between all the healing and family drama, there was cosplay, teen antics, and a rather sweet romance. Don't get me wrong, this union was not without it's bumps. Ari had fallen for the idea of Camden the summer before she ever really spoke to him. She had this idea of him, which was not necessarily congruent with reality. But, getting to know this lonely, complicated boy, who was just looking to be a part of something, was a HUGE part of Ari getting to know herself better. There were some painful moments, but it was all a meaningful part of her journey.

Overall: A thoughtful and sensitive look at depression, first love, and complicated family dynamics.

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[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
3.5*

True story, I needed this book from the minute I saw the cover. But I am so glad that I read it, for much more than the outside! Ari's story was a lovely one of trying to pull herself out of depression, and regain her life, all while navigating family, friends, love, and life.

Things I Loved:

• The depiction of Ari's depression and mental health. Ari had been having a really bad time, but things had been slowly getting better. This wasn't a "quick fix" situation, but we start the story after Ari had been seeing someone to help with her mental illness. She still had moments of ups and downs, and still was feeling the pull of her depression all the time. It was portrayed as a constant struggle, and I liked that level of accuracy.


• The friendships! While there is a romantic storyline in the book, I liked the friendship element even more. When Ari begins to see Camden, she also ends up befriending his friends. I think it was great to see Ari not just as a tagalong of Camden, but an actual friend in the group. She also has a best friend from pre-Camden, which is nice. It's fun seeing her try to juggle the friend groups, just like any teen would.


• Family dynamics play a huge role. I daresay we are seeing more of the family involvement in YA, lately, and I LOVE IT. Ari's family is both messy and wonderful. Her stepdad is the actual best. I love him and I am so glad that he was in Ari's life. Ari's mom isn't the best support figure, so I was glad she had the stepfather to help her along. And she has a sister, who she loves, but is also annoyed by from time to time, which is so realistic, of course.


• The realism of the relationship. Camden was in no way sent in to "fix" Ari. Or she him. Basically, they have some... interesting (and at times, troubling) dynamics, but I liked that he wasn't just some plot device thrown in to "make Ari not depressed".


• The fandom/cosplay. Gah, this was fun! There was this show, Silver Arrow, which had been around forever, and then there was a reboot... anyway, as it turned out, Ari had been a huge fan forever, and then so were Camden and his gang, so they got to do all kinds of fun fandom things, and dressed up as characters and such. It was just a fun addition to the story, and I liked that the show had a meaning to Ari behind just liking it.

What I didn't:

• I do wish a bit more of the story had been devoted to Ari's recovery. Granted, I understand that not all of a story needs to revolve around the depression, but since she wasn't really doing great, I think there could have been a bit more exploration in the way of treatment.


• While I don't think that Camden and Ari's relationship was portrayed irresponsibly, I just didn't love it. At first it was cute, but then as the book progressed, I wanted Ari to ditch him and go cosplay with her new friends. Is that bad?

Bottom Line: Overall, a really sweet story about family, friendship, and first loves. I would have liked a bit more emphasis on Ari getting treatment, but I think that her depression was accurately portrayed.

*Copy provided by publisher for review