Every Other Weekend

by Abigail Johnson

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

It's not where they want to be, but rather, where they have to be. Court orders and parental visitation schedules brought Jolene and Adam together every other weekend, and what started as a sort of punishment, quickly turned into something they both began looking forward to.

I am a H U G E Abigail Johnson fan. She just knows how to write a family drama, that hits all the right notes for me, and she has done so once again with Every Other Weekend.

This book was heartbreaking....

Both Adam and Jolene were struggling with some serious issues.

Adam was still mourning the loss of his oldest brother, while trying to deal with his family, who were trapped in the throes of grief. His pain manifested as anger, and led to some unnecessary family drama.

Jolene was also angry, but with good reason. She had been neglected by her parents, and simply served as a pawn in their ugly divorce. Her story caused me physical pain, because it was hard to believe that people could be this cruel and uncaring.

This book was about family....

These broken families had a profound affect on Adam and Jolene, however, their family situations were vastly different.

Adam, though he couldn't necessarily always see it, was very lucky to be part of a loving and caring family. The members of his family were each dealing with their pain in their own way, but it was easy to see that they were not irreparably broken. There were some really beautiful and heartwarming moments shared between and among the Moynihans, and it was lovely the way they would prop each other up at times.

Whereas Jolene's family was fractured and beyond healing. The environment at her mother's home was toxic, and her father's constant absence left Jolene to wade through her issues all on her own, which led to some bad decisions and bad situations.

This book was about healing....

Adam and his family could not move past his brother's death. They were running in place, while drowning in their sorrow. Their time apart was a catalyst for change, which slowly, so slowly, pushed each of them to confront their pain and look to one another for comfort.

By trusting in Adam, Jolene began to open herself up to others as well. Once she began to invite more people into her life, she was able to recognize the precious few, who were really on her side, and she began to believe that she was worth being loved.

This book was about finding your "person"....

The best parts of this book, for me, focused on the friendship between Adam and Jolene. Adam was so sweet and tender, and though there were some missteps along the way, I always knew he had a special place in his heart for Jolene. He showed her that she was valued, important, wanted, and loved. And, she was just as important for him as he was for her. They were each other's quiet in the storm, the person they could take refuge in. They grew right alongside each other, every other weekend, and it was beautiful seeing the changes in them.

This book was about new beginnings....

By the end of the book, Adam and Jolene were in a much better place, and the ending put a smile on my face. There were still things that needed to be resolved in their lives, but I was so hopeful for Adam, for his family, and also, for Jolene.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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