Now & When

by Sara Bennett Wealer

[shannonmiz]

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

4.5*

I found this to be quite the adorable book! Upfront, I will tell you that people have been and will be irked by some cheating. And without going into it too deeply, I'll be quite clear that it didn't bother me. Look, I am not saying that cheating is awesome, or the right thing to do, but humans make mistakes. And I think this book illustrated that it isn't a great plan, the character felt terrible, apologized, and moved on.

Actually, I lied, I am going to delve deeper. Here's my thing: Skylar is a young woman who always wants to be perfect. And she makes a mistake clearly. But I seriously want to find someone who hasn't made a poor choice, or a decision they regretted, or felt bad about. Because we all have. And saying "well she sucks" because of an indiscretion? What message does that send? I will probably post about this more in depth and move along, but those are my two cents.

Beyond that, the book is just plain fun. I mean, an Instagram link on a glitchy phone that shows you your future photos? So clever! And I worried that it could be either adorable or hokey, and luckily it was adorable. And it brings up so many questions! Would you want to know your future? What would you do with this information?

And it isn't only a romance! The book focuses mostly on Skylar and her friends growing and changing and trying to decipher who they want to be. There's also a focus on mental health, as one of Skylar's best friends has been struggling. I liked that the author provides a lot of discussion, and portrays it as a great learning moment for Skylar to understand and support her friend appropriately. Skylar also has to navigate family issues as well as general coming-of-age decisions.

Bottom Line: While it's packaged as a enemies-to-lovers romance (and that is accurate), it's also so much more. It's a story about a young woman figuring out who she is and who she wants to become, with an enjoyable romance in the mix.