ARC Review: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Available: Now
Reading Level: Young Adult






5 out of 5 Stars








Description from Goodreads:


Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.


Favorite Quote:

I know the expression love bloomed is metaphorical, but in my heart in this moment, there is one badass flower, captured in time-lapse photography, going from bud to wild radiant blossom in ten seconds flat.

My thoughts:


When I think of The Sky Is Everywhere the first word that pops into my mind is beautiful. Absolutely, beautiful! This is the kind of book that makes you want to get out a highlighter, and deface the pages by marking all the quotes you want to enjoy again and again. 


A story of loss, grief, love, betrayal, and growing up. It will make you cry during one paragraph and laugh the next. Lennie and Bailey seemed to be about as close as sisters can be. When Bailey dies suddenly Lennie is lost. It has always been her and her big sister. She is left feeling like no one can possibly understand. She closes off. Rejects her family and friends attempts at consolation. Even when she begins to fall for Joe she can’t help but to fixate on how things would be if Bailey were still alive. She starts to feel like Toby is the only one who can possibly relate to her grief. Things between the two get out of hand, and the guilt flows. Even with Joe’s affections known she can’t stay away from Toby. A bad idea, Lennie. A very bad idea. Her only constant seems to be the poems she scrawls on any usable writing space. Paper, books, benches, walls are all a canvas for Lennie’s feelings. This may be more therapeutic than Lennie even realizes.


The characters were extraordinarily unique. Lennie, Uncle Big, and Gram made me long to be part of the eccentric Walker family. I want Sarah to be my BFF, while beautiful Joe Fontaine speaks french and bats his length defying lashes at me.This is the kind of novel you need to savor. Relish in each word like it’s the last you’ll ever read. A stunning debut. I’m eagerly anticipating what Ms. Nelson will bring us next.


While I absolutely adored The Sky is Everywhere, please keep in mind it does contain language and situations that might be a little heavy for the younger teen crowd.

Source: IBT