Friday, 25 February 2011

Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Author

Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group:Young Adult
Publisher: Walker AUS
Release Date: June 2010

Format: Paperback, 368 pages
ISBN-13: 9781406326307
RRP: $24.95 AUD
Source: Thank you to the publisher, who provided this book for an honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.
Cover love? This blue is so pretty, calm and peaceful. It's such a unique, and simple cover, but stunning.





Synopsis

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.


Review

This book is not like the others – literally. My UK copy is bound in a soft textured cover with a piece of elastic that keeps it close, much like a journal. The text is a blue colour, and scattered throughout the story are fully-coloured poems by Lennie herself, written on random surfaces. Absolutely gorgeous.


As for the story, I read it entirely in one sitting and spent the rest of the day in a happy, bubbly mood as the aftereffects of this extraordinary book washed over me. The writing is poetic and evocative and beautiful, and I drank all the words along with the emotion they brought. Jandy Nelson is a master of words – she can truly write and her choice of words is perfect.


The ultimate power of this book is the emotions that it evokes in readers – I felt upset, shocked, betrayed, overjoyed, heartbroken, confused, you name it. Lennie and her relationships with Joe and Toby are so raw and powerful and refreshing. I cried in so many places.


Easily one of the most enchanting, captivating novels I have ever read, The Sky Is Everywhere took my breath away with its honesty, sadness and beauty. I am determined not to spoil anything, lest I take away from the impact of reading the book, but this book is definitely an all-time favourite, and the reason why I love contemps.

Rating:



Links:
The Sky is Everywhere Official Website | The Sky is Everywhere at Walker AUS | Jandy Nelson's Website | Goodreads

Comments (25)

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Love the review Tina! I ordered The Sky is Everywhere last week so hopefully it should be arriving soon because I want to get reading it sounds amazing, oh how I love a good contemporary book.
Great new website Tina! Well done!
Well done, Tina. Beautifully written book review... I've had a great time looking over your blog and will be back soon. Please come see me sometime...I'd appreciate an eval. from you! :]

Deb/TheBookishDame http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.com
you've done such a fabulous job on this review Tina! (you always do actually :)

I loved this one as well!

xo Nomes
Yes! Perfectly said, Tina. :) Loved this book. I'm hoping to slowly reread my favourites every now and then, just to re-live those moments.
'Easily one of the most enchanting, captivating novels I have ever read,'

with such an endorsement, how can i not pick it up? beautiful review
i can't wait to read this. i've been meaning to for a while, but now i'll have to get my hands on a copy soon.
amazing review.
This was my favourite YA in 2010, absolutely breathtaking! Love your review :)
tori pakizer's avatar

tori pakizer · 734 weeks ago

I love it when authors nail emotion. Reading about your reaction and that you read it in one sitting will ensure that I check this book out.
Nice review dear!
This book looks really good and I love the cover! :)
Ros read this one and loved it, so I can't wait to get to it. :)
And how awesome is it? I love the journal-y feel of the whole book. Awesome.

Wonderful review Tina... I miss you! We need to catch up soon. (:
Cute site! from one blogger with a heart rating system to another!
wonderful review for a wonderful book, this was one of my favourite reads last year :)
Wonderful review :) Thanks for this, looks very interesting.

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Hi,

I'm Kate Evangelista, author of Taste, and I just wanted to take this time to introduce myself. If you have the time, please stop by The Coffee Bar by using the link below:
http://kateevangelistanovels.blogspot.com/

I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Kate
Have to say you have a lovely blog here and your layout is so pretty! I adored this book, gosh it was just amazing. Glad that it affected you too. :)
Great review! Looks like a very unique, sweet book. Thank you for sharing!

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
I've been hearing a lot of glowing reviews of this one lately -- I think it's time I picked it up!
l love the sound of this book! It sounds like a really sweet one too and not a normal PB book.
What an awesome review Tina! So glad I found you on the Web-- I am definitely adding this book to my TBR list. I really like how your review is able to say so much in a brief space, you really captured some of the powerful aspects of this book in a way that is very readable-- I am just commenting on this because I just started a book blog myself (about a week ago!! 2 reviews already :) and I am always on the lookout for book-blogger styles that I admire.

So thank-you, and I am now a follower! If you have the chance, check out my new book blog, LC's Adventures in Libraryland and let me know what you think, I am always up for opinions to make it better :) I look forward to reading more of your reviews in the future!
Thank you for the review. Sounds like a good read.
Ann
Just stoppin' by to say hello ... hope all is well.
Great review! You have a fabulous blog! I’m an author and illustrator and I made some awards to give to fellow bloggers whose sites I enjoy. It’s not a pass on award. This is just for you to keep. I want to award you with the Best Books Blog Award for all the hard work you do! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review all these books for us authors and readers.

Go to http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html and pick up your award.
~Deirdra

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