BOOK REVIEW: The Sky Is Everywhere – by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: March 9th 2010
Finished reading: December 29th 2015
Pages: 277

“When he plays
All the flowers swap colors
And years and decades and centuries
Of rain pour back into the sky.”

I have been wanting to read this novel ever since I finished I’ll Give You The Sun last April. Jandy Nelson has a way of writing her books that simply blows your mind: beautiful, creative, emotional, sad, funny… Her prose is a mix of all that and more. The Sky Is Everywhere is just as beautifully written as her other book. It is a terribly sad and emotional story where the main characters try to deal with Bailey’s dead; the musical elements and descriptions make this book into something truly exceptional. Why didn’t I give The Sky Is Everywhere the full five stars? I had one problem with this otherwise brilliant novel: the love triangle. I think I have become allergic to love triangles after reading too many YA novels and the Lennie-Toby-Joe triangle more than bothered me. Sure, grief can make you do unspeakable things, but still… I think I could have lived without that element. That said, if you like YA contemporary romance stories and don’t mind having to use a full box of tissues, make sure you read The Sky Is Everywhere!

After her older sister Bailey dies suddently, seventeen-year-old Lennie doesn’t know what to do with herself. She is used to be on the background, a bookwork and clarinet player, but now has nobody left to hide behind… She lives with her grandmother and uncle ever since her mother left her daughters behind to wander the world; all three of them now stunned by their grief. Bailey’s boyfriend Toby keeps visiting the family as he tries to live with his loss… And Lennie and Toby both feel they are the only ones that really understand each other’s grief. Lennie tries to continue with her life and still goes to band practice, where she meets the new boy and musical talent Joe. They slowly get to know each other, but Lennie is confused about her feelings… Her grief blinding her from making proper decisions.

The beautiful prose, musical elements and many descriptions and bits of Lennie’s writing truly make The Sky Is Everywhere into something special. I personally didn’t appreciate the love triangle, but the rest of this story is outstanding. It’s a really sad story that will probably bring tears to your eyes at some point, but this Jandy Nelson novel is without doubt worth reading if you like the genre. Recommended!

WWW Wednesdays #71 – December 30th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I have finally started reading my last TBR jar pick: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I’m still not too far into the story, but so far I’m really enjoying it… Hopefully I will magically find time to finish this read before the year is over!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Three books finished this week, and only because I managed to finish the last two yesterday…
* The first book is Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. I ended up quite enjoying the first story, but things went downhill from there…
* I then finished My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins and a bunch of other authors yesterday. I loved some stories while I didn’t really like others… But overall it was an entertaining bundle of short stories.
* Last up is The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I really like her prose and the story, although I could have done without the love triangle. It’s quite a sad read for the Holiday season though!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Now I have a copy of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, I want to start reading it ASAP! Although I might wait until after Bout Of Books 15.0 because it’s quite a long read… I also want to read The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings so I can cross of another series from my to-finish list. The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury looks like a quick read, so I might pick that one up for the read-a-thon… And Serafina And The Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is my new TBR jar pick.

WWW Wednesdays #70 – December 23rd

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below. But first: Happy Holidays!!! I hope everyone will have a wonderful time. ❤

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• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I have started reading The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson the other day and so far it’s just as good as I’ll Give You The Sun. The story is a bit sad though; not exactly the right mood just before Christmas. That’s probably why I’m going to try and finish Let It Snow by John Green today or tomorrow as well.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Four books finished since last week, although two of them were short and quick reads…
* The first book I finished is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It’s not a terrible read, but somehow this project would have been more interesting if it was about someone with a less privileged life and more interesting goals… I don’t mind the author wanting to be happier, but she did come over as a tad arrogant.
* I then picked up my last pending ARC of 2015: Rough Roads With Reckless Drivers by Lara Pass. A short read, which was probably the only reason why I actually finished it because it wasn’t good at all. More details in the upcoming review…
* I also finished Memories by Lang Leav; a collection of poems and thoughts that wasn’t necessarily bad, but I just couldn’t relate to the sad broken relationship poems…
* The last book I finally finished is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, a book I have been wanting to read for too long now. I really enjoyed it and it’s definitely a lot better than the Wolves Of Mercy Falls series, but I did have some minor issues with it.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I want to try and read My True Love Gave To Me before the Holidays are over, and I have been wanting to read The Young Elites by Marie Lu as well. I might pick up The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury as well and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is still my latest TBR jar pick.

Teaser Tuesdays #73 – December 22nd: The Sky Is Everywhere

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at A Daily Rhythm. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

I’ve started another book on my December TBR the other day: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I haven’t been having a lot of spare time to read because of the upcoming Holidays, but hopefully I will be able to find time soon! I really loved her other novel I’ll Give You The Sun, so I’m looking forward to continue this one.

My teaser (14%):

“I’m in self-imposed exile, cradled between split branches, in my favorite tree in the woods behind school. I’ve been coming her every day at lunch, hiding out until the bell right, whittling words into the branches with my pen, allowing my heart to break in private.”

What are you reading right now?

BOOK REVIEW: I’ll Give You The Sun – by Jandy Nelson

Title: I’ll Give You The Sun
Author: Jandy Nelson
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: September 16th 2014
Finished reading: April 20th 2015
Pages: 371

“Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of people,” I say. “Maybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time.” Hauling them in as we make choices, good and bad, as we screw up, step up, lose our minds, find our minds, fall apart, fall in love, as we grieve, grow, retreat from the world, dive into the world, as we make things, as we break things.”

I’ve seen this book around everywhere since it first got published last year… So when I finally bought myself a copy of I’ll Give You The Sun, I decided it was just about time I finally read it. The cover alone convinced me I needed to read this novel, and the fact that it belongs to the glbt genre is a bonus. I needed a *We Need Diverse Books title for my Bookish Bingo challenges, and this novel by Jandy Nelson turned out to be a great choice. The prose is so colorful and radiant and awesome in general! I loved the main characters; both twins have such interesting personalities and I loved the fact that Jandy Nelson included so many art references. Sure, the prose can take a while to get used to and I can definitely understand it’s not for everybody, but I personally found it brilliant. I have so many quotes highlighted! I’ll Give You The Sun gives you a littlebit of everything; drama, love, death… And quite a few funny moments as well. Definitely recommended for those who enjoy reading YA contemporary!

Jude and her twin brother Noah used to be really close, but something happened when they were thirteen that changed both of them forever and drifted them apart. Noah used to be an artsy nerdy boy with an amazing drawing talent, while Jude was the daredevil of the two and way more outgoing. Then something changed… And at the age of sixteen, they seem to have switched places and personalities. Jude got accepted in the art school Noah didn’t get in, and Noah decided to ignore his intimate feelings and pretend he isn’t gay. They both tell us their story, but it shows that they have not interpreted all the facts the right way. Only when they decide to forgive each other and improve their relationship will they find out the complete truth about what happened three years ago…

It took me a while to get used to the prose, but when I did I was blown away by it. It’s so colorful, artsy and creative at times that it almost seems Jandy Nelson is painting with words. I loved both Jude and Noah as a character… And the plot is interesting as well. This novel is without doubt worth reading and the prose is simply brilliant. I’ll Give You The Sun goes straight to my reread list, and I will try to check out her other novel as well!

WWW Wednesdays #36 – April 22nd

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I started reading The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand the other day and even though it is an interesting read, it’s so sad at the same time! I needed a break from all the sadness before actually finishing it, so I’ve started reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell last night as well. I’m not too far into the story yet, but so far it delivers.

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished reading I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson the other day, a novel that has been on my radar for a while now and I’m glad I’ve finally read it. The prose is really colorful to say the least, and the story itself interesting. A full review will follow shortly! I’ve also read Evensong by Krista Walsh, a novel that had a promising blurb but ended up being a huge disappointment…

• What do you think you’ll read next?

As I’m trying to complete my Ready For Spring Bingo chart as soon as possible, I’m probably going to read Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead next (Forgotten Fridays Pick). I’m not sure I will end up liking that one, but I will give it a go… Either that or I will read Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows first so I can finally finish my HP series reread. (Also part of the bingo chart… A reread.)