Author: Jen Malone


Tuesday, July 09, 2019

Review: The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone

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I received this book for free from HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Arrival of Someday by Jen MaloneThe Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone
Published by HarperTeen on July 23rd 2019
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: HarperTeen
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four-stars

In this heartfelt and emotionally candid contemporary YA, author Jen Malone delves into the life of a teen whose world is brought to an abrupt halt when she learns she’s in dire need of an organ transplant.

Hard-charging and irrepressible eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away—and that’s while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. They don’t call her Rolldemort for nothing! What she couldn’t see coming, however, was the unexpected flare-up of a rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it’s the only thing she—and everyone around her—can think about.

With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia’s been sure of—like her college plans, the mural she’d been commissioned to paint, or the possibility of one day falling in love—has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she’s desperate to avoid.

Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it’s easy to forget about what’s lurking underneath the lightness of their time together. It’s easy to feel alive when all signs point elsewhere. On the other hand, with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling couldn’t last forever. But what can?

The Arrival of Someday is a very emotional, very realistic novel that has all of the feels – yet has so much charm and wit that you won’t help but find yourself falling in love with all of its characters, no matter the gloom that follows the story. 

Amelia was born with a liver disease that hasn’t ever been an issue until now. Until its become so very real, so very scary, very fast. From the very first page I loved Amelia’s voice. Her personality and wit makes it impossible to dislike her. She’s got a lot of crap to deal with, and you can feel her anger, her despair, and also her passion for life. She wants to live, she has so many plans, so many wants and hopes. The emotional aspect of this story is a kind of slow burn that you get to experience it with Amelia You find yourself feeling all the same ups and downs of this unfair situation.

Amelia is not the only character you’ll get to love. Her family plays a big role in this story, and each of them will carve their way into your heart as well. Her dad was my favorite with his dorky jokes and fun-loving spirit. He offered some much needed comic relief that gave the book a perfect amount of light-heartedness. Her brother was also a good character even though he was present mostly indirectly via phone calls and Words With Friends plays. Aside from family, Amelia’s best friend, Sibby, is a great character with a big personality and a ton of presence in this story. She goes through the same emotional turmoil as Amelia but in her own way that doesn’t necessarily mesh well with her friend at first. I loved that this whole cast was such a big part of the story. It gave it a lot of depth and plenty of heart. There’s also a dash of romance that makes it all so bittersweet – but romance is not the essence of the story. Don’t expect The Fault In Our Stars type of romantic tragedy in here. 

Intensely poignant and heartbreaking, The Arrival of Someday, while being an incredibly compelling story, also touches on an important subject matter that helps raise awareness to the fact that we all have the ability to save a life. Being an organ donor can give someone like Amelia a second chance. I recommend this to every contemporary YA fan!

four-stars

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