[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.
This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.
Review:
This is another book that sounded like it was totally my thing, but I ended up being underwhelmed even though everyone else seems to adore it. Perhaps it's because I've read way too many "someone died and now the rest of us have to deal grieve and deal with all our other problems" books, but I never felt a need to finish the book. I put it down easily and wasn't totally invested in the story, but I did end up enjoying it.
I appreciated that instead of flashbacks, Lennie and Bailey's relationship was revealed in a more subtle way. Instead of the million flashbacks other dead-people-and-grief books use, their relationship was discussed in poems, very short memories, and through other people. Though I felt at times there was so much more to their relationship than what was shown, I was glad the book focused more on what Lennie was going through now and didn't get stuck in the past. It makes the book stand out a bit among all the other dead-people-and-grief books.
I never really understood what the whole Lennie/Toby thing was. Toby wasn't in the book THAT much and therefore I never really knew what his deal was. I knew why he was sad, why he did some of the things he did, but he always seemed so emotionless. (But perhaps that was intended since he is grieving and all.) To me, it just seemed like he would show up, stir up trouble, then go away again. His actions did provide some interesting plot twists and action, but I never really fully understood him. I did, however, like Lennie and Joe. Joe was sweet yet easily stubborn, endearing yet annoying, and made complete sense. He was incredibly realistic and provided many laughs. I was often frustrated by Lennie because she was so freaking impulsive; she knew she shouldn't do some of stupid things she did but she did them anyway. I wanted to hit her with something, but I also saw what her motivations were, which made my angry feelings not SO bad.
The writing and most of the characters in The Sky is Everywhere were lovely, but it felt a bit emotionless at times, and I think I've read too many other books with similar premises to really appreciate it.
(See, this is the problem with liking contemporary books more than fantasy. Most contemporary books have to have a dead person, so I end up really not caring about "grief" books. Give me more Paisley Hanover and Georgia Nicolson!)
Book details: Dial/Hardcover/$17.99
Links: Jandy's website
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