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    Opposite of Always
    Opposite of Always
    Opposite of Always
    Audiobook10 hours

    Opposite of Always

    Written by Justin A. Reynolds

    Narrated by Nile Bullock

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “One of the best love stories I’ve ever read.” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give

    “Read this one, reread it, and then hug it to your chest.”  —Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

    Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green.

    When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.

    But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.

    Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind.

    Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKatherine Tegen Books
    Release dateMar 5, 2019
    ISBN9780062886460
    Opposite of Always
    Author

    Justin A. Reynolds

    Justin A. Reynolds has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut YA novel, was an Indies Introduce selection and a School Library Journal Best Book and has been translated into nineteen languages. His second YA novel, Early Departures, was a Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of the Year. His debut middle grade, a Miles Morales graphic novel titled Shock Waves, was an indie bestseller. Justin is also the cofounder of the CLE Reads Book Festival, a Cleveland book festival for middle grade and young adult writers. He hangs out in northeast Ohio and is probably somewhere right now dancing terribly. You can visit him at www.justinareynolds.com

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    Reviews for Opposite of Always

    3.5/5

    301 ratings14 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      "What if I save Kate but lose everyone else?"

      I enjoyed this book, although some parts were too redundant and long for me. I loved the ending though!

      "I'm not a hero. I didn't save Kate. She didn't need saving. If anything, she saved me."
    • 5/5
      I just couldn’t stop listening. The story is very nice and so is the narrative
    • 5/5
      This was so refreshing and heartwarming. I didn't get board at the things that would normally bore me. The writing is so engaging and the protagonist is funny af.

      I mostly enjoyed that no one was made the bad guy in order to force the reader to like the MC. I'll definitely be getting a physical copy of this bit the audio was great!
    • 5/5
      An amazing book from a debut author, Opposite of Always has a captivating plot line with lots of cute romance moments. The parts of the book that truly shine however, are the familial and friend relationships that Jack King has with the charismatic and charming people around him. I recommend reading this right away!
    • 4/5
      Such a cute book, easy to listen to. Wish the ending had been better, it felt like a synopsis ending.
    • 3/5
      The story was ok, but I couldn't connect with the characters. I kept reading because I was intrigued enough to want to see where the story went, but the end was a bit weak and like I said I just didn't care enough about the characters to really want to pull for them.
    • 5/5
      Please upload a book of this!!! please i really want to read this
    • 5/5
      Science and fiction combined make such a magical romantic story! It was a time loop love story which I have no idea how it will end. But the ending of the story is satisfying. Couldn't think of any other better ending. ?
    • 5/5
      Lovely absolutely lovely! This is the kind of book you can read over and over again and get something different. There was one gripe I had but resolved within the last few chapters of the book. I recommend you give this a try. This isnt a scifi book but a love story coming of age book that just took the main character try after try of understanding it.
    • 3/5
      In Opposite of Always, Jack meets Kate at a party and it's fireworks from the start. But then Kate dies. Instead of that being the ending, Jack gets sent back to the steps where he meets Kate and they do it all over again. He wants to save Kate's life, no matter what, but Jack soon finds out that every action has a consequence.

      I just never really made a connection with this book. At first I didn't like the main character - I sometimes struggle with male YA voices and them coming across as whiny to me - but then it was the fact he didn't seem to learn anything from his previous times (he would mention how he did this, but then in the next go around, he just did a variation of that same thing), then it was just... missing something.

      I did like Kate... sometimes... but otherwise I just wasn't that big of a fan of anyone else in the story.

      I was also annoyed at the ending. Not to ruin anything about it but I was just annoyed with it.
    • 2/5
      This book started out so well, and by the end it just fizzled into a disappointment. Justin A. Reynolds writes well. That is definitely to its credit. But the story didn't live up to his skill with words.Basically, it's sort of "Groundhog Day" if the script had been written by John Green. Jack meets, Kate, the girl of his dreams, they hit it off, she gets along great with his other two best friends, Jillian and Franny (short for Francisco) who are dating. But it turns out Kate has sickle cell anemia, and she's dying from it. In fact, she does die from it. But Jack wakes up sitting on the steps where they originally met four months earlier, ready to run through it all again. And again, and again, until he gets it right. Just like in "Groundhog Day." (Note: To Mr. Reynold's credit, he does have Jack, our narrator, acknowledge the similarities between his story and the classic Bill Murray movie.)The book is on the long side for teen fiction, and by Jack's third run through the same four months, the story is growing old. He changes it up each time of course, but on the third round, Kate almost becomes a side character as Jack steals Jillian from Franny, which seemed to me 100% out of character for Jack, making this whole episode unbelievable. In the end, nobody seemed to have really grown or changed as a result of the events of the book. Well written, but a completely forgettable story. I would give Justin Reynold's another chance if he writes another. But if I do, I sure hope he has a story that lives up to his knack with words.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for free free as part of an Instagram tour (Storygram Tours specifically) I did to promote the book.This was such a fun YA book!I absolutely loved the premise. The time loop aspect was so interesting. I liked how you saw the consequences to Jack’s actions throughout every go around. In a way this book is kind of sad because the love interest is continually dying. But at the same time it is still full of hope. I loved the characters. Since this book is a time loop you spend a lot of time with them and get to seem them react to different scenarios. I loved the friendship between Jack, Jillian, and Franny. They were so supportive of one another and were like a tight knit family (most of the time). The only downside to the book is that it is a bit repetitive because of the time loop. Luckily, after a few times through, it does not rehash the same events. Lastly, this book is Own Voices which I loved. The book even mentions the importance of it. The main character states, “I’ve always loved reading. But there aren’t a lot of books about kids like me. And I just think every kid deserves a book that looks like them” (pg 34). Amen to that! Overall, I really enjoyed this YA debut!
    • 3/5
      This is a Groundhog's Day-esque kind of romance. The first chapter starts with the main character going back in time to try to save his girlfriend's life. The next chapter starts with a meet cute and blossoming love story. I thought Jack, the main character, was quirky and likeable. Until the story started dragging for me. The cause of Kate's death was held back from the narrative. And while I liked the characters, the story lost steam for me and bogged down with the repetition. Maybe it was because I was in audiobook and couldn't skim to new content.
    • 3/5
      So this is the Groundhog Day of YA novels...if you have no idea what that means, A.) Go to Netflix right now and get educated and B.) the main character continues to live the same day over and over again. In The Opposite of Always by debut author Justin Reynolds, it’s more like 6 months than a day, but the concept remains the same. Of course, our hero—senior in high school, Jack—wrestles with typical YA issues like new love, friendship, parents, school and prom as he re-spawns back in time, but he also deals with some deeper conflicts. Reynolds writing is particularly engaging and funny, and much of the dialogue feels very Aaron Sorkinesque (again...Netflix). The Opposite of Always is a no-brainer for readers of Becky Albertalli, Nic Stone and other readers who enjoy contemporary dramedy YA.