Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson
Age Level: Young Adult
Publication: March 2010
Source: Library

My Summary: Seventeen year old Lennie, a quiet bookworm, is coping with the recent death of her older sister, Bailey. As children, their mom abandoned them, so they always relied on each other, and their grandmother. Now, with Bailey gone, Lennie feels so lost and alone. Suddenly she finds herself involved with two guys - Toby, Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief, and Joe, the new guy from Paris who has charmed his way into Bailey's heart. Lennie and Joe are falling in love, but she and Toby have fallen into a strange pattern of intimacy while coping with their shared grief. Joe is who she wants and loves, but Toby and her are strangely and guiltily drawn together, and when Joe sees them kissing, everything seems to blow up in Lennie's face.

My Thoughts: This was an emotional and intense read. The pain in Lennie and Toby was palpable and real. Lennie closes herself off to everyone around her, but her feelings are shown through the poems scattered throughout the book that she has written and placed around town. She lives with her grandmother and uncle, and nearly all of her relationships, including with them and her best friend, are becoming dysfunctional, as she continues to pull away from everyone in her life. She feels as though she was just a shadow of her sister and now she is lost. Finally, when Joe comes along, she begins to feel alive again. Their love was emotional, touching and real. When he discovers her and Toby's strange and dysfunctional relationship, he is heartbroken, as is Lennie, who has been confused and uninterested in Toby all along. The thing with Toby was strange but people react in strange ways during grieving periods, so I really did feel for Lennie. All in all, I liked this book and the emotions running rampant throughout. I'm giving it a 3.5 because while I enjoyed it, I didn't find it to be really memorable.

My Rating: 3.5/5