Time of Our Lives
By: Emily Wibberly and Austin-Sigemund Broka
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A boy desperate to hold on, a girl ready to let go.
Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother's early-onset Alzheimer's starts stealing her memory. He's vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come--never mind the ridiculous college tour she's forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he'll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out.
When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they're at odds from the moment they meet-- while Juniper's dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection--in each other's eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.
First Impressions
I loved the debut novel of this adorable married writing duo and it cemented them as an automatic read. I was excited that they had a new book coming out and love the cover. I don’t like it as much as their other books, but I was still very excited.
What I thought
I don’t know if it was the anticipation or what, but this book I just didn’t connect with this book as much as their previous novels.
Juniper and Fitz are on their own separate college visit trips when they run into each other and form an immediate connection. Each is dealing with their own conflicts about leaving for college. Juniper wants to get as far away as possible from her family whereas Fitz wants to stay close to home and is only going on this trip to appease his mom.
I liked a lot of aspects of this book. I think it has a lot of realistic elements. Nothing is wrapped up in a neat little bow and Juniper and Fitz both have huge life issues that are left unresolved in this book. There also was a fun cameo from characters from the last book, which I always appreciate.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pinpoint why exactly this book didn’t work for me, but I could tell from the beginning that I didn’t get immediately sucked in. It took be about a week to get through, which isn’t typical for me with YA when I’m really enjoying it. Maybe it was because I knew there wasn’t a way things were going to end all tied up, or maybe because I had just recently read a different (very different) college trip story that I loved.
The characters were enjoyable on their own. I liked Fitz and his affinity for words and I loved Juniper and her desire to find herself. Together, I didn’t quite get them. I wasn’t rooting against them by any means, but it definitely seemed a bit like a relationship of circumstance and maybe that was the point. They were both there for each other pushing them in the ways they needed at that exact time of their lives.
This book was fine. I didn’t dislike it and I didn’t find it hard to read or pick up, but it didn’t grab me. Maybe it’s a YA that will connect more with young adults and there’s nothing wrong with that. I still look forward to reading this duo’s next book, and I hope that it catches me in the same way their other two books have.