I was lucky enough to read an ARC and all I can say is: wow. I am a huge fan of KISSING MAX HOLDEN and already knew Katy Upperman's writing is on another level, but I'm still blown away at just how unique and stunning TIOU is.
First we've got the fierce romance between Elise and Mati. Their inescapable pull makes the reader feel as if we're gasping for air when they're apart. That's how good this is. Then there are the complex family dynamics, and the so very real characters Upperman is a master at creating (get ready to fall in love with both Elise's adorable niece and the cutest dog ever, Bambi).
If you love YA romances and stories of hope, rich culture, and the heart of what makes us human, you will love this book.

This was a good book that dealt with some tough topics regarding race and people's prejudices really well. We ultimately didn't end up purchasing it for our middle school library because it felt more appropriate for the high school level.

DNF
I tried reading this book so many times, but for some reason I cannot get into it. I'm really disappointed that I can't get into it because it has such a good premise.

I really struggled with this book. I really enjoyed the characters and storyline, but just really felt the story dragged. While I found the story compelling, I had a hard time sticking with the book.

When it comes to romances, there has to be something that helps it stand out from the crowd. I think the elements of this story made it memorable. Like most teen YA, it made me smile and it made me sad. I enjoyed it.

I ended up not finishing this one. I just couldn't connect to the characters, who weren't relatable at all. This is the main reason why I didn't finish it. It's very important for me to like the characters in a book, and unfortunately, these characters just fell flat to me.

The plot was alright. It was well-paced, and definitely interesting. But since I didn't like the characters, it was difficult for me to really get into the story, so even a good plot wasn't enough to redeem it.

The Impossibility Of Us by Katy Upperman has one of those covers that you cannot look away from. At least, I thought the cover was stunning. Maybe because I am a big fan of romance and so, seeing it in a YA contemporary 100% appeals to me. After enjoying Upperman’s debut, I felt somewhat confident that I would be a fan of her next book. As it turns out, I did like this book but not as much as Kissing Max Holden.

Upperman’s second book is about Elise and Mati, two teens who meet at Cypress Beach and fall in love for the summer. Elise has moved to Cypress Beach to be closer to her sister in law, Audrey and niece Janie. You see, Elise’s brother was killed in action while deployed in Afghanistan. Mati is in Cypress Beach on a visa as his father is receiving medical treatment for cancer. So, what happens is a little bit of a forbidden love story. Elise’s family is very Islamophobic and Mati’s mother is quite traditional, preferring that Mati be with a Pashto girl.

I do think that The Impossibility Of Us is a very quick read. The chapters are super short. Also, Mati’s chapters are written in verse. However, I think this was just a harder book for me to connect with. Now that I am an OLD with a child, it was a little hard for me to take Elise seriously. It reminded me a lot of The Little Mermaid where Ariel is all “but Daddy I’m 16 and I love him” and I am like, oh, honey. I am sure if I was a lot younger I would have enjoyed this more and recognize that the age group this is intended for will probably love this being at that stage where every feeling is SO INTENSE.

There is so much to love about THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US. A slow-burning teen romance with enough angst to choke a horse, this story ripped my heart out and pieced it back together again. When Elise and her mother move to a small beachside town south of her beloved San Francisco to be closer to Elise’s brother’s widow and daughter, she’s resentful. Not that she doesn’t love her sister-in-law and niece and want to spend more time with them, but it’s the summer before her senior year of high school, and she adores the city. An avid photographer, Elise finds San Francisco a better muse for her art than some sleepy seaside town. To make matters worse, they’re in a touristy area with almost no kids her age to befriend. Her days are spent walking the beach with her new puppy, Bambi, and her family. Still grieving her brother’s death three years before, Elise is slow to warm up to her new home and surroundings. But a fateful walk on the beach sends shy, soulful Mati into her path, changing everything she’s ever known about life, love, and what it means to be accepted for who you are.

Plot
Author Katy Upperman does a great job of keeping the story moving along. The tug and pull of Mati and Elise on each other is palpable, and the drama surrounding their families’ objections to them being together is straight up Romeo and Juliet territory. While primarily told from Elise’s point of view, we get glimpses of Mati through his writing which is both poetic and raw. With a due date on their relationship looming, the two only grow closer together and closer to certain heartache. The author portrays the intense emotions of first love and heartbreak with authenticity.

The Characters
The character development was the best part of the story. Elise, Mati, and their families were all well developed and deeply drawn. Even though there were times I disagreed vehemently with what some of the characters said or did, it was always clear what their motivations were. The characters remained true to themselves even as they grew throughout the summer.

Top Five Things I Loved About THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US
1. Angst. It’s the primary reason I love reading teen fiction. There is something so deeply moving about it.

2. Photography. Reading about Elise’s art inspired me to pick up my own, neglected camera again.

3. Mati. Passionate, soulful, loyal, romantic. Sigh…

4. Elise. Her ability to see the best in everyone made her easy to root for.

5. Bambi. The big lug of a labradoodle completely stole the show.

Bottom Line
An intense young adult contemporary romance with passion and heart.

Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading The Impossibility of Us, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, as it turned out to be a lot less “fluff” than I was expecting, and actually touched on some more serious topics.
The Impossibility of Us touches on so many topics, like loss, grief, racism, prejudice, love, tolerance and acceptance, but it’s done in such a way that it never feels preachy or like I was being told how to feel about something.
One of the things that I disliked about the book was the insta-love between Elise and Mati, especially after they had such an uncomfortable and rocky first couple of meetings with one another. It felt as though the relationship between them was being forced upon the reader for the sake of moving the story along, and not because the characters were driving the plot that way.
This book made me feel so many emotions. Elise and Mati’s story is so heartbreaking, but I love the strength that they both find in one another, despite all of the hardships that they face. It takes so much courage to stay together despite both of their families taking issue with their relationship.

Coping with the loss of her brother, Elise is forced to move 2 hours from San Francisco with her mother to help her widowed sister-in-law and niece. Not having much experience with friends, she meets Mati one morning at the beach. They quickly develop a deep connection with each other and romantic feelings emerge. But their relationship has a dark cloud hovering since day they met. Mati and his family are from Afghanistan, where Elise’s brother Nick fought in the war and was killed. Mati and his family endure racism and prejudice remarks as well as Elise’s mother and sister-in-law are against her and Mati relationship. Elise and Mati are determined to fight for their love through both their family’s and culture differences.


The Impossibility of Us has just been added to my favorites shelf. The characters are beautifully written and I feel the story is familiar yet refreshing at the same time. I loved their connection and spark in this story. I felt their feelings and cried when they cried. I will be buying a copy for myself and one for the library I work at.

This feels like a sleepy little beach town romance. I felt at time that Elise was slightly stuck in sadness (her brother's death) and confusion (why run from someone you're not scared of. Sadly, other than the setting, I really didn't enjoy it much.

Katy Upperman has taken a very heated topic of racism and instead of throwing it in your face and forcing you to think one way or another, she’s put it all into perspective. Elise is an American and lives in California. Her brother died in Afghanistan and her mother and sister-in-law have decided to move away so they can try and find a way to move on. Mati’s family is from Afghanistan and has moved to the US for the summer for Mati’s father to undergo medical treatment. Elise and Mati start to build a relationship and when Elise finds out where he’s from she runs away. It’s a story of learning not to judge people on where they come from or who their family is/believes. And finding a way to follow your heart despite what everyone around you is saying.

I LOVE Elise and Mati’s relationship! It starts out as the typical summer romance and it feels so carefree and easy, until Elise learns of Mati’s heritage. Then things become rocky but Elise learns to accept Mati and knows he isn’t the reason for her brother’s death. They continue to grow closer and then Elise’s family learns who/what he is and is completely against them being together. If that wasn’t hard enough on their relationship, Elise learns Mati is hiding something and the damage it can cause might mean the end of their relationship. I don’t want to spoil anything so you’ll have to read it yourself to find out if they survive.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s one I will definitely reread and I never reread books. With a very heated topic Upperman was able to make it an easy read and I consider it a feel good book even with the conflicts Elise and Mati face. With racism and discrimination still prevalent in our world it would be easy for this book to come off preachy or in your face but Upperman is able to make the reader step back and think about what happens every day.

While I consider this a very happy ending and I loved how it turned out, Upperman didn’t just tie everything up and make it all rainbows and sunshine. Elise and Mati face extreme difficulties respectfully and they have to decide if their happiness is more important than their families beliefs. It’s not an easy decision for anyone and no matter what someone is left hurting. So, what do they decide? You’ll have to read it and find out!

Title: The Impossibility of Us
Author: Katy Upperman
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Elise doesn’t want to leave the city and start over in a new town, but since the death of her brother in Afghanistan, her mom has checked out, and her sister-in-law and niece need help. So, they move to a small coastal town, but Elise just longs to get back to the city.

Until she meets Mati on the beach one day. He’s Afghan, and Elise must put that aside and get to know him. She discovers a kind, quiet, caring boy who she has so much in common with.

But his religion and culture—and both their families—are huge obstacles. Not to mention the looming date of Mati’s return home. Is there any way to make things work out?

Katy Upperman is a YA author. The Impossibility of Us is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review.)

This story was so heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Elise had a lot to deal with, and handled her grief, her mom's withdrawal and her sister-in-law with grace and vulnerability. The love story between two kids of different cultures and religions was fascinating.

Just before her senior year of high school, seventeen-year-old Elise is forced to move to the tiny town of Cypress Beach. An encounter with a strange boy on the beach will lead to something she never expected to find this far from her beloved San Francisco. Will she be strong enough to overcome the prejudices of her family in order to seek her own happiness? And is it true that, in the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”?

The story is told in the first-person present tense from the points-of-view of Elise and Mati, with Mati’s story told in non-rhyming verse. This stylistic choice suits his voice, as the short sentences give us a sense that English isn’t his first language while, at the same time, making him sound poetic rather than stilted. The poetry theme is continued further by implying that his viewpoint is comprised of the actual entries in his notebook that, as an aspiring writer, he carries with him everywhere. In addition, the narrative is interspersed with quotes by Muslim poet Rumi. This book provides a fascinating look into the lifestyle and culture of Muslims and at the prejudices they must face in their day-to-day lives.

Beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measures.

Warnings: mild coarse language, sexual references, racism.

Initial Thoughts:

I'll be honest and admit that one of my main reasons for wanting to pick this book up was because I wanted to give the author another chance because I wasn't too impressed with her first book, KISSING MAX HOLDEN. Another major reason was because of the synopsis and beautiful cover. It looked like a cute contemporary romance novel, with a conflict that I had not yet read in any book before.

Things I Liked:

Mati is just a precious cinnamon roll. He's sweet, gentle, understanding, charming, and a very talented writer. His point-of-views were my favorite chapters to read because they were beautifully written in poetry format (and that's coming from someone who usually doesn't enjoy reading poetry). He's very honest and expressive, especially when it comes to his emotions and feelings towards Elise, but also very innocent. His character perfectly complemented Elise's outgoing, outspoken, and witty personality.

I truly admire Elise for learning to stand her ground against the blatant racism and intolerance her family expressed toward Mati. There were many times where I felt frustrated and angry on behalf of Mati and Elise because their families were being so unfair and unreasonable, particularly Audrey and Elise's mom, Jocelyn. She goes through so much heartache and conflict throughout the book, yet remained resilient. Her character development was very inspiring. As a couple, Elise and Mati go through so much conflict in the story but Katy was able to perfectly balance all the good and bad experiences so that it all still felt realistic.

I enjoyed learning more about Mati's culture and beliefs just like Elise, especially the language and religious beliefs. I hope there's an audio book for this because I'd love to listen to how the Pashto words are pronounced. The scenes where she tells her niece Janie stories of her brother Nick were so touching I couldn't help but tear up. I could really feel how much her brother meant to her, and how much of an impact the loss of him was.

Things I Disliked:

There were times when I felt that Elise and Mati's feelings for each other were a bit too close to insta-love, but those three words were not actually spoken until later on in the story. My main issue was probably them bringing up "love at first sight" and "soulmates" too early into their relationship, and when I say "too early" I mean that they literally didn't even know what they were yet.

Also, I found some of Elise's back-and-forth inner dialogue concerning Mati and the status of their relationship a little annoying after a while.

Final Thoughts:

I was very impressed and also surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Heartbreaking but hopeful, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US is a beautiful, poignant, and compelling story about family, grief, acceptance, kindness, tolerance, and first love. With all the racial tension and negativity in the world today, this book felt like a breath of fresh air.

The Impossibility of Us is a love story between teens from two different cultures that explores how prejudices and familial expectations can affect their relationship.

Elise meets an Afghani boy, Mati, when she and her mother move to a new town to be closer to Elise’s sister-in-law and niece. The two of them are immediately attracted to each other, but their romance is complicated. Elise’s brother was killed during a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and her mother and sister-in-law are adamantly opposed to her having anything to do with an Afghani Muslim. Meanwhile, Mati’s family is only in the United States while his father is undergoing treatment for cancer. They expect Mati to be a good Muslim and a good son who will respect their wishes and avoid getting too involved with an American girl. But of course, hearts don’t always follow the rules other people want to impose on them.

Readers who are looking for a breathlessly intense romance will probably enjoy this book a lot. It’s a serious but quite swoony story. The intercultural elements of Elise and Mati’s relationship are realistically and sensitively handled, too. Members of both of their families aren’t enthusiastic about their involvement; neither side is presented as completely right or wrong, although Elise’s mother’s generalized prejudice against Muslims does get called out directly. There’s also a nice secondary romance between Ryan, the boy who lives next door to Elise, and Xavier, a soldier from a nearby military language school.

One thing to note is that while Elise’s viewpoint is presented in regular text, Mati is a poet, and his part of the story is related through his poems. I’m not a fan of novels in verse, but since only some of the book consists of poetry, it didn’t really bother me here.

Recommended for readers interested in contemporary YA romances that tackle issues like diversity and prejudice.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Katy Upperman’s debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, was one of my Top Ten Favorite Reads in 2017. It was deeply moving, deliciously swoony and so full of heart. I couldn’t wait to read The Impossibility of Us, and now that I have, I can honestly say that I’m a forever fan of Upperman’s gorgeous writing — breathtakingly emotional, amazingly realistic, and wonderfully affecting.

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. The Impossibility of Us undeniably captured my heart, completely consumed my thoughts, and had me wiping away my tears... many many tears. (It was really bad too cause I read most of the book while I was at work so I had to pretend I was sneezing and having allergies… that was embarrassingly not fun, but I just could not stop reading… it was that good!!). Even now, I’m still thinking about Elise and Mati and everything that happened. I think I even dreamed about them once during the weekend. This beautiful story just made me FEEL so much and the FEELS were absolutely the worst and the best!

I loved the heart melting slow burn and forbidden romance. Elise and Mati had this complicated and impossible situation to deal with, but they fit so well together that I couldn’t help but root for them. Not to mention, the unimaginable attraction between them was so swoony and intense it had me holding my breath the entire time. I could FEEL their anticipation and burning desire to be with each other. Every time they were apart, I felt just as uneasy and anxious as they did. It certainly made me reminisce the times I felt that way during my teenage years and it was a really good nostalgic feeling. I can’t say this enough — Upperman, without a doubt, knows how to create sweet romantic relationships that are not only swoontastic, but also genuine and so relatable.

As I’ve already mentioned, I love Upperman’s gorgeous writing. It’s incredibly touching, compelling, and heartfelt. The FEELS in this book overwhelmed and completely wrecked me, but in the loveliest ways possible. Upperman simply takes my breath away with her beautiful words. She writes with so much emotion and realness it’s sometimes painful, but it’s also an absolute delight getting sucked into her stories that I honestly cannot get enough.

I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, but I have to admit… I’m hopelessly in love with Mati’s chapters. They’re written in creative poetic verses and were some of favorite parts of this book that I’ve actually reread some of them quite a few times just so I can experience the FEELS again.

The plot was engaging, insightful, and realistic. I loved how Upperman perfectly balanced the good and the bad, the ups and downs, and the ugliness and the beauty of what it truly means to be human. The racial tension, harassment, hatred, and utter lack of compassion was terribly upsetting. Some dialogues and scenes even angered me while other circumstances had me in tears. My heart hurt and felt so heavy and at times it was too much… But, aside from all the tears and aches, Upperman also included plenty of HEART and uplifting moments that will make you smile, give you hope, and fill you with love. And that’s what I love most about Upperman’s stories.

The characters were really great. Elise was such an easy character to like. She’s smart, caring, open-minded, and brave. I admired her strength for always trying to be more understanding and standing up for herself and her own beliefs. Then there’s sweet Mati. He’s artistic, kind, gentle, and compassionate. Mati can also be playful and funny. He just had this beautiful and warm personality that you can’t help but fall for him. I certainly did and swooned so much.

Adored the side characters too like Ryan, Xavier, and Mati’s Baba. They were all charming and lovable. Janie, Elise’s niece, and Bambi, Elise’s dog, were so cute and provided some lighthearted fun moments. I really did like all the characters in this book and rooted for them all to have happy endings… yes even the adults who infuriated me at times. These characters just felt so real to me that I sympathized and cared about them as if they were my close friends.

Whew!! This review went longer than I expected, but in short, this book is simply wonderful. With writing that is utterly captivating, an emotionally engaging plot, and complex but relatable characters, Upperman created a remarkably timeless, touching, and achingly beautiful story about family, friendship, love, and acceptance. This book may have shattered my heart quite a few times, but it also pieced it back together with so much warmth, happiness, and hope reminding me that while there’s so much negativity in this world, there are plenty of good and kindness. Just remember — “Don’t walk through life blind.”

If you love walks on the beach, cookies, adorable dogs, to die for kisses, and stories that will keep you up late at night smiling like a dork, clutching your heart, crying till your eyes hurt and swooning over and over, then this book is absolutely perfect for you.

Hands down one of the BEST books I’ve read in 2018!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Swoon Reads, and Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts, opinions, tears and swoons are my own.

Katy Upperman has done it again. As much as I loved her debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, The Impossibility of Us has more depth, packs more of an emotional punch, and made a visceral impact that had me wiping away tears.

Newly arrived in a small coastal California town in order to be closer to her niece and her brother’s widow, Elise meets Mati at the beach. Their tenuous friendship is threatened when Elise learns Mati is from Afghanistan but her hesitancy turns to acceptance when she remembers her brother’s compassion and the way he rejected intolerance and ignorance. But others are not so accepting and Elise finds herself at odds with both her mother and sister-in-law.

"I should accept his invitation. It's rude, stringing him along, but I need to sort through the abundance of questions in my head: what his invitation suggest, who I am to him, who he's becoming to me, and how I'll deal with the impossibility of us."

There were so many aspects of this story that I loved – and each was executed so well. Elise was down to earth and completely likable. She was navigating her grief largely on her own since her mother had virtually checked out and immersed herself in her writing career. And at a time when she was still figuring out who she was and what she believed, Elise showed real maturity when questioning her own convictions and then holding firm to them in the face of opposition. She was a good friend, a loving aunt, and was willing to speak her mind when she felt wronged. And then there was Mati. It was impossible not to fall for this sweet, gentle soul. A young man with his own beliefs and convictions, who had seen and experienced much, and whose family had expectations that up until now he dared not question. Now in a country where he is faced with open hostility and suspicion, Mati finds solace in his friendship with Elise even while trying to reconcile his feelings for her within the confines of his religion. As an aside, Upperman even made me love Mati’s chapters written in verse, a format I typically don’t enjoy.

"She looks out over the water, face flushed. I have flattered her, and I will never be sorry. She is fragile, and she is valorous, and for me, she is fleeting."

Upperman managed to engage my mind and my heart in this beautiful tale of friendship and first love, tolerance and acceptance. She has deftly created a story that is timely and relevant and equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. The Impossibility of Us is one that is not to be missed.

I immensely enjoyed The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman and this is a perfect summer read. I never expected it to love it so much in the first place but then, you know, the unexpected reads are always best 🙂 I expected this to be a fluffy and cute summer contemporary but this book was way more than that.

This is a story about Elise and Mati. Elise is forced to leave San Francisco, by her mother, to live with her sister-in-law and niece in a sleepy coastal town after her brother’s death in Afghanistan. She was hoping to just finish the final year of her school and then return to San Francisco. But she meets Mati there and found herself attracted to him. Mati was from Afghanistan and came there with his family because of the medical issues of his father. When Elise family finds out about Mati, her mother and sister-in-law objected to her closeness with him, because they can’t look at him without thinking of the death of her brother in Afghanistan. On the other hand, Mati’s mother also disapproved of her. Elise tried to understand why her family can’t see Mati for other than being a Muslim and an Afghani.

Pros
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** I loved the storyline, especially how well Katy Upperman has included a diverse character in the story having an affair with a native American. It was interesting to see how two entirely different cultures mix with each other.
** I loved both the main characters- Elise and Mati. Elise was so down to earth. She had trouble making friends but she always tried to be positive and held her so well after the death of his brother. She was so strong that she made the decision of befriending Mati while knowing his background and nationality. Mati was such a sweetheart. He firmly believed in his beliefs and convictions and dared not to go against the rules of his family. But he was unable to resist his love for Elise.
** The story was from both Elise and Mati’s PoVs. While Elise’s chapters were usual, Mati’s chapter was in verses and I enjoyed them immensely.
** The plot was definitely heartbreaking, yet, it was hopeful. The story makes us look forward to our convictions and reservations. Both Mati and Elise showed so much strength that my heart was crying for them.
** The thing that I appreciate most here is that there were no cliches. Even I found all those stuff quite realistic.
** All the secondary characters were fabulous. While Elise’s sister-in-law and mother were against her relationship with Mati, they were apt for their characters. I loved Mati’s father. He was so friendly and adorable and I really wished throughout the story that he would get better. I hated Mati’s mother but again, we can’t blame because she was shown as a typical religious Muslim woman who believed in following her religion blindly.
** This book shows a lot of racism that is still existing in our society.
** I loved the relationship between Elise and her niece. Those moments were so cute and made me cry. I was almost able to picture those scenes. And have I mentioned her dog, Bambi? God, I want that dog.

Cons
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** I felt that the end was a little rushed? I mean, I am happy with the ending but I wanted to read some more details about Mati and his struggles. In the end, it all felt too easy.
** Also, most of the book was from Elise’s PoV. Mati’s PoV was written in verse and though I enjoyed reading them, I ended up wanting more of his side of the story.

Final thoughts
The Impossibility of Us is a wonderful read and it deserves more readers for sure. A perfect read for summer, this will make your heart happy and sad at the same time. It’s a beautiful story of family, friendship, religion and cultural differences. This story certainly proves that in the end love conquers all. If you like reading contemporaries, then do pick it up for sure. You won’t be disappointed.