Just when I feel like I'm ready to completely give up YA fiction, a book like 100 Days of Sunlight comes along to remind me of the beauty of the genre. After a car accident, Tessa is left blind, though her doctors think its only temporary. Into her life strolls Weston, a double amputee determined to lift Tessa out of her depression and help her see the joy in life. The catch, he won't let anyone tell Tessa that has has lost his legs. A brilliantly sweet and endearing story that I read in one sitting, bawling my eyes out at times. For the story is really about Weston - not only how he lost his legs and how he put his life back together but also about his eternal optimism and inner fears. A poignant read, this darling love story is perfect for teens and adults.

This is a super cute read. I really loved the overall idea of it, but the book didn’t end up clicking with me. I wanted to give a YA book a chance because I loved them when I was younger, but I am not the intended audience for this book anymore. That being said, I think it would be great for a 14-16 year old girl who enjoys cutesy books.

The character development of Weston was a great touch, and I liked being able to know what his life was like prior to meeting Tessa. I wish that Tessa had the same development. Even though she had her own chapters, I feel like they were redundant and didn’t add much to her character development. I wanted to know more about her.

The flow of the plot was slow and became boring at some parts. I did enjoy how to book was broken up into different sections based on the difference senses that Tessa still could use during her 100 days. That was adorable.

100 Days of Sunlight

Thank you to Net Galley for the E-Arc!!
I keep dancing around on the rating for this. I would go between liking some chapters and their development and annoyance at everyone. It was cute, but it could have developed a lot slower.

What I liked:

-This book has some seriously cute moments. It’s cliché a times, but I overlooked a lot of it. The premise and a lot of small moments in the book are interesting and cute.


What I didn’t like:

-All the characters in this book treat Tessa like a little girl who can’t make her own decisions. People are constantly telling her that they know what is best for her better than she does (in those exact words, too.) Even Weston, who is her age. I feel like, especially at the beginning, they treat her like a petulant 7 year old.
Granted, Tessa does seem to act a little too young for sixteen, imo (but so does Weston). She seems extremely sheltered. (Her grandfather is a pastor, so maybe she was.)

Awkward/dated dialogue
-Pansyass was used too often. It sounds like something an 80 year old man would say. Teenage boys have a reputation for being crass. This book tried to tell me that Weston was crass, but he’s pretty tame.
-writing
poetry
like
t h i s
That is something that might have been bigger around like 2012 tumblr (if my internet memory serves me correctly.) A lot of modern poetry has it, and it’s such a meme on nowadays. The seriousness came off as dated.

-No one ever thinks about speech to text. It’s not mentioned at all. That would be one of my first thoughts. Her grandparents not thinking of it was in character. They put out a newspaper ad, so I don’t think they’re internet savvy. But neither Tessa nor her online friends nor Weston ever think of it.

-The book tries to be self aware about language but makes some fumbles. Tessa says she found something, then thinks that “find” is a weird word to use when you can’t see. No it’s not? Find just means to discover/recognize, it’s not tied to sight at all.

-Another issue is that this book jumps to ideas without doing the proper build up, especially with Weston’s characterization. He has some complex about being seen weak/strong that isn’t really unpacked until near the end, and even then, not enough. He also doesn’t have a good enough reason for wanted to help Tessa in the first place. And the adults around him don’t question him about why. It raises some red flags.


All in all, the target audience for this is probably American Christian teen girls who like a cleaner book. (Though many of the reviews take a star off for the language, it seems as though most of these reviewers are of the Xtian variety. I am not. The language was awkward to me because it was too clean for the teenagers I knew/know.)

To each their own, I guess. I found out about this book from the author’s youtube channel and requested an arc. From her videos, I had NO IDEA that this book would be so religious.

Loved this so much! So so good. The writing, the story, the characters. Just *heart eye emoji*
Love these sweet contemporary romance stories.
Especially ones that encourage you to overcome your fear and be brave. Definitely recommend if you love sweet, summer romances

I enjoyed this one. It kept me interested throughout and I particularly enjoyed the ending. I’d recommend it to my friends.

This author has potential and I can see a studio picking this up as a movie, but I personally did not enjoy the book. I ended up skimming a lot. Overused plot. I've lost count of how many "disabled person falls in love with their hired help," books/ movies there are. I didn't care for it about the characters, except the Grandparents.

Weston and Tessa each have a disability, but Tessa's is hopefully temporary and she doesn't know about Weston's. They meet when Weston answers an ad to help Tessa, and their friendship surprises both of them. The writing is sometimes cheesy, but the story is heartwarmingly lovely as it also shows what it's like to be different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

What happened to Tessa is, in her opinion, probably the worst thing that ever could happen. It was is a shopping trip gone wrong – before she even reached the mall. The collision left her suffering temporary blindness – and now she's going to be stuck in the dark for 100 days. An avid poet and blogger, she's not sure how she's going to cope. But then her grandparents put an ad in the paper for a typist – hoping that if she can keep writing poetry, her mood might lighten. Tessa hates the idea, and makes them pull the ad. But then Weston turns up.

Weston likes that Tessa can't see him. It means she treats him like a normal human being – even though he feels like the absolute opposite. But as the days tick by, will he be able to tell Tessa the truth about himself? Or will the re-gaining of her sight be the end of their friendship?

I LOVED this book. My main complaint is that I wish it had been longer! I think the idea was so fresh and original, and devoured it in a single sitting! One evening, in a tent, with a wonderful book and beautiful scenery all around me - couldn't have been better!

"...the unknown is something to look forward to."

One of my favourite parts of this book were the bits revolving around Tessa's poetry and blogging. First of all, it was highly amusing to see Weston striving to keep up with Tessa's quick talking and trying to figure out how on earth blogging worked. She was pretty determined to get rid of him, and so spoke as fast as possible, then made him read the poetry back to her and picked it apart. But he didn't get annoyed or upset, just kept pushing on. It was a pitting of two very determined people, and was certainly entertaining to read!

"I feel like a disruption in Tessa's perfect little world of order."

Another one of the many lovely things that made this book so good was how it was split into five segments – segments named after the five senses. Each segment's cover page had a lovely little doodle relating to the events contained within – flowers for 'smell', for example. The reason for this splitting was Weston's approach to helping Tessa – he wanted to show her that sight wasn't the only thing worth living for – and so, dedicated himself to immersing her in a world of experience. From sneaking flowers into her bedroom to buying her a journal, he was the sweetest supporter any injured person could ever dream of having! (I want a Weston! :P)

"She still has four other senses, four other ways to find the beauty in the world."

Just in case you were wondering what else is amazing about this book – here's something else; how much Weston understood what Tessa was feeling – and also how caring and understanding her grandparents were. Everybody around Tessa didn't stop to be angry or upset with her when her sorrow led her to lash out at them – they were all just bundles of kindness and love. Her grandparents spent their time trying to help Tessa and do the best for her, and as I said before – Weston dedicated himself to making Tessa's 100 days more easy to survive. And I could see their relationships getting closer and tighter throughout the story. Having to fight for things makes people stronger together – and that is certainly true of this book.

"I could choose to be happy, to be stronger, to be me - regardless of everything - and there was nobody standing in my way."

There's one last thing I need to mention – and that is how BEAUTIFUL the cover of this book is. It takes all these little snippets of the story, and weaves them into the colourful, incredibly pleasing cover. I think I could just sit and look at the cover for hours!

"I want to throw a rock through this window, to shatter the view of a world I can no longer see."

This book was touching, heart-breaking, and incredibly special. I can't wait to own a physical copy, and I eagerly anticipate enjoying more of Abbie Emmons' work!

*I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.*

I received an e-arc of this book from netgalley for the purpose of reviewing this book without bias.

Tessa and Weston are honestly a match made from heaven, the way they strengthen each other’s weaknesses without judging each other like they so often experience from others is very realistic. The writing stuck with me, especially in Weston’s P.O.Vs, and I will never forget about the journey that both characters’ experienced throughout their differences (Tessa-blindness, Weston-prosthetic leg). This is a truly diverse novel that explores the relationships between all sorts of beings and embraces them in a way that is heart-touching and beautiful.

Plus, once more, to see Weston being able to grow into this ray of sunshine when things were so difficult for him was heartbreaking. How he was so scared of facing Tessa, but so strong... this world needs more of these people.

4.25/5⭐📚 Thank you so much to netgalley, the publishers and Abbie for my early review copy of 100 Days of Sunlight. This book was such a beautiful fast paced summer read for me with a heartwarming story, I absolutely loved Weston, I loved his quotes and his philosophy and wisdom on life and he is so brave and badass and we should all be a little more like Weston tbh! Tessa and Weston have such a great connection and I love both of their stories and I like how they make each other stronger and how they build each other up. I loved Westons flashbacks to before Tessa and my heart just broke for him over and over again but wow he just kept picking himself back up over and over again, he is one of my favourite characters from all the books I've read this year! Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book, a full review will be up on my blog before release date!

3.5-4 Stars

100 Days of Sunlight was a light YA read. It was sweet and had a few “real” moments that I really enjoyed. The characters were fun to follow and I enjoyed their teen dialogue! Innocence at its best!

This is the first book I’ve read by Abbie, it was written well and the storyline was unique real. I love how real life tragedy was intertwined with a positive ending. I think this is a great book for teens to read!

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons is the story of Tessa Dickinson, a 16-year-old poetry blogger who is in a car accident and loses her vision for 100 days. Her life is turned upside down and she is unable to the one thing she loves most, write poetry for her blog. Her grandparents, wanting to help, put an add in the local newspaper for a typist to transcribe her poetry for her. Cue Weston Ludovico showing up on the Dickinson doorstep, a fun, optimistic boy her age, who is also a double amputee. Weston knows that he can help Tessa, but he has one stipulation: no one can tell her about his legs. Weston helps Tessa overcome her anger and her fears around losing her sight, but Weston has his own fears about how Tessa will react when she finds out about his missing legs. As the return of her vision becomes more and more imminent, Weston has to decide whether he wants to vanish or to finally allow himself to be seen.

I’m not typically a huge YA reader, but I absolutely devoured this book. It was funny, touching, and heart wrenching at some points. The pace of the book, while slow at the beginning, was still moving along quick enough to keep me reading.The book has some Christian undertones but they weren’t overbearing and mostly related to the fact that Tessa’s grandfather is a minister. I thought the main characters were complex, fleshed out characters, and generally found their whole story to be touching. The flashbacks worked wonderfully and were a positive addition to the story.

Abbie Emmons did a wonderful job with this book and I can’t wait to read more from her.


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.



Will be posted on Instagram (@mkb_reads) as review before 7/31/19

I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall it was a very interesting idea. Loved the disability representation and seeing how it is to go through the struggles the characters had. While I thought Tessa and Weston were cute, the romance didn’t really hit the mark for me. I know the timeline takes place over 100 days but since the book itself went by pretty fast (and there were a lot of flashbacks as well) it felt rushed for me as I was reading. It seemed like they went to being in love very quickly. The writing was a bit cheesy at times too. I don’t think it was a bad book, and I since it’s the author’s first book, there’s definitely time to grow and expand in their writing style. Overall this is a pretty easy read, cute and sweet, and I look forward to seeing what other books the author comes out with.

*ugly sobs*

This book is so beautiful. It is so heart warming. It is so inspiring.

I loved this book so much. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing this piece of art is. This book *sighs* has to be one of my all time favorites.

The characters were amazing and to die for. Every single one of them I loved. I want them to be real so I can become friends with them.

The feelings were authentic, real, and so heart breaking at times. I literally nearly started sobbing at a few parts.

I loved the portrayal of handicaps. I am the older sister of an amputee. My younger brother, who we adopted from China, is missing one of his legs from his knee down. He lost it due to health problems. The portal of handicaps made my heart cry out. It made me nearly start to cry. It made me cheer, "yes, finally someone says it!" You are not the handicap. Your handicap does not define who you are. This is why I loved this book so much.

The romance was so adorable and so realistic. I highly enjoyed reading how Tessa and Weston fell in love.

Y'all this book was amazing and deserves so much recognition. This beauty comes out in September. Y'all really need to go check it out and pre-order it. It is worth the money!!

*FTC: I received this book from the author through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinoin. All thoughts are my own.*

This was a cute little read. For the most part. It had enough sunshine and butterflies to keep me invested, but at the same time a little dismayed. Not that it was bad, just parts that were not for me. There is, what most have already pointed out, lots of cussing in here. Which, wouldn't be an issue, if it weren't that this book seemed to gravitate towards Christianity and faith.

Yes, that was a little off-putting, but again, only because of everything else that this book was about. Aside from that, it seemed to be a romance that came on pretty quickly. I can see that's what mostly happens in a YA contemporary read, but somehow it still seemed too quick and a bit too in place. Even with a character like Weston, which I admit is sweet and unrelenting (in a good way), it was still too... perfect.

Much, of what I liked, was also what didn't sit well with me. Like, Weston coming back even after Tessa pushed him away. It was sweet and endearing, but at the same time he didn't really have to try to change her tune. And, yes, isn't that how we want it to be? A romantic love interest with all the goodness? But, it mostly fell flat for me. From Weston's perspective, it was a battle getting to where he was, but on Tessa's part it was all so short lived and not enough.

What I liked the most, what kept me reading, was how much Weston tried to find the good, trying to give someone what he had finally found. I liked the process of his thinking, his love for his family, how honest and loving he was with Tessa's grandparents. This did seem, like mentioned above, very much one sided, with Tessa not knowing any of his family or friends, but I put that aside with the brightness that I read in this novel. It's a fluffy romance we need sometimes.

***I received this copy from Abbie Emmons via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

I had a hard time rating this one. I kept going back and forth between a 2 and 3 stars, so it's somewhere between there.

I have a full 15 min section (yikes) talking about my thoughts on this book in my June reading wrap up video on youtube, so if you want a more in-depth review, feel free to check there, but here's the sparknotes version:

Let's start with the good stuff.

* CUTE! This had some genuinely adorable moments and I laughed aloud several times.
* gotta love that representation
* beautiful cover
* love the premise
* easy to read - read it pretty fast

On to the not so great stuff:

This isn't a bad book. And that's what was so frustrating to me - this book easily could have been better.

First of all, I could tell the book was self-published. I tried to look past that, but it was so distracting to me that I had a hard time staying in the story. There's obviously nothing wrong with self-publishing, but I couldn't help but think more editorial work on this would have made all the difference.

So my main problems were:

* the quality of the writing
* the balance of summarizing vs. scenes in the writing
* it comes across as a "message" book and tbh it kind of felt like it was lecturing/trying to shove the message down my throat at times
* didn't realize it was going to be super religious and that's just personally not my jam
* both of the main characters drove me NUTS
* Weston is a stalker tbh and I hated how he acted like he knew everything and knew what was best for Tessa and wouldn't take no for an answer
* motivation for his actions felt lacking - more like he was just doing it for the plot
* Tessa's attitude made it really hard to like her
* the cheese. Some parts felt so cheesy I was cringing
* the ending felt rushed
* the beginning starts with a dream / backstory / reflection with Tessa telling us what happened instead of just showing what happened

I really don't want to come across as hating on this book - that is not my intent at all. I still enjoyed reading it and thought some parts were done super well.

But I also think it could have been better and needed more work before publication.

*shrugs*

Excuse me, I've been emotionally gutted and don't know how to recover. Don't mind the use of caps, exclamation points, or any grammatical errors brought on from the emotional wreck the novel, 100 Days of Sunlight, brought me. Thank you.

OH MY GOODNESS MY HEART!!!

jidajfeawlhfe times a thousand

I knew this story was going to be amazing, but be still my heart because it wasn't prepared. From the time I met Tessa, I loved her. She was so very much relatable in how she expresses her struggle mentally and through conversation to those around her. I found myself aching and then rejoicing in her story of overcoming.

And WESTON!!! As much as this was Tessa's story, it was equally Weston's and if you're like "I dare you to make me cry, author," she'll make you tear up through the whole book or sob straight through. I would say your choice, but Weston's is a gut wrencher. Not only is it incredibly inspiring to the people around him in this book, but to me too. Talk about being a role model as a character!

I am incredibly excited that this story is in the world as its powerful and makes an impactful even if you don't want it to. It will make you laugh, cry, roll your eyes with a smile ten thousand times BECAUSE (SPOILER) ALREADY!!!!! (Should I add more !!! for emphasis?) Plus, poetry that just makes you want to snap your fingers until they ache.

Yes, I was mindblowingly moved by this debut story and just want to go out and be a ray of sunlight for someone else. I don't want to give up in Life and don't want others too either.

This is an excellent contemporary novel that I recommend if you want a fantastic romance, a story of overcoming, and need some sunlight in your life.

*(I received an ARC from the author via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own and was not required to write a positive review.)*

I'm so glad I requested an eARC of this book (and was approved).

If you know me, then you probably know that I'm a fantasy gal through and through. But I like to sometimes dip my toe into different genres to discover something new to love.

This is such a feel-good book even though it does tackle some difficult themes. I believe though that this book is best if you don't know anything about going into it. I'll tell you a few general things I loved about this book and you can go read it yourself. (But since I also know that not everyone likes to go into a book blind (<s> pun not intended </s>) I'll tell you more at the end of this review.

The writing style and tone of this book is, as I already said, very humorous and light and happy. Just like the cover honestly. And I had a smile on my face for basically the whole time I read this. I flew through it, too. Read it in just 2 sittings.
The characters are both headstrong, stubborn and lovable. And the families around them are so warm and kind and supportive.

the beginning of the book was especially amazing and really surprised me (I had completely forgotten what the book was about) and I could really relate. This book is supposed to give you hope and I think it manages that pretty well.

Another thing I liked about the writing style was how visual it was. I could see everything in my head and it fit the book perfectly.

That's all I'm gonna say without telling you what it's about. So if you like not knowing much about a book .. stop here and put it on your tbr!

---

For all of you that prefer knowing more, here we go.

Tessa had a tragic accident and loses her sight temporarily. She suffers from PTSD and is angry at the world, at herself. She had a blog for poetry and now that she is blind she has neither the inspiration to write anymore nor can she really do it alone. Her Grandpa placed an ad for someone to type for her. She is <i> not </i> happy with that.

Insert Weston. He reads the ad and although he doesn't really fit any of the criteria he decides he will help Tessa. Even though she clearly doesn't want his help. Because what Tessa doesn't know is that he gets her. More than her Grandparent could.

The book is told from both their perspectives which I loved. And we also get to see what happened to Weston 3 years ago and how he coped.

I really appreciate the optimism of this book, the positive outlook and the tone. I really enjoyed my time reading it. But I sometimes wish it would have been more in depth. The beginning was amazing in that regard. I absolutely loved that! But it started to morph a little into the 'general YA contemporary' category. Which isn't necessarily anything bad. As I said, it was a fun time reading it.

There is a scene is this book were Weston talk about not giving up and I do agree with that sentiment, but he also says that it is your fault if you stay down when life throws you down and I don't really appreciate the blame here. It takes a lot of strength and effort (which the book does acknowledge) and mental energy to do that. I don't think phrasing it that way is very helpful. (Especially for mental health issues where blame often is already a huge part of the thought process)

Other than that though I really liked the message. Weston is incredibly strong and I loved how he talked to Tessa. How unapologetic he was to lure her out of the darkness.
I loved how he taught her to see the world anew.

Coming out on the 7th of August, the story revolves around Tessa, a poetry blogger, who lost her eyesight for 100 days due to an accident. Completely shattered and upset, Tessa loses all hopes and becomes rightly pessimistic and angry. To help her, her grandparents arrange for a help to write her poems and post them, to put her back in the light. When Weston arrives for the job, he is determined to help her see the bright light of life. And it's a story that unfold next, a story so beautiful and hopeful! .
.

I loved the characters so much. Being a writer, I could relate to Tessa and her fears so well. Weston completely stole my heart with his optimism and positive outlook on life, and the way he helped Tessa to see the brighter side to life. Weston stole my heart right from the first time we were introduced to him. He was stubborn and too hopeful, but we later learn why. His story is emotional and heartbreaking and yet full of hope and sunshine. Weston is a person who turns the negativity into something good and positive, someone who has learned from his mistakes. In all, Weston was just a boy who wanted to be normal and not his disability.

100 Days of Sunlight is a romance but it's nothing ordinary, no insta love. The sparks don't fly on first sight. There is stellar disability rep, subtle and just magnificent! It is a story of hope and sunshine, and to never give up no matter what. It's beautiful and amazing and you all need to pre-order this book asap!!!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the e-arc of this book. All views expressed are fully mine.

In the 'about the author' section at the end of this book, it says that "there is nothing Abbie (Emmons) likes better than writing (and reading) stories that are both heartrendering and humorous, with a touch of cute romance and a poignant streak of truth running through them."

That is exactly what she achieved with this book. I devoured this book in one day. It is easy to read and the characters are likable (if not a little too mature and awesome for high schoolers!)

However, I can't ignore the one little nagging part in my head that was triggered while I was reading this book. I know that it is just a book and that it is a YA romance book, but I really wanted Tessa to find strength in herself, for herself and not for a boy. I mean boys are fickle and yucky! :O) Do it for yourself Tessa!

Other than that little aside, the book was a cute, fun romantic read. I like that the story was about two people came together to make each other stronger.

My other thought while reading was that this would make a great movie!!! I look forward to reading about future plans on the 100 days of sunlight website!

Thank you to NetGalley and Abbie Emmons for providing a copy of this book for my reading pleasure!