4,5/5

(Thanks to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for a sincere opinion)

100 days of sunlight is a beautiful story of love and self-improvement. Two young people who lose something important, Tessa her sight and Weston his legs. Weston wants to help Tessa getting out of the hole she is in, and at the same time wants to feel that someone treats him like a normal person. But Tessa will recover her sight at some point and Weston is afraid that everything will change between them.

I liked the cover of this book but it was the synopsis that caught all my attention. I loved the story from beginning to end. The relationship that is forged little by little among the main characters is wonderful, and the way in which Weston teaches the good things of the world to Tessa through the other four senses. No doubt it is one of my favorite characters, for his madness, his strength, his little mischief and those moments of weakness that have broken my heart.

I want to highlight the author's way of writting, fluid and sweet. It has surprised me for good, like the poems that appear throughout the book. They are really beautiful.

I sincerely recommend 100 days of sunlight if you like sweet romantic stories with no toxic content.

I picked this book because I liked the cover and the description intrigued me, but I hadn't expected to like this so much.
Tessa is left temporarily blind after a car accident. Her grandparents place an add in the local newspaper for a typist, so that she can keep writing poetry for her blog. The boy who answers this add is Weston, he has no legs but doesn't want anyone telling Tessa about his disability.
This story is cute and made me think, I enjoyed every page. The perfect light summer read.

I really loved the premise of this book. What a unique story! Tessa Dickinson is a hard character to love at first, but you really need to remember what she's going through (and is a teenager). She's totally in the right to be that angry. Weston is such a positive and bright character, complete opposite of Tessa. I loved how this story unfolded with both Weston and Tessa's stories.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started this book. Honestly, I was in such a Mood for a nice YA contemporary, and when I saw this cover, I thought, let's give it a shot!

WOW did this book exceed my expectations.

Quick summary: Tessa becomes, what the doctors say, temporarily blind after a car accident affects the optic nerve in her brain. She's not handling it well, to say the least. But when Tessa's grandparents put an ad in the paper looking for someone to help her run her blog, Weston thinks this is a perfect opportunity to be around someone who doesn't judge him for his own disability, because Tessa can't see. We go back and forth between Tessa and Weston, seeing both the positive and negative perspective of dealing with life's hurdles, as Weston helps Tessa take control back over her life and Tessa helps Weston feel like a normal person.

I adored the characters. Though I've never been in her exact position, Tessa's reaction to her sudden blindness was more than relatable. I easily put myself in her shoes and knew I would be acting almost exactly as she was given her situation. The dialogue was PERFECT. Realistic. Relatable. Super witty. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions, couldn't stop smiling when reading a passage from an online group chat because it was so SPOT. ON, and I—someone who rarely if ever cries reading a book—teared up TWICE because of the story coupled with words that felt so real.

The story itself was a great read in and of itself. The topic of either choosing to let life beat you down or fighting back despite the hardships really hit close to home, and I thought showing two perspectives to reflect one of each was not only, again, relatable, but also eye-opening, and a lot of what the characters went through put a lot into perspective.

This was also the first YA contemporary romance I've read in a long, long time that gave me butterflies. As a 27 year old, the last time I got all heart-racy over a 16 year old fictional boy was maybe 8 years ago. But let me tell you, Weston is the boy you want to be real. He's got the jokes. He's got the charisma. He's got the genuine heart. The ability to say the perfect thing even if it's not the perfect thing but is still the perfect thing. And though much more somber, Tessa was also a delight, even in her worst of times, because I understood her. Related to her. Sympathized with her. Both characters together had great book chemistry and the progression of their relationship stuffed into 300 pages was perfectly paced and believable.

100 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT was one of those stories that I just couldn't put down. Though a quieter, light-hearted book, I still could not wait to see what happened next, and I ended up finishing it well into the night/early morning hours. My only disappointment was that I have to wait until August for the book to come out to get some bonus goodness!

*Arc provided by NetGalley in exchanged for unbiased review.

The summary of this book suggests it will be a lighthearted read with a teen romance that also still deals important topics. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I believe correlates well with the title and the story itself. The story alternates POV's between Tessa and Weston. Tessa's sections remain in the present while Weston's move from the present to his past as he explains what happened to him. Being able to read both character's POV's allowed me to gain a better understanding of what each character was thinking and feeling as the plot progressed. Allowing the reader to see Weston and Tessa speak about their experiences made for a strong view of their dynamic. The book itself is broken up into 5 parts that are represented with the 5 senses as Tessa adapts to her temporary blindness with the help of Weston. I loved the focus on the 5 senses as Tessa is learning to adjust to her surroundings. All of Weston's help was so sweet and touching to read. The 5 parts of the 5 senses is an incredible detail in the book that made me excited to get to the next sense.

After a car accident, Tessa is stuck with a temporary blindness that can last up to 100 days. Weston replies to an ad and becomes her helper, originally for her popular poetry blog, later to help her adjust and live her life freely. Weston's POV allows the reader to see the parts of him that Tessa cannot. The readers get to have a better understanding about Weston before Tessa gets to. The slow burn romance of the book is really great since neither character expects to fall for the other. Weston is an optimistic cheery character whose whole goal is to better Tessa's experience while Tessa seems more pessimistic due to her current circumstance. Weston truly makes this book incredibly enjoyable. He is a wonderful character that I would love to read more and more of. Through all the adversity he had to face he remains positive to others while still dealing with his inner demons privately. He reminds the reader and all the people around him just how brave and strong he is by always stating he's "never been better."

Abbie Emmons gives her readers two characters to root for in their individual journeys and for their relationship together. I cannot recommend this beautiful book enough.

Okay y’all, this book was pretty adorable! Tessa is in a car accident and becomes temporarily blind for 100 days. Weston knows what it’s like to have a disability because both his legs have been amputated. So he answers a newspaper ad to help Tessa, as long as no one will tell her about his disability. At first Tessa hates him, but it’s not long before they both begin to catch feels. This book was exactly what you want a YA romance to be, sweet and easy to read with well-developed characters.

I want to say it was the shiny, colorful cover that got me, but really, it was the losing eyesight part in the blurb. And the “no legs.” Because a YA contemporary novel starring two differently abled teens? Sign me up for sure, even if I have to receive a Word file, yes of course.

Given that, I had quite the expectations, and writing style-wise, they were mostly met. I liked the rhythm of the sentences, and in spite of the heavy themes, the tone just sang “everything’s going to be alright” to me. The plot could have been tighter and the dialogues cleaner, but also, I felt that the use of alternating POVs and flashbacks were the best way to go to tell a story like this, in which things get revealed slowly rather than right away.

It was very cute, and given this Pinterest board and Spotify playlist the author set up for this story which I found before I started reading*, I could imagine the setting and the feel of the scenes. Netflix adaptation, anyone?

A story that takes a hard look at what matters in life with a cute romance woven in.

I adored Weston. I felt he was a very well rounded character.

I was recently fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Abbie Emmon's debut novel 100 Days of Sunlight through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

100 Days of Sunlight is a sweet & humorous YA contemporary romance, & while contemporary novels are not what I usually gravitate towards, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a poetic & easy read with clever use of formatting that does a good job of balancing difficult topics with inspiring themes & steady doses of humor. Besides, how absolutely stunning is this cover?

Abbie did a fantastic job of creating realistic characters, & I could empathize with both Tessa & Weston throughout the novel. I enjoyed reading from both perspectives, & feel Abbie did a good job of balancing both points of view. The use of the five senses throughout the novel was very clever & well executed!

In fact, this novel is built on well-crafted relationships between the characters & their family & friends. Tessa & Weston’s relationship grows through trust & mutual respect while providing space for the differences & similarities between temporary & physical disabilities. It’s also brimming with humor - one of my favorite elements - & I laughed out loud multiple times while reading.

I would recommend this for pre-teens & up. There is some minor mild language, but nothing strong, & it easily fit into the dialogue & personalities of the characters & the situations they’re going through. There are no graphic descriptions of injuries or medical situations related to said injuries. It’s also full of great themes, including: family, hope, forgiveness, perseverance, resilience, & figuring out the qualities you already have to be grateful for, not what you wish you had.

I’ve been following Abbie’s YouTube channel for quite some time now & love watching her writing advice videos. That being said, my admiration for Abbie’s channel in no way influenced my review, other than I believe she has followed the advice she shares with her online community. After reading her debut novel, I’m excited to see how her writing career progresses!

100 Days of Sunlight releases August 7th: ebook preorders are available now - paperback & hardcover versions are coming soon!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Abbie for the privilege of reviewing an ARC of 100 Days of Sunlight.

I was sent a copy of this (ebook) for free in return for an honest review.

Tessa is 16 years old, homeschooled and a poetry blogger. She lives at home with her grandparents who have raised her since birth. (Her father is unknown and her mother moved away to find work.) One day Tessa and her grandmother are involved in a car accident, being hit by a drunk driver and as a result of the accident Tessa experiences temporary blindness.
Her reaction, as I'm sure most peoples would be is panic, self hatred and a longing to stay safe, safe inside her home. She is unhappy and frustrated at not being able to see and do the things she used to do. Her grandparents think the best thing for her is to get her back blogging again, but how can she when she can't see? They go to place an ad in a local paper asking for an assistant, but Tessa finds out and makes them pull the ad before it's published.

Weston is also 16 years old and helping at his dad's workplace (the newspaper) when he hears about Tessa and sees the ad. He decides that if allowed, he feels like he could be the one to help Tessa through her darkest moments. He visits Tessa's house and speaks to her grandparents who agree to allow him to speak to Tessa.

Tessa is reluctant, rude, stubborn and initially will not allow Weston into her life. She fights his every word, but he too is stubborn and persists, coming around to the house day after day, giving Tessa no choice to but listen to what he has to say. He takes Tessa on a journey showing her that losing her sight isn't as bad as she first thought, that there are other ways that she can experience the world, through her other senses, with him at her side.

The things he does for Tessa are so sweet and so well thought out, the flowers, the polaroid, the support. It's inevitable where the story leads, yes they fall in love with each other even though Tessa never sees Weston until the very end. The romance in this story is naive and lovely, that first love feeling and the story is beautifully written by Abbie Emmons. Yes, there are some swear words in it but in contrast to the situations they are describing, I don't think they are out of context at all.

Even though the story focuses on Tessa's situation, it was Weston's story that got me, I may have cried a few tears at his story and why he feels it so important to help Tessa. He is put across as a cheeky teenage boy, overly confident, popular, full of life but underneath it all he hides a very different person.

This book is beautifully written and is aimed at young adults and teens, but is also suitable for adults. I loved it, it was very emotive which I don't get with a lot of books, but this one I definitely did! Have the tissues ready when you're reading it, it won't disappoint. A cleverly thought out plot line, great characters and a fantastic story.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Thank you to ARC publishers and Netgalley for giving me this free copy.

101 Days of Sunlight is available from the 8th August 2019.

Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.

Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition — no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can’t see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it’s the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again.

Tessa spurns Weston’s “obnoxious optimism”, convinced that he has no idea what she’s going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him — and Weston can’t imagine life without her. But he still hasn’t told her the truth, and when Tessa’s sight returns he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa’s world…or overcome his fear of being seen.- Goodreads

I don’t really read contemporary especially contemporary romances. However, I won’t lie this cover and the title really caught my attention and let me just say this book was so freaking adorable.
Seriously adorable and I loved so much about this.
Tessa is feeling it; as she should. She is a hermit that doesn’t go out often and when she does unfortunately, she gets into an accident that makes her blind for a 100 days. The fact that she may get her sight back doesn’t exactly help because it is a big MIGHT and she doesn’t have much faith in things right now.
Enter Weston and he is determined to make sure Tessa doesn’t fall down a dark hole because he knows that it is a very easy thing.
One of the most important parts of this book that I loved is the fact that it is told in both of their point of views AND you also get to read about Weston’s past first hand. It was just raw honesty. I appreciate the author taking the time and care to dig into Weston as opposed to making this book only about Tessa.
Speaking about that. I strongly believe that this book favors Weston more than Tessa. Yes, she is a focal point but something about the way the author writes, the digging of Weston’s past nothing in me believes this book is about Tessa but about Weston and how he helps someone overcome the darkness growing inside him and how he pretty much does the same for himself.
But out of everything I read, the best part of the book was the ending. It broke my heart. It really broke my heart and Weston is perfect. He is such an adult for a 16 year old well actually all the surrounding characters appear to be older than they actually are.
Overall, this was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4 Pickles

One of the best covers I have seen in a while! So eye catching and relevant to the story. While I sometimes find YA novels a bit overdone, this story was very captivating and very well considered and the characters felt very real to me. Highly recommended.

Wow, YA recommendation coming your way! This book is called 100 days of sunlight by Abbie Emmons and is released 07/08/19. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC



When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down. Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile¿and no legs.Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition - no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can't see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it's the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again.Tessa spurns Weston's "obnoxious optimism", convinced that he has no idea what she's going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him - and Weston can't imagine life without her. But he still hasn't told her the truth, and when Tessa's sight returns he'll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa's world or overcome his fear of being seen.

This book explores the senses, explores the emotions behind these senses and also builds a powerful relationship between two people. After recently reading a different book about blindness I felt more involved with this story! I read it in a day and struggled to put it down! Definitely one to add to your TBR!

Outstanding! Emmons writes with gorgeous mastery of emotions, especially worthy in this book about overcoming limitations and fear. The interplay between characters positively sings, and we get all the feels in their dance of closeness/rage. I didn't feel the usual YA themes and conflicts here. Like many kids have to deal with real pain, here they step beyond any clichés into some kind of magic about deciding to connect. I also loved the element of facing change. This marvelous novel pounds at the heart, provides amazing visuals (the flowers!) and stands out for its originality. This is a case of a stellar plot, stellar characterization, setting and pace in the hands of a truly talented author. Well done. I loved my time with this story, and I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review,

First things first I must say how gorgeous is the cover.? It’s so eye catching and when you look closer you see all the lovely little details within the picture.

I loved the characters of Tessa and Weston and found that this was so much more than your average story as it dealt with many issues including disabilities which kept me very interested throughout.

This is a well written story and very exciting for a first time author. I truly look forward to reading more in the future.

Overall rating 4/5 Stars

Non-Spoiler Review

The summary of this book fascinated me and it absolutely did not disappoint. The whole premise of the book follows Tessa, a blogger, through her journey of being temporarily blinded by a car accident.

I just want to break it down to a few things I adored about this book:

1.) I really enjoyed the character development of this book. I really enjoyed Tessa's relationship with her grandparents and how that also played out in her development as a character.

2.) Descriptions. This book used some amazing descriptive words that captivated me from the very first pages.

3.) This last one may seem shallow, but I love a good book cover and this one is to die for.

Overall I was very pleased with the easy to read writing style as well as the pacing of the plot line. I felt that it was just what I was wanting to read as we head into summer, with some light parts and other portions that really made one question things. It was the perfect blend!

I was so thrilled to be allowed to review and read this amazing book and I can't wait to get a copy for myself when it comes out!!

I tend to stay away from medically related books because they tend to me heavier than I like and the market has been flooded recently, but the cover for this one pulled me in. I'm glad that it did because it was really a great read! I guess knowing that nothing was life threatening helped to keep the story light as did the continual references to sunlight and the use of color throughout the book. I loved the use of the senses, because it really helped to round out the story. This was a light and fast read and would be perfect to take with you on vacation. A blast of positive energy. I really enjoyed the narrative that a handicap is something you have not something you are, and that you choose your perspective and how you'll react to the things that happen in your life. I think that is an important reminder for everyone. A great read, add this one to your shelves!


My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC.

When a book doesn't meet my expectations, it can go two ways. The first is that I end up loving it so much I end up buying it (this is rare because I am a University student and therefore not rolling with cash) and rereading multiple times, consumed by my all flowing love. The second is that I have to push myself to finish it because <i> hey, I already started it and it's a short book and I have to review it </i> till I get to the end and am able to close the book, sigh in relief because it's over and never, ever touch it again.

This was the latter case.

I feel like I'm the only person who read this that didn't love it (as evidenced by the fact that literally every other review I've seen thus far has been a (glowing!) four stars) so take this as you will.

When I first requested this on NetGalley, it was mostly due to three things:

a) eNemIes to lOvers aka one of the most tried and true tropes in literary history (it's successful for a reason guys)

b) interesting premise! how many YA books have you read about a girl who is temporarily blind and is thus forced to spend time with a guy who has two prosthetic legs but keeps it a secret whilst acting as her typist and trying to change her perspective on life?

and c) that cover! Shallow? Yes. But I like graphic design, I can't help it.

Unfortunately, the only thing that I enjoyed in the end was the cover, which doesn't really count for much in literary terms.

Here's why:

I'm a character driven reader, which means I don't actually need a high stakes (or any stakes) plot to enjoy a book. In fact, I typically enjoy contemporaries where 'nothing really happens but things still, y'know, happen' (see: Perks of Being a Wallflower) so the fact that the story promised 100 days of Tessa and Weston being forced to spend time together in her room (no, not like that) did not bother me.

The problem was that I didn't like either of the characters. I'm gonna be real; I thought they were both really...I don't know if boring is the right word, but they felt like book characters, you know? They didn't feel like real people, they felt like YA protagonists in a YA book from a couple of years ago (the Ukulele/polaroid thing reminded me a little too much of 2013 tumblr) and granted yeah, they are, but they're not supposed to feel that way.

Tessa's chapters were supposed to feel emotional, but idk man, I just never really connected with her. If you asked me now, I couldn't tell you anything about her besides the fact that she writes (not great, sorry) poetry and lives with her grandparents and goes to church.

Also, I found some of the lines to be...problematic, for lack of better word. I don't know if it's just me and I can't speak for the blind and disability rep, but there's a line in Tessa's chapter where she says something like,

'Being a girl was hard enough, but being a blind girl was even harder'

Like...I get that Tessa's supposed to be miserable and frustrated because she just lost her sight; anyone would---but I felt that the way blindness was portrayed came across as insensitive. Especially in a later scene where she goes out to a bookstore and is basically manhandled by someone, which leads her to proclaiming that she's 'weak' due to her handicap. I don't think this was an unrealistic reaction, but they never really address it?? Idk it just feels like they never consider that blind people who, unlike Tessa don't have any chances of getting their sight back (if they had it at all), get on with their lives perfectly fine.

It was a similar case with Weston.

His chapters kept pushing how hard he trained or whatever to be this super athlete after the accident (and this happened unrealistically fast btw. he was upset for like a chapter and then all of a sudden was like, 'I need running legs'. Are people this optimistic in real life or am I just cynical?)
where it veered a lot into the category of 'disability is something that you need to overcome!' or 'you have to have an exceptional story to be valid' which is obviously, like, a terrible narrative to push upon people, especially bc there's so little disability rep. I don't think it was the author's intention, but I felt uncomfortable reading it. Sometimes Weston's past chapters made me feel like I was watching an inspirational ad.

In a vaguely related vein, the prose was another reason I couldn't get into it; it wasn't like, horrifyingly bad, but it was v v basic. Tessa and Weston's feelings/arcs are pretty much explained, and so instead of feeling for them, it's like I'm reading about them feeling---you know?

In short, this book wasn't for me.

But clearly it was for a lot of other people, so y'know, kudos for the people who connected w/it. But I wasn't feeling it.

After having a car accident, Tessa wakes up in hospital. And she is blind. The doctors tell her that it's something temporal. Maybe forteen weeks more or less. Tessa starts counting down the days.
She is a writer. And she has her own blog. But, obviously, she can't write right now. Her grandparents want to help her. So they think about publishing an ad on the newspaper looking for someone who can write what Tessa dictates.
Tessa refuses but Wenston, the newspaper owner's son hears about her. He offers his help.
And I am not saying anything else. I don't want to ruin the book for you. But I will tell you that this book is a beautiful lesson. We always tend to think that our problems are worse than the problems other people have. But the truth is we don't really know. Llife depends on your attitude. Nothing else.
This book is fantastic. You will love it! And Wenston, you are lucky that I'm much older than sixteen. YOU ARE PERFECT.
Please, Abbie Emmons, consider writing a second book. I will love it!!

I loved this book, it was cute and had a great message. Weston is the absolute best. At the beginning I was a little annoyed by Tessa, after all her blindness was only temporary, but I also get it from hanging out with teenagers as day life is hard enough as it is. The book was a little hard for me to get into because Tessa was so negative in the first 20 pages or so but once Weston was introduced in more detail I was hooked. My only critique is I worry about it downplaying mental health issues with depression. It was great that Weston and Tessa were able to overcome their challenges through sheer will power and friends, but this is not the case for everyone. I am definitely going to be recommending this book to my future students next year!